Is it ethical to take the diabetes drug Ozempic when you don't have diabetes?

Lunasash

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

sollyn23l2 wrote: »

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

Lunasash wrote: »

Hi, please note that GLP-1 medications are well known to cause thyroid cancers and pancreatitis among other things. Although ozempic, wegovy, zepbound, etc are new, the class itself is not new.

Hope this helps

I’d be interested in seeing what peer reviewed studies you’ve got on this topic.

Ozempic has a black box warning for it. That being said, the connection has only been seen in animal studies, and is definitely debatable.

Lots of drugs have a black box warning.

Metformin has a black box warning for lactic acidosis. If someone is a T2 diabetic they’re very likely to be prescribed Metformin.

I’d still like to see which journal articles @lunasash was referring to so I can read them for myself.

You can look them up for yourself on PubMed. It is a free research database.

Lunasash

ddsb1111 wrote: »

What good is a diet, weight loss drug, or weight loss surgery at the stage of obesity when this is looking more like a lack of education, psychological coping mechanism, mental illness, an issue with codependency, and/or a trauma response?

I don’t judge people using tools such as Ozempic to support their treatment. But, I do think it’s useless unless you treat the underlining problem.

We can’t make people live in a bubble where they’re safe from ads, commercials, and hyper palatable foods, but I don’t think the answer is- here’s a pill!

When companies can make money on food options, diets, and pills, you can’t depend on them to “do the right thing”. We need to take it upon ourselves to get the proper treatments, and use the tools responsibly.

Ultimately, if we don’t care enough to take these steps, then why would they care?

Hopefully others feel this way also. For anyone who is overweight, we should be seeing a dietician and therapist at least.

Lunasash

neanderthin wrote: »

timesurfer7 wrote: »

I suggest most of you making comments on this site read more about the drugs you are talking about. Obesity was declared a disease about 10 years ago for a reason. Before you speak about things you no nothing about do your research. An obese person does not necessarily choose to be obese. They have metabolic issues. It is not a matter of calories in and calories out. Science has shown that. Yes, for some that do not have the gene or the propensity to have the disease they can make the choice to stay obese. But those of us that have tried everything, over and over again, years at a time and do not see an improvement don't start telling me if I only had more self-control, the problem would just go away. You do not know what you are talking about. Please do some research before you speak.

There are metabolic circumstance, no doubt about it that can make it difficult but it still comes down to CICO in the end and there is no 1 gene that prevents weight loss. There are no ward studies where obese people can't lose weight when in a deficit. What needs to be done to meet the criteria for that weight loss is multifaceted, is it a disease, I disagree on that one and believe that is more industry and politically driven. Britain, all Scandinavian countries and all Asian countries don't classify it as a disease and actually most Countries don't.

Apparently there are several that make weight loss very difficult if not impossible.

Pulled from NCBI database:

Some genes can affect a person's ability to lose weight, but obesity is a complex issue with many causes, and genetics are not the only factor:
ADIPOQ
A genetic variant of this gene can cause people to regain weight after losing it through low-calorie eating. This variant is also linked to lower levels of adiponectin, a protein hormone that helps regulate glucose and energy metabolism. Low adiponectin levels can increase the risk of insulin resistance and intra-abdominal fat, which can lead to weight gain and Type 2 diabetes.
MC4R
Mutations in this gene can cause monogenic obesity and make it difficult for people to maintain weight loss, even with lifestyle changes.
HSP47
This gene is a collagen-specific chaperone that's expressed in fat tissue. Its expression levels correlate with body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and fat mass. Expression levels increase with obesity and food intake, and decrease with exercise, fasting, calorie restriction, and bariatric surgery.

paperpudding

I think you are vastly over stating the genetic factors

Despite being only a generation or so ago (and therefore genetic pool not going to be significantly altered) - there were no overweight POW's, people in Irish potato famine, people in workhouses etc