I work in medical weightloss and here is why I would never recommend GLP-1 drugs.
Day after day new patients come to my clinic wanting GLP-1 drugs specifically for weight-loss, such as semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide. As much as I would love to give everyone these expensive drugs and send them on their way, I simply can’t ignore my nagging conscience.
What do we even know about these drugs? My biggest concern with taking pre-diabetic drugs for weightloss is. . . just that. Why would anyone take a drug intended for a diagnosis they do not have simply because one of the side effects is weight loss? After more digging, I decided to compile a list of five reasons I do not recommend GLP drugs to anyone who is not pre-diabetic.
1. Side Effects
The list of side effects is almost too long to name, but the most common side-effects include the following:
- swelling in the injection site
- nausea
- vomiting
- loss of appetite
- diarrhea
- tiredness
- dehydration.
Now, I’m no medical doctor, but I would say those side effects alone could be the reason for weight-loss, and not necessarily the drug itself. Now, ask yourself why your body is rejecting this drug to the point that you would experience all of these side-effects.
2. Intended Use
While the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) may have recently pre-approved these drugs for weight-loss, let’s not overlook that the original intent of these drugs was to lower A1C in patients who are borderline diabetic. Again, I am not a medical doctor, but I know that in some cases diabetes is caused when you have too much glucose in your bloodstream. So, taking this type of this drug makes sense if you have high blood sugar. However, many patients who take them for weight-loss don’t realize that the brain needs a constant supply of glucose to function properly. Thus, in taking this drug for weight-loss, you are lowering a perfectly fine blood sugar level. As a result of that, you are could be experiencing horrible side effects.
3. Not Enough Data
The little research that has been made to the public has shown that GLP antagonists have been linked to thyroid cancer, thyroid C-cell tumors, and gallbladder issues in animals through clinical trials.
4. Safer Alternatives
There is a plethora of drugs specifically intended for weight-loss, if that is the route you choose to take in your health journey. However, even those drugs are not intended to be taken long term, and they should still be balanced by a healthy diet. Sadly, there is no quick fix to weight-loss. It’s typically a matter of calories in and calories out. Simple lifestyle changes can help you lose weight just as fast as some of these drugs, and you probably won’t vomit every day on that path.
5. We are Learning as We Go
We could be just like the generations before us who had to learn the hard way about the risks associated with smoking tobacco. Much of the population developed some type of cancer, or worse, before they added the surgeon general’s warning to the back of each pack of cigarettes. Sadly, I feel like this generation is going to be the guinea pigs for GLP drugs.
I wrote this article for awareness.
As I mentioned before, I am not a medical doctor. I work in the industry, and I’ve seen too many bad things in just the short time these drugs have been FDA approved for weight-loss. I am in no way saying that those who have benefitted from these drugs have made a mistake or that those who suffer from higher A1C shouldn’t give them a try. I’m simply stating that the rest of us should proceed with caution.
