Would everyone please put down their pitchforks and torches. May I present another view point? I have a special strain of diabetes brought on by an experimental vaccine the Air Force insisted I get. Everyone I know that also had that vaccine also has this type of diabetes. It is like turbocharged type 2 diabetes. Even the VA acknowledges this situation.
I could not get my A1C down to an acceptable level. No matter what I did. When Ozempic came out my diabetic pharmacist arranged for me to try it. I have had an acceptable A1C ever since. I have been healthier with Ozempic than I had been for 15+ years. I did not lose weight when I started using Ozempic. I did lose a bunch of weight after a concussion, but that's a different story.
So before we lawfare Novo Nordisk back to the stone age, please consider the folks you will be dooming to poorer health and an early grave. (That would be me.) This looks just like the hysteria that has resulted in me experiencing a lot more chronic pain than I used to because ALL OPIOIDS ARE EVIL!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Dr. Brown I experience some relief, but it is not to the same standard when I could take minimal amount of opioids. I use Ozempic for the original "on label" purpose. The weight loss crowd are using Ozempic to experience a side effect. Don't punish those of us who's health can depend on Ozempic because some people abuse it for the side effects.
You make very good points, and this is precisely why visceral responses to difficult questions are always fraught with error. Ozempic came on to the scene as I was retiring from my practice but, Victoza, Byetta, Bydureon, and Trulicity were already available. I had experienced firsthand that my patients on these products were losing weight and were better able to control their A1c's. Victoza actually repackaged their product as Saxenda as a weight loss product in a multidose pen. Starting at .6 mg per week and increasing it incrementally to a max of 3 mg per week. It was very expensive. A 3-pen pack was about $1400 a month so it was impractical for most patients to obtain it. Having said that, I believed then and believe now that it was a product that could change the life of many diabetics. Like all medical interventions, there are horror stories. Many of these stories emerge post marketing unfortunately, and the pharmaceutical industry has been less than honest in owning them. They choose, rather to say that there is no causal link to the adverse event and the medication, and it may take years of these abhorrent cases before the pharmaceutical industry admits the connection. You need only to look at the Covid vaccines to see how the industry has tried to distance itself from the fallout from these vaccines. They truly place profits over safety.
You can't have it both ways. The vast majority of "horror stories" one hears about Ozempic, including complaining about the price, are attributable to someone using it for weight loss. There are very few "horror stories" about someone like me using Ozempic for the original "on label" treatment of diabetes. But, as has played out time and time again, the folks who are in effect abusing Ozempic will get the attention and cause harm to those who were using the medication for benefit as intended. To CHOOSE to use Ozempic for weight loss is not the same as finally finding something that works to reign in an out of control A1C. I find the mental midgets who first call Ozempic a terrible poison and then complain that it costs too much especially vexing. I truly believe those who treat "horror stories" about people misusing Ozempic as an absolute reason to ban it have another agenda. Those people intend to do me harm. Shame on all the Sadistic jerks that want to ruin my health and send me to an early grave.
I agree again with what you are saying. I would surely hope and pray that these medications would not be removed from the market because they have been game changers for so many Type 2 diabetic patients. As I stated before, time often reveals serious adverse events that were not found in the clinical trials. For example, Darvon and Darvocet were well entrenched pain medications for almost 50 years then pulled due to risk of cardiovascular problems. Both Semaglutide (Wegovy) and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have the indication for weight management, as far as I know Ozempic still hasn't received that indication but, I believe that clinical trials are underway. I am aware of a phase 1 2021 study in the NEJM of Ozempic for weight loss and it seemed to perform well at a 2.4 mg/wk dosage. I would also agree that the horror stories started after Ozempic was being used for weight loss. The dosing for Ozempic allows for a max of 2 mg/wk solely for diabetic management, while the Wegovy allows for 2.4 mg/wk, a slightly higher dose for chronic weight management. I have no idea if those using Ozempic for weight loss are exceeding the 2 mg/wk max dosage and if so, by how much and who is monitoring them. This would be very problematic in my mind as there would be no way to know what the upper limit would be before gastroparesis would ensue and become a non reversible consequence. I believe that there is just too much potential profit to be made from these medications and, ultimately, Novo Nordisk will get the weight loss indication and officially jump into the market. I am happy that you were able to find a medication that agrees with you and that you now have your diabetes under good control. Good luck going forward.
