Looking for some advice about weight loss injections as they seem to be all the hype recently. I'm not usually one for believing in this sort of stuff but ive heard of a couple of guys who have lost a lot of weight while taking Wegovy. Been reading about it online, quite a few pharmacies are selling them but they are really expensive!
I'm curious if anyone here has firsthand experience with these injections. Dont want to fork out hundreds for something that doesn't work. Anyone used them? did it really do what it says on the tin? anyone had any problems?
Thanks
Dan
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solutionsNOTproblems
2024 February
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Hello Dan, and welcome to our forum. I'm sorry I don't know anything about Wegovy. There may be people here who have tried it and can comment plus you could try searching "wegovy" on this forum for any previous posts about it. However we are not medically qualified and I would suggest speaking to your GP/Doctor with your query.
In the meantime here is a link to all the information you will need about the forum.
Do have a good look around and read all the links. We advise new members to join in as much as they can with the forum, the more you put into it, the more you get out The best places to start are the Weekly Weigh In and Dialy Diary posts. You'll get lots of super friendly support and advice. You'll find them in the pinned posts, just click on the blue link above.
Watching what you are eating is the best way to lose weight. Do you have a plan such as calorie counting? Whatever works for you you will get lots of support here.
I’ve not tried it but I’m surrounded by pharmacists all day and have a brother who is a GP and from what they say, there’s any doubt that Wegovy works. It works by mimicking the action of a hormone called GLP-1, which regulates appetite and thus reduces food intake.
But like all medicines it does have side effects and it is very important to note that it only works for as long as you take the medicine. As soon as you stop, your appetite comes back, and most people unfortunately gain weight again.
That means there’s no way around changing your diet and exercise (unless you can afford the meds and can tolerate the side effects forever).
Where I live, you can only get the drug if it’s prescribed by a physician and they will only give it to you if your BMI is above 30,
Whether it’s a good solution for you or not is something you should talk to your GP about. Good luck.
Sadly, at least here in the UK, I suspect GPs wont be too shy to prescribe wegovy despite its serious side effects. Arguably worse, they may even register patients for the NHS weight loss programme which includes the drug so you can pay for those effects!
Someone posted on here a few days ago that she went on the programme and the outcome was that she was then prescribed metformin and statins. Not sure if the NHS reported that as a success!
Hi Dan. My strong advice is dont even think about it!
As youll note if you search some of my comments on HU, I have several links to scientific reports which document some serious side effects. Just a few days ago, someone on the forum also reported that her sister in law devloped one of them - thyroid cancer - after just 9 months on wegovy.
To lose weight sustainably, contact a qualified Nutritional Therapist (NT) specialising in it.
Let me know if you want any links for serious side effects of wegovy (and/or similar drugs) and NT contacts and Ill send.
All drugs come with “possible” side effects but not all people will get them. I am on Ozempic (the diabetes form of Wegovy) and have had no serious side effects. For me, it gets my HbA1c to a healthy level and reduces my appetite. This helps protect me from complications of diabetes and the possible life-limiting effects of obesity.
Thanks for your input to the OP's question. I've given you a visitor badge for the time being, but if you're on a weight loss journey yourself and would like to participate more, please let me know and I'll give you some pointers to navigating our forum
Other than diet, a factor affecting weight gain is vitamin D3. If you're low on vitamin d3 that will make it harder to lose weight as this video explains. The rda for vitamin d3 is only 400 iu and was set to avoid getting rickets before it was discovered that d3 affects so many things like the immune system and appetite. I'm in the UK and I take 5,000 iu daily from Sept until March and even double the dose a couple of times a week in the middle of winter. There is a genetic condition which means hat some people can't take these high doses but one of the first signs of overdose is lack of appetite so it's quite easy to spot. youtu.be/Dg3_yWLOJ7o?si=Pbl...
Thank you everyone for all the advice. Great to see such as helpful community. I'm a little bit surprised though as mostly up until now everything ive been reading seems to suggest these are the miracle drugs we've all been waiting for.
