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There are already known short-term side effects, that's why it's not prescribed just for aesthetic weight loss, only to people whose weight poses health problem

There are already known short-term side effects, that's why it's not prescribed just for aesthetic weight loss, only to people whose weight poses health problems: https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/glp-1-receptor-agonists-reminder-of-the-potential-side-effects-and-to-be-aware-of-the-potential-for-misuse https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/glp-1-receptor-agonist... .

bayarearefugee 1y ago
> There are already known short-term side effects, that's why it's not prescribed just for aesthetic weight loss, only to people whose weight poses health problems I can't speak for countries other than the US, but here these drugs are being prescribed and used widely for entirely aesthetic reasons by many, many people. Legally this isn't supposed to be true, but there are tons of online telehealth services that are clearly just rubberstamping prescriptions for anyone who wants one. Same situation for prescriptions for pills to make your dick hard and baldness. There's CYA legal regulation for all of this but in the real world there's no actual barriers for anyone motivated to do so from getting their hands on this stuff.
- ksindryolos 1y ago
  > used widely for entirely aesthetic reasons by many, many people. Do you have some numbers to back that up?
  - snapcaster 1y ago
    Go outside somewhere in the western world? i personally know dozens
  - SpicyLemonZest 1y ago
    As of May 2024, 6% of the US population was currently taking a GLP-1 agonist medication (https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs/ https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tra...).
    - paxys 1y ago
      The US also has a 40% obesity rate, so it isn't hard to imagine that 6% of them truly need the drug for medical reasons.
  - bayarearefugee 1y ago
    Post was made based on observational/anecdotal experience of knowing several people who take the drug without having had a hard medical need. But its not hard to find various references to this as a widespread reality: https://www.cato.org/blog/study-finds-glp-1s-are-effectively-over-counter-drugs-online-grey-market https://www.cato.org/blog/study-finds-glp-1s-are-effectively... https://www.wired.com/story/glp1-ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-compounding-pharmacies-hims-reflexmd-alan-meds-henry-ro-getthinmd/ https://www.wired.com/story/glp1-ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-... https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/glp-1-online.html https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/glp-1-o...

bayarearefugee 1y ago

> There are already known short-term side effects, that's why it's not prescribed just for aesthetic weight loss, only to people whose weight poses health problems I can't speak for countries other than the US, but here these drugs are being prescribed and used widely for entirely aesthetic reasons by many, many people. Legally this isn't supposed to be true, but there are tons of online telehealth services that are clearly just rubberstamping prescriptions for anyone who wants one. Same situation for prescriptions for pills to make your dick hard and baldness. There's CYA legal regulation for all of this but in the real world there's no actual barriers for anyone motivated to do so from getting their hands on this stuff.

ksindryolos 1y ago
> used widely for entirely aesthetic reasons by many, many people. Do you have some numbers to back that up?
- snapcaster 1y ago
  Go outside somewhere in the western world? i personally know dozens
- SpicyLemonZest 1y ago
  As of May 2024, 6% of the US population was currently taking a GLP-1 agonist medication (https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs/ https://www.kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kff-health-tra...).
  - paxys 1y ago
    The US also has a 40% obesity rate, so it isn't hard to imagine that 6% of them truly need the drug for medical reasons.
- bayarearefugee 1y ago
  Post was made based on observational/anecdotal experience of knowing several people who take the drug without having had a hard medical need. But its not hard to find various references to this as a widespread reality: https://www.cato.org/blog/study-finds-glp-1s-are-effectively-over-counter-drugs-online-grey-market https://www.cato.org/blog/study-finds-glp-1s-are-effectively... https://www.wired.com/story/glp1-ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-compounding-pharmacies-hims-reflexmd-alan-meds-henry-ro-getthinmd/ https://www.wired.com/story/glp1-ozempic-wegovy-semaglutide-... https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/glp-1-online.html https://www.aafp.org/pubs/fpm/blogs/inpractice/entry/glp-1-o...