Thank you for the information on the trials. I have never gone above 1 mg/wk. All of my old Air Force buddies that have the same situation also report that they are taking less than the max 2 mg/wk. Apparently the lower dose is enough for our condition. I suppose if everyone else is already selling their version of Ozempic (I know, Ozempic is not the generic name) it would be silly for Novo Nordisk to miss out on that market. I have mixed feelings about establishing Ozempic as a weight loss drug instead of a diabetes medication. Again, great information. Thanks!
"They are getting TOO MUCH GLP-1 when combining Ozempic with their naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone their body is producing"
I can look into it, but I wonder how long the study was to see all the adverse effects of this drug or was it another fast track drug that Obama gave big pharma permission to do? Gotta wonder too if doctors have studied the adverse effects or are they just listening to pharma reps? I had one for a roommate and I can tell you how much money they have access to in order to get doctors to prescribe their drugs. In a sane world….
I got gastrophoresis from OxyContin and I can tell you it’s very uncomfortable. Daily nausea during eating and very delayed elimination…also very painful.
I would bet the studies are minimal and subpar at best! If you find any of the studies, please share! Either on here or email them to me. It is heavily the pharma reps promoting it. And social media! TikTok and Instagram, there are ads on X as well to get online prescribing of it. Gastroparesis is MISERABLE. 😭
I will look into it this afternoon and if I find anything I’ll post it here.m
Thanks for the correction on Gastroparesis.
I only see a few horror stories from people who got the worst adverse effects and I’ll see if there is a community for them. I would have thought that the Covid scam epidemic would have woken people up to the danger of big pharma, but alas. Maybe some day people will remember how criminal they are and how many fines they have paid.
The initial step up dose of Ozempic (1x per week of 1/2 amount of standard dose, for 2 weeks preloaded in subcutaneous pen) appeared to me to modify my diabetic husband's compulsive eating.
If doctors cannot customize the Rx, how did it get approved so quickly as a weight loss drug, Wegovy?
Just a big Coinkydink that overweight Hollowwood starlets have doctors who'll never be 'uncredentialled' for underground testing?!
It became the tiktok phenomenon that everyone jumped on. And very quickly. And if you follow the money paid to weight loss clinics, it was purposefully done.
We are working w/Nutritionist& Pharmacist for VetAdmin primary Dr...
After retirement last year, hubby's glucose levels are as inconsistent as his habits (ha! Grumpy ol'man I love), so we are working on better routines and intake.
You better believe if the VA is giving him the ozemp, there's $$ involved in the govt-pharm business model.
As far as I know, no it is not a modifiable dose. I don’t prescribe it, so I cannot be 100% sure how primary care does prescribe it, but from what I understand it is not modified, most patients stay on whatever dose their provider tells them to take.
The injector will only administer a specific dose. There are different injectors that will dispense a different amount. I've seen the .5 ml and the 1.0 ml. There might be others. I hope that helps.
I was actually referring to the fact that many of our doctors are demonstrated sheeple, so I wondered if "recommended" dosing is able to be modified or does alternate Rx amts constitute a punishable crime against the establishment.
Julie Spatzier I found Jennifer's discussion very helpful and much more useful than the usual on line resources like Medscape or Drug.com. This blog is to convey information to enable critical thinkers to make better health care decisions. I have not previously researched Ozempic until reading this article and my discussion of this with my family and friends is definitely more informed.
Would everyone please put down their pitchforks and torches. May I present another view point? I have a special strain of diabetes brought on by an experimental vaccine the Air Force insisted I get. Everyone I know that also had that vaccine also has this type of diabetes. It is like turbocharged type 2 diabetes. Even the VA acknowledges this situation.
