Weight Loss Injection check-in 2024

[tiki]

Jun 24, 2024 12:06:26 GMT -5 laurack said:

Unfortunately my husbands zepbound prior authorization request was denied by blue cross blue shield despite his bmi being 35. Feeling hopeless. The cortisone injection the ortho gave him wore off after 3 weeks and he’s in terrible pain again and can’t exercise. I’m nervous about his mental health after this zepbound rejection today. Ugh, US healthcare.

Did they give any explanation of why? I would definitely call them and find out more. 

[laurack]

Jun 25, 2024 8:25:10 GMT -5 tiki said:

Jun 24, 2024 12:06:26 GMT -5 laurack said:

Unfortunately my husbands zepbound prior authorization request was denied by blue cross blue shield despite his bmi being 35. Feeling hopeless. The cortisone injection the ortho gave him wore off after 3 weeks and he’s in terrible pain again and can’t exercise. I’m nervous about his mental health after this zepbound rejection today. Ugh, US healthcare.

Did they give any explanation of why? I would definitely call them and find out more. 

He called them and they just said our plan doesn’t cover any weights loss drugs.

We always get the most expensive PPO family plan on offer too so that makes this extra annoying.

[fluffycookie]

I got a text this morning from Walmart that it was time to refill my zepbound and I was shocked because I have never gotten that before I am assuming because of the shortage. It said it should be ready by the 29th. Fingers crossed.

[sexycarrot]

Jun 24, 2024 12:06:26 GMT -5 laurack said:

Unfortunately my husbands zepbound prior authorization request was denied by blue cross blue shield despite his bmi being 35. Feeling hopeless. The cortisone injection the ortho gave him wore off after 3 weeks and he’s in terrible pain again and can’t exercise. I’m nervous about his mental health after this zepbound rejection today. Ugh, US healthcare.

I don’t post here much but I’ve been following this thread because I have been taking compounded Tirzepatide which the same ingredient as Zepbound and mounjaro through an online company called Henry Meds (I may have actually found them in this thread, I can’t remember.)

It’s still expensive but much less than buying the name brand and they also do other ones like compounded ozempic and wegovy that are even cheaper. I’ve lost 21 pounds since April. So, that might be an option to consider.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 25, 2024 19:31:28 GMT -5 sexycarrot said:

Jun 24, 2024 12:06:26 GMT -5 laurack said:

Unfortunately my husbands zepbound prior authorization request was denied by blue cross blue shield despite his bmi being 35. Feeling hopeless. The cortisone injection the ortho gave him wore off after 3 weeks and he’s in terrible pain again and can’t exercise. I’m nervous about his mental health after this zepbound rejection today. Ugh, US healthcare.

I don’t post here much but I’ve been following this thread because I have been taking compounded Tirzepatide which the same ingredient as Zepbound and mounjaro through an online company called Henry Meds (I may have actually found them in this thread, I can’t remember.)

It’s still expensive but much less than buying the name brand and they also do other ones like compounded ozempic and wegovy that are even cheaper. I’ve lost 21 pounds since April. So, that might be an option to consider.

I’m considering going through a compound pharmacy, Henry Meds, Orderly, Amble, but it’s hard to get a straight answer about the legitimacy and quality of the pharmacies. Amble seems to be the least expensive, but I’m not quite sure if that increases with dosage.

Any advice?

[Saudade]

Jun 26, 2024 9:59:48 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jun 25, 2024 19:31:28 GMT -5 sexycarrot said:

I don’t post here much but I’ve been following this thread because I have been taking compounded Tirzepatide which the same ingredient as Zepbound and mounjaro through an online company called Henry Meds (I may have actually found them in this thread, I can’t remember.)

It’s still expensive but much less than buying the name brand and they also do other ones like compounded ozempic and wegovy that are even cheaper. I’ve lost 21 pounds since April. So, that might be an option to consider.

I’m considering going through a compound pharmacy, Henry Meds, Orderly, Amble, but it’s hard to get a straight answer about the legitimacy and quality of the pharmacies. Amble seems to be the least expensive, but I’m not quite sure if that increases with dosage.

Any advice?

