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Post by nowimnothing on Jun 21, 2023 8:19:35 GMT -5
Wherein nowimnothing tries yet another faddish weight loss solution. I started to look into Wegovy early in the spring as it started to really hit the news. I quickly found the troubling news about shortages caused by off label use of the diabetic medication Ozempic. I also found that most insurance does not cover Wegovy which can run around $1,000/month in the U.S. I figured that was the end of it unless I could find it cheaper from some international pharmacy and make sure I was not depriving diabetics of the medicine they need. On a lark I started to look into clinical trials. I was a guinea pig for an early Covid vaccine in 2020, so why not this? I found a couple promising trials by Novo Nordisk on clinicaltrials.gov/After a few calls and emails to find a local clinic performing the trials I was set up with an appointment two weeks ago. This trial is testing a mix of Cagrilintide and Semaglutide called Cagrisema. In the double blind 50% of the participants receive weekly shots of Cagrisema, 15 % receive Semaglutide alone, 15% receive Cargrilintide alone and 20% receive a placebo. I was on board immediately. 80% chance of getting at least one very expensive weight loss drug not only free, but they would also pay me $75 per monthly visit. Plus since it is not on market yet, there is less concern about taking from a limited supply. Even if I got the placebo, there are regular meetings with a registered dietitian. I had my first shot on Monday morning. By noon I was slightly nauseous and had a very minor headache. In general I felt full all day and was not too interested in food. The headache and nausea have lessened but the full feeling and disinterest in food has remained. I started logging my calories yesterday and I was around 1,800 for the day, which is 400 under the goal of 2,200 set by the dietician for a 1 lb per week loss. One example: I got a chicken sandwich yesterday from Wendy's and I could only eat half before I felt like I was going to burst so it ended up being my lunch and dinner. There is still a chance I got the placebo but the effects so far are lining up with what I have read about other's experiences. The trial lasts for 18 months and people on Wegovy tend to gain back the weight when they go off the drug so I am hoping by then that the insurance companies and competition starts to bring the price down so regular people can afford it. Starting weight: 252 lbs Novo Nordisk: Semaglutide - GLP-1 receptor agonist Ozempic - Semaglutide weekly shot approved by FDA for diabetes Wegovy - Semaglutide weekly shot approved by FDA for weight loss Rybelsus - Semaglutide daily pill approved by FDA for diabetes (in trials for weight loss) Cagrilintide - GLP-1 receptor agonist approved by FDA for diabetes Cagrisema - mix of Cagrilintide and Semaglutide in clinical trials for weight loss Eli Lilly: Mounjaro - GLP-1 receptor agonist and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide weekly shot approved by FDA for diabetes Orforglipron - GLP-1 receptor agonist daily pill in clinical trials for weight loss Pfizer: Danuglipron - GLP-1 receptor agonist twice daily pill in clinical trials for diabetes and weight loss |
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Post by nowimnothing on Jul 19, 2023 8:39:01 GMT -5
Week 5 update. The side effects largely went away after the second week so the doctor increased the dose from .25mg to .5mg this week. I am definitely feeling them again today. Just kind of blah feeling, little interest in food. I still get hungry occasionally but I have to force myself to eat slowly because otherwise I will feel like I ate a whole Thanksgiving dinner. Calories are still tracking around 1,800 per day but I find that I can eat more on the weekend as the shot is wearing off before I take the next one each Monday.
Current weight: 246 lbs
Total lost: 6 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Aug 14, 2023 15:05:23 GMT -5
Week 8 update. Had some GI issues the first week of .5mg. Nothing coming out for a few days then too much coming out. The side effects only lasted that week though and I am trying to be more careful of what I eat. I'm still eating three meals a day but smaller portions and no real desire to eat outside of meals. I am very rarely hungry anymore. Sometimes in the morning but it is not very insistent and it goes away with a glass of water.
The doctor bumped me up to 1mg today. The nurse said more side effects usually start at this dosage.