I could not get my A1C down to an acceptable level. No matter what I did. When Ozempic came out my diabetic pharmacist arranged for me to try it. I have had an acceptable A1C ever since. I have been healthier with Ozempic than I had been for 15+ years. I did not lose weight when I started using Ozempic. I did lose a bunch of weight after a concussion, but that's a different story.
So before we lawfare Novo Nordisk back to the stone age, please consider the folks you will be dooming to poorer health and an early grave. (That would be me.) This looks just like the hysteria that has resulted in me experiencing a lot more chronic pain than I used to because ALL OPIOIDS ARE EVIL!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Dr. Brown I experience some relief, but it is not to the same standard when I could take minimal amount of opioids. I use Ozempic for the original "on label" purpose. The weight loss crowd are using Ozempic to experience a side effect. Don't punish those of us who's health can depend on Ozempic because some people abuse it for the side effects.
My rant is complete. I feel better.
You make very good points, and this is precisely why visceral responses to difficult questions are always fraught with error. Ozempic came on to the scene as I was retiring from my practice but, Victoza, Byetta, Bydureon, and Trulicity were already available. I had experienced firsthand that my patients on these products were losing weight and were better able to control their A1c's. Victoza actually repackaged their product as Saxenda as a weight loss product in a multidose pen. Starting at .6 mg per week and increasing it incrementally to a max of 3 mg per week. It was very expensive. A 3-pen pack was about $1400 a month so it was impractical for most patients to obtain it. Having said that, I believed then and believe now that it was a product that could change the life of many diabetics. Like all medical interventions, there are horror stories. Many of these stories emerge post marketing unfortunately, and the pharmaceutical industry has been less than honest in owning them. They choose, rather to say that there is no causal link to the adverse event and the medication, and it may take years of these abhorrent cases before the pharmaceutical industry admits the connection. You need only to look at the Covid vaccines to see how the industry has tried to distance itself from the fallout from these vaccines. They truly place profits over safety.
You can't have it both ways. The vast majority of "horror stories" one hears about Ozempic, including complaining about the price, are attributable to someone using it for weight loss. There are very few "horror stories" about someone like me using Ozempic for the original "on label" treatment of diabetes. But, as has played out time and time again, the folks who are in effect abusing Ozempic will get the attention and cause harm to those who were using the medication for benefit as intended. To CHOOSE to use Ozempic for weight loss is not the same as finally finding something that works to reign in an out of control A1C. I find the mental midgets who first call Ozempic a terrible poison and then complain that it costs too much especially vexing. I truly believe those who treat "horror stories" about people misusing Ozempic as an absolute reason to ban it have another agenda. Those people intend to do me harm. Shame on all the Sadistic jerks that want to ruin my health and send me to an early grave.
I agree again with what you are saying. I would surely hope and pray that these medications would not be removed from the market because they have been game changers for so many Type 2 diabetic patients. As I stated before, time often reveals serious adverse events that were not found in the clinical trials. For example, Darvon and Darvocet were well entrenched pain medications for almost 50 years then pulled due to risk of cardiovascular problems. Both Semaglutide (Wegovy) and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have the indication for weight management, as far as I know Ozempic still hasn't received that indication but, I believe that clinical trials are underway. I am aware of a phase 1 2021 study in the NEJM of Ozempic for weight loss and it seemed to perform well at a 2.4 mg/wk dosage. I would also agree that the horror stories started after Ozempic was being used for weight loss. The dosing for Ozempic allows for a max of 2 mg/wk solely for diabetic management, while the Wegovy allows for 2.4 mg/wk, a slightly higher dose for chronic weight management. I have no idea if those using Ozempic for weight loss are exceeding the 2 mg/wk max dosage and if so, by how much and who is monitoring them. This would be very problematic in my mind as there would be no way to know what the upper limit would be before gastroparesis would ensue and become a non reversible consequence. I believe that there is just too much potential profit to be made from these medications and, ultimately, Novo Nordisk will get the weight loss indication and officially jump into the market. I am happy that you were able to find a medication that agrees with you and that you now have your diabetes under good control. Good luck going forward.