There is inherent risk in obtaining from a compounding pharmacy because these meds are not generic and so the pharmacies are having to reverse engineer the chemistry of it. They are giving the raw materials and create the final product. (You’re a chemist so you’ll know more about the specific processes.) There is no oversight of the compounded medication and as such you can’t be certain you’re receiving the intended product. I haven’t looked into the specific pharmacies each one uses. If any of them are 503B, they’re regulated vs a 503A compounding pharmacy.

That’s a rough summary of why you should be careful

There’s a good medscape article about the process, what to look for, and how to be safe in doing it that can give more specific information. And this really goes for all compounded medications, not just semaglutide/tirzepatide.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 26, 2024 10:19:37 GMT -5 Saudade said:

Jun 26, 2024 9:59:48 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I’m considering going through a compound pharmacy, Henry Meds, Orderly, Amble, but it’s hard to get a straight answer about the legitimacy and quality of the pharmacies. Amble seems to be the least expensive, but I’m not quite sure if that increases with dosage.

Any advice?

There is inherent risk in obtaining from a compounding pharmacy because these meds are not generic and so the pharmacies are having to reverse engineer the chemistry of it. They are giving the raw materials and create the final product. (You’re a chemist so you’ll know more about the specific processes.) There is no oversight of the compounded medication and as such you can’t be certain you’re receiving the intended product. I haven’t looked into the specific pharmacies each one uses. If any of them are 503B, they’re regulated vs a 503A compounding pharmacy.

That’s a rough summary of why you should be careful

There’s a good medscape article about the process, what to look for, and how to be safe in doing it that can give more specific information. And this really goes for all compounded medications, not just semaglutide/tirzepatide.

Thanks! I was reading about which of these companies use the 503B pharmacies and which don’t.

I’ll look up the medscape article thanks!

[Jalapeñomel]

Here’s the article for anyone else:

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/compounded-semaglutide-how-better-ensure-its-safety-2024a1000bfq?src=rss&form=fpf

More info:

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Zuzd2p-FAj8T7rvqO9ev4WZGdNi4d5IXNcy7WK1huBg/htmlview

[Ramz-ee]

I used to frequent these boards years ago and I just remembered about them and stopped by and found this thread. It is nice to see others comments and experiences.

I've been on Wegovy since February. I was diagnosed with GERD about 10 years ago. I was managing it until I started the shots. The heartburn and nausea have ranged from awful to meh, no big deal. I usually suffer from it the first 2-3 days after the injection. I thought I was imagining that side effects were different depending on where I injected the meds and decided to stick with the arm. I did two rounds of 4 shots of 1.0 because that dosage majorly stirred up the side effects. I've done one week of 2.4. I've lost 40 lbs. Still have much further to go.

[Jalapeñomel]

I see that several compound pharmacies offer Zofran to help with the nausea.

[laurack]

Jun 26, 2024 10:19:37 GMT -5 Saudade said:

Jun 26, 2024 9:59:48 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I’m considering going through a compound pharmacy, Henry Meds, Orderly, Amble, but it’s hard to get a straight answer about the legitimacy and quality of the pharmacies. Amble seems to be the least expensive, but I’m not quite sure if that increases with dosage.

Any advice?

There is inherent risk in obtaining from a compounding pharmacy because these meds are not generic and so the pharmacies are having to reverse engineer the chemistry of it. They are giving the raw materials and create the final product. (You’re a chemist so you’ll know more about the specific processes.) There is no oversight of the compounded medication and as such you can’t be certain you’re receiving the intended product. I haven’t looked into the specific pharmacies each one uses. If any of them are 503B, they’re regulated vs a 503A compounding pharmacy.

That’s a rough summary of why you should be careful

There’s a good medscape article about the process, what to look for, and how to be safe in doing it that can give more specific information. And this really goes for all compounded medications, not just semaglutide/tirzepatide.

It’s so frustrating, what options are there then if you don’t just have an extra $1200 a month in the budget. I’m just so upset because we pay so much to insurance.

[laurack]

I am looking at the Lilly savings card option which says if you have commercial insurance but it doesn’t cover zepbound you can save $567 a month and pay “as low as $550” with a valid prescription. Since the doctor will write the prescription maybe this will be our path. It’s still a lot of money but may be worth a try.

