So disappointed. Apparently being borderline pre diabetic and insulin resistance won’t help getting my insurance to cover. Only a diabetes diagnosis. My provider gave me a sample of trulicity but everything I’ve read says it’s not nearly as effective for weight loss.

I am PP. Standard medical guidance is to start with non clinical dose of 0.25 for 4 weeks to get your body acclimated. Then 0.5 for 4 weeks before going to 1.0. You don't want to go up too fast.

Made an appointment with my GP to talk about this. I am on Medicare so no hope of getting Wegovy covered but will ask for Ozempic. I think it will be covered easily, although I’m not diabetic I definitely have PCOS and insulin resistance. I’m about 100 pounds overweight. Ozempic was just approved for 2 mg weekly dose which is close to the 2.4 mg max dose of Wegovy.

What does did everyone start at?

I read this thread and got on Calibrate as a result. They could not get Wegovy for me at an affordable price (BCPS PPO) so I am on Ozempic instead also on Metformin. Started Calibrate in January and started Ozempic on 2/9. Down 12 lbs so far. Slow and steady. Loving the program but currently on day 7 of the 14 day metabolic reset challenge so it's definitely not easy. Just coming here to say Calibrate is awesome (glad I acted on the prior guidance). Hopeful the year long program does a true reset for me that lasts beyond the medication and the program. Time will tell.

Honestly, there's been a shortage of the pens used for Wegovy and lots of announcements from the company that doctors need to be aware of this shortage before starting their patients on Wegovy. Believe me, the last thing Novo Nordisk needs is free advertising from sock puppets on DCUM because it cannot keep up with demand.

Also, you should know that GLP-1s (the type of drug semaglutide, aka Ozempic and Wegovy depending on dosage/use) have been around for a long time and have a long track record in diabetes treatment. Weight loss was such a noticeable side effect in diabetes treatment that Novo Nordisk decided to pursue approval for weight loss.

The company offered a six-month discount voucher for Wegovy last year. It did not re-up the discount voucher this year. I did six months and am done, and am now working with the doctors at Calibrate to determine how best to maintain my 45 pound weight loss. This has not been an easy road with no side effects but it has been life-changing.

I hope our for-profit health insurance system will eventually see the benefits of paying for these drugs now to avoid paying the much higher costs in the long run of people with diabesity, heart disease, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

My insurance doesn't cover Wegovy. I joined Calibrate and I pay $125 a month plus $25 in prescription costs and they got me Wegovy through a voucher. Worth it IMO. Especially when Wegovy is like $1600 a month without insurance.

I tried. This whole thread feels like an ad so I’m a little suspicious, but I decided to try anyway. I’m not eligible because I have Tricare. They said it would be $800-$1400 a month. No mention of a voucher.

I'm the PP who goes to a weight loss center. My insurance doesn't cover any weight loss medication. I have lost 40 pounds since last November. Nobody is paying me to say these things, and I am a real person. The drug works (for most people). I'm happy to answer any questions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

My insurance doesn't cover Wegovy. I joined Calibrate and I pay $125 a month plus $25 in prescription costs and they got me Wegovy through a voucher. Worth it IMO. Especially when Wegovy is like $1600 a month without insurance.

I tried. This whole thread feels like an ad so I’m a little suspicious, but I decided to try anyway. I’m not eligible because I have Tricare. They said it would be $800-$1400 a month. No mention of a voucher.

Anonymous wrote:Hi. I was on saxenda and it didn't work at all for me maybe a little at the beginning but my body got use to it and it stopped working fairly quickly even after I increased the dose. I am currently on wegovy I started it today I hope it works. A little about me I use to be very fit in great shape with a nice body up until 3 years ago age hormones and genetics started catching up to me and the pandemic didn't help. I end up gaining 60 pounds in the last 3 years and I have had the hardest time losing it and keeping it off. I really hope wegovy works since I work out almost everyday at the gym and couldn't lose weight on my own I hope this is an added push to get my hormones, insulin levels and metabolism back on track. So far day 1 on wegovy absolutely no side effects.

Hello twin! Same lbs in same years. I think I’ll try too.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

My insurance doesn't cover Wegovy. I joined Calibrate and I pay $125 a month plus $25 in prescription costs and they got me Wegovy through a voucher. Worth it IMO. Especially when Wegovy is like $1600 a month without insurance.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

My Cardiologist told me that phentermine is really, really bad for your heart and if you even try take it, it should never be for more than **two** months.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

Mine doesn't cover it, that's why I did Calibrate and I have a bcbs ppo. It's not that easy to get wegovy.

Anonymous wrote:I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

You can't make this generalization. *Your* insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss with the preauthorization your doctor sent in. What's not generalizable is that the drug formulary a particular plan will cover is different from employer to employer, based on the contract that that employer has with the insurance plan. So just because I have UnitedHealthcare and you have United Healthcare doesn't mean we can both get the same drugs covered, even everything else being equal.

It's great that you got Wegovy approved, it really is -- I went through Calibrate and they tried to get my insurance company to approve every. single. drug with no luck at all. My doctor, as amazing as she is, never would have had the staff time to try each and every drug to get something approved. I got the 6-month manufacturer coupon for Wegovy through Calibrate. That's done now, and I'm hoping to maintain my 45 pound weight loss, but the drug access has not been the only benefit of Calibrate for me. I've benefited a lot from the structure of the program itself and the coaching.

PP here - meaning DON'T PAY FOR A WEIGHT LOSS CENTER. Just ask your doctor.

I feel like this whole thread is a giant ad for calibrate, but wanted to let everyone know that insurance is covering Wegovy for weight loss if the preauthorization your doctor sends in shows that you have tried other medication.

I have tried several other things - I lost a lot of weight on Phentermine (everyone should try this first, it is safe, effective, minimal side effects), as well as Contrave (which did not work and I had a lot of side effects on), so my insurance approved me to try Wegovy. I jus started today, will come back later. Wegovy because it's so expensive is a medicine of last resort - try a few other things first, then you'll be approved.

Personally I don't think Noom is a sustainable program. 1200 calories a day especially at your size is going to be a starvation diet and your body will not want to lose any weight. 5 pounds a week is actually a very high rate of weight loss! Even if some of it is water weight -- 1-2 pounds a week is a really good and sustainable weight. The weight didn't come on overnight and it's not going to go away overnight either.

I'd focus on food quality over food quantity. I am a big fan of reasonably done low carb/keto/paleo diets that emphasize protein, fats, and low carbs that are in green vegetables and other produce.