Jenni Murray on why she'll never take weight loss drugs again
Our columnist reveals her experiences of the new wonder weight loss drugs.
Our columnist reveals her experiences of the new wonder weight loss drugs.
There’s no shame in admitting I was excited – as so many of us who suffer from a little too much of what I call ‘plumptitude’ were – when I heard of a new wonder drug that would make losing weight easier than it’s ever been.
I’ve been through the weight gain and loss cycle too many times. I know conventional diets will help you lose weight, but a body tricked into thinking it's starving will shriek "No, no, no," and your metabolism will insist you put on weight. You always end up fatter than you were before you began a starvation diet!
I had no concerns about being accused of "cheating" to get slimmer. More than ten years ago, at 24 stone, I’d taken the surgical route. A gastric sleeve operation removed half my stomach and I lost half my body weight in a year. I was perfectly happy at 13 stone.
But even the most drastic efforts to defy your own body’s make-up are not foolproof. A year ago, I began to notice significant weight gain. I’d put on a stone. Maybe the wonder drug could help me.
I wasn’t going to fool about trying to acquire the drugs online. I spoke to my GP.
I was losing weight at a remarkable rate and began to worry that this starvation diet would give me the Ozempic face
At the time, she was only able to prescribe it to patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes. This was before September 2023 when the government agreed that around 50,000 people with a BMI in excess of 30 and a weight-related health issue such as high blood pressure, would be given access to Wegovy on the NHS.
The drugs have been found to help patients to lose weight because it mimics the natural hormone GLP-1, which makes you feel full. Before the government approval for weight loss, I worried that I shouldn’t be trying to acquire such a vital diabetic treatment to look a bit thinner.
Nevertheless, I contacted the professor of bariatric and metabolic surgery, Francesco Rubino, who’d helped me ten years ago. He gave me a private prescription, knowing any significant weight gain for me could put me at risk of diabetes and any number of cancers related to obesity.
I was to inject myself for a month with the drug; it’s prescribed in a ‘pen’ that delivers the injection. The first dose was 0.25mg once a week.
It was amazing. My appetite decreased immediately. I ate small portions of healthy food and seemed to have no interest in alcohol.
At the end of the month I’d lost a good half stone; I felt fit and healthy.
The next month’s dose was 0.5mg a week. It could not have been more different: I had no appetite at all. I felt ill all the time and when I tried to eat I was physically sick.
I was losing weight at a remarkable rate and began to worry that this starvation diet would give me the Ozempic face where I would look pinched and ill.
I stopped treatment and have not been tempted to go back. Some people seem to have great success with this drug and there’s no doubt it is well accepted among numerous members of the medical profession.
Aside from tackling the obesity crisis it’s also said to help to prevent heart attacks and strokes and protect against some cancers associated with obesity.
I had no appetite at all. I felt ill all the time and when I tried to eat I was physically sick
But there have been concerns that it may be connected with a rare eye disease that can cause blindness.
The manufacturers reject this suggestion, saying no evidence has been found in people who’ve been prescribed it for Type 2 diabetes over the past 17 years.
It’s also been linked to an increased risk of pancreatitis, but most concerning for the older generation is that rapid weight loss can lead to loss of muscle power. We need to keep muscles strong if we are to remain able and independent.
I shan’t be trying the ‘wonder drug’ again. A good diet and exercise should help me keep fit and if I’m a bit plump, what do I care? I shan’t deny myself one of life’s greatest pleasures – something delicious to eat.
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