Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. Ozempic is for those who are diabetics or pre-diabetics. It's only given to a certain dose, I think 1mg. Saxenda/Wegovy is the same medication, but is approved for weight loss, and given up to 2.4mg. Doctors are not going to prescribe Ozempic for weight loss, as that's not what it is approved for.
You are very wrong. I and many others without diabetes are prescribed Ozempic off label for weight loss. It is approved for up to 2.0 mg.
It is not approved for weight loss only in any dose. It's approved indication is only for management of Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is approved for weight managment, but only for those that are clinically obese or for those struggling with weigh-related health conditions. It is not approved for vanity weight loss.
Am I an expert in drug policy? Yes. Is off-label prescribing legal? Yes. It is ethical for what amounts to cosmetic reasons when the drug is in shortage? No. Is it legal for a pharmacy to compound this? No. Compunding pharmacies by law cannot compound "copies" of FDA-approved medications. Is getting it from Canada legal? No, its not.
Not sure about the compounding pharmacies, but a lot of them are openly offering compounded semaglutide so I don’t think it’s illegal.
It’s definitely not illegal to use a Canadian pharmacy as an American. That’s where I’ve been getting my Ozempic for 8 months now.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. Ozempic is for those who are diabetics or pre-diabetics. It's only given to a certain dose, I think 1mg. Saxenda/Wegovy is the same medication, but is approved for weight loss, and given up to 2.4mg. Doctors are not going to prescribe Ozempic for weight loss, as that's not what it is approved for.
You are very wrong. I and many others without diabetes are prescribed Ozempic off label for weight loss. It is approved for up to 2.0 mg.
It is not approved for weight loss only in any dose. It's approved indication is only for management of Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is approved for weight managment, but only for those that are clinically obese or for those struggling with weigh-related health conditions. It is not approved for vanity weight loss.
Am I an expert in drug policy? Yes. Is off-label prescribing legal? Yes. It is ethical for what amounts to cosmetic reasons when the drug is in shortage? No. Is it legal for a pharmacy to compound this? No. Compunding pharmacies by law cannot compound "copies" of FDA-approved medications. Is getting it from Canada legal? No, its not.
Not sure about the compounding pharmacies, but a lot of them are openly offering compounded semaglutide so I don’t think it’s illegal.
It’s definitely not illegal to use a Canadian pharmacy as an American. That’s where I’ve been getting my Ozempic for 8 months now.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you actually 25 pounds overweight or do you just want to lose 25 pounds?
OP here - whats the difference? I am heavy for my height 5'7" and need/want to lose 25 pounds. I had 3 kids and have not been able to lose the extra weight. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant each time. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was 125 when I got married and would like to get back to that.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you actually 25 pounds overweight or do you just want to lose 25 pounds?
OP here - whats the difference? I am heavy for my height 5'7" and need/want to lose 25 pounds. I had 3 kids and have not been able to lose the extra weight. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant each time. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was 125 when I got married and would like to get back to that.
There have been shortages of the medicine. Overweight people are mad at people using it to lose "vanity weight". Diabetics are mad at overweight people for using it for weight loss.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Most weightloss clinics are using semaglutide now in their programs. Wegovy and Ozempic are brand names, but the md is available in off-brand. You don't have to go through your pcp for this medication. Cost will be between $200-$500 month. Insurance isn't going to pay unless you have a great plan and you're significantly overweight or are pre-diabetic (or already have diabetes). I am trying to wrap my head around paying $350 (my clinic's charge) for the rest of my life (if that's what it takes??). I guess I spend that much on other silly stuff, so if I have to do it, I suppose I will.
Is it only injectable, or is there an oral dose?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. Ozempic is for those who are diabetics or pre-diabetics. It's only given to a certain dose, I think 1mg. Saxenda/Wegovy is the same medication, but is approved for weight loss, and given up to 2.4mg. Doctors are not going to prescribe Ozempic for weight loss, as that's not what it is approved for.
You are very wrong. I and many others without diabetes are prescribed Ozempic off label for weight loss. It is approved for up to 2.0 mg.
It is not approved for weight loss only in any dose. It's approved indication is only for management of Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is approved for weight managment, but only for those that are clinically obese or for those struggling with weigh-related health conditions. It is not approved for vanity weight loss.
Am I an expert in drug policy? Yes. Is off-label prescribing legal? Yes. It is ethical for what amounts to cosmetic reasons when the drug is in shortage? No. Is it legal for a pharmacy to compound this? No. Compunding pharmacies by law cannot compound "copies" of FDA-approved medications. Is getting it from Canada legal? No, its not.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No. Ozempic is for those who are diabetics or pre-diabetics. It's only given to a certain dose, I think 1mg. Saxenda/Wegovy is the same medication, but is approved for weight loss, and given up to 2.4mg. Doctors are not going to prescribe Ozempic for weight loss, as that's not what it is approved for.
You are very wrong. I and many others without diabetes are prescribed Ozempic off label for weight loss. It is approved for up to 2.0 mg.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you actually 25 pounds overweight or do you just want to lose 25 pounds?
OP here - whats the difference? I am heavy for my height 5'7" and need/want to lose 25 pounds. I had 3 kids and have not been able to lose the extra weight. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant each time. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was 125 when I got married and would like to get back to that.
Because that is not what this class of drugs is designed to do.
Eat less and move more if you want to drop 25 pounds. It's not hard. Cut out the carbs and sugar.
DP. It actually is hard to lose 25lbs if you’re starting from a healthy weight, which OP is
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you actually 25 pounds overweight or do you just want to lose 25 pounds?
OP here - whats the difference? I am heavy for my height 5'7" and need/want to lose 25 pounds. I had 3 kids and have not been able to lose the extra weight. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant each time. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was 125 when I got married and would like to get back to that.
Because that is not what this class of drugs is designed to do.
Eat less and move more if you want to drop 25 pounds. It's not hard. Cut out the carbs and sugar.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Are you actually 25 pounds overweight or do you just want to lose 25 pounds?
OP here - whats the difference? I am heavy for my height 5'7" and need/want to lose 25 pounds. I had 3 kids and have not been able to lose the extra weight. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant each time. I have never weighed this much in my life. I was 125 when I got married and would like to get back to that.
Anonymous wrote:You can probably find someone to prescribe it, but without being at least overweight there’s no chance that insurance will cover it and it’s pretty expensive.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Curious why on earth doctors refuse to prescribe it? Especially for people who are truly overweight. It’s baffling.
I'm on Ozempic because I'm about 100 lbs overweight. While I wouldn't begrudge anyone getting help to lose weight (better to lose 25 than 100) I can tell you that while very effective, these meds are no joke. I was sick as a dog for about 2 months after I started them. it's not without cost.