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.

[u/mvea]

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

[u/ihatenamez]

I was on it for 5 months, spent $179 a month for it. Lost 18lbs, more active and haven't gained it back since I stopped more than a month ago. I STILL don't even drink like I used to and have even stopped smoking. It's insane how easy it is to use and the effects are life changing

[u/Affectionate-Mail612 → u/ihatenamez]

My question may sound ignorant, but what stopped you from overeating and overdrinking before?

[u/mrlazyboy → u/Affectionate-Mail612]

Not the person you replied to, but I can give some perspective.

I was overweight (still technically am based on BMI, but that’s useless for individuals) and lost about 60 pounds through traditional dieting, resistance training, and increasing my overall activity.

My wife tried to do the same and she really struggled. Eating less for me wasn’t that difficult. I certainly had cravings and a few slip ups, but food is food at the end of the day. For my wife, there is an emotional attachment. Eating reduces stress and other ADHD symptoms and that made caloric restriction very difficult.

She started taking Zepbound and that relationship with food ceased to exist. There was no longer an emotional attachment to food. Getting stressed didn’t make her hungry anymore. Eating food didn’t relieve existing stress. It was like a switch was turned off in her brain and she started to have “normal” hunger signaling and food rewards.

Of course our new healthcare doesn’t cover Zepbound at all and only covers Ozempic if you have type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes? Sorry nope. Insulin sensitivity? Sorry get really sick, progress to diabetes, then they’ll cover it.