Ozempic Baby Boom!

Pregnancy may be one of the most surprising side effects for women taking weight loss medications.
Dubbed “Ozempic babies,” women are reporting on social media that they are becoming pregnant after using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic (semaglutide) for weight loss.

“[I]ncreased fertility and surprise pregnancy has been well-reported in previously infertile patients, even with modest weight loss (approximately 5%) with lifestyle modification as well as other weight loss medications,” said Dr. Neha Lalani in a Healthline-related article.

One woman said that she started taking Mounjaro for weight loss. Over the first few months, she lost about 40 pounds. Her menstrual cycles, which had been irregular because of PCOS, became normal. And she even felt happier.

“It just made me feel like a whole new person,” she said. “I was in a better mood every single day. This same woman had hoped that losing weight might help her get pregnant. She’d heard about others having success with weight loss while taking the shot. Shortly after, she became pregnant—sooner than she expected!

Another woman admitted she was pregnant on Ozempic and was on the pill!

What’s going on with the Ozempic baby boom?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. PCOS causes the ovaries to produce an abnormal amount of androgens, which are male sex hormones. This can lead to hormonal imbalances, cysts in the ovaries, irregular periods, and infertility.

PCOS can make it difficult for women to lose weight, which could be why many are turning to weight loss medications for help. Are GLP-1 drugs able to boost fertility?

GLP-1 medications aid in weight loss and blood sugar management, which may improve the underlying factors that contribute to infertility. However, experts agree more research is needed to understand how GLP-1 medications can impact IVF outcomes.

In the meantime, numerous women are reporting that they’re having “Ozempic babies” on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns, as these medicines haven’t been studied in people who are pregnant.

“We don’t know the effect of early exposure … on the fetus,” said Dr. Jody Dushay, a physician focused on endocrinology and metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

Dushay said she recommends that women stop taking these drugs two months before trying to get pregnant, as directed in their prescribing information.

05/14/202405/14/2024

Oprah Winfrey Admits To Perpetuating Toxic Diet Culture

Is the tide changing toward diet culture? Perhaps, when one of America’s most prominent icons admits to fanning the flames of body shaming and the lack of willpower in millions of Americans trying to lose weight. By ‘Diet Culture,’ we refer to a societal obsession with dieting and weight loss, often characterized by the promotion of restrictive eating habits, unrealistic body standards, and the stigmatization of those who do not conform.

Recently, Oprah Winfrey acknowledged her role in abetting America’s toxic ‘Diet Culture during a three-hour WW special. For decades, she promoted guilt and shame as well as the redemption of weight loss on her various media platforms, including a cable TV network, magazine, and talk show.

“I’ve been a major contributor to it. I cannot tell you how many weight-loss shows and makeovers I have done, and they have been a staple since I’ve been working in television,” she admitted.

Sadly, Oprah isn’t the only one. Famous women’s magazines, Morning and Daytime Talk Shows, cartoons, and stand-up routines are rife with weight loss stories, jokes, and new diet programs promising quick results.

How harmful is our obsession with losing weight by any means possible?

Numerous studies indicate that yo-yo dieting is bad for your heart. Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, can stress your heart and increase your risk of heart disease. In the short term, regaining weight can cause problems like angina, heart attack, and stroke. The more significant the swings in weight, the bigger the risk.

My boss, Luther Vandross, gained and lost over a hundred pounds at least eight times while working for him. His developing stroke and untimely death at age 54 are primarily associated with a result of weight cycling.

He, like Oprah, lost a hundred pounds on the infamous liquid diet. But millions of other Americans suffer from this vicious cycle of hating themselves and their bodies for their inability to maintain and sustain weight loss.

Oddly, Oprah’s confession was part of WW’s slick rebrand as a weight-health company that offers drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. I’m still trying to understand why she confessed in this forum. But I cannot deny she seems to have seen the light since Oprah Winfrey backpedaled from her statements about weight loss medications being an “easy way out” to admitting they’re redemption.

Oprah Winfrey backpedaled from her statements about weight loss medications being an “easy way out” to admitting they’re redemption.

She added, “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people, particularly myself.”

