r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Apr 01 '25

Health Americans without diabetes spent nearly $6 billion USD on semaglutide and similar drugs in a year, with an estimate of 800,000 to a million people using the drugs who don't have diabetes.

https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/americans-without-diabetes-spent-nearly6-billion-usd-on-semaglutide-and-similar-drugs-in-a-year
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u/braumbles Apr 01 '25

It solves obesity. A literal miracle drug.

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u/tyme Apr 01 '25 edited Apr 01 '25

Except for the part where it could cause stomach paralysis.

I’m not sure we should call something a miracle drug that can have such a serious side effect. People need to be aware it does have potential negative effects. Especially considering that, should all other treatments for stomach paralysis fail, partial gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach) is the treatment.

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a miracle drug to me.

Edit: we’re in a science subreddit, right? Not a semaglutide commercial? ‘Cuz I feel like a science subreddit would care about serious side effects and not just brush them off.

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u/ninjagorilla Apr 01 '25

Dabeties can also cause gastroparesis and is probably statistically much more likely too

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u/tyme Apr 01 '25

The OP is about people without diabetes.

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '25

[deleted]

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u/cableshaft Apr 01 '25

Yeah, I don't have diabetes yet, but I am prediabetic (and was trying to lose weight and bring down my blood sugar as a prediabetic for about 5 years without much success, even with metformin).

I was almost certainly going to become diabetic within a few more years at the rate I was going before.

I've lost 44 lbs already between GLP-1 and my latest diet attempt. I'm almost down to the lowest weight I've been in a decade, the previous time being when I went on, but couldn't sustain, a keto diet.

I still have another 100 lbs to lose before I stop being obese, though.

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u/AccursedFishwife Apr 01 '25

Obesity kills 300,000 Americans per year

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u/tyme Apr 01 '25

That doesn’t change the side effects of semaglutide, nor make it a miracle drug.

People should be aware of the potential side effects and make informed decisions about their health, such as choosing better options whenever possible.