Expensive Drugs Rant!

revisesociology in #inleo • 22 days ago

The diabetes drug Mounjaro could be made available on the NHS. It's been used with diabetes patients thus far, but it could be rolled out to obese people more generally.

Mounjaro is an appetite suppressant that's been found to help patients lose up to 25% of their weight in one year...

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The problem is we just don't know whether the drug is clinically effective.

Yes, it has been shown to have positive effectives in reducing weight and blood pressure, but that's no proof it is actually doing patients any good.

The NHS is proposing to roll-out weight loss jabs to thousands at first, but over the next 12 years it could offer these to thousands of people. Initially to those with a BMI of 40 or more and multiple chronic health conditions.

It has show it can help people lose 26% of their body weight in 18 months if they inject weekly.

Costs...

NB the initial cost is TERRIFYING... £150 per patient per month, and while that's not THAT high compared to some drugs, the TERRIFYING thing here is that it sounds affordable per person, but if it were given to EVERYONE that needed it with that 40 BMI score, that would mean £1.6 billion a year. (Source).

But then the estimated annual cost of obesity to the NHS is quadruple that figure at nearly £7BN. (Source).

Talk about unskilful action...

So when we are talking about obesity of this magnitude, it's not just people who have genetic conditions, inactive thyroids or whatever, no, this is mainly just people eating too much for whatever reasons, probably not helped by social pressures such as poverty and stress and then easily available junk food.

So we have a society in which the shit sinks to the bottom and people stress-eat and get fat, then we pay a drug company to sort them out (or at least have a punt at sorting them out), but will it...?

I mean maybe this drug will make people less hungry (BTW nausea and constipation are side effects, so it ain't necessarily gonna be pleasant!) but once they come off it, if their circumstances haven't changed surely they'll just get fat again, a lot of them...?

Surely What we really need to tackle obesity is a public health approach - to combat the health harms that fast food, alcohol and tobacco do to so many people in our society.

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#drugs #uk #neoxian #proofofbrain #cent

22 days ago in #inleo by revisesociology

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shanibeer 22 days ago

I wonder what would happen if that £150 was given directly to people for their food budget along with access to a health trainer (although they'd have to be called something else, the health trainer model has been discredited).

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revisesociology 17 days ago

It's certainly worth doing an experiment, it'd have to be limited to veg boxes or something though, £150 a week could just buy a few meals out!

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pardinus 22 days ago

What we really need to tackle obesity is a public health approach - to combat the health harms that fast food, alcohol and tobacco do to so many people in our society.

This sums it. Although these newer drugs can help a lot of people to start following the right path, without working on the base problems I have the same opinion as you... vast majority will just return to baseline.

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revisesociology 17 days ago

Yes totally agree, by all means do this, but invest at least double in prevention!

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markkujantunen 22 days ago

Easily available, cheap and calorie dense foods and drinks sold in large package or portion sizes make a huge difference. It's been shown that people have a strong tendency to finish their meals instead of leaving any on the plate regardless of portion size and feeling about equally satisfied. The marketing and sales of such items should be limited somewhat similarly to how some countries limit the sales and marketing of alcohol. Non-walkable communities and a lack of bicycle lanes or paths make a big difference, too. Perhaps it would make sense to put tax incentives in place for employers to provide gym memberships and the like as fringe benefits.

Any low-calorie but nutrient dense foods that the human body has difficulty getting calories out of such as high-fibre fruits should have lower VAT at the expense of unhealthy alternatives. Nutrition information should be provided to the public more readily than it already is.

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revisesociology 17 days ago

I 100% agree, there are plenty of easy nudge type policies we could implement really easily!

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purplesinger 4 days ago

I thought as a weightloss injection user, I should leave a comment here..to give the fatties a voice.

I take Mounjaro and have to pay for it because I do not currently have diabetes or any other serious health issues related to being overweight, yet I know without losing weight I will likely face an early grave.

I have had a life long battle with my weight and I went on my first diet aged just 8. Diets only work if you don't have a high urge to eat, but I'm one of those people who is hungry, literally all the time. I have had help from the NHS regarding diet and exercise but it's just not worked for me.

Despite what some naturally slim people think, not all overweight people exist on a diet of takeaways and processed foods. Many simply don't have an off switch in their heads and just eat portions that are too big.

I managed to control my weight fairly well by ignoring my constant hunger, with regular high intensity exercise, and by eating good quality, natural foods, until my back decided to not work properly in my early 40s. I was unable to even stand up for a couple of months. I put on a lot of weight in that time because there was nobody to look after me, so I literally ate out of packets. The same thing happened again six months later as my back went in to spasm for a further two months, Consequently I found myself four stones heavier and unable to exercise at all. Try as I might, I couldn't shift the new weight.

As time went on I found my weight slowly creeping up further and therefore my body became more and more restricted. I became very depressed about my weight and the pain caused by being heavy. I did every diet plan under the sun...nothing worked. None of them were sustainable. I was eating too much and just couldn't stop it. I had no off switch.

It's now recognised that some people do not produce enough of the hormones that tell them when to stop eating and when they are full. This is also thought to be hereditary, which would explain why some families always eat big meals. The science behind the drug is that it mimics GLP production, so you don't feel hungry and also know when you are full. It does do that for most users and for me it is working well and I am losing weight slowly and steadily. I don't feel hungry all the damned time like I used to. My portions are small and sensible. I don't crave sweet and greasy food anymore. I'm existing like a naturally slender person exists...without the constant food noise in my head. Food isn't a crutch or emotional anymore...it's just fuel.

I am though, genuinely worried about what will happen when I have lost all the weight I need to lose. There seems to be no real plan available for the future, regarding this. I don't want to take this medication forever. It is very expensive and is associated with thyroid cancer, gallstones and pancreatitis. I'm hoping by then I will be able to go back to the gym five times a week like I used to and keep it off that way...but I'm nearly 60...how long will I be able to do that for? I don't know what the long term answer is.

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revisesociology 4 days ago

Sounds like yr really struggling... I hope a medical solution can be found!

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