Everywhere you look, it seems that so-called weight loss jabs are everywhere in the press.
From sensationalist ITV features about people ending up in hospital (for blatantly misusing drugs that weren’t even prescribed for them, let’s be clear!) to misinformed clickbait headlines claiming GLP-1 medications can make you go blind, it seems the media is having a field day on promoting even more misinformation about these medications than already exist. For starters, the GLP-1 medications available in the UK at the moment are Wegovy (active ingredient semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). The latter is considered more effective since it works on both the GLP-1 receptor as well as GIP, but both are widely used and prescribed (though sadly, not much on the NHS at the moment). After losing more than 100lbs the “old fashioned way” in 2018 (read: exercising 7 days a week and eating around 800 calories a day) in 2018, the pandemic came along, life got intense, and 80% of it piled back on. I was continuing to get bigger and bigger, but I was vehemently against the idea of weight loss drugs, particularly because I, like many people, was extremely misinformed. Eventually, however, I decided to give it a go, and I’m so glad I did. Having been on Mounjaro for three months now and done plenty of research, I’ve realised just how ignorant and just plain wrong so many people are about these medications. Let’s clear up some misconceptions, shall we?
1. No, they don’t magically make you skinny.
The idea that you just inject a GLP-1 medication and the next day drop three dress sizes is ridiculous. While there are some irresponsible pharmacies advertising Wegovy and Mounjaro as “get beach body ready” quick fix medications, that’s not their intended purpose, nor how they work. There is nothing in their ingredients that makes the weight fall off your body — that’s not how they work. Instead, they influence hormones in the brain to reduce cravings, slow gastric emptying so that you feel fuller for longer, and because of that, also allow you to get full more quickly, decreasing the chances that you will overeat. That being said, if you continue to eat over your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and don’t change your lifestyle, you’ll be wasting your time or money. You still have to put in the work here — GLP-1 medications just help you.
2. Using them isn’t “taking the easy way out.”
So many comments I’ve seen on the social media accounts of GLP-1 creators often boil down to accusing people who take these medications of basically “cheating” instead of doing things “the hard way,” which many people seem to translate to “the right way.” Again, because Wegovy and Mounjaro do nothing except help you decrease your appetite (a positive side effect not everyone gets the benefit of experiencing, especially not at lower doses). That’s it. You have to do the rest of the work — exercise, eat well, count calories, etc. There’s nothing “easy” about taking these drugs. Fat people aren’t fat because they don’t get the basic principles if CICO (calories in, calories out). Suggesting otherwise is not only ignorant and bigoted, but it completely ignores nuance and the variations of people’s bodies and health conditions.
3. They’re not cheap.
Unless you’re buying your GLP-1 medications from some shady TikTok seller who claims to have 50 boxes of “weight loss jabs” for £50, these medications are serious investments. Starting doses of Wegovy and Mounjaro cost around £139 at the smaller doses, and while various discounts are available if you shop around, needless to say, these aren’t drugs that everyone can afford. Thankfully, they’re far less expensive than in the US, where a month’s supply can cost you about $1,200 out of pocket, but nevertheless, GLP-1 meds are an investment, and not one many people take lightly.
4. They’re not new drugs.
The very first GLP-1 agonist was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration back in 2005. That drug was called exenatide and was created to treat diabetes. Since then, extensive research has been done on their usage (with more continuing every day). In other words, these weren’t invented last year and rushed to market as a get thin quick scheme. They’re drugs that underwent a very long development stage and have been in use by members of the public for nearly 20 years.
5. They have a host of other benefits outside of weight loss.
Sure, weight loss is the “side effect” many are looking for when deciding to take Wegovy or Mounjaro, but scientists are continually discovering other benefits to taking these medications including blood sugar control, lowered blood pressure, reduction in heart disease and fatty liver disease rates, lower levels of inflammation, protection against certain cancers, and even reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Not only that, but studies have also shown that GLP-1 meds can help reduce addictive behaviours, with many users reporting a decreased desire to smoke, drink alcohol, and even gamble or shop.
