BOISE — Diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are being used to reduce weight. But they are not without side effects and real risk. But Doctors say their ability to reduce obesity, which is a national epidemic, may be worth it for many. Our Roland Beres plans to find out for himself.
- Drugs like Ozempic can cost $1,000 a month for the brand name if not covered by insurance
- There are generics which cost less.
- Heart disease is the number one killer in America
- There are define side effects to these drugs, mostly affecting the digestive system
- Mounjaro has a black box warning for thyroid cancer
- Black box warnings are the highest level of warning from the FDA
it's the age old dilemma, do I lose weight by working out more and eating less, or do I take weight loss medicine.
I'm senior reporter Roland Beres and I've tried both over the years. Neither has worked great.But along comes a diabetes drug that everyone is talking about for losing weight.Can it really be that good. In an effort to be healthier together this wellness Wednesday, I talk with a cardiologist about the new drugs, the concerns and I try one out for myself.
As I've added the pounds over the years, I've come to one conclusion, the only way to lose weight is work out more and eat less. Period.But then along comes drugs like Terzepatide.
"We can tell you from a cardiovascular standpoint we're tremendously excited about this. This class of drugs has a 20 percent reduction in cardiovascular events. So this is not just vanity." said Cardiologist Dr. Danny Noonan.It's early on, and there are definitely side effects: stomach discomfort, vomiting, nausea, diharrhea , but I've also heard of people losing 40 to 80 pounds in six months."having an elevated bmi carrying around extra weight is essentially a state of inflammation.inflammation leads to coronary disease."
The big question is after you lose all that weight, will you just gain it right back? Dr. Noonan says six months is long enough to create new habits, which will be critical when you stop taking it.
"Use that as a crutch where you say ok I'm going to use these six months where I'm going to develop a nutrition plan that's really dialed in. Going back to exercise, say I"m going to get back into it."
As for administering the drug, in my case, you can't be afraid of needles. But I found it easy to do. The needle didn't hurt a bit, but afterwards it felt like a mild bee sting for just a few minutes and then went away.
You've heard of the high cost of these weight loss drugs and yes, they're not cheap, especially without insurance. But there's variation in price. For brand name Ozempic its close to a thousand dollars a month.
For generic Terzepatide which I'm taking, it's about 150 dollars a month. Will it work? We'll see in the next few months. In Boise, senior reporter Roland Beres Idaho news six.Created February 20, 2024 6:00 PM
