Speaking of which, a recent article (written by a WLS surgeon - Dr. Jawad) about how to avoid cross/transfer addictions following WLS:

https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/have-you-had-baria tric-surgery-heres-how-to-avoid-new-addictions#:~:text=But%2 0some%20bariatric%20patients%20transfer,process%20addiction% 20or%20habit%20swap.

Oh great .. just what we needed, NOT:

https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/happens-clean-eating-goes-too- 100000555.html

Wow .. keep it up, Tammy!

https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/1000-lb-siste rs-tammy-shows-off-400-lb-weight-loss-in-swimsuit-pic/

Here is the latest .. an article about the injectables in The New York Times just released today. Seems to be putting a bit of a positive spin on the drug of late, including that it now supposedly helps those with sleep apnea .. (well, duh .. wouldn't weight loss itself tend to do that, with ob. apnea? ) It seems to be supposedly a panacea for a lot of ills (esp. those obesity-related), and those type of claims make me skeptical ..

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The new panacea?

	By Dani Blum I've covered Ozempic and similar drugs since 2022.

In the past two years, Ozempic has become a synonym for weight loss. When celebrities slimmed down, tabloids wondered whether they were taking the drug. Activists argued that the drug entrenched old norms about body image -- people still seemed to want to be thin. Ozempic was weight loss; weight loss was Ozempic. It's like Kleenex or Scotch tape: totemic.

Technically, while Ozempic is a diabetes drug, people can, and do, take it to drop weight.

But the drug -- and others in its class, such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound -- is about much more. Scientists believe the drugs are about to revolutionize several fields of medicine, such as cardiology and endocrinology. Researchers are also running dozens of trials to see whether they might help with Alzheimer's, liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and even skin conditions. If these trials prove successful, the drugs may extend many lives by years, save billions in medical costs and divide public health into before-and-after epochs. A researcher studying these drugs told me he felt like the scientist who first discovered antibiotics.

Those are some sky-high hopes, and not all will be come true. But we've already seen a real-world impact. In March, the Food and Drug Administration said that doctors could use Wegovy to reduce the risk of heart problems. Last month, a trial showed that the compound in Ozempic reduced the risk of complications from chronic kidney disease. And last week, two trials found that tirzepatide, the substance in Mounjaro and Zepbound, could improve symptoms of sleep apnea.

The idea that a single drug that could target so many kinds of disease might sound too good to be true. These drugs, called GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists), mystify even the scientists who study them. When I asked researchers how it was possible that Ozempic might help with cognitive issues and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and opioid addiction, they gave the same answer: We don't know!

But we have early clues about where these drugs might take us -- and what that means for medicine. In today's newsletter, I'll explain.

Ozempic injection pens on the production line. Charlotte de la Fuente for The New York Times

Fighting inflammation

Some researchers think Ozempic and drugs like it may have something of a medical superpower: lowering inflammation in the body.

Inflammation is a key part of the body's defense system. When we sense a threat, such as one posed by a pathogen, our cells work to help us fight off the intruder. But chronic inflammation contributes to heart disease, lung disease, diabetes and a host of other major illnesses. If new obesity drugs really do reduce inflammation, that could explain their effect across such a wide spectrum of diseases.

Still, there are already limits. Not everyone responds to GLP-1s. Even those who slim down inevitably hit a floor, typically after losing about 15 percent of their body weight. And the drugs come with side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation) and rare but serious risks: People can develop gallstones and an inflamed pancreas; they can eat so little they become malnourished; and, more commonly, they can lose muscle mass.

Limiting urges

We know that these medications target the areas of the brain that regulate appetite. But there are questions around what else the drugs do to the mind. I've interviewed dozens of people taking these medications who say they've lost all interest in alcohol.

Could these drugs curb other compulsive behavior, too, the way they silence "food noise"? Studies in rats suggest that GLP-1s reduce cravings for cocaine. Scientists are examining whether these medications might even be able to alleviate gambling addictions and smoking.

The great experiment

Ozempic and drugs like it are considered "forever drugs" -- that is, people are supposed to stay on them for the rest of their lives. They're like statins or blood pressure medications. When you stop taking them, they stop working.

A display at a GNC store. Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times

But this class of drugs has existed for less than 20 years. Ozempic itself has been on the market for only six. We don't know what happens after lifelong use of these drugs. Researchers point to past examples of drugs we once thought were miraculous, chiefly fen-phen. It, too, was astonishingly effective for weight loss. Then doctors learned that it damaged the heart and stopped prescribing it.