Has anybody done this option?

[hazelden]

I found this info on reddit about where to get prescriptions and compounded meds from 503A and 503B pharmacies. www.compoundproviders.com/

I've been on Mounjaro since August 2022 and was able to space out dosing enough to still have 6 boxes of it in my fridge. Even with all that backstock, I still want to get some of the compounded meds because I never, ever want to be without it. The ability to buy compounded meds will likely go away when the shortages end. I just read that one provider (Plushcare) is no longer offering the compounded 2.5 dose because that dosage is no longer experiencing a shortage.

[Saudade]

Jun 26, 2024 17:11:44 GMT -5 laurack said:

Jun 26, 2024 10:19:37 GMT -5 Saudade said:

There is inherent risk in obtaining from a compounding pharmacy because these meds are not generic and so the pharmacies are having to reverse engineer the chemistry of it. They are giving the raw materials and create the final product. (You’re a chemist so you’ll know more about the specific processes.) There is no oversight of the compounded medication and as such you can’t be certain you’re receiving the intended product. I haven’t looked into the specific pharmacies each one uses. If any of them are 503B, they’re regulated vs a 503A compounding pharmacy.

That’s a rough summary of why you should be careful

There’s a good medscape article about the process, what to look for, and how to be safe in doing it that can give more specific information. And this really goes for all compounded medications, not just semaglutide/tirzepatide.

It’s so frustrating, what options are there then if you don’t just have an extra $1200 a month in the budget. I’m just so upset because we pay so much to insurance.

It's so fucking frustrating. I have chosen to use compounding, which who knows if that's the "right" choice. Idk. 

I have extreme frustration/anger/resentment...all the feels...towards the manufactures and ins companies. The horrific gate-keeping and excessive charging is criminal.

[followyourarrow]

Weight loss has stalled for me in the last few weeks, but my blood sugar levels still look great. I've upped my protein intake by 20 grams a day and upped my steps. I'm hopeful that will help, I'd like to hold off on moving up to the next dose if I can.

[Jalapeñomel]

Ok, I decided to take the chance with Emerge. They start everyone at 2.5 mg (Generic Zepbound,, tirzepatide) and I should have it within the week.

[sofamonkey]

I went back to a compounding pharmacy (that is local)4 weeks ago. I’m happier with them overall, and the quality of ingredients. Maybe it’s the wrong move, and I really appreciate the folks on here continuing the discussion about compounding pharmacies, so thank you.

I’ve lost 13 pounds again, but I’m still 17 pounds up from where I was, and 67 pounds from my goal. Overall I feel better. I don’t want to increase my dosage, and might go down just a little bit. It’s nice to not have food mind traffic consuming me, but there’s a line where I just don’t think about it at all. I don’t want to be too close to that, because then I get hangry and my energy is suuuuuper low.

I do well eating about every 2 hours. When my dosage is too high, I don’t remember to do that, and then it goes downhill. And also staying hydrated is SO crucial!! Nausea is so much better if I’m hydrated!!

So. I’ve been having water as soon as I get up, my protein shake and coffee for my morning commute, about 2.5 hours later I have a protein/veg or protein/fruit snack, then about 2-2.5 hours later my lunch, then about 2.5 hours later, another snack, then dinner. Sometimes I also have a snack after dinner.

Overall, I’m happy and I’m losing 1.5-2.5 pounds per week, so not too much, not too little.

[mellymel]

Jun 29, 2024 17:09:21 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Ok, I decided to take the chance with Emerge. They start everyone at 2.5 mg (Generic Zepbound,, tirzepatide) and I should have it within the week.

I’ve been using Emerge for 3 months, when Zeobound started to become impossible to find. My weight loss has been great and I’ve been very happy with Emerge. Mine comes from Empower Pharmacy. I was able to start on 5.0 mg dose as I was able to show I was already on the 5.0 Zepbound. Let me know if you have any questions!

[Jalapeñomel]

Jun 30, 2024 4:40:05 GMT -5 mellymel said:

Jun 29, 2024 17:09:21 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Ok, I decided to take the chance with Emerge. They start everyone at 2.5 mg (Generic Zepbound,, tirzepatide) and I should have it within the week.

