DMC707

I don’t know where this guy is getting his information regarding 12k per year. (Or it not taking any effort - anything worthwhile takes effort)

Seems like most in this thread who are having success are throwing effort at it too, but I’d pay $1000 a month if I had to. Thankfully I don’t, but it is $300 a month private pay for me and folks have told me that’s at the high end. I actually save more than that in decreased alcohol consumption and less restaurant food
But it’s a personal choice and I’ve done my best to explain the side effects too and those alone may make some decide it’s not worth it for sure

But for me, I participated in the Hotter N Hell Hundred this morning (I did the 50) and the weight loss inspired me to build a new to me road bike. It feels good to be participating again after a few years out - regardless of how I get there.

RubeRad

OK I'm slightly more interested, but for my situation $300/mo is also a lot. Maybe someday when we leave CA and can get housing for under $1000/mo

LostinEndicott

Have you run it by your insurance to see what they cover? I’m paying $25 a month. Our insurance is covering the rest.

RubeRad

wow no, I should definitely check

monogodo

Yes, you should check.

On my new health insurance which takes effect on Friday, the copay for Mounjaro will be $300/month until I meet my $1200 deductible, then it will drop down to $100/month. Ozempic is not covered.

My wife's health insurance covers Ozempic with a $0 copay.

And if it isn't covered when you check, check it again a month later. Medication coverage changes frequently, and meds that are covered one month might not be the next, and vice versa.

RubeRad

If it's just for weight, not for treatment of pre-diabetes or out-of-control A1C, is it less likely to be covered/prescribed?

LostinEndicott

I’m not sure. I was pre-diabetic and morbidly obese when I started on Wegovy. I was initially turned down by my insurance, but they decided to cover it as long as I lost a certain percentage of my weight. I don’t remember what the percentage was, I exceeded the number by quite a bit.

Leisesturm

Most people with significant weight to lose are also Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic but most people don't have robust health care in the U.S. Plenty don't have insurance at all and plenty have junk insurance and still quite a number have insane deductibles to meet. But, mainly, it is the baked in wisdom that once an insurer starts down the semaglutide path with you there is (afaak) no getting off of it that keeps them hesitant.

RubeRad

At 6' 250, if you believe BMI charts I would have to drop 70 lbs to get to the top of the "healthy" range. But my cholesterol numbers have always been OK, my blood pressure was slightly elevated for a while but I'm off that pill and they're also ok. Doctors have told me I should lose weight (obvious) but they never said 'pre-diabetic'.

RubeRad

Presented purely for factual background, not P&R (although the information came to me via a P&R thread). As reported in this thread, American consumers pay varying amounts out of pocket depending on their insurer.

jeneralist 

Sadly, it works the other way too. My insurance covered Wegovy for several months -- long enough for me to gradually increase the dosage, lose about 25 pounds, and notice how much happier my knees were becoming going up stairs -- and then they send me a letter saying, "This is your last month, and we never should have approved it to begin with." If I had known from the beginning that I would have to pay on my own, I probably never would have started.

justin70

I'm not endorsing this, but just a believer in these medications and frustrated at costs. check out the peptides subR3DD!T and can find various other sources for these medications

DMC707

Find a private pay clinic that fits your budget. As I mentioned earlier, the savings on food, alcohol, and meals out cover it for me

DMC707

Checking in as It has been a couple of months and we are closing in on Thanksgiving rapidly. This supplement is not a miracle pill and I have experienced some plateaus and, but it is still working and my goal is to hit 100 pounds in a calendar year. I am putting big miles in on my mountain bike and interestingly enough the food needed to keep those efforts up seems to hinder the weight loss But I’d rather be riding

Alan K

It’s interesting to see that a drug that was designed to control blood sugar among type 2 diabetics, being an incretin analog, reduces appetite and all that everyone notices and wants it for is weight reduction… and reduction in blood sugar is declared as one of the side-effects! 😉

Someone commented on the high cost:

“and they are all expensive because its not that easy to make it.”

Not really, the real reason for pricing pharmaceuticals has been quite simple, whatever the market can bear and they can get away with. Pricing structure of Atorvastatin and others statins with newer patents that followed, proved it to my complete satisfaction that production cost has nothing to do with price for customers.

