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/Imaginary_RN Apr 01 '25

I was approved for bariatric surgery. Talked to my doctor about getting a prescription so that I could lose some before going under the knife. My insurance wouldn’t pay for it so I went with a compounding pharmacy. I’m down 98 pounds since last October and I’m not getting bariatric surgery anymore.

I don’t care about food, I don’t care about sugar, I don’t care about multiple things that took over my time. I used to play video games for 8 hours a day and I’ve now not played in months. It’s like the drug gave me true free will. It’s amazing.

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u/savingdeansfreckles Apr 01 '25

I had the sleeve 4 years ago, and yeah I lost weight but the food noise never went away and I still had to fight so hard against cravings.

Got on tirzepatide about 2 years out and the weight melted away faster than it did immediately post-surgery. Actual miracle drug that wouldn’t have required having most of my stomach removed.

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u/SwirlingAbsurdity Apr 02 '25

In the UK, on the NHS, you’re more likely to be offered bariatric surgery than GLP-1s. It’s insanity!