Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how your facial technician provided you with weight loss drugs. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but can you explain this a bit further?

I’ve been flirting with taking some sort of weight loss medication too and this baffles me.

The med spas have NPs prescribing this stuff through compounding pharmacies. Some of them are even accessing the medication through compounding pharmacies and then injecting people with it in their offices. They do this for people like OP, who can't get a script through their doctor because no doctor is going prescribe Wegovy to someone who only needs (wants?) to lose 15 pounds, because it is only indicated for patients with a BMI in the obese range.

It's a very bad idea. You should be baffled by it.

NP but serious question, why is it a bad idea?

1. The safety concerns with compounded semaglutide are serious enough that my doctor will not prescribe to compounding pharmacies. The med spas are absolutely not writing actual scripts for Wegovy that people pick up at a regular pharmacy; their clients don't qualify for insurance coverage as they are not obese (at least most of them aren't -- most those who are can and do get a Wegovy script from their doctor and are not messing with compounding pharmacies) and no one is wanting to pay $1300 a month for it out of pocket. So what they are selling is not brand name Wegovy or Ozempic, they are selling compounded semaglutide, which is easier to access and a lot cheaper. My doctor called the safety issues presented by compounded semaglutide "terrifying."
2. This is an anti-obesity medicine that can, and often does, have serious side effects. In my opinion, no medical professional with ethics and an understanding of the risks associated with this med should be prescribing it to people who do not have obesity, which is, of course, a serious medical condition. The risk/benefit analysis only comes out in favor of prescribing it if the patient has the serious medical condition that the drug is intended to treat. If a medical professional does prescribe to someone who has, oh, say, only 8lbs to lose, they are, in my opinion, putting profit over patient care. Do No Harm. You don't just give patients whatever they want.
3. Anti-obesity treatment in general is complicated, and especially so with this medication. My doctor is monitoring me very closely. That is not the role of a med spa; those places are focused on aesthetics. If you want to get your botox there, fine. Semaglutide? I simply don't think that is wise. But of course it isn't surprising that they have jumped on the bandwagon, there is always money to be made off of people who are worried about that extra 8lbs.
4. My doctor said that I will be on Wegovy for life. When you go off of it, you gain the weight back. OP has already seen this happen, at least to the extent of 8lbs, and now wants to go back on. But folks who just need to lose a bit of vanity weight are not going to stay on it-- that would make no sense given the risks and the cost. So instead, they take it, go off it, take it, go off it. It can't be good to go on a medication with such a strong effect on blood sugar, then go off, then go back on, etc. It is a serious drug that effects a number of things in the body, it's not a juice fast.
5. The FDA has warned the public against using compounded semaglutide. There is virtually no quality control, and serious adverse effects -- including overdose due to bad dosing -- have been reported.
6. Don't expect competent medical care from a "spa." Just don't.

And that's just off the top of my head.

Most of the people I know on this go through a med spa.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how your facial technician provided you with weight loss drugs. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but can you explain this a bit further?

I’ve been flirting with taking some sort of weight loss medication too and this baffles me.

The med spas have NPs prescribing this stuff through compounding pharmacies. Some of them are even accessing the medication through compounding pharmacies and then injecting people with it in their offices. They do this for people like OP, who can't get a script through their doctor because no doctor is going prescribe Wegovy to someone who only needs (wants?) to lose 15 pounds, because it is only indicated for patients with a BMI in the obese range.

It's a very bad idea. You should be baffled by it.

NP but serious question, why is it a bad idea?

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand how your facial technician provided you with weight loss drugs. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but can you explain this a bit further?

I’ve been flirting with taking some sort of weight loss medication too and this baffles me.

The med spas have NPs prescribing this stuff through compounding pharmacies. Some of them are even accessing the medication through compounding pharmacies and then injecting people with it in their offices. They do this for people like OP, who can't get a script through their doctor because no doctor is going prescribe Wegovy to someone who only needs (wants?) to lose 15 pounds, because it is only indicated for patients with a BMI in the obese range.

It's a very bad idea. You should be baffled by it.

I am on Wegovy. I would absolutely not be on this drug if I did not have over 80lbs to lose.

And even though my BMI is in the obese range, I would not use a compounding pharmacy to access the medication, which I assume you used given your story. My doctor won't allow it, even for those of us taking this stuff for serious medical reasons, due to safety concerns.

Anonymous wrote:Being thin feels amazing and many people would do anything (especially a magic shot!) to be thin. I have "good" genetics when it comes to weight, but perimenopause is doing a number on me. While most people would consider me to be fit or even thin, I know I could look feel so much better if I lost 15lbs. I would never inject myself with anything, though, so I watch what I eat and I exercise to limit how much weight I gain.

You would if you gained an additional 15 lbs.

I ended up going back on it. The inflammation was significant without, causing back and knee pain even when I regained just a few pounds. I think the benefits for me go way beyond weight loss. I do wish I naturally felt how I feel on Ozempic without Ozempic, but I don't, so I will keep taking it to look and feel my best.

You weigh 132 and you can get a doctor to prescribe ozempic for you? You are 8 pounds below your best weight now?

You want to be 124 lbs? Are you 14 years old?

I wouldn’t be injecting ozempic from some facial technician that’s for sure.

But what is your A1C?

Being thin feels amazing and many people would do anything (especially a magic shot!) to be thin. I have "good" genetics when it comes to weight, but perimenopause is doing a number on me. While most people would consider me to be fit or even thin, I know I could look feel so much better if I lost 15lbs. I would never inject myself with anything, though, so I watch what I eat and I exercise to limit how much weight I gain.

I don’t understand how your facial technician provided you with weight loss drugs. Maybe I’ve been living under a rock but can you explain this a bit further?

I’ve been flirting with taking some sort of weight loss medication too and this baffles me.

Should you take a prescription medicine for diabetes dosed by your facial technician?

No.

If you think you need Wegovy (ozempic for weight loss) go see your doctor.

I’m really torn about what to do. Last winter I was getting a facial done and the technician offered me the option of doing a promotion for 2 months on the weight loss compound. She started a very small dose and in 2-3 months I lost about 16 lbs. I have been carrying this weight for years and could not lose it. Any happy weight is 140 and I got down to 124 lbs, which is significant in my frame. I went off because even the cost seemed significant for what it was, something I felt I could do naturally. It’s a full year later and I gained back 8 of the one. I work out everyday, but low impact and it’s something I’m interested in so I don’t want to push myself just for weight loss. I really enjoyed being at the low weight. I felt more confident and lower inflammation but I struggle with feeling guilty taking the compound but it’s the best I’ve felt post kids. Would you just go back on it if you finally for the first time in a decade didn’t think of your weight? I was on a low dose and had zero side effects. I think it was so low it was actually lower than the starting dose but it was enough to work.