Are you considering using Ozempic or similar medications for weight loss? This article dives into teh complex realities of these popular drugs, exploring both the successes and the pitfalls users may encounter. Learn about individual responses, the potential side effects, and why the effectiveness of Ozempic isn’t guaranteed for everyone, offering a balanced viewpoint on this evolving area of health.
Danielle Griffin, a 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico, embodies the complex reality of weight loss drugs. Growing up as a self-described chunky kid,” bullied for her weight, always hungry, and struggling with her self-confidence,
she sought a solution in Ozempic, spurred by the buzz around celebrity weight loss.
The Promise and the Plateau
Initially, Griffin experienced a glimmer of hope, losing 13 pounds in two months. Though, her weight loss soon plateaued, leaving her feeling like she’d failed at weight loss, again.
This experience highlights a crucial aspect of GLP-1 drugs: they don’t work for everyone.
An estimated 20% of users don’t find success.
Research suggests that between 35% and 50% of patients do not lose 5% or more of their body weight.
A Broader Outlook on Obesity
The ineffectiveness of these drugs for some underscores the multifaceted nature of obesity. More than two in five U.S. adults have obesity, a chronic disease that requires a more nuanced approach.
We need to alter our approach instead of treating obesity “like we were treating cancer 70 years ago… Wich is, ‘oh, it’s one disease, it might show up in different organs, but it’s one disease.’ We don’t treat cancer that way anymore. Each cancer is treated with its own separate understanding about its natural history and its cells that are involved in the chemotherapy that it might respond to. We still look at obesity as: it’s one’s disease. It almost certainly is not one disease.”
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Dr. Marc Bessler, chair of surgery at New York’s Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital and a bariatric surgery specialist
Individual Responses Vary
Dr. Michael Knight, an associate professor at The George Washington University and an obesity medicine physician, emphasizes the variability in treatment response.
Some people have excess weight because of medications. Other people, it is indeed as of the way their body is processing the food that they’re eating. Others may have conditions including insulin resistance, or they may have diabetes or other metabolic conditions that effect the way that their body manages weight… And so, as a result of that, any one treatment is going to work differently for different people when it comes to how much weight you can expect to lose.
Success Stories and Side Effects
While some individuals experience significant weight loss, others face challenges. Kyle Smith, a 37-year-old IT consulting company owner, initially lost 40 pounds on Wegovy. however, he experienced debilitating side effects: fatigue, heartburn, and constipation.
he regained weight after stopping the medication.
His second attempt at Wegovy yielded slower results.
The Reality of GLP-1 Drugs
Ozempic and similar drugs typically lead to a 15% to 20% reduction in body weight for many, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Department of Surgery. Despite this,approximately 30 million Americans have tried these medications.
A Call for Awareness
Griffin’s experience serves as a cautionary tale.
It can be very isolating, and when you see other people succeeding on the medication and there’s so much stigma around it and how popular it is and then it doesn’t work for somebody: it’s so disheartening… It makes you feel like, ‘What’s wrong with me?’
Ultimately, the effectiveness of weight loss drugs varies significantly.
There’s not a one size fits all.
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Dr. Michael Knight, associate professor at The George Washington University and an obesity medicine physician
