Ozempic

[Butchga62]

I have been exploring using this as a form of weight loss. I called my doctor and am waiting if this is ok to take with my stage three kidney disease.

I have heard it promotes good results but some nasty side effects. Has anyone tried or done this.

[Bassetmommer]

I think you are referring to Ozempic. I am on it. I have been on it for over a year and half. I was put on it for diabetes control, but you do not say if you have diabetes. It was amazing for diabetes for me. My A1c is 5.6 and has been there for over a year. For diabetes, this was the bomb.

The weight loss, not so much. But since I am on a pretty low dose, .5mg weekly, it may not be enough to do anything with that. I did maintain my weight until I got Covid and then gained 10 pounds because of the crap I was eating. The only thing I wanted was bread and peanut butter, which is really evidence Covid changes your taste buds. Any other time I can totally skip peanut butter. And I am truly struggling to get it off. Most of the success I have heard from this are people who are on a larger dose of Ozempic. I can't tolerate that.

There are Facebook groups to join that give you great perspective on the results and side effects people are experiencing.

Ozempic is not a magic bullet. YOU have to still diet and exercise. The concept is that it makes you less hungry medically and I will say it does sort of do that. But you have to learn to listen to your body when it says, "I am full" and stop eating. I naturally do not have that reflex and I think a lot of large people do not. Your food choices still matter. It slows down the food processing mechanisms which is why you feel full faster BUT..... also slows down elimination.

The side effects are very real. My biggest one is constipation. It is no joke. That alone can stop weight loss. There is a real bloat and gain when you can't poop for days. I had to get on a regiment of stool softeners, senna laxatives and extreme high fiber and other things. I cannot stress how much this can impact your life. I think of anything I could do without this was the biggest issue.

Burping is real. And they are the inside out kind of burbs that come from the bottom of your stomach. Almost like retching. NO JOKE.

But the one I just had is very serious. I just had a pancreatitis attack. I had a couple many, many years ago when I had a gallbladder. I had my GB removed over ten years ago. This attack came out of the blue, was short lived but really intense. I am now being backed down to .25 dose of Ozempic until I see the doctor in a couple of weeks. This reaction is very serious. If you have had pancreatitis, tell the doctor. If you want to feel like what it is to die have a pancreatitis attack.

The last thing is ....this can be a drug for life. It is extremely expensive unless you have a lower income and can get on their patient assistance program. Once on the drug, you are on it. The rebound coming off can be huge. Your sugar will rebound and gaining the weight back is a real issue.

I am not trying to scare you. This is not, and I cannot stress this enough, going to work like bariatric surgery where the weight falls off of you. I looked into surgery and the side effects for long term on the kidneys and the body as a whole is terrible, especially for CKD patients. But they don't tell you that in all the commercials and slick brochures.

You do not say how much weight you need to lose. There is no shame in having a weight issue even though our society dictates it so. I can only tell you what I know. The only way I have ever lost weight was to log my food every day. Every bite, every snack every ounce of food that crosses my lips. I started my journey in 2018 by seeing a dietician. She and I worked though food choices that was good for my CKD and weight. I did lose 38 pounds in about eight months or so. Then continued to lose until it was almost 50 pounds. Then I plateaued. I got lazy and stop logging my food and was stable for years until COVID and Peanut Butter. Now I am back to logging my food to take off what I can.

I also exercise, but I do that for my joints and muscle more than weight loss. But that does help with calorie burn.

I hope this answered what you are looking for. I feel your desire to lose weight and I wish you the best of luck.

[BettysMom in reply to Bassetmommer]

Excellent response!

[userotc]

Unsurprisingly the drug side effects seem horrendous. Maybe consider a qualified, Nutritional Therapist that specialises in weight loss/management? NTs should focus on healthy eating which will likely also aid CKD via a personalised approach.