It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

[kerravonsen]

We live in a mad world, in which the actions of one person caused a cascade where not one single person considered the possible consequences of their actions. I don't know who the original person was, but there must have been one; the very first person to post on social media about the miracle weight-loss drug, Ozempic. (They didn't mention, or bother to find out, that its primary purpose was to treat diabetes.)

Wow, everyone said, this is amazing, I'm gonna tell everyone I know.

Wow, the newsmedia said, this would make a great story. It won't do any harm, and heck, we don't give a damn if it does any harm, that would make another great story.

Wow, many people said, I'm gonna bug my doctor to prescribe it to me "off-label" (that is, a prescription for a medicine which uses it for something other than what its official purpose is).

Sure, many doctors said, it won't do any harm, it's only for one (two, three, five) of my patients.

Worldwide shortage of Ozempic ensues.

Oh, many doctors said, I'll prescribe Trulicity to my diabetic patients instead.

Worldwide shortage of Trulicity ensues.

And that affects me. Which makes me mad.

Comments

[thewayne]

Sorry to hear it. I had to switch one of my meds to 90 day mailorder because of shortages, but that's because it's an inexpensive drug and no one wants to make it because there's not metric fucktons of money to be made from it.

One of the lovely side effects of Ozympic is stomach paralysis. Sounds ghastly in extremis. Plus the fact that you have to take the drug for the rest of your life, and it's damned expensive.

[kerravonsen]

Ozempic is expensive in the USA because the Pharmaceutical companies can charge whatever they want - in order to make "metric fucktons of money". A lot of them behave like hyenas preying on the sick - I remember hearing about how in the USA they were charging thousands of dollars for Insulin, which Type 1 diabetics need in order to stay alive. That's... utterly foul, and makes the devil cackle in delight.

However, in Australia Ozempic and Trulicity are on the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme), which means that the government subsidises the cost for legitimate patients (such as diabetics) so it isn't too expensive. My doctor cynically theorised that one reason they are so difficult to get is that the Pharmaceutical companies only want to sell it to US customers, because they make more money that way.

One of the lovely side effects of Ozympic is stomach paralysis. Sounds ghastly in extremis. Plus the fact that you have to take the drug for the rest of your life

I'd be interested to know where you heard that, because it sounds like a hysterical exaggeration of the facts -- the kind of thing one would hear on the "news" (gossip) channels, rather than from an actual doctor.

This is what I know:

• Both Ozempic and Trulicity work by slowing down the digestion.
• This prevents glucose spikes, which is good for diabetes, and it suppresses the appetite, which is good for losing weight.
• Stomach paralysis sounds plausible as a possible "side effect", considering how these medicines work, but that sounds less like a side effect and more like the consequences of overdosing on it.
  • Unfortunately, I gather that the US news has been goulishly reporting on cases where the person has been overdosing on it in order to lose weight as rapidly as possible. Utter morons.
• As for "taking the drug for the rest of your life", I'm not sure where that comes from. I have taken both Ozempic and Trulicity, depending on which one was available, but my doctor has not raised any issues with me about the dangers of starting with the drug and then stopping it -- which is just as well, because ERRATIC SUPPLY!
• Thing is, since diabetes doesn't have a cure, then, yes, I would be taking it for the rest of my life because it helps me, not because it destroys my digestive system.

After discussing it with my doctor, we've agreed I'll stick with Trulicity rather than Ozempic, because it starts working right away, while Ozempic needs to have the dosage gradually increased before it starts working. With an unreliable supply, that makes Trulicity the more effective medication for me.

[thewayne]

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if the stomach paralysis cases that I heard about were people taking too much to increase weight loss.  While the news sources that I read are fairly trustworthy, frequently they lack detail that I'd like.  As far as taking it for life, that's definitely the weight control side rather than for diabetes.  I'm glad the Trulicity works well for you, I hadn't heard of that one.  Diabetes is not a thing in my family, I don't keep up on drug brand names in that field.