Over the past year, social media has exploded with information (and misinformation) about anti-obesity medications. As Obesity Medicine Specialists, we have been using these medications for many, many years – and we know a lot about them. Take some time to learn about them – not from a social media influencer, but from a clinical team with advanced training in using them!
8 Reasons Why:
If you’re taking GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound) to help manage your weight, you must let your clinical team know. Here’s why it’s crucial to keep them in the loop: Avoiding Medication Mix-Ups: These meds can interact with other drugs you might be taking. If your healthcare team doesn’t know you’re on […]
Ozempic Babies
I am board-certified in OB/GYN and Obesity Medicine and have practiced in both fields for over 10 years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a patient tell me, “I can’t get pregnant, so I don’t use contraception.” There aren’t many of us who have been in the trenches of both fields, but […]
Weighing Risks and Benefits:
Taking anti-obesity medications is not a DIY project! Putting pharmaceuticals into the human body always comes with risks. Practicing medicine involves weighing the risks of the various treatment options with the risk of doing nothing. Over and over again. Rinse and repeat. This retrospective study released yesterday tells us that people taking semaglutide have a […]
GLP-1 Medications are not Cures
Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) isn’t a cure for obesity. Yes, most people who take them experience some weight loss, but the average effectiveness is 15% weight loss – over the course of more than a year. Don’t get me wrong – 15% is clinically significant (and I would jump up and down if all of my patients […]
Reality vs Hype
If we put every teenager on Accutane as soon as they got their first pimple, we would likely see a dramatic reduction in acne. However, we don’t do that. We use step therapy. I love these meds when used in the right way, but deploying them for a lifetime for everyone with excess weight is […]
The Five C’s of Obesity Medicine
With all of the hype in the media the past year about the GLP-1 medications, it’s not surprising that everyone wants a prescription for one of them. Although it seems like a no-brainer (who wouldn’t want to lose weight by simply injecting themselves with medication once a week), there is actually a lot of thought […]