01/29/202401/29/2024

States & Healthcare Insurance Companies Are Stopping Weight Loss Drugs Coverage

Over the weekend, I read that the state of North Carolina is cutting off coverage of anti-obesity medications for state employees, citing soaring costs and a lack of agreement on pricing from drugmakers.

These anti-obesity injectable weight loss drugs are the rage from the Hollywood elite to shoppers at your neighborhood bodega.

Case in point: last year, at this time, I didn’t know anyone on these drugs. Last week, three friends told me they were either using or had taken the drugs. And all three knew countless other people using them.

These drugs work by making people feel fuller and eat less, with some side effects. Two of my friends admitted they suffered from diarrhea and stomach pain while using the drugs.

According to reports, patients who took the highest dose of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug from Eli Lilly Co. that’s in testing as an obesity treatment, lost an average of 50 pounds.

North Carolina’s decision affects a class of drugs known as GLP-1s, which treat diabetes and help with weight loss. Medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, and Zepbound have soared in popularity but are expensive and require long-term use.

According to Forbes, many more state-backed plans don’t cover GLP-1s for weight loss, but the ones that do are trying to limit rapidly increasing costs.

Connecticut introduced a trial lifestyle-management program for state employees seeking the drugs for weight-loss treatment in July after spending on the class rose 50% annually since 2020. Virginia tightened restrictions on which Medicaid enrollees can receive them for obesity.

When Ozempic is prescribed off-label for weight loss, it is often not covered by insurance. Why? Because the Affordable Care Act doesn’t mandate that health insurers cover obesity or overweight medications or surgeries.

Due to increasing costs, some health insurance companies and employers are also halting coverage of Ozempic, Wegovy, and GLP-1 drugs.

The private healthcare system Ascension stopped coverage on July 1, 2023, stating that weight loss and anti-obesity drugs will no longer be covered in its pharmacy benefit to its nearly 140,000 employees.

What does this mean to people taking the drug?

My friends using Ozempic and Mounjaro lost significant weight, but their insurance stopped covering the cost after six months. Without insurance, the average monthly price of Mounjaro is between $1,000 to $1,200, depending on the pharmacy. All three have gained back the weight they lost.

Routinely, when Ozempic is prescribed off-label for weight loss, insurance does not cover it. Why? Because the Affordable Care Act doesn’t mandate that health insurers cover obesity or overweight medications or surgeries.

If your health insurance no longer covers your prescription, is Noom or Weight Watchers a solution?

Although most of my friends think weight loss companies adding weight loss drugs to their arsenal is a cop-out, if you can no longer afford these drugs, these weight loss programs might help with weight loss maintenance.

Let’s start with Noom. For years, Noom has promoted itself as a psychological path to weight loss. Now, Noom believes adding these injectable drugs to your program makes the outcomes much better.

WeightWatchers members can also get weight loss drugs. The WeightWatchers telehealth clinic: a reworked version of Sequence’s telehealth services.

After Oprah appeared on the Red Carpet promoting The Color Purple, people speculated about her weight management. Oprah told People magazine that she’s using one of the weight loss drugs that are commercially known as Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro.

Sadly, many one-time dieters see results from injectable weight loss drugs as far more reliable and easily obtained than from these habit-changing programs. But many of my friends who are desperately trying to lose weight feel taking these drugs is cheating. The weight loss industry has brainwashed them into believing weight loss is about willpower. I believe it’s about an individual’s body chemistry. Many people have a physical addiction to the fat, salt, and sugar formulas of popular foods. These people can’t stop at one potato chip; they eat the entire bag. Other people suffer from obsessive thoughts about food, which Rosie O’Donnell refers to as ‘food noise.’ In a recent interview, she spoke about how Mounjaro helped calm these thoughts in her head. I found her Plus SideZ podcast interview enlightening.

For many, these weight loss drugs are improving lives and health outcomes.

Novo Nordisk also offers a patient assistance program that provides Ozempic at no cost. To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident with a total household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty line.

10/13/2023

Ozempic And Kidney Disease: What’s The Scoop?

The Morning Talk shows announced a new study shows Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic may delay the progression of kidney disease in diabetes patients.