I’ve been using Emerge for 3 months, when Zeobound started to become impossible to find. My weight loss has been great and I’ve been very happy with Emerge. Mine comes from Empower Pharmacy. I was able to start on 5.0 mg dose as I was able to show I was already on the 5.0 Zepbound. Let me know if you have any questions!

They told me not to expect much weight loss on the 2.5 since it’s the starting dose, but what it seems like people have minimal side effects starting slow like this. Has that been your experience with the compound RX at Emerge?

[mellymel]

Jun 30, 2024 18:01:07 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jun 30, 2024 4:40:05 GMT -5 mellymel said:

I’ve been using Emerge for 3 months, when Zeobound started to become impossible to find. My weight loss has been great and I’ve been very happy with Emerge. Mine comes from Empower Pharmacy. I was able to start on 5.0 mg dose as I was able to show I was already on the 5.0 Zepbound. Let me know if you have any questions!

They told me not to expect much weight loss on the 2.5 since it’s the starting dose, but what it seems like people have minimal side effects starting slow like this. Has that been your experience with the compound RX at Emerge?

I actually started Emerge after doing a month of Zepbound 2.5 (I lost 5.0 lbs that first month) and a month of Zepbound 5.0 (I lost 8.0 lbs that month until the shortages hit me.

I did a month of 5.0 compound from Emerge and lost 7.0 lbs that month. Then I titrated up to 7.5 compound with Emerge and lost 8.4 lbs that month.

Just started another month of 7.5 with Emerge. To me, the compound feels just as strong (if not stronger) than branded Zepbound.

My side effects have not been bad at all. A little nausea the day or two after each injection, much thirstier, and strong appetite suppression.

[Saudade]

Jun 30, 2024 18:01:07 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jun 30, 2024 4:40:05 GMT -5 mellymel said:

I’ve been using Emerge for 3 months, when Zeobound started to become impossible to find. My weight loss has been great and I’ve been very happy with Emerge. Mine comes from Empower Pharmacy. I was able to start on 5.0 mg dose as I was able to show I was already on the 5.0 Zepbound. Let me know if you have any questions!

They told me not to expect much weight loss on the 2.5 since it’s the starting dose, but what it seems like people have minimal side effects starting slow like this. Has that been your experience with the compound RX at Emerge?

I get my compounded from a different online platform but it comes from the same pharmacy (Empower). It’s been totally fine and same as then I was getting the “real” stuff

Yes, don’t expect much on the first month dose. It’s called “non-therapeutic” and it’s to get your body used to the medication, though many people still lose weight on it. Hopefully you won’t have any side effects. Early on I noticed I could mitigate it by eating really small bites frequently so I wouldn’t have any empty stomach. If it was empty, it was so bad.

[followyourarrow]

Upping my protein by 25 grams a day along with increasing my steps seems to have broken my stall. I'm down 3 lbs from last week and right at 40 lbs lost since I started this in January.

[Jalapeñomel]

Please tell me I won’t crave sugar anymore!

[notsopicky]

Jul 2, 2024 10:48:52 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Please tell me I won’t crave sugar anymore!

I was talking to my pharmacist yesterday and part of the conversation turned to what happens *after* the meds. Pharma said that she's had clients (patients?) that have reported reduced appetite after going off the meds, and I really hope that's the case for me. I suspect there's a mental component to it (I'm a boredom/emotional eater, couldn't really wrap my brain around the holistic concept of *fullness* before the meds), and I'm open to exploring that part. 

I hope for you that the sugar cravings decrease! 

[doggielover]

Still on ozempic - I go up to 1mg on Friday. So far it's been ok, I've noticed this week I'm eating much less and getting fuller quicker. I am down 2 lbs but I think part of that is the increase in working out. My dr said if they don't see more of an increase in the next 2 months they are going to move me over to Wygovey.

[shauni27]

Jul 2, 2024 10:48:52 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Please tell me I won’t crave sugar anymore!

I would say that for the entire first year, cravings went away. Since then, if I do have a craving, a bite or two satisfies it every time. Like, I can go get an ice cream cone and very much not finish it, even if it is a small size. Like, take the piece of cake you want, but you are able to stop eating it after a bite or two, you know?

that has been my experience with cravings.

