Ozempic - need prescription?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use it for weight loss only. I go to a weight loss clinic. When I started I was only slightly obese with high blood pressure. My insurance would not cover it. I pay 1k ever 6 weeks for it.

I wouldn’t go to your PCP. They harbor a lot of ignorant misconceptions.

You might as well go to your PCP first though. They may well prescribe it happily, as mine did. If they don’t, you can always go elsewhere. It would be good to at least hear your PCP out about why if they don’t think it’s a good idea.

I think a weight loss Dr knows way more about what is better for weight loss than my PCP. I’m not interested in speaking to a jack of all trades, but master of none when we are talking about a condition that could kill me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it from my PCP, and go there for weekly injections. It's cheaper than getting it from the pharmacy. My insurance doesn't cover it.

It's worked for me so far, down 18 lbs in 2.5 months. And my A1C levels are in the normal range now. It makes calorie restriction very easy - you just can't eat that much, nor do you want to.

Why on earth would you go in for the injections?

Because it's less expensive to get it from the office than from the pharmacy. It's a 10 minute walk from my house and I am typically there only 5-10 minutes, so all in it's less than 30 minutes and most of that is walking there and back which has added benefits. Is that okay with you?

This doesn’t make any sense since prescription Ozempic is sold in a multi-use pen. You take out the pen screw on a new needle, hold it up to your stomach, press the button and it auto injects. You unscrew the needle and keep the pen for another three doses.

It doesn’t come in a huge quantity that a doctor parcels out on a weekly basis. Your doctor is doing something really sketchy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it from my PCP, and go there for weekly injections. It's cheaper than getting it from the pharmacy. My insurance doesn't cover it.

It's worked for me so far, down 18 lbs in 2.5 months. And my A1C levels are in the normal range now. It makes calorie restriction very easy - you just can't eat that much, nor do you want to.

Why on earth would you go in for the injections?

Because it's less expensive to get it from the office than from the pharmacy. It's a 10 minute walk from my house and I am typically there only 5-10 minutes, so all in it's less than 30 minutes and most of that is walking there and back which has added benefits. Is that okay with you?

This doesn’t make any sense since prescription Ozempic is sold in a multi-use pen. You take out the pen screw on a new needle, hold it up to your stomach, press the button and it auto injects. You unscrew the needle and keep the pen for another three doses.

It doesn’t come in a huge quantity that a doctor parcels out on a weekly basis. Your doctor is doing something really sketchy.

Yeah, how much is your doc office charging for these visits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:has anyone tried losing weight naturally first (the first however many pounds) and then switched?

Pretty sure most people try on their own first. In 2020 I gained 65 lbs in the first several months of Covid (145 lbs -> 210 lbs) and went to my PCP in 2021. My PCP had me see a nutritionist/dietician specializing in eating disorders, a therapist specializing in intuitive eating, and a personal trainer. $$$ and a year later and I had lost no weight, but my PCP was still against prescribing me Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro. In 2023, I went to a weight loss clinic who did prescribe and I'm down 10 lbs (in 2 months, so not a quick fix for me).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has anyone tried losing weight naturally first (the first however many pounds) and then switched?

Pretty sure most people try on their own first. In 2020 I gained 65 lbs in the first several months of Covid (145 lbs -> 210 lbs) and went to my PCP in 2021. My PCP had me see a nutritionist/dietician specializing in eating disorders, a therapist specializing in intuitive eating, and a personal trainer.* $$$ and a year later and I had lost no weight, but my PCP was still against prescribing me Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro. In 2023, I went to a weight loss clinic who did prescribe and I'm down 10 lbs (in 2 months, so not a quick fix for me).

*Oh, I forgot tracking! I tracked everything. Eat food, track it, drink water, track it. Tracking, tracking, tracking. I was neurotic. And still obese.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it from my PCP, and go there for weekly injections. It's cheaper than getting it from the pharmacy. My insurance doesn't cover it.

