[quaffapint]

I do wonder how much affect it has. At least in the US most insurance companies won't cover them (unless you already have diabetes, for example) and at over $1,000 a month I can't see how the people who could really benefit from this to lower the numbers can possibly afford it.

[malfist]

From personal experience, it's ridiculously easy to get a compounded formulation from one of the telehealth suppliers, and it's cheap even though you can't submit it to insurance. I think I pay $200 and get two one month vials for it.

It's been marvelous for me, I was just over the edge into overweight, so no one would prescribe it for me, even though I had a borderline pre-diabetes A1C, and reactive hypoglycemia runs in my family.

My choices were gain another 10 pounds, or find a telehealth that wasn't bothered by not following the FDA rules so strictly. So that's what I did, I got a script from telahealth and now I'm smack dab in the middle of the healthy weight range (-24lb), haven't had a hypoglycemic incident since I started it, and as a bonus my IBS-D went away completely.

I've reduced my dose to the point that I'm at the dose you start out on, and that has let me keep my weight constant without losing more or gaining more. Plan to stay this way for a year and then see about titrating it even more until I'm off of it. I also followed their instructions and only titrated up when I wasn't seeing weightloss, so I never hit the highest dose, and kept my weight loss to .75-1.5 lb/week. Perfectly sustainable.

This has been miraculous, and something that multiple years of consistent dieting hasn't solved. And as a bonus, I can now do my strength training I love without feeling like I have to eat the house on the recovery day

[sjsisjxjdjd]

> something that multiple years of consistent dieting hasn't solved

Did you continue to track calories while using the drug?

As somebody who has successfully increased and decreased their body weight over the years (after initially being obese), if you’re able to diet consistently I don’t see why a drug is needed. My guess is whatever diet you were on was consistent for the weight you were at.

[SystemOut]

I'm on Mounjaro for T2D, previously on Ozempic. Besides the weight loss and the blood sugar control it also eliminated my IBS as well. Before the drug certain foods, especially nuts would cause excruciating digestive issues. I can now eat them without worry. It's been amazing.

[voisin]

> And as a bonus, I can now do my strength training I love without feeling like I have to eat the house on the recovery day

I am interested in hearing more about your strength training on this. Do you find that eating less slows your gains and PRs?

[aoanevdus]

Random question about how those compounding pharmacies work. Can you order a higher dose and then just stretch it out by taking the minimum dose to save cost? Do they automatically bill you monthly or can you skip months?

[hirvi74]

I am curious, if you don't mind. Have you noticed any other fringe benefits? By that, I mean a reduction in alcohol consumption or other non-food vices? Any cognitive benefits like an increase in focus or concentration?

[caffeinated_me]

Any recommendations on telehealth suppliers to contact for that compounded formulation? They're easy to find, but I'm not sure who is trustworthy on this topic.

[jimbob45]

Doesn't seem like it will matter. The core patent expires in 2026[0] and the rest expire in 2033. It seems like most will have access to at least some form of the drug affordably within the next five years.

[0]https://www.reddie.co.uk/2024/08/30/the-year-of-ozempic-an-i...

[danans]

Ozempic is around $100/month in most western European countries, including the country of it's maker, Novo Nordisk.

Sen. Bernie Sanders has been recently calling out this company for charging an order of magnitude more in the US, where it is priced like a cosmetic medical product.