[Jalapeñomel]

Jul 2, 2024 11:46:37 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Jul 2, 2024 10:48:52 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Please tell me I won’t crave sugar anymore!

I would say that for the entire first year, cravings went away. Since then, if I do have a craving, a bite or two satisfies it every time. Like, I can go get an ice cream cone and very much not finish it, even if it is a small size. Like, take the piece of cake you want, but you are able to stop eating it after a bite or two, you know?

that has been my experience with cravings.

This would be awesome.

I’ll admit I have such a terrible relationship with food. I know what I should be eating, and I’m not doing it. And these terrible eating habits have really only started in the last 5 years or so. I hope this is the reset I need.

[shauni27]

Jul 2, 2024 11:51:11 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

Jul 2, 2024 11:46:37 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

I would say that for the entire first year, cravings went away. Since then, if I do have a craving, a bite or two satisfies it every time. Like, I can go get an ice cream cone and very much not finish it, even if it is a small size. Like, take the piece of cake you want, but you are able to stop eating it after a bite or two, you know?

that has been my experience with cravings.

This would be awesome.

I’ll admit I have such a terrible relationship with food. I know what I should be eating, and I’m not doing it. And these terrible eating habits have really only started in the last 5 years or so. I hope this is the reset I need.

I wish you much luck!

it has been 2 years for me and I am starting to really plateau so I think I am pretty close to being done with the loss and now maintaining. I am down anywhere from 85-90# depending on the day, and while I overall feel INCREDIBLE, I am now working with my therapist more on my body image issues which I highly suggest to everyone lol. I am stronger than I ever was, I have not been this weight for 15 years, and even then I did not look as strong and fit as I do now, but I still just compare myself to everyone else who is thinner/faster/stronger/less jiggly than me. While I think my mom and dad did an incredible job trying to shield us from negative diet culture, they did fall pray to it, and I have 40 years of cultural narrative to reverse in my mind.

[picksthemusic]

Jun 25, 2024 8:36:19 GMT -5 laurack said:

Jun 25, 2024 8:25:10 GMT -5 tiki said:

Did they give any explanation of why? I would definitely call them and find out more. 

He called them and they just said our plan doesn’t cover any weights loss drugs.

We always get the most expensive PPO family plan on offer too so that makes this extra annoying.

I've heard good things about appeals working, even with that situation. See if his provider is willing to do an appeal on his behalf. Will they cover Mounjaro?

[picksthemusic]

Jun 29, 2024 18:06:50 GMT -5 sofamonkey said:

I went back to a compounding pharmacy (that is local)4 weeks ago. I’m happier with them overall, and the quality of ingredients. Maybe it’s the wrong move, and I really appreciate the folks on here continuing the discussion about compounding pharmacies, so thank you.

I’ve lost 13 pounds again, but I’m still 17 pounds up from where I was, and 67 pounds from my goal. Overall I feel better. I don’t want to increase my dosage, and might go down just a little bit. It’s nice to not have food mind traffic consuming me, but there’s a line where I just don’t think about it at all. I don’t want to be too close to that, because then I get hangry and my energy is suuuuuper low.

I do well eating about every 2 hours. When my dosage is too high, I don’t remember to do that, and then it goes downhill. And also staying hydrated is SO crucial!! Nausea is so much better if I’m hydrated!!

So. I’ve been having water as soon as I get up, my protein shake and coffee for my morning commute, about 2.5 hours later I have a protein/veg or protein/fruit snack, then about 2-2.5 hours later my lunch, then about 2.5 hours later, another snack, then dinner. Sometimes I also have a snack after dinner.

Overall, I’m happy and I’m losing 1.5-2.5 pounds per week, so not too much, not too little.

Which local compounding pharmacy do you use? If you don't want to put it here, you can DM me. I have been lucky recently that Costco has been able to supply my 10mg (haven't moved up yet, will do that on Sunday), but only one box at a time, not the 3 boxes I'm prescribed. It's fine, whatever. But I'd love to know who is able to do it locally. The ones I called around to aren't doing it. Thanks!