I lost about 65 pounds with Type 1 diabetes (do not recommend).
Then gained most of it back when I started taking insulin. Stupid life-saving insulin.
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I’ve been on it since 2021 for my diabetes. I haven’t started disliking my favorite foods or anything, though I have indeed noticed that my appetite is reduced from what it was, which is a good thing. I was eating too much and not exercising near as much as I should. Now I can even treat myself occasionally to a donut or a fistful of M&Ms and my blood sugar doesn’t even spike!
It can give you an upset stomach, especially right after you take an injection. I had that myself but it stopped after a month or so. I guess my body got used to it. Also, watch what dose your doctor prescribes. I’ve been on the .5 mg dose since the start and haven’t had a problem. My friend went on it and his doctor kept upping his dose until he was taking 2 mg a week. This started making him extremely sick and he is now back to the .5 mg dose and hasn’t had a problem since. Apparently his doctor was trying to use just Ozempic and take him off his other medications, but that was a mistake.
Also check how much your insurance will cover for it as it’s VERY expensive without. When I first went on it it was costing me $125 for a three month supply/three injectors. Several months ago my pharmacy started only giving me one injector at a time and it started costing me $445 a month out of pocket. I thought it had just gone up because people started using it for weight loss and the price went up. A month ago my insurance company actually contacted me and said that if I get three injectors at a time it’ll be covered at a higher rate. I finally got my pharmacy to start doing this again and now I only pay $75 for three months. Much more affordable on my fixed income.
You may also depending on where you live find it hard to get. A couple of times I called around to every pharmacy in the town I live in and even the two nearby towns and they were completely out. So you might need to order some before you’re totally out just to make sure you have some on hand.
Hope that helps!
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I’m starting at 0.25 and if that works I guess he’ll put me up to 0.5. I don’t really want to go higher than that, and I don’t think my numbers warrant it.
I fork over a large portion of my paycheck to get the best insurance plan available to us (Excellus Platinum Plus), so it will be a co-pay for the medicine, probably at the highest rate which is like $40 a month, I think.
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That’s how it started for both my friend and myself. The first injector you get holds six .25 mg doses and you do those to see how well you tolerate it. You might be able to stay at that level with a 6 A1C. Mine has dropped down to 7 and has stayed there for a few years now, which is a pleasant change from watching it tick upwards a few tenths every checkup no matter what I had been doing.
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How much weight have you lost on it?
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Around 20 pounds going from around 195 to around 175. I doubt I’ll ever get back to my “fighting trim” of 160 which I had back in the Army but back then I was in a lot better shape and almost 40 years younger.
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My daughter has been on Ozempic, for diabetes¹, for a few months, now.
She has dropped a bunch of weight, which is awesome, but her blood sugar levels are approaching the point where she may not need to be on a daily dose, anymore.
And, no, she hasn’t lost any of her joy of food.
As she told me, “Mom, I am just not ‘snacky’, anymore.”
She’s perfectly happy eating the delicious meals that she and her hubby make (Both amazing cooks), but, she doesn’t feel the need to stop after work for McD’s fries, & a Diet Coke, on the way home.
Good luck to you, on your journey to a healthier you, whatever you decide.
¹She lost her Thyroid to cancer, and GEE WHIZ, no Thyroid? Guess what? YOU GET DIABEEETUS!
Apparently, the Thyroid controls a whole lot of stuff that we are just finding out about.
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Thanks.
I didn’t think there was a daily dose of Ozempic… just weekly.
Well, the good news is that if it affects me badly, I can stop taking it… all the side effects go away.
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