kerravonsen | (Reply)

From:

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.