My A1c is going to jump
 

I was using Ozempic. a weekly dose, to help keep my A1c level down...yes, I'm diabetic.

Last dose was Wednesday, and looks like it may have been my last dose. Can't find a prescription refill at any of the local pharmacies, all saying they might get more in a month, perhaps longer. A shame, because it had lowered my A1c from 7.3 to 6.8...and I did feel better.

So, I did a bit of digging...the why the shortage has me fuming.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/type-2-diabetes/ozempic-shortage-how-a-weight-loss-fad-has-slashed-access/

"It might be hard to imagine a diabetes drug trending on social media, but that’s exactly what’s happening with semaglutide (Ozempic), a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, as word spreads about one of its side effects: weight loss.

Hashtags like #ozempic and #ozempicweightloss have more than 300 million views and counting on TikTok alone, and many posts suggest it may help people rapidly shed a dramatic amount of weight. Meanwhile, tabloids such as The Sun and magazines like Glamour have reported on rumors that celebrities such as Khloe and Kim Kardashian are slimming down with Ozempic, helping them rock ’90s-era fashion trends that are having a moment, like micro-minis, crop tops, and ultra-low-rise jeans. Those headlines may further be fueling interest in the diabetes drug among the general population."

more:

"Some experts speculate the people driving the shortage of these drugs, both of which are injected, have neither obesity nor diabetes. “I worry more that people who do not have obesity or diabetes are buying semaglutide at its out-of-pocket cost to get skinnier, likely stirred on by TikTok videos or Variety articles,” says Beverly Tchang, MD, an endocrinologist and assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

“Patients with diabetes and patients with obesity both deserve treatment, and the shortage of semaglutide in general affects both populations,” adds Dr. Tchang."

Of course cosmetics will trump medical needs every time. I'm sure there is money consideration also involved.
I've said this before, but I've reduced my A1c from 6.6 to 5.9. Both my wife & I have been intermittent fasting for two or three years now, eating between noon & 8 PM - mostly just two meals without much snacking. It's become normal for us now. It has taken that two or three years to lower it, but I attribute the lowering to the eatinig regimen. This is in addition to a decently drastic lowering of my sugar intake and watching my carb intake. I'm not saying the medication route isn't justified, I'm saying in my case this has worked out so far.

What about Metformin. Brought mine down from 8.3 to 6.2 in six months. I've been pretty bad too, in that I haven't changed my diet all that much.

High protein diet low carb and sugars.

Increase your endemic insulin naturally.

Lower your glucose levels.

Traditional historical drugs will work too.

Talk to your doctor.... That can be challenging too

Exercise after meals. I'm a type 1 diabetic. I can skip insulin at meals if I plan to work out after eating. It can be no more than a walk.

Hey, I'm calmer now...I realize that it's most important that babes like Khloe and Kim look good for the cameras. Certainly more important than the health status of diabetic old folks who probably should have left the planet earlier. Anyway...researching alternatives.

Diet? Already on that...have been for years. Doctor? What's that? All I've got is a P.A. who will refer me to a MD for specific problems. One of the disadvantages of living in a smaller population area. Not that I wish to move to a major population area...

I went on Amazon and searched for Ozempic.

Holy crap...that stuff is expensive!!

I've been a Type 1 for almost 6 years. I've only seen an MD once and I live in a decent sized city. I typically am seen by an NP. The only reason the doc saw me was that the NP was on maternity leave. The PA's and NP's will spend more time with you anyway.

Yep, but as long as it can make the rich & beautiful look good. :rolleyes: Actually, the dose I used for A1C control was much lower than a dose used for weight loss. About $200 a month at my dose level.

Without insurance.....$916 :eek:

https://pharmacy.amazon.com/dp/B084BW1KST?crid=18YPLWBEPFPB9&keywords=ozempic&qid =1673904093&sprefix=ozem%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1

Yep..glad I'm paying for that supplemental plan...I was on the .5 mg dose.

$916 isn't even lunch money for the rich & beautiful...who easily get prescriptions for whatever they want. Hey! It's good for all that they look good for the cameras, right?

Get the daily pill version. No problem with availability.
The worst part is you take it then have to wait a half hour before you can have anything else.

7mg rybelsus. You titre in with 3mg for the first month.

Stops working after [some number of] years.

Thanks...not mentioned by my insurance, but will do some more digging..check it out.

That and Xigduo have been transformative after a Janumet and Farxiga combo stopped working after the best part of 10 years.

And for those that took Ozempic to lose weight, once they stop, the weight will come back.

You're sounding like somebody who has been there-done that with more meds than I have.

Metformin can be very hard on your kidneys.

20 years now. Was 33 when it hit. I’m close to convinced it was the 2 liters of Diet Coke a day for 5 years before that that did it. That stuff is evil.

Rybelsus is about 1k a month out of pocket if you have no insurance. I just - like just walked in from picking it up just - got 3 months worth without issue, so cost wise it’s in bounds and it’s readily available.

Far as I'm concerned, all soda pop is evil. That said, I don't know that I'm worth a grand per moon.

At age 79, maybe it's time for suicide by donut? ;) Donuts...one of many things I miss that are no longer on my diet...

FLASH NEWS! Cindy just back from the pharmacy we use. Went to get test strips. Returned with those, but also came back with Ozempic! :D :D!