By now, everyone knows that the injectable Ozempic can help manage blood sugars and reduce weight. Its growing popularity in Hollywood as a ‘miracle weight loss drug’ limited supplies and made it difficult for people with Type 2 diabetes to refill their prescriptions.

Keke Palmer, Amy Schumer, Stassi Schroeder, and more celebrities who’ve talked about their use — or hate — of semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

Tracy Morgan, who is living with type 2 diabetes, said,” “I went and got a prescription, and I got Ozempic. And I ain’t letting it go … It cuts my appetite in half. Now I only eat half a bag of Doritos” on Today with Hoda and Jenna.

Novo Nordisk is asking health professionals not to prescribe Ozempic to new patients unless there are no suitable alternatives or there is a compelling clinical reason to do so to conserve supply for patients who are already stabilized on this medicine and who do not have suitable alternatives.

Sadly, one-third of people with type 2 diabetes develop chronic kidney disease because of damage to blood vessels and filtering cells in the organ, according to reports. So it makes sense that Ozempic can help reduce one of the health complications related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes: kidney disease progression.

The once-weekly injection already has Food and Drug Administration approval as a preventive treatment for heart attacks and strokes, a major cause of death and hospitalization in people with Type 2 diabetes.

The trial, which began in 2019, enrolled 3,500 people with diabetes and kidney disease and assigned them to either Ozempic or a placebo for up to a planned five years. Researchers followed the enrollees to detect a drop in kidney filtering rates, end-stage kidney disease, or death from either kidney or cardiovascular disease.

The newscasters also mentioned that Ozempic may help with addiction issues.

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06/05/2023

Weight Watchers Prescribing Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic

The news that WeightWatchers will be prescribing popular Weight Loss medications like Ozempic stinks. I wish they would admit counting points doesn’t work for everyone and apologize to those who spent their time, money, and self-worth trying to reach their goals via their program.

So many people who have been on WeightWatchers return to the program after leaving. They can’t sustain their results because counting points is unsustainable.

So now, WeightWatchers has decided to cash in on the mindset of a quick fix.

This is another example of WeightWatchers riding the newest trend to sell weight loss. In 2018, they tried unsuccessfully to adapt to a body-positive trend by rebranding to WW International. They replaced the word “diet” with “building healthy habits” and configured their messaging to highlight wellness goals instead of weight loss.

Of course, WeightWatchers is already fending off criticism for their new acquisition.

“We have no interest in prescribing medications to those who are trying to lose 10 pounds for a reunion,” WW’s chief scientific officer, Gary Foster, told the Wall Street Journal.

WeightWatchers stresses they added this tool to their arsenal to support customers who already use semaglutides like Ozempic and Wegovy and to help get these drugs into the hands of the patient population they were intended for: people managing diabetes and those looking to lose weight as part of a doctor-recommended health plan.

Weight Watchers bought Sequence, a telehealth operator that can prescribe medications under brand names, including Ozempic and Wegovy.

Ozempic is a once-weekly injection used to treat Type 2 diabetes. It’s not approved for weight loss, but people taking it tend to lose weight. Wegovy is a higher-dose version of Ozempic specifically approved for weight loss.

If interested, you will pay separately for your WeightWatchers membership and Sequence subscription. And Sequence memberships aren’t covered by insurance (but they will work with your insurance company to pay for medications). Additionally, WeightWatchers will offer new eating and exercise advice tailored for people taking these drugs.

Sadly, celebrities, tech moguls, and TikTok influencers, who do not have diabetes, have used the drug to lose weight in short time frames. People like Andy Cohen, Elon Musk, and the Kardashians and their followers’ usage has led to people with diabetes not being able to get their prescriptions. The side effects of Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs include gastrointestinal issues, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. It may also cause thyroid tumors, thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, kidney failure, gallbladder problems, vision changes, hypoglycemia, and allergic reactions.

Many people post about their experience with drugs, like Ozempic, on social media. They’ve admitted that their appetite and cravings went through the roof after they stopped using it. It’s been tough for them to maintain their results.

The diet industry is a 50 billion per year industry. With more money than ever going into solutions for weight loss … you’d think we’d be moving in the right direction.

But we’re not. According to the CDC, approximately 42% of Americans are classified as having obesity.