Tbh a big part of me had already made up my mind and become quite excited to try them as I've already tried absolutely everything else. I can diet all day long, but then a moment of weakness and I can consume 2000 calories in a single sitting. I really need something to control the "food noise".
The stuff about thyroid cancer, surely the NHS would not have licensed a medication if they didnt think it was safe. Going to have to have a long think about it.
Hi, i have been using wogovy for over a year. i decided to do the private route, due to the long waiting list on the NHS. If you can afford. it can help.
However i believe without the education side and behaviour changes you can not lose weight without these changes. I would advise take to a healthcare professional and get weight loss support beforehand. All the best on your journey.
- Studies show that it works long term, so if taking it, you should take it for a while.
- It is best to be patient when tittering and slowly increase the dosage. I know it is expensive but increasing the dosage too fast may not be good for your body.
- I f you already have any type of digestive issues, Wegovy may give you too many side effects
Now the question if it works... Well, I did lose weight on wegovy after years of trying everything else. I only took Wegovy for just over 2 months and I couldn't do the 3rd month because of aide effects.
During the time I took Wegovy I lost about 4kg in 2 months. Now, that sounds not impressive and that anyone can lose 2kg a month. That said, I have been trying to lose weight for years and nothing quite works and I was stuck. But I do have hormonal issues, insomnia , chronic pain, etc which makes losing weight harder. So it definitely moves the needle. That said....
So the way it worked for me did not sit well with me, because:
1 It gave me gastroparensis as side effects and I not only could not eat because food would sit in my stomach for 12+ hours, but also struggled to drink or take my supplements.
2 Everything made feel sick and nauseous and vomit as my stomach was full all day with just a bit of food, because of that I couldn't even drink enough water throughout the day. And yes I did try eating really small portions and just sip water throughout the day but it didn't work.
3 Because of the side effects and how gastroparensis works I could not tolerate fibrous foods... I could not eat vegetables or fruits. I could only eat white rice and other plain foods. And because of nausea and not drinking enough I was craving salty foods like crisps. Now keep in mind that I already had great healthy diet as a vegan and ate tons of veg and fruits before, as well as avoiding fizzy drinks, crisps, etc.
4 Because of the side effects above I felt weak and with very low energy and couldn't sustain exercise. I couldn't drink enough water and could not have my supplements.
5 I am prepping for IVF so I have to keep a healthy diet, keep taking my sips... So compromising my absorption of nutrients is a no go...
I stopped after 2m and a week I stopped Wegovy as I felt that it made me lose weight because I could not eat. And there was no point on paying much to be forced to stop eating as I can fast just fine. Plus it was making me eat unhealthy, not drink, and stop exercising. I am not sure if in the long run it would be good.
The good stuff:
1 - I finally lost weight after a couple of years trying different things and everything. As well as exercising and eating healthy
2 - I did Wegovy Nov and December last year and stopped in January. I have not gained the weight back. I lost 4kg (about 2kg a month) and have not gained it back. So it was not a fluke. With everything I tried before...I would lose a bit and gain more on a monthly basis.
That said...would I recommend Wegovy...TBH I would say it depends on each person and their goals. But only you can tell if this is for you.
If you do have digestive issues keep in mind that Wegovy may make them worse, I already had light digestive issues.
There are also other side effects that I didn't get but other people may.
Do read through the side effects and guidelines.
After reading them, do you think Wegovy would be ok for your body?
For how long are you planning on taking it?
Studies saw results on a long term use... We're talking at least 6m and up to 2 years. Even after reaching your ideal goal you will need to continue taking Wegovy for a while to maintain the weight. So what is your budget?
Suggestions... You can check in advance if you have any digestive issues, you can take it short term to see if it works for you or just to get you out of a plateau and get the momentum going...
I do want to point out that there are other options out there that also works...
1 - Orlistat - Alli diet pill that flushes fat out when you eat
2- XLS - there are different types. One of them flushes fat and carbs
I have tried both and both work, is just that as they flush macros... It will compromise what nutrients you absorb. But they work.
I used Orlistat and XLS about 10 years ago and it helped me lose 10 kg.
Personally I prefer XLS as my diet is higher in carbs than fat.
