Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you want to take semaglutide to lose 10 lbs. Ozempic is semaglutide but it is dosed and indicated for diabetics. Semaglutide for weight loss is Wegovy.
The 2 reasons why Ozempic is not for you is because it is not indicated for a 10 lb weight loss and you are most likely not diabetic.
The side effects are possible digestive issues due to the slowing down of digestion. It can cause intolerance of alcohol. You can’t drink.
Once you lose the 10 lbs and you stop taking it you will gain the weight back. It is to be taken long term.
For you, it is overkill

Thank you for the info. I will look at Wegovy. I am trying to lose about 20-30Lbs, not just 10. So maybe it would be more appropriate. I do not drink alcohol so don't have any issues there.

I have tried and failed to lose weight in the past few years, and gained a significant amount. I donated a kidney a few years back and one of the side effects was weight gain, which I am now struggling with. I plan to approach my nephrologist to see if this would be a good option for me, and whether it would be contraindicated with the remaining kidney.

NP here, you may want to lose 20-30 lbs, but don't need to lose 20-30 lbs to be a "normal" BMI. The meds are for people who need to lose significant weight to avoid other health risks like heart attack. I get why that's frustrating and I hope there is soon a low key alternative for general use, but PP is right that Wegovy would be overkill.

Anyway, because you do not have an obese BMI you will need to plead a weight related condition like high BP. A paid weight loss service will send you for tests to see if they can find a justification.

Anonymous wrote:I'm a 45F. I have struggled with weight loss and am looking at ozempic options. I've gone through threads here and wanted to find out:

1) General side effects for users:

2) Where people are getting it - online? Which MedSpa/physical locations?

My GP will not prescribe it. I am 5'7 and have gained about 10 lbs this summer to 170. I cannot seem to lose weight. I run regularly (3-4 miles @4x/week) and lift weights. I've run for years and have generally been very good with exercise. I need to lose 20-30 lbs but issues with migraines and other surgeries have put me back.

due to my headache issues, I'm wondering if the side effects of Ozempic would be a no-go for me. Any comments from other users? I'm at my wits end with my weight.

I've been on it for 14 weeks now.

Side effects: Diarrhea (worst I've ever had), stomach pain, constipation (bad enough I though I might need to go to urgent care -- I wasn't willing to go to my own doctor because of humiliation factor -- ended up dealing with it myself), blurry vision, fatigue, dizziness, bad dreams and sleep problems, anxiety/depression. I was spared the common nausea/vomiting. All of it waxes/wanes depending on how many days it has been since my weekly shot (day 3 and 4 tend to be the worst), and at this point much of it has gone away. The hardest thing to deal with was the fatigue, I though I would have to quit because of it; at one point it was bad enough that I was worried I wouldn't be able to do my job. It has gotten much, much better though so I'm sticking with it. I am, however, still at only 0.5, so when I go up in dose, a lot of this could come roaring back.

Where am I getting it: My doctor suggested it and prescribed it and I get it at the pharmacy (fortunately haven't had any problem with not being able to get it due to shortages, although the last time the pharmacy did have to send me to another location to get it). Insurance is covering it. My starting BMI was 36.6. (It's down to 32.8 and dropping steadily).

Why won't your doctor prescribe it? Because they don't want to deal with obesity medicine in their practice? Or because they don't want to prescribe it for you? If the latter, just listen to your doctor. This medication is not a walk in the park. I see your BMI is not in the obese category; you should understand that Wegovy treats a condition you do not have. So you really should just listen to your doctor if they don't recommend you take it. If I weren't obese, I would stay far away from this drug. And fwiw, my doctor said she will not allow any of her patients to go the compounding pharmacy route due to safety concerns.

You can get compounded semaglutide at any number of sites -- HenryMeds, Hers, Ro, etc. Insurance will not cover, it will be about $300 a month out of pocket.

My side effects have primarily been constipation and stomach pain, no headaches.

I will warn you that I was about you, had good success and regained it all after stopping. I stopped due to extreme fatigue. Considering going back on it because of how terrible I feel about myself. When tired at least I looked good…

You may qualify (insurance would pay for it) for Wegovy if you have or at risk for heart disease.

Anonymous wrote:You will lose your weight. That's the best part.

If you've been battling long term, it is a real game changer. If you stay hydrated and eat protein and fiber (like a lot of fiber; 25g per day if not higher), my guess is that you will be fine. That's what made the difference for me.

Had some constipation but fiber and lots of water fixes that for the most part (shocking I know). You really have to be consistent with the fiber and the protein which does change some of your eating habits. You won't be very hungry and finding a way to get 150g of protein and 30g of fiber (assuming a 150lb target) takes some effort. Small effort given the payoff and now that I am in a pretty balanced place it's been so easy. I didn't realize how much mental energy it was taking (guilt, anger, etc) to battle weight over a long period of time.