6. They don’t work for everyone.
While GLP-1 medications can seem like a panacea, they don’t agree with everyone. Some people find that they don’t respond to Wegovy or Mounjaro, or that weight loss is so slow that it’s no different than if they weren’t taking the drugs at all. The reasons behind this aren’t entirely understood, especially since everyone’s physiology is different. And while rare, there are some people who ultimately quit the drugs after not seeing any results after many months of use.
7. Yes, some people misuse them — but most people don’t.
The aforementioned ITV scaremongering segment about the woman who ended up in hospital after taking a weight loss jab certainly grabbed headlines, but anyone who bothered to listen to/clicked on the story would have seen the issue: The woman in question was not prescribed the medication at all. It was her friend’s jab, and they thought it would be hilarious to give HER a shot of it at a very high dosage. (Note: GLP-1 medications require you to titrate up a month at a time to build tolerance and decrease the chance of unpleasant side effects.) There are plenty of people who do dumb things like this, but that doesn’t make GLP-1 medications bad — it makes the people doing bad things with them at fault. Most people are obtaining and using these drugs as they’re intended to be, and we’re just as furious as the general public about those who aren’t.
8. They’re meant to be taken for life.
Again, another criticism I often see from GLP-1 haters is, “Oh, you’ll just get fat again when you stop.” Well, duh? For those using Mounjaro or Wegovy as prescribed and as intended, they likely will never come off them. That’s kind of the point. The benefits given by these medications which allow you to lose the weight in the first place will need to be continued at a maintenance level once you reach a healthy weight. They’re not something you take for a month while you shed a stone for your sister’s wedding or prep for your annual holiday to Ibiza. They’re a commitment to ongoing health and wellness. Currently, the UK has no long-term maintenance structure in place. NICE guidelines for semaglutide recommend prescribing for two years, but that doesn’t apply to tirzepatide. In addition, NICE is due to meet again on this very topic in August 2024, so it’s likely a new structure will be put in place at that time, as is already customary in the States.
9. They’re not all fun and games — they do come with side effects.
Anyone who follows the Kardashians or any number of other influencers who have used GLP-1 meds to shed pounds (whether or not they’d ever admit it) often think they’re a quick fix without any downsides. I can assure you, that’s not the case. While most people don’t experience any serious side effects, most users will have some unpleasant ones at various points in their journey. The most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, headaches, dry mouth, and stomach pains. While they don’t stick around long-term for most people, they can be really tough to deal with. Anyone who thinks people take these medications for fun needs to think again.
10. They make a lot of people (including myself) feel sane.
One of the most interesting things I learned after starting Mounjaro was the concept of “food noise.” I never even knew it was a thing (or that I had it) until it simply wasn’t there anymore. By food noise, I mean the constant thoughts of what you’re going to eat next, the fact that you shouldn’t eat, the fact that you’re hungry all the time, the fact that you know you shouldn’t be, etc. It’s that constant hum in the back of your head that revolves around food (and often leads to regular grazing of the snack cupboards in the kitchen) and leads to weight gain. Once I started Mounjaro, that was suddenly gone. I immediately realised, “Wow, this is what ‘normal’ people must feel like.” It’s incredibly freeing and one of the best parts of this whole experience for me. A while back, I read an article in The Atlantic, and there was a bit that really struck me. “Effortlessly thin people don’t have more willpower than the rest of us. Instead, they don’t need it. They don’t nobly refrain from another helping of cookies; they don’t even want to eat them in the first place.” That broke my brain in the best possible way.
11. They’re medications that treat a disease, simple as that.
At the end of the day, obesity is a disease. No one wakes up in the morning and thinks, “You know what? I want to be fat today. I want to be looked at like scum by a huge part of society, be overlooked by jobs and potential partners, be unable to find clothes that fit me and actually look nice, and I want to be out of breath all the time and have a high risk of illnesses that could kill me.” Of course not. Like many other diseases, it’s complex and multi-faceted and deserves treatment just like any other condition. You wouldn’t tell a depressed person that they’re “lazy” or “cheating” by taking medication instead of just cheering up and getting over it, so why is this any different? GLP-1 medications are life savers for many people, and I’ll never be ashamed of taking them.
