I was in my dermatologists office a few weeks ago and one of the women there I was working with told me every female in the office was on a compounded version of Ozempic and to get it via insurance they all ate sugar prior to taking a blood test for pre diabetes which qualified them (the office insurance manager managed this process). Taking it for weight loss is a much higher dose than for diabetes. She was telling me about how they got all their friends on it too. They were all enthralled with the weight loss and are taking no precautions to maintain muscle. They also aren’t being supervised by a doctor, they are getting a pack of shots monthly and administering themselves. I asked her about side effects and she was rattling off nausea, constipation, dizziness, headaches etc. but it was all worth seeing the scale go down and not being hungry. I asked her about changing diet and she said no, you don’t have to, you just lose weight since you don’t eat and have to be reminded to eat. This type of abuse always ends badly. Also, ironically the services they offer for weight loss like Cool Sculpting are losing revenue but they are having people come in that have sagging skin on their legs and arms and are now opting for cosmetic services like leg fillers and body laser tightening. There is going to be a lot of products geared to GLP1 use. Food lines, supplements, cosmetic products and procedures etc. It amazes me that none of these people even consider the long term harm they could be inflicting on themselves.
Alice, Awesome post! When I was first offered Ozempic, the doctor spent a lot of effort to give me the facts about the possible long term adverse effects. Then I was encouraged to weigh the options and make an INFORMED decision for myself. I haven't had any of the list of possible problems yet. I have a list of symptoms that will trigger a re-evaluation.
To intentionally read false positive on a blood sugar test is textbook "drug seeking behavior". Drug abuse. Pure and simple. (I know what Oscar Wilde said about the truth) Scary!
Dr. F, this is a brave and compassionate post. As your readers we must remember you are a physician who often writes about politically charged matters, and not the reverse. I pray for the day when Ozempic becomes irrelevant. Fifty years ago, few people were obese. This was done to us by malevolent forces. Go MAHA!!
When I first started Ozempic to treat diabetes years ago the doctor made sure I understood the risks. It was not a "miracle" drug. It could not do the job on its own. I had to eat as directed. Exercise was the other component of the treatment she emphasized. Both endurance and resistance training. I took her seriously and have adjusted my diet and made sure I to remain active. It has worked for me. I shake my head when I think of the people that use Ozempic for weight loss. That will not end well. Then again, for those that want us dead it will be the optimum outcome.
Any problems with digestion? I have heard horror stories about people who took it but it paralyzed their digestion even after going off it.
I had it with OxyContin and it’s very miserable.
Also too, I hope you are getting your eyes examined once a year. I was an ophthalmic photographer and the saddest thing was seeing patients who had diabetes for many years come in only after diabetic retinopathy damaged their eyes. Easier to treat before damage done. Just an FYI because those patients still haunt me.
Hi Sam, I have not had any digestive problems with Ozempic. The only people I've talked with that had the digestive problems were not following a diet tailored to the Ozempic treatment and/or they didn't put in the effort to exercise. My friends that have used it as long as I have that kept up with the diet and exercise move right along, if you get my drift.
As far as the eye exam thing goes, I get my yearly diabetic eye exam. As an ophthalmic photographer, did you ever do the series of timed photos of subjects injected with dye? That was one of the WORST experiences. And they repeated them a lot. I may be losing my orange tinge over Christmas, if my next appointment holds.
"As an ophthalmic photographer, did you ever do the series of timed photos of subjects injected with dye?"
Yes that was my main job as an Opth photographer. It’s called an angiogram and it’s needed to pick up damage to the blood vessels that can be hard to see with just viewing the retina. It documents the extent of the damage and shows whether laser treatment will work or not. The test is for many other diseases and disorders. It’s a fascinating field and I worked with some of the best and most ethical doctors.
Is it bad for you because of the dye or the photos?
I left the field because of an injury and just on the cusp of using film and going digital. No more hours in the darkroom, but I did miss processing the film. But doctors could watch the test and get a diagnosis immediately.
I had the pictures taken because I was an involuntary test subject. I was injured and the powers that be saw that as an opportunity to experiment. I am less than enthusiastic about the dye photos because flash photography while my eyes are dilated is unpleasant and the dye turns me orange. Really, nothing about it made me happy.
Well yeah your eyes have to be dilated or the camera couldn’t see your retina… 😳
Some people are more sensitive to light from the camera.
Drink extra fluid if you can and that should filter out the dye quicker.
But the test really is the only way to see if your retina is healthy. What happens in the eyes is also happening in the kidneys so maybe look at it that way.