The price of these wonder drugs will come down as soon as patents run out… though, the industry will use the usual gimmicks to continue profiteering.

Some say that there is an epidemic of obesity world-wide, we have seen what the FDA (and the entire alphabet soup) can do to control an epidemic, if the pharma rewards them sufficiently. 😉

The original story of GLP-1 and other incretins started decades ago… all funded by public funds (as in the NIH etc). One can check publications on Leptin that are at least 2 decades old, where a genetically obese mouse (or was it a rat) was rendered indistinguishable after a few weeks of treatment with leptin from its genetically lean counterpart. But in the long-run, there were some systemic issues.

As bad as hyperglycemia (type 2 diabetes) is, hypoglycemia (now labeled as a side-effect of this weight reduction treatment) can be lethal… there are other sub-lethal side effects of this version of “better living through chemistry”.

Glucagon is essential for glucose production by the liver, which is the only fuel for brain under normal circumstances (unless one starves for 2 weeks). One of the side-effects is disorientation, brain-fog, dizziness etc this is when one’s brain is beginning to starve… not a good thing!

Someone commented on popularity of these drugs among Hollywood stars - my wife noticed their muscles in legs, they are becoming cartoon stick figures. But they are surely losing weight… each to their own. 😉

Alan K

I am curious what the medical industry is going to recommend to their patients after they have achieved their target weights. Continue using the drug at lower dose or modify their eating behavior!

The latter will be free for the patient but will require changing some habits.

GLP-1 is naturally produced by our gut but it takes about 20 min. If a person re-learns to truly enjoy their food with all of its flavors by chewing each small bite (20-30 times), it will give the gut sufficient time to produce the satiation signals for brain and one would stop eating. But unfortunately, many people tend to inhale their food in 5-10 minutes and their gut doesn’t get enough time to inform their brain to stop.

DMC707

sildenafil citrate (viagra) was originally dreamed up to treat high blood pressure and angina. It’s other side effects have seemed to work out alright for men over the age of 40 the world over - and their wives/girlfriends

DMC707

both. I get a shot once a week currently. The lady who referred me to the clinic I go to has hit her goal weight and now gets a shot once a month.

My experience with this substance is that it won’t work without being conscious of eating habits. If a person can maintain their style of eating after they hit goal weight, they won’t have to modify anything. Just don’t ever go back to abusing food again. And since I’m not there yet, probably easier said than done, but I’ll find out before too long

Alan K

True enough!
I read somewhere that when the clinical trial for control of hypertension was finished, subjects enrolled in the trial kept coming back to pick up some more medication! 😉

Alan K

Keep at it… modifying habits is not very trivial but it certainly isn’t impossible.
All the best and update us every so often.

DMC707

lol!

“Uhhhhhhhhh, hey doc, I need some more of that blood pressure medicine- my BP is out of control!”

“But my nurse just tested you - it’s 110 over 70 with a 65 pulse!”,

”what can I tell ya? It’s only high at night”

Alan K

Yep, something along those lines. 😉

DMC707

I definitely will. I’m not as active on the forum as much as I used to be as I’ve spent more time reading books on my kindle in my downtime lately, but I love passing along my experiences if it could possibly help another — or even give folks a case study of what not to do

I have known others who tried this drug and couldn’t stick with it because some people experience severe nausea, constant diarrhea, headaches, or the treatment just doesn’t work for them. It goes without saying, but anybody experiencing anything like that should not continue

donalson

I haven't read through the thread yet... but I started on Mounjaro a week ago (2nd shot yesterday)... so far the only change i've noticed is mild constipation... rabbit turds coming from a long life of healthy BMs lol... with some other health issues popping up it was time to try something else for weight loss.

that being said... my wife has been using it off and on for the last year (had problems getting it for a while with our insurance) and she's had great luck with it....

now time to go and read the thread lol

Wileyrat

I’m on Ozempic for my A1c. I lost 25 lbs, and after 4 months got my a1c from 9.8 to 7, and I’m guessing next time in it’ll be low 6 or better based on my morning glucose levels.

One thing about Ozempic is you still need to eat well and work out to get what you’re looking for, so don’t go in thinking all you need is your weekly jab. Also, be aware there will be side effects. I’m at .5 weekly, and I feel for those on Wegovy that are at almost 3 times my level.