It's worked for me so far, down 18 lbs in 2.5 months. And my A1C levels are in the normal range now. It makes calorie restriction very easy - you just can't eat that much, nor do you want to.

Why on earth would you go in for the injections?

Because it's less expensive to get it from the office than from the pharmacy. It's a 10 minute walk from my house and I am typically there only 5-10 minutes, so all in it's less than 30 minutes and most of that is walking there and back which has added benefits. Is that okay with you?

This doesn’t make any sense since prescription Ozempic is sold in a multi-use pen. You take out the pen screw on a new needle, hold it up to your stomach, press the button and it auto injects. You unscrew the needle and keep the pen for another three doses.

It doesn’t come in a huge quantity that a doctor parcels out on a weekly basis. Your doctor is doing something really sketchy.

It has to be compounded semaglutide, not the brand name product. That would be in a normal vial, not a pen. It’s not illegal - because it’s currently in shortage, as I understand it. Not sure what will happen when that changes since it’s under patent.

Whatever the case, the process of navigating the compounding situation is really opaque and scary. Hopefully this PP is going somewhere reputable. I understand this is common with medspa type places which only makes it harder for consumers to know what they’re getting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it from my PCP, and go there for weekly injections. It's cheaper than getting it from the pharmacy. My insurance doesn't cover it.

It's worked for me so far, down 18 lbs in 2.5 months. And my A1C levels are in the normal range now. It makes calorie restriction very easy - you just can't eat that much, nor do you want to.

Why on earth would you go in for the injections?

Because it's less expensive to get it from the office than from the pharmacy. It's a 10 minute walk from my house and I am typically there only 5-10 minutes, so all in it's less than 30 minutes and most of that is walking there and back which has added benefits. Is that okay with you?

This doesn’t make any sense since prescription Ozempic is sold in a multi-use pen. You take out the pen screw on a new needle, hold it up to your stomach, press the button and it auto injects. You unscrew the needle and keep the pen for another three doses.

It doesn’t come in a huge quantity that a doctor parcels out on a weekly basis. Your doctor is doing something really sketchy.

It has to be compounded semaglutide, not the brand name product. That would be in a normal vial, not a pen. It’s not illegal - because it’s currently in shortage, as I understand it. Not sure what will happen when that changes since it’s under patent.

Whatever the case, the process of navigating the compounding situation is really opaque and scary. Hopefully this PP is going somewhere reputable. I understand this is common with medspa type places which only makes it harder for consumers to know what they’re getting.

I looked into getting semaglutide from a compounding pharmacy but then started researching the danger of using compounding pharmacies that provide mail order shipments. This link is to FDA inspections of compounding pharmacies. All of the places I looked where I could order semaglutide had violations.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/compounding-inspections-recalls-and-other-actions

These pharmacies aren’t getting semaglutide from Novo nordisk. They are getting it from sketchy places like Chinese manufacturers with no quality control. These places list:
BULK available!
Research Use Only (RUO). NOT ALLOWED FOR USE IN HUMANS
https://adipogen.com/ag-cp3-0040-semaglutide.html/

[Anonymous]

Is anyone else willing to share WHERE they get the prescriptions? I've seen references to various "clinics." Would love specific names of places to go, preferably around Chevy Chase/Bethesda/Kensington?? Thank you in advance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has anyone tried losing weight naturally first (the first however many pounds) and then switched?

Pretty sure most people try on their own first. In 2020 I gained 65 lbs in the first several months of Covid (145 lbs -> 210 lbs) and went to my PCP in 2021. My PCP had me see a nutritionist/dietician specializing in eating disorders, a therapist specializing in intuitive eating, and a personal trainer. $$$ and a year later and I had lost no weight, but my PCP was still against prescribing me Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro. In 2023, I went to a weight loss clinic who did prescribe and I'm down 10 lbs (in 2 months, so not a quick fix for me).