It will take years, more diverse trials and much more data to determine the potential of these drugs. We are years away from solid evidence underpinning their use to treat Alzheimer's disease, for instance. There's a chance they won't do what scientists hope.

Researchers sometimes tell me that we're living through the great Ozempic experiment.

Hundreds of thousands of people across the globe are taking GLP-1s. The number will rise as they're approved for other uses. It may be years or generations before we know their hidden limitations -- or their full powers.

For more

We know where the new weight-loss drugs come from -- but not why they work. These medicines are incredibly expensive. One state stopped covering some of them this year.

A sad, but predictable, follow up to my post last July about the horrible side effects some patients were experiencing as a result of using the medication, inc. "gastroparesis" (stomach paralysis) ..

https://www.aol.com/dozens-sue-saying-ozempic-other-15494724 4.html

What think you? Possibly effective, or just another attempt to grab at the desperation of the obese population?

https://www.aol.com/news/vibrating-weight-loss-pill-could-09 3002998.html

Thanks! Looks like "a good time was had by all". Curious to see though how underrepesented we guys were there this year .. It appears we made up like less than 10% of the attendees .. (?) Makes me wonder now about the gender breakdown of WLSers of late, and whether the stats are that far apart there as well .. Btw, wish the pics had some captions, so we could tell who the people were in them, what they were doing at the time of the pic, etc.

Yes, I would recommend same, given your super size/BMI .. In fact, for safety reasons, the surgeon may want to make it a two-parter (V.S.G. performed first, then return later for the "common channel" work) .. Also, you might want to look into the S.A.D.I. version of the procedure .. I have been hearing some good things about it of late (e.g. avoiding malabsorption complications), and, if I had it to do over again 17 years ago (it wasn't around back then), may have gone with same myself.

So how did the conference go? Was it well attended? I haven't heard a single word .. btw, looks like I missed it, as for some reason I was thinking it was going to be in October, not September (and just a few days before my b.d., no less - how could i forget that? ) ..

Another article, in case that first one doesn't open correctly ..

https://hollywoodlife.com/2023/09/22/sharon-osbourne-address es-weight-loss-and-confirms-shes-on-ozempic/

Well, I guess it's to be expected, but 40%+ of the population now in the U.S. ???

https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/americas-growing-obesity-epide mic-3-091724133.html

Updated information:

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Ozempic and Mounjaro Could Cause Stomach Paralysis. What to Know

Share on Pinterest Although rare, weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro could cause gastroparesis, also known as stomach paralysis. myskin/Shutterstock

• A lawsuit has been filed against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the drug manufacturers of blockbuster weight loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro.
• A woman from Louisiana claims she was prescribed the drugs by her doctor and experienced severe gastrointestinal side effects, including gastroparesis.
• Also known as stomach paralysis, gastroparesis is a rare side effect of GLP-1 and similar drugs.
• Other cases of severe outcomes from Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have been recently reported.
• Experts say that patients and clinicians must be aware of severe side effects like gastroparesis and its consequences.

The rise of popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy and similar drugs like Mounjaro, which are used to treat type 2 diabetes and, in some cases, obesity, has led to some people reporting severe side effects.

The active ingredient in these injectable medications is semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro), which slows digestion in the stomach. In rare cases, the stomach can take too long to empty out, leading to "stomach paralysis" or gastroparesis.

One such case led to a lawsuit that was filed on August 2 by Jaclyn Bjorklund, a 44-year-old woman from Louisiana who lost 150 pounds from taking the drugs as prescribed by her doctor.

Bjorklund's attorneys say she suffered severe injuries from the drugs, including stomach paralysis, claiming the injuries could be permanent. She is suing the manufacturers of both drugs, Novo Nordisk (Ozempic and Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (Mounjaro), for failing to warn of the risk of severe gastrointestinal events.

"As a result of using Defendants' Ozempic and Mounjaro, Plaintiff was caused to suffer from severe gastrointestinal events, which resulted in, for example, severe vomiting, stomach pain, gastrointestinal burning, being hospitalized for stomach issues on several occasions including visits to the emergency room, teeth falling out due to excessive vomiting, requiring additional medications to alleviate her excessive vomiting, and throwing up whole food hours after eating," the lawsuit claims.

What is gastroparesis?

Stomach paralysis can result from various factors but is a documented side effect of taking GLP-1 and similar drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.

If food is taking too long to leave the stomach due to a condition called gastroparesis, it can harden into masses called bezoars, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)Trusted Source. These can lead to blockages in the intestine and other issues.

