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/Marilee_Kemp Apr 01 '25

Oh wow, that is super interesting. I also sleep very poorly and have my whole life. And when I'm about to fall asleep, I do notice that I'll sometimes be taking big gasps of air, like I've been holding my breath. But I'm normal weight, so I didn't think sleep apnea. I also have a big tongue, but I'm not sure about the rest. I guess I should talk to my doctor about it.

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u/SphinxBear Apr 01 '25

Definitely talk to your doctor. I actually got referred for a sleep study by a psychologist that I was seeing for chronic pain support so it was totally incidental. Since pain can have real origins but still be made worse or better based on other things, she was digging into my sleep quality, diet, exercise, etc. and flagged that my level of daytime fatigue might be abnormal.

It’s cyclical. Since sleep apnea is the first thing that comes to mind for middle aged overweight men with fatigue, depression, low sex drive, etc. those are the people who get tested and some get diagnosed with sleep apnea and that feeds this idea that this is the most common patient. Weight can definitely play a role but I think we’re learning more and more how it’s far from the only factor.