The weight loss craze is on.
Injectable weight loss pills such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro have become a new go-to for many Floridians who are showing off significant weight loss on social media platforms. Promoted by celebrities such as Charles Barkley, Elon Musk and Amy Schumer, these drugs, aimed at diabetes and obesity, quickly became a game-changer for people struggling to lose weight for years. .
Due to the high demand, the prices and shortages of these medicines are causing a stir in Florida. Clinics sell generic versions, Latin Americans import these medicines from their home countries, and social media groups have formed to share information about low-cost suppliers. .
Doctors in Florida say patients believe drugs like Wegobee can help them lose weight and then stop taking them. Doctors say it’s not that simple. There is a lot to know about how they work, their current off-brand use, and the risks.
“In the fight against obesity, we will have effective drugs in 2023. This is great progress,” said Dr. Raul Rosenthal, a bariatric surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida. “But nothing is perfect.”
How These Drugs Work
Wegovy and Ozempic are manufactured by Novo Nordisk and are different doses of the same drug, semaglutide. It works by slowing the movement of food through the stomach and suppressing appetite, ultimately causing weight loss.
After clinical trials, the Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic for type 2 diabetes and Wegobee for obesity. Both are currently given off-label for weight loss and require weekly subcutaneous injections to be effective. Rybelsus, also manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is essentially an Ozempic in tablet form containing the same active ingredient semaglutide.
Mounjaro, commonly known as tirzepatide, joins this drug class. Technically, like Ozempic, it’s FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and uses the same mechanism to suppress appetite, but it also contains ingredients that cause additional weight loss benefits. .
Some doctors believe that demand for Munjaro could soon outstrip other weight-loss injections. Wegovy has been proven to help you lose up to 15% of your body weight. At certain doses, Munjaro has been shown to be able to induce a 21% reduction in his body weight, and the results are almost as significant as bariatric surgery.
Rosenthal, of the Cleveland Clinic in Florida, said rapid weight loss would probably only occur at the initial start.
“After about three to four months, I think the weight loss plateaus,” says Rosenthal. “The injections will probably be less frequent, just for maintenance.”
where to get medicine
To get these injectable weight loss pills, you need a prescription from your healthcare provider. You can fill it out through your local pharmacy or online pharmacy. But demand for these drugs has skyrocketed over the past year, leaving some parts of the state in short supply.
In addition to supply issues, cost is also a factor. These drugs are expensive, not approved for weight loss like most people use, and not covered by insurance.
Therefore, a secondary market of doctors and nurses prescribing these drugs over the phone has emerged. In addition, weight loss clinics and medical spas in Florida sell injectables manufactured by dispensing pharmacies. These local pharmacies combine ingredients to create a cheaper version of half-glutide.
Dr. Dawn Schering, associate professor of internal medicine at Florida Atlantic University, says Florida residents need to be careful. The immediate high demand for this drug will encourage some laboratories less adept at this treatment to manufacture it. ”
@Charlotte_Dunne of Fort Lauderdale said on Twitter that her local Botox doctor had a generic half-glutide injection for $100 a week and recently tried it out. She decided not to continue.
interesting. Conversely, I’ve heard Wegovy is better than Monjaro. My insurance doesn’t cover either (I’ve already tried), but you can get generic half-glutide for $100 a week from the Botox Doctor’s location in South Florida where I live. smile.
I’m considering it, but when I did the first test shot…
— Charlotte Dune (@charlotte_dune) April 24, 2023
The Tampa Weight Loss (Semaglutide/WeGovy) referral group on Facebook has many posts from people who have sold and bought off-the-shelf versions of these drugs and shared their experiences..
Just this week, Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ozempic and Wegobee, took legal action. Pharmaceutical companies have filed multiple lawsuits against companies selling off-brand versions of their popular drugs, including two in Florida.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last month that it had received reports of adverse events after people took an injection of semaglutide, which is sold in pharmacies.
cost
Without insurance, Wegovy’s list price is $1,349.02 per package, which breaks down to $269.80 per week, or $16,188.24 per year. Mounjaro has a list price of $1,023.04 per fill. This cost will probably repeat every month indefinitely. You might be willing to spend the money at first, but you’ll have to continuously take shots to lose weight.
Doctors say the weight lost may return, or even more, once treatment is stopped.
“It’s an expensive drug and as a result people are finding other ways to get it,” said FAU’s Sherling. “In our area, people are traveling to Latin America where they can get it for a fraction of the price it sells in the US.”
side effects
When starting these drugs, you should follow a schedule of slowly increasing the dose every 4 weeks over several months. Commonly reported side effects are digestive problems such as severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
“I lost 11 pounds in two weeks after my first shot,” Ms Dune of Fort Lauderdale wrote on Twitter.
In a Facebook group for Wegovy and Ozempic users in Florida, a Miami mother asked, “Anyone vomiting for 5 weeks straight?”
These drugs also come with warnings that they may increase the risk of thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, hypoglycemia, kidney damage, retinal damage in the eye, and suicidal ideation and behavior.
Shearing said any drug needs to be weighed against side effects. “For people suffering from obesity, health problems and diabetes, this is a remarkable drug. But there are also risks.”
A new reported side effect is the “ozempic face.” Some people on social media say that people who have used the drug to lose weight rapidly have an aged or emaciated look on their faces.
Dr. Sima Jain, a dermatologist in Orlando, said accelerating the weight loss process, especially for younger people, can make your face look sunken or sagging. “That’s why it’s not healthy to lose weight so quickly,” she says. “It’s hard to put the weight back on your face.”
the unknown
Doctors in Florida insist these drugs should only be used as part of weight loss efforts. “I just hope that fad diets don’t replace fad drugs,” Schering said. “It’s really about changing the way we live our lives.” She says a healthy diet and exercise must go hand in hand with injections to sustain weight loss over the long term.
Because these drugs are used off-label for weight loss, some doctors worry about unknown effects. Shearing notes that people who want to keep losing weight may stay on medication for the rest of their lives.
“These drugs were studied in very specific populations,” she says. “When people are in an unstudied group, they’re doing a natural, real-time experiment. What will it be like in 10, 20 years? We don’t know yet.”
what will happen next
Rosenthal, of the Cleveland Clinic in Florida, says she likes to have these drugs in her toolbox. For patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, these drugs are an option that can be offered when the weight is regained.
In the future, this new class of weight-loss drugs may be replaced by more sophisticated drugs.
of women’s health“What I do know is that the drugs on the market today are just the beginning,” says Dr. Spencer Nadolski, an obesity and lipids specialist in Maryland. , they could be even more effective.”
Sun Sentinel Health Reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at [email protected].