Current weight: 241 lbs
Total lost: 11 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Sept 11, 2023 9:47:47 GMT -5
Week 12 update. The last two shots really messed up my stomach. Pretty bad cramps and diarrhea for several days. I was supposed to go up in dosage again today but I asked to stay on the current dose for a few more weeks so my body can get used to it. I am being a lot more careful about what I eat, one greasy item may have me up all night in the bathroom. Fruits and veggies are safest which is probably a good lesson for me. In a lot of ways this seems to be kind of like getting a gastric bypass or sleeve without the surgery as far as side effects.
My work had an afternoon pizza party last week. Normally I might eat my low calorie lunch and still be tempted by a slice or even two of pizza. This time the smell of the pizza just turned me off completely. It was totally unappetizing.
I have not changed any clothes sizes yet but everything is pretty loose. I only have one belt that is small enough to wear. I am hesitant to buy much while still losing so quickly. I am now tied for my lowest weight in my adult life. Any weight lost past here will be uncharted territory. When I look at past pictures the few times I have reached this weight I think I look really skinny but of course I don't see any of that now when I look in the mirror. I still feel pretty big.
Current weight: 235 lbs
Total lost: 17 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Oct 9, 2023 18:13:48 GMT -5
Week 16 update. Still having a few more symptoms with 1.0 than I was at any of the lower doses. A little nauseous and blah feeling the first few days after a shot. They are keeping me at 1.0 for another month. My weight fluctuated a lot more this month. I was under 230 several times but swung back up for the appointment. You can overeat on these meds, it is just a lot harder. You can't eat much, but if you eat small portions of high calorie foods* you can go over your daily calories, you might pay for it with your stomach though. Edibles can also lead to overeating, but I am getting more munchy for fresh fruit.
I bought a few work shirts at Goodwill that are a size smaller and I dug into my closet for some smaller pants. I think I am officially down a size in both. Really hard to keep my old pants up and I am swimming in my old shirts.
Current weight: 234 lbs
Total lost: 18 lbs
*Such as half a pint of Ben and Jerrys: Half Baked as a totally random unrelated example
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Post by nowimnothing on Nov 6, 2023 10:34:00 GMT -5
Week 20 update. Last monthly visit, now I only have to check in once every two months for the rest of the trial. I kind of have the side effects under control with the help of gas-x and fiber gummies. Still losing weight so they said I could stay on 1.0. That is good because I would rather not jump back into severe side effects again. I go see my PCP today, will see how my blood pressure is and whether I can either lower the dose or go off blood pressure meds altogether.
Current weight: 230 lbs
Total lost: 22 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Dec 4, 2023 8:27:36 GMT -5
Week 24 update. Side effects are pretty much gone now but unfortunately so is some of the appetite suppression. I just had a phone check in this month so next month I will probably ask to move up to 1.7 mg. The therapeutic dose is 2.4 mg which would be one more bump up from that.
In other news Mounjaro from Eli Lilly has recently been approved for weight loss under the name Zepbound (Mounjaro was previously approved for diabetes but was used off label for weight loss.) Mounjaro seems to be somewhat more effective than Semaglutide/Wegovy/Ozempic. This is because it also interacts with the GIP hormone receptor in addition to GLPT-1.
Current weight: 228 lbs
Total lost: 24 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Jan 5, 2024 10:04:33 GMT -5
Week 28/month 7 update. The holidays and the waning effects finally caught up with me. I was actually experiencing hunger for the first time in a while. Also impulses to binge, though not as much as I would have previously. Going up to 1.7 mg next week. I was also a little hasty in going off my blood pressure meds. I was down to 110/75 which my PCP thought was a little low but when I went off it jumped back to 135/90. I probably just need a lower dosage.
Current weight: 229 lbs
Total lost: 23 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Jan 29, 2024 8:22:11 GMT -5
Week 32/month 8 update. Third week on 1.7 and it seems to be going ok. The only change in side effects has been a bit of nausea but they gave me some Zofran and that helps. The appetite suppression is back. I have skipped a meal a few times without really realizing that I did so. That is something I have heard skinny people say before but never really understood how in the world that could happen.
