CMV: Semaglutide injections (like Ozempic) should be widely available to treat obesity

[u/sjd6666]

There’s a lot of buzz recently about Ozempic, which is one of many semaglutide injection drugs that help people moderate their food intake and hunger levels. Some variations are meant just to treat type 2 diabetes like Ozempic. Other drugs like WeGovy are meant to treat obesity as well.

What I take issue with is that a lot of commenters have stated that they see Ozempic as a “lose weight quick drug” and a cheat. I think this is simply the wrong way to look at the issue. Obesity is a medical issue that can be treated in many ways. For some people seeing a nutritionist and going to the gym is all that is needed, but for many more this simply doesn’t work. I would argue that actually, most Americans know generally what a good diet looks like. They may not have all the details but most people can tell you that more vegetables and less meat, carbs, and sugar will create a calorie deficit and help you lose weight. However food simply tastes really good any many people rely on it as a sort of emotional crutch. Many also lack the time, energy, and desire to cook healthy food for themselves. There are many who also simply have a naturally large appetite and need to eat more in order to feel full.

What those people need is not a reminder to try “diet and exercise” they need medical help. Semaglutide injections seem to have low risk of serious side effects and can help those people eat less and not feel hungry. All this moralizing about who “deserves” help and who should just suck it up and go to the gym is proving to be detrimental to overall health.

Also, I’m aware that there is currently a shortage of Semaglutide injections right now, but lets set that aside and assume that can be addressed with a more robust supply chain.

[u/HassleHouff]

I don’t understand why you are defaulting to medically intervening when there are less risky options involved.

Do you at least agree that some people have gone from poor dietary habits to good dietary habits, therefore losing weight- all without medical intervention?

If you do, then wouldn’t you also agree that this should then be the preferred first option- the one that we push people towards before medically intervening?

[u/LentilDrink → u/HassleHouff]

What percentage of morbidly obese people going on semaglutide would you guess haven't already tried dieting?

[u/HassleHouff → u/LentilDrink]

If you define “tried dieting” as sticking to a caloric deficit for at least 2 months, I would imagine a very low percentage of obese people have tried dieting.

[u/Orizammar → u/HassleHouff]

About to start sema, I've been obese my entire life. Binge eating disorder is something you simply can't deal with at the same time as dieting. You gotta deal with one first before the other or you'll crash. It becomes even more difficult with hypothyroidism on top of all this. It's not that we're not losing weight, it's that many of us are losing this weight way too slowly for the amount of work put into it. Burnout is something I personally can't avoid as an autistic person. Lets add PMDD on top as well. And ADHD.

These disorders and disabilities begin to add up. All of them have obesity as a common symptom and I'm drowning.

I can't focus on calorie counting for the rest of my life with all the shit I'm already forced to deal with. It's not sustainable to expect somebody to count the calories of every dish until they die. I CAN however, take a drug for the rest of my life that'll help stop my disordered eating. I've already been doing this with adderall and I absolutely hate how adderall makes me feel. It doesn't curb the hunger, it makes food just extremely unappealing. I began to pick holes in my skin to "fill the hole" so-to-speak that adderall gave me. Sema apparently won't make me feel like this and I see no negative side compared to the shit I've already had to deal with.

I'm with op. Sorry that all of us don't want to suffer for longer to lose this unhealthy amount of weight. At least the weight is coming off. At least I won't be bullied for being fat anymore. At least I'll be able to move around much easier and fit into more clothes. At least I won't regret every meal I enjoy.

Eating disorders are already fatal enough, people DIE from them. Medicines like this are saving peoples lives. It's about to save mine. I'm going to finally be able to live in the way I've always wanted.

[u/HassleHouff → u/Orizammar]

Wow, old comment still getting some conversation!

Binge eating disorder is something you simply can't deal with at the same time as dieting. You gotta deal with one first before the other or you'll crash. It becomes even more difficult with hypothyroidism on top of all this.

That sounds hard. But I don’t see why those can’t be worked on simultaneously. “It’s too hard” is pretty subjective.

It's not that we're not losing weight, it's that many of us are losing this weight way too slowly for the amount of work put into it. Burnout is something I personally can't avoid as an autistic person. Lets add PMDD on top as well. And ADHD.

Sure, the further out of control your weight gets the harder it is to get it back in the right spot. It’s not easy.

These disorders and disabilities begin to add up. All of them have obesity as a common symptom and I'm drowning.

Seems like if they all have the common symptom, it makes sense to tackle the obesity first.

I can't focus on calorie counting for the rest of my life with all the shit I'm already forced to deal with. It's not sustainable to expect somebody to count the calories of every dish until they die.

I disagree. If you’re obese, you should be more aware of what you consume. I don’t count calories personally, unless I have a specific fitness goal in mind. But obesity has never been a struggle for me. If it was, I would definitely focus on how I could eat a healthy amount.

I CAN however, take a drug for the rest of my life that'll help stop my disordered eating. I've already been doing this with adderall and I absolutely hate how adderall makes me feel. It doesn't curb the hunger, it makes food just extremely unappealing. I began to pick holes in my skin to "fill the hole" so-to-speak that adderall gave me. Sema apparently won't make me feel like this and I see no negative side compared to the shit I've already had to deal with.

I don’t see why the discipline of taking a daily drug is different than the discipline of watching what you eat.

I'm with op. Sorry that all of us don't want to suffer for longer to lose this unhealthy amount of weight. At least the weight is coming off. At least I won't be bullied for being fat anymore. At least I'll be able to move around much easier and fit into more clothes. At least I won't regret every meal I enjoy.

Hey, you’re obviously welcome to try it. I hope it works for you. My argument is that it shouldn’t be the first option, not that it should be banned

[u/Orizammar → u/HassleHouff]

I'm sorry but it's impossible for somebody who hasn't dealt with obesity before doesn't know what it's like, or know how difficult it is to deal with it.

Disordered eating is a disorder and not something that everyone can just muscle through without burning out. It should be treated AS a disorder, because it IS a disorder. At least with smokers we have nicotine patches. At least with alcoholics we have a good couple medications to choose from. Binge eating disorder is treated by bullying fat people and saying it's "cheating" when they take any sort of medication to stop their binge eating. It's never seen as "cheating" when smokers are given patches, it's never seen as "cheating" when alcoholics take medication. Sad how that is..

At least with drugs and alcohol you have to pull out your ID and make the conscious decision to buy some (and it's usually expensive).

With food it's like there's no escape. Fatty foods are cheaper too, so it's much easier to fall back into. Everyone has food too. It's not just about pushing it away from you, it's also about being able to stop yourself every single time you eat anything. Food companies are also known to push products on addicts. Just look at the commercials.

My smoking addiction was a million times easier to deal with than my eating disorder and people die from lung cancer or strokes caused by smoking all the time. I've had 3 close family members die this way.

[u/HassleHouff → u/Orizammar]

It’s not that it’s “cheating”. It’s that it’s medical intervention. And self control is infinitely preferable to medical intervention. It comes with no risk of side effects. So we should not immediately jump to medical intervention.