Thanks. I have gained about the same, but over 3 years and with SSRIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else willing to share WHERE they get the prescriptions? I've seen references to various "clinics." Would love specific names of places to go, preferably around Chevy Chase/Bethesda/Kensington?? Thank you in advance!

I get it from my PCP at one medical. You don’t need to go to any kind of clinic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has anyone tried losing weight naturally first (the first however many pounds) and then switched?

Pretty sure most people try on their own first. In 2020 I gained 65 lbs in the first several months of Covid (145 lbs -> 210 lbs) and went to my PCP in 2021. My PCP had me see a nutritionist/dietician specializing in eating disorders, a therapist specializing in intuitive eating, and a personal trainer.* $$$ and a year later and I had lost no weight, but my PCP was still against prescribing me Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro. In 2023, I went to a weight loss clinic who did prescribe and I'm down 10 lbs (in 2 months, so not a quick fix for me).

*Oh, I forgot tracking! I tracked everything. Eat food, track it, drink water, track it. Tracking, tracking, tracking. I was neurotic. And still obese.

How did you gain that in around half a year?underlying chronic illness?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else willing to share WHERE they get the prescriptions? I've seen references to various "clinics." Would love specific names of places to go, preferably around Chevy Chase/Bethesda/Kensington?? Thank you in advance!

I get it from my PCP at one medical. You don’t need to go to any kind of clinic.

Counterpoint: I'm the PP a few posts above you with the PCP who won't prescribe for me despite a BMI of 37 and high cholesterol. My PCP is with . . . One Medical. It must be provider-specific. Maybe it's time for me to switch providers there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone else willing to share WHERE they get the prescriptions? I've seen references to various "clinics." Would love specific names of places to go, preferably around Chevy Chase/Bethesda/Kensington?? Thank you in advance!

I get it from my PCP at one medical. You don’t need to go to any kind of clinic.

Counterpoint: I'm the PP a few posts above you with the PCP who won't prescribe for me despite a BMI of 37 and high cholesterol. My PCP is with . . . One Medical. It must be provider-specific. Maybe it's time for me to switch providers there.

I don’t know, my BMI was 35 but I have a nearly diabetic a1c that has been going up despite my/our efforts to get it under control. So maybe it’s just a different situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has anyone tried losing weight naturally first (the first however many pounds) and then switched?

Pretty sure most people try on their own first. In 2020 I gained 65 lbs in the first several months of Covid (145 lbs -> 210 lbs) and went to my PCP in 2021. My PCP had me see a nutritionist/dietician specializing in eating disorders, a therapist specializing in intuitive eating, and a personal trainer.* $$$ and a year later and I had lost no weight, but my PCP was still against prescribing me Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro. In 2023, I went to a weight loss clinic who did prescribe and I'm down 10 lbs (in 2 months, so not a quick fix for me).

*Oh, I forgot tracking! I tracked everything. Eat food, track it, drink water, track it. Tracking, tracking, tracking. I was neurotic. And still obese.

How did you gain that in around half a year?underlying chronic illness?

No underlying illness. Some combination of stress, hormones, cortisol, limited movement, I guess. I was eating around 1200 calories/day but apparently that's too much for me at my age/height/BMR. With the semaglutide I've stopped weighing my food and yet have lost weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get it from my PCP, and go there for weekly injections. It's cheaper than getting it from the pharmacy. My insurance doesn't cover it.

It's worked for me so far, down 18 lbs in 2.5 months. And my A1C levels are in the normal range now. It makes calorie restriction very easy - you just can't eat that much, nor do you want to.

Do you mind sharing your starting weight? I’d love to be down 18 pounds in 2.5 months. I’m starting at 190, 5’4”. Wondering what’s typical

There is no typical. My stats were a little lower than PP and I’m down 6 in 6 weeks. If the trend continues, I’d be down 10 in 2.5 months.