Current weight: 226 lbs
Total lost: 26 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Feb 26, 2024 11:13:44 GMT -5
Week 36/month 9 update. Half way through the trial. I am worried a bit about what I will do once the trial is over. I know this drug has made a difference in my life and I would hate to lose the progress I am making. I have heard that you might be able to sign up for a new trial once you wait three months for the drugs to leave your system. Still working through the nausea and some constipation. I think that accounts for a bit a a stall in the weight loss. I am still wearing my old sweatpants at home but I have to hike them up to my belly button. It gives me a distinct Fred Mertz look. So I guess that means I am just 1950's fat now.
Current weight: 225 lbs
Total lost: 27 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Mar 25, 2024 9:33:18 GMT -5
Week 40/month 10 update. I started taking some Miralax every morning with some almond milk. That has helped the constipation immensely. Still losing a bit on the scale but things feel really stalled compared to how it was at first. I will probably ask to go up to 2.4mg at my appointment next month.
Current weight: 222 lbs
Total lost: 30 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Apr 22, 2024 20:24:21 GMT -5
Week 40/month 11 update. Went up to 2.4mg today, the actual medicinal dosage. Pretty nauseous and no desire to eat after lunch. Read an interesting article on CNN that I cannot find right now. It referenced a study on weight loss plateaus. Basically it found that your body responds to weight loss with an increase in appetite. At some point, the increase in appetite overwhelms the weight loss mechanism used and results in a plateau and possible weight gain. This plateau is usually reached in about a year with traditional will power based methods, 2 years with medications like Wegovy and 3 years with bariatric surgery. If you still need to lose more weight when you hit your plateau, you will have to add additional work such as exercise to keep losing. In the case of bariatric surgery, you could add Wegovy on top to double team your body's starvation inclinations in order to keep losing. They did not mention anything about when or if your body might settle into a new normal weight.
Current weight: 220 lbs
Total lost: 32 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on May 20, 2024 7:41:51 GMT -5
1 year update. 2.4 is working out ok as long as I keep to my regimen of gas-x and miralax. I take Zofran for mild nausea about 3-4 times a week usually in the days right after my shot. Looks like I broke through my plateau and have started losing again. It is weird that I am down to my high school weight. I still feel kind of fat, but I think some of that is just loose skin. I have not hit the deflated balloon stage yet, but I can see it on the horizon. I can tell the most difference in my chest and arms. My hands are even noticeably thinner. My kid was snuggling with me watching a movie and said I was too bony.
Current weight: 216 lbs
Total lost: 36 lbs
Only 8 more pounds and I will move from "obese" to "overweight" in my BMI!
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Post by nowimnothing on Aug 13, 2024 13:37:38 GMT -5
1 year and 4 months update. Been keeping the same regimen all summer, but little progress. I guess my body really likes this weight or the effectiveness is waning. I only have two more months on the study then they have me go cold turkey until a final appointment in November. I don't know that I am clamoring to lose much more weight, but I definitely don't want to start gaining again. Maybe I can get into a Zepbound trial early next year.
Current weight: 212 lbs
total lost: 40 lbs
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Post by nowimnothing on Oct 15, 2024 12:20:05 GMT -5
18 month update. I am now done with the study and starting my first week off the meds. I have to say I am pretty worried about gaining it back. They said that they do have some more trials coming up and that I can apply after I have been off for 90 days. If I had lost about 5 more lbs I would have been classified as just overweight instead of obese. Maybe I can still get there. Current weight: 210 lbs total lost: 42 lbs Yes, I do have before/after pictures. I feel a lot better and more confident, but I am still an old fat guy and sometimes I have a hard time seeing much difference in the pictures. I was wavering on posting, but I know how horny you guys are. I did keep my shorts on though. warning: shirtless old fat bald guy |
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