And of course there are all the different options like Keto, counting calories, high protein diet to feel fuller, IF, alternate day fasting, one meal a day, etc.
In my experience struggling to lose weight is usually because of something...it may be worth seeing someone who can help you check what imbalances are there...if it is vitamin deficiency, hormones, etc.
This is a really helpful post. Thanks so much for taking the time out and typing it up. In terms of budget that’s the biggest issue, although I suppose some of it will be offset by eating less? I’ve actually found a post on Reddit where they were comparing all the different places that sell it and actually have stock, they had Bolt pharmacy as the cheapest at £139 which is actually a little more reasonable than £200+ that some others are charging. I probably can commit to that on a monthly basis. Anyone got any other recommendations for where to buy?
I am no medic but wonder what these do to you internally . I had a very unconventional childhood where I had varied food, was varied weights until I discovered gymnastics then my weight was on the slim side but the juggling and eating all my life took its toll . Hiatus hernia and gallbladder surgery so I would really watch what you eat , inject etc as reading loads of posts on here I am more convinced that unprocessed foods and plenty of fresh , portion control and focused exercise/ lifestyle is the long term solution not injections which are costly in every way and I wonder what they are doing as we can’t see inside us . I took weight loss as a new full time job . Exploring what I could eat , no starvation but teaching my body to not snack , including my drinks and timing my meals . Taking food to work and preparing so it wasn’t an ordeal when I got home . If a friend asked me would you inject yourself with the unknown- obvious answer and not all GP’s prescribe the right medication or advice with a rushed 5 min consultation. We tend to punish ourselves instead of trying maybe long term more lengthy solutions which seem to take more time than we find acceptable but slowly doesn’t do long term damage.
Hi Dan, my liver specialist suggested this for me as I struggle to lose weight but my GP cannot get them because A Listers and models are buying them and supplies can’t keep up with demand so the NHS stand no chance. My sister was on them and lost a couple of stone, she’s type 2 diabetic and has had to go back on tablets, such is the injection drought. She said she had nausea for about 3 days but was then fine. All of the injections are Semaglutide according to my specialist. I was tempted to buy privately too but £160 a month is out of my budget. My doc put me on Metformin to help my glucose and weight loss but it caused chronic diverticulitis episodes, so I am just about to have bloods and back to the liver specialist. I have no gall bladder and don’t eat certain foods. To be honest my weight has been my issue all of my life, but I would try injections to help my weight/glucose/fibrosis if it was recommended and they could obtain them, all on the assumption of course that my specialist knows better than me!! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
Hello and welcome to our friendly forum. Can I ask if you are on a weight loss journey? Let me know and I will give you more information about the forum. You are very welcome to support either way.
Hi Magz117, its great that you managed to stumble across us. We have many members all working hard to lose weight and with the support we give each other we are doing rather well. With diverse members there is always lot of support and advice to help us through our journeys ,and help us find a way that works for us as an indiividual. If you take the plunge and join in I'm sure we can all help you too.
We advise all our members to get as involved as they can and suggest you join in with the Weekly Weigh In - pick a day that suits you and log your start weight, support others and come back a week later and report how you've done. You'll soon make lots of friends. The other important post to join in with is the Daily Diary where we give our menu for the day, any exercise we expect to do along with general chat about what the day in general. Both these posts can be found in our Pinned Posts, here's a link healthunlocked.com/weight-l...
There are other posts too so have a scroll down the pinned post and join in any that take your fancy.
Hi Everyone, just wanted to come back and give all you super helpful guys a bit of an update on how I got on incase anyone else feels like doing the same.
I ordered the Wegovy 0.25mg which arrived the next day with a sharps box and all the kit I needed. The needle is super tiny and hardly feel it going in. The first week 3 weeks were like magic, no side-effects but just a complete loss of interest in food, I ended up losing 5kg in 3 weeks! After that I started getting the odd craving again for the next week and then moved up to the Wegovy 0.5mg which I just took my first dose and once again the hunger has disappeared! If things carry on like this I should be able to achieve my target weight my September which would be an absolute miracle! Good luck to everyone on the journey!
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