Consistent protein fixed the drops in energy for me throughout the day.

The one side effect I would also mention is that there is a 36 hour period of lowered energy for me so you need to really time which day you take it on a schedule that works for you. For me that means Saturday afternoon and have a sluggish Sunday, then back to normal by Monday.

Thank you for this. Which med are you on? The Wegovy? I've seen quite a few online websites claiming that they can prescribe over the internet but I'm not sure if these are reputable sources.

You will lose your weight. That's the best part.

If you've been battling long term, it is a real game changer. If you stay hydrated and eat protein and fiber (like a lot of fiber; 25g per day if not higher), my guess is that you will be fine. That's what made the difference for me.

Had some constipation but fiber and lots of water fixes that for the most part (shocking I know). You really have to be consistent with the fiber and the protein which does change some of your eating habits. You won't be very hungry and finding a way to get 150g of protein and 30g of fiber (assuming a 150lb target) takes some effort. Small effort given the payoff and now that I am in a pretty balanced place it's been so easy. I didn't realize how much mental energy it was taking (guilt, anger, etc) to battle weight over a long period of time.

Consistent protein fixed the drops in energy for me throughout the day.

The one side effect I would also mention is that there is a 36 hour period of lowered energy for me so you need to really time which day you take it on a schedule that works for you. For me that means Saturday afternoon and have a sluggish Sunday, then back to normal by Monday.

Anonymous wrote:Buying online semaglutide has helped my headaches because they were due to overeating and eating junk. After buying online semaglutide and improving my diet (i now eat small quantities of unprocessed protein and veg and never overeat) I rarely get headaches. I also am now a size 4, so that’s nice too.

Go check out Reddit for good discussion of compounded medication.

Which online source did you use to buy the prescription?

I have had minor (expected, digestive) side effects on Wegovy, but not headaches. My PCP prescribed it for me, though I have more to lose than you do.

Buying online semaglutide has helped my headaches because they were due to overeating and eating junk. After buying online semaglutide and improving my diet (i now eat small quantities of unprocessed protein and veg and never overeat) I rarely get headaches. I also am now a size 4, so that’s nice too.

Go check out Reddit for good discussion of compounded medication.

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is different. I had no side effects from Wegovy, just weight loss. But if you are prone to such issues, I suppose it could exacerbate things

Where did you get your Wegovy prescription?

Everyone is different. I had no side effects from Wegovy, just weight loss. But if you are prone to such issues, I suppose it could exacerbate things

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you want to take semaglutide to lose 10 lbs. Ozempic is semaglutide but it is dosed and indicated for diabetics. Semaglutide for weight loss is Wegovy.
The 2 reasons why Ozempic is not for you is because it is not indicated for a 10 lb weight loss and you are most likely not diabetic.
The side effects are possible digestive issues due to the slowing down of digestion. It can cause intolerance of alcohol. You can’t drink.
Once you lose the 10 lbs and you stop taking it you will gain the weight back. It is to be taken long term.
For you, it is overkill

Thank you for the info. I will look at Wegovy. I am trying to lose about 20-30Lbs, not just 10. So maybe it would be more appropriate. I do not drink alcohol so don't have any issues there.

I have tried and failed to lose weight in the past few years, and gained a significant amount. I donated a kidney a few years back and one of the side effects was weight gain, which I am now struggling with. I plan to approach my nephrologist to see if this would be a good option for me, and whether it would be contraindicated with the remaining kidney.

It sounds like you want to take semaglutide to lose 10 lbs. Ozempic is semaglutide but it is dosed and indicated for diabetics. Semaglutide for weight loss is Wegovy.
The 2 reasons why Ozempic is not for you is because it is not indicated for a 10 lb weight loss and you are most likely not diabetic.
The side effects are possible digestive issues due to the slowing down of digestion. It can cause intolerance of alcohol. You can’t drink.
Once you lose the 10 lbs and you stop taking it you will gain the weight back. It is to be taken long term.
For you, it is overkill

I'm a 45F. I have struggled with weight loss and am looking at ozempic options. I've gone through threads here and wanted to find out:

1) General side effects for users:

2) Where people are getting it - online? Which MedSpa/physical locations?

My GP will not prescribe it. I am 5'7 and have gained about 10 lbs this summer to 170. I cannot seem to lose weight. I run regularly (3-4 miles @4x/week) and lift weights. I've run for years and have generally been very good with exercise. I need to lose 20-30 lbs but issues with migraines and other surgeries have put me back.

due to my headache issues, I'm wondering if the side effects of Ozempic would be a no-go for me. Any comments from other users? I'm at my wits end with my weight.