I was in my dermatologists office a few weeks ago and one of the women there I was working with told me every female in the office was on a compounded version of Ozempic and to get it via insurance they all ate sugar prior to taking a blood test for pre diabetes which qualified them (the office insurance manager managed this process). Taking it for weight loss is a much higher dose than for diabetes. She was telling me about how they got all their friends on it too. They were all enthralled with the weight loss and are taking no precautions to maintain muscle. They also aren’t being supervised by a doctor, they are getting a pack of shots monthly and administering themselves. I asked her about side effects and she was rattling off nausea, constipation, dizziness, headaches etc. but it was all worth seeing the scale go down and not being hungry. I asked her about changing diet and she said no, you don’t have to, you just lose weight since you don’t eat and have to be reminded to eat. This type of abuse always ends badly. Also, ironically the services they offer for weight loss like Cool Sculpting are losing revenue but they are having people come in that have sagging skin on their legs and arms and are now opting for cosmetic services like leg fillers and body laser tightening. There is going to be a lot of products geared to GLP1 use. Food lines, supplements, cosmetic products and procedures etc. It amazes me that none of these people even consider the long term harm they could be inflicting on themselves.
Alice, Awesome post! When I was first offered Ozempic, the doctor spent a lot of effort to give me the facts about the possible long term adverse effects. Then I was encouraged to weigh the options and make an INFORMED decision for myself. I haven't had any of the list of possible problems yet. I have a list of symptoms that will trigger a re-evaluation.
To intentionally read false positive on a blood sugar test is textbook "drug seeking behavior". Drug abuse. Pure and simple. (I know what Oscar Wilde said about the truth) Scary!
Dr. F, this is a brave and compassionate post. As your readers we must remember you are a physician who often writes about politically charged matters, and not the reverse. I pray for the day when Ozempic becomes irrelevant. Fifty years ago, few people were obese. This was done to us by malevolent forces. Go MAHA!!
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Ozempic Semaglutide Deaths. Endotoxin Hits your Macrophages > Makes Exosomes > miR-155 Hits your Epithelial Progenitor Cells
https://geoffpain.substack.com/p/ozempic-semaglutide-deaths-endotoxin
and
Stop it or you will go Blind. Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy caused by Endotoxin in Semaglutide
https://geoffpain.substack.com/p/stop-it-or-you-will-go-blind-nonarteritic
My wife started Ozempic not long ago for diabetes, so thank you for this ♥️
When I first started Ozempic to treat diabetes years ago the doctor made sure I understood the risks. It was not a "miracle" drug. It could not do the job on its own. I had to eat as directed. Exercise was the other component of the treatment she emphasized. Both endurance and resistance training. I took her seriously and have adjusted my diet and made sure I to remain active. It has worked for me. I shake my head when I think of the people that use Ozempic for weight loss. That will not end well. Then again, for those that want us dead it will be the optimum outcome.
Any problems with digestion? I have heard horror stories about people who took it but it paralyzed their digestion even after going off it.
I had it with OxyContin and it’s very miserable.
Also too, I hope you are getting your eyes examined once a year. I was an ophthalmic photographer and the saddest thing was seeing patients who had diabetes for many years come in only after diabetic retinopathy damaged their eyes. Easier to treat before damage done. Just an FYI because those patients still haunt me.
A number of the Ozempic Deaths are caused by blockage of the Gut
Hi Sam, I have not had any digestive problems with Ozempic. The only people I've talked with that had the digestive problems were not following a diet tailored to the Ozempic treatment and/or they didn't put in the effort to exercise. My friends that have used it as long as I have that kept up with the diet and exercise move right along, if you get my drift.
As far as the eye exam thing goes, I get my yearly diabetic eye exam. As an ophthalmic photographer, did you ever do the series of timed photos of subjects injected with dye? That was one of the WORST experiences. And they repeated them a lot. I may be losing my orange tinge over Christmas, if my next appointment holds.
"As an ophthalmic photographer, did you ever do the series of timed photos of subjects injected with dye?"
Yes that was my main job as an Opth photographer. It’s called an angiogram and it’s needed to pick up damage to the blood vessels that can be hard to see with just viewing the retina. It documents the extent of the damage and shows whether laser treatment will work or not. The test is for many other diseases and disorders. It’s a fascinating field and I worked with some of the best and most ethical doctors.
Is it bad for you because of the dye or the photos?
I left the field because of an injury and just on the cusp of using film and going digital. No more hours in the darkroom, but I did miss processing the film. But doctors could watch the test and get a diagnosis immediately.
I had the pictures taken because I was an involuntary test subject. I was injured and the powers that be saw that as an opportunity to experiment. I am less than enthusiastic about the dye photos because flash photography while my eyes are dilated is unpleasant and the dye turns me orange. Really, nothing about it made me happy.
Well yeah your eyes have to be dilated or the camera couldn’t see your retina… 😳
Some people are more sensitive to light from the camera.
Drink extra fluid if you can and that should filter out the dye quicker.
But the test really is the only way to see if your retina is healthy. What happens in the eyes is also happening in the kidneys so maybe look at it that way.