Stomach paralysis, alongside more common symptoms like vomiting and nausea, is something that Dr. Shilpa Mehra Dang, a gastroenterologist at Medical Offices of Manhattan, said needs to be kept in mind by both patients and clinicians.

"The link between GLP-1 drugs and stomach paralysis isn't fully known yet," Dang told Healthline.

"But it's thought that it has to do with how these drugs affect the autonomic nervous system, which is in control of the digestive tract's bodily functions. It is very important for doctors and nurses to keep an eye on patients who are taking GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs for any signs of stomach problems, such as sickness, vomiting, bloating, and feeling full before they should. These are all symptoms of gastroparesis."

Weight loss specialists like Dr. Mir B. Ali, a bariatric surgeon, want to make it clear that severe stomach paralysis is still a rare side effect.

"I was somewhat surprised to see this as a long-term complication with patients continuing to experience problems even after stopping the medication," Ali said.

"I would caution patients who already have a diagnosis of gastroparesis not to use this medication and make all patients aware of this. However, I would also inform them that the incidence of this side effect is relatively low."

Wegovy, for instance, was approved for weight loss by the FDA and has already been found to treat type 2 diabetes effectively. Research into reported side effects has been ongoingTrusted Source.

The latest reports of stomach paralysis came after the FDA received complaints via their public reporting system, according to CNN.

What to know about GLP-1 side effects

Dr. Andrew Boxer, gastroenterologist at Gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey, is among a number of gastroenterologists who said he's seeing an increased number of patients coming into his practice complaining of side effects from these types of drugs.

"I was seeing a tremendous amount of people coming in just with nausea, vomiting, and feelings of fullness, early satiety, just not feeling well ... Universally these patients were on GLP-1's."

Boxer said there are two main issues when it comes to treating patients with these symptoms. First, they may be unaware that these side effects were even a possibility. Second, he said that many people don't think to mention that they are taking these medications at all, especially if they've started them since their last visit.

"They're seeing a GI doctor for a colonoscopy. They think you [only] need to know about constipation, diarrhea, blood in the stool if someone had colon cancer in their family, and that's it," Boxer said.

Dr. Amy Lee, Chief Medical Officer at the California-based Lindora clinic, prescribes GLP-1s as part of her practice. She said that she hasn't seen any patients who have experienced severe side effects. However, she emphasized that communication about all possible side effects including severe ones is vital to patient health.

"I think some of my patients have this mentality of, 'Just give me this medication, I don't want to hear more about it. I just want to take it like right now, as soon as possible.' But you really, truly, do need to sit down with a provider who's managing your medications, who's following up with you to document all side effects," Lee said.

Lee, whose work involves obesity medicine, also said that clinicians need to be mindful when it comes to possible candidates for these medications who have a previous history of gastrointestinal issues. She wants people to know that it's important for practitioners to be able to differentiate between what might be a drug side effect versus a symptom.

"Understanding your patient population is key. And also, if someone comes in with a lot of gastric issues in the first place, then don't put them on something that you know is going to actually slow down their gut even more. Because you're not doing anyone a favor, you may be causing more harm than good."

What to do if you're experiencing side effects from Ozempic or Mounjaro

If you're having side effects from GLP-1 or similar drugs, whether you're taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro, a physician can order tests to identify whether the medication is the problem.

After discussing your symptoms, Boxer said that one of the first steps would be to get a gastric emptying study.

"That's when you give a patient a radio-labeled food, usually an egg sandwich or sometimes oatmeal, and use serial X-rays or different images to look to see how quickly things are [going] through the stomach."

From there, patients may be told to stop their GLP-1 and given medications to counteract these symptoms.

Regardless of possible pathways to treatment, Dang said that symptoms like fluctuating blood sugars, heartburn, bloating, or vomiting should all be reason enough for a patient taking a GLP-1 drug to check in with a medical professional.

"If a patient has any of these signs or is worried about possible side effects, they should talk to their healthcare provider as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for dealing with gastroparesis well and avoiding problems."

Takeaway

A woman filed a lawsuit against the drug makers for Ozempic and Mounjaro after experiencing severe gastrointestinal events, including gastroparesis, also known as stomach paralysis.

Anyone taking GLP-1 or similar drugs to treat diabetes or obesity should talk with their doctor about concerns they have about side effects and report

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Yikes ..

Interesting story in the news of one person's WLS, loose skin removal surgeries, diet, etc. It was very rough, but in the end he made it.

https://www.aol.com/news/man-loses-450-pounds-reaching-00481 3180.html