Thank you for the information on the trials. I have never gone above 1 mg/wk. All of my old Air Force buddies that have the same situation also report that they are taking less than the max 2 mg/wk. Apparently the lower dose is enough for our condition. I suppose if everyone else is already selling their version of Ozempic (I know, Ozempic is not the generic name) it would be silly for Novo Nordisk to miss out on that market. I have mixed feelings about establishing Ozempic as a weight loss drug instead of a diabetes medication. Again, great information. Thanks!
You’re welcome.
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head
Feed your head
"White Rabbit"
Seems "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" applies once again.
"They are getting TOO MUCH GLP-1 when combining Ozempic with their naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone their body is producing"
I can look into it, but I wonder how long the study was to see all the adverse effects of this drug or was it another fast track drug that Obama gave big pharma permission to do? Gotta wonder too if doctors have studied the adverse effects or are they just listening to pharma reps? I had one for a roommate and I can tell you how much money they have access to in order to get doctors to prescribe their drugs. In a sane world….
I got gastrophoresis from OxyContin and I can tell you it’s very uncomfortable. Daily nausea during eating and very delayed elimination…also very painful.
I would bet the studies are minimal and subpar at best! If you find any of the studies, please share! Either on here or email them to me. It is heavily the pharma reps promoting it. And social media! TikTok and Instagram, there are ads on X as well to get online prescribing of it. Gastroparesis is MISERABLE. 😭
I will look into it this afternoon and if I find anything I’ll post it here.m
Thanks for the correction on Gastroparesis.
I only see a few horror stories from people who got the worst adverse effects and I’ll see if there is a community for them. I would have thought that the Covid scam epidemic would have woken people up to the danger of big pharma, but alas. Maybe some day people will remember how criminal they are and how many fines they have paid.
Are doctors permitted to modify the dosing?
The initial step up dose of Ozempic (1x per week of 1/2 amount of standard dose, for 2 weeks preloaded in subcutaneous pen) appeared to me to modify my diabetic husband's compulsive eating.
If doctors cannot customize the Rx, how did it get approved so quickly as a weight loss drug, Wegovy?
Just a big Coinkydink that overweight Hollowwood starlets have doctors who'll never be 'uncredentialled' for underground testing?!
It became the tiktok phenomenon that everyone jumped on. And very quickly. And if you follow the money paid to weight loss clinics, it was purposefully done.
Absoeffnlutely!
We are working w/Nutritionist& Pharmacist for VetAdmin primary Dr...
After retirement last year, hubby's glucose levels are as inconsistent as his habits (ha! Grumpy ol'man I love), so we are working on better routines and intake.
You better believe if the VA is giving him the ozemp, there's $$ involved in the govt-pharm business model.
BTW saw a warning somewhere yesterday that the Oz-Weg supply was dangerously low because demand increased.
*Sigh*
As far as I know, no it is not a modifiable dose. I don’t prescribe it, so I cannot be 100% sure how primary care does prescribe it, but from what I understand it is not modified, most patients stay on whatever dose their provider tells them to take.
The injector will only administer a specific dose. There are different injectors that will dispense a different amount. I've seen the .5 ml and the 1.0 ml. There might be others. I hope that helps.
Thx for your reply!
I was actually referring to the fact that many of our doctors are demonstrated sheeple, so I wondered if "recommended" dosing is able to be modified or does alternate Rx amts constitute a punishable crime against the establishment.
Julie Spatzier I found Jennifer's discussion very helpful and much more useful than the usual on line resources like Medscape or Drug.com. This blog is to convey information to enable critical thinkers to make better health care decisions. I have not previously researched Ozempic until reading this article and my discussion of this with my family and friends is definitely more informed.