2023-09-01 11:00:53
“I gained 45 pounds. I have a year and a half left to live and I want to live them in the body that I have always known”. Beyond the prejudices maintained on Ozempic, the favorite drug of Hollywood stars can be life-changing for some people who are looking to lose weight for both physical and psychological health reasons.
If the injectable drug is first prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, it is rather its slimming virtues that attract attention. It would allow you to lose regarding 15% of your weight in just a few months.
Demand for Ozempic in the province has exploded in recent years.
As of December 2022, 35,745 people had obtained a prescription for the drug compared to 74 in November 2019, according to the first and latest data from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) obtained by 24 hours. This is an increase of over 48,300%.
Faced with the flow of prescriptions, the drug ceased to be reimbursed on July 18 by certain private insurers when it is used to treat obesity.
The RAMQ only reimburses prescriptions for the treatment of diabetes.
Many people looking to lose weight have to pay for the medication out of pocket. But it’s the price to pay when the books they consider too much have devastating effects in their lives.
• Read also: Want to try Ozempic for weight loss? Wait a minute
Live her last moments in the body she knew
“All my life I weighed 125 pounds. Just because I’m going to die doesn’t mean I can’t feel good regarding myself. I want to be able to have sex with my boyfriend without being self-conscious. I’m on the verge of dying, I want to find the body I’ve always had, “says Audrey Desrosiers in an interview with 24 hours.
The 40-year-old woman has been battling stage 4 breast cancer with bone metastases for three and a half years. Chemotherapy is working well at the moment, but the cancer is incurable, she says.
“In theory, I would have a year and a half left to live.”
The cancer diagnosed in Audrey Desrosiers is hormone-dependent, meaning that hormones play a role in the proliferation of cancer cells. To curb the disease, she was therefore placed in artificial menopause by an injection of Zoladex which she receives every month.
“I exercise, I watch my diet, but I’m never going to lose the 45 or 50 pounds I’ve gained in three and a half years [à cause des changements hormonaux] because my menopause will never end,” she explains.
Determined to live her last moments in the body she has always known, Ms. Desrosiers decided to turn to Ozempic, which was prescribed to her by her family doctor who was “very empathetic” to her situation.
AFP
She has just started the fourth week of treatment. She should see results within the next two months, when she hits the 1 milligram (mg) dose.
At the moment, she is only experiencing the most commonly seen side effects of the drug: nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue.
The adverse effects of Ozempic – which affect 30 to 40% of users – are mainly gastrointestinal, such as diarrhea, constipation or vomiting. Some also notice hair loss.
Audrey Desrosiers must pay $300 per month for the drug, in addition to the $800 needed for natural treatments that allow her to stimulate her immune system weakened by chemotherapy.
“It hurts the wallet,” blows the self-employed worker who works as a zootherapist with children with behavioral disorders.
Do not generalize the effects of obesity
Like several medical specialists, Audrey Desrosiers’ oncologist opposed such a prescription. Experts are of the opinion that Ozempic should not be used for so-called “cosmetic” weight loss.
“We should not reimburse the drug for obese people, unless we show that it can improve their health such as the risk of developing cardiovascular problems or diabetes,” says the professor at the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University. and researcher at the University Institute of Cardiology and Pulmonology of Quebec (IUCPQ), Benoit Arsenault.
“I am concerned regarding the trend of Ozempic Challenge on social networks. It can create body image issues to see young women taking the drug for cosmetic weight loss, he warns. It says a lot regarding our society’s relationship to the culture of thinness.”
Others are also concerned regarding the effects of the shortage of the drug announced by Health Canada last week on people with diabetes.
This temporary discontinuation of the 1mg pen might stretch into October due to a supply issue coupled with increased demand.
But Health Minister Christian Dubé does not plan to restrict the use of Ozempic.
“If it’s true that this drug is so beneficial for people who suffer from obesity, I asked INESSS [Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux] if she mightn’t […] expand a little bit the kind of people who might use it, without necessarily being diabetic. It is a project that we would like to put on track fairly quickly, ”he mentioned on August 21 on the show. All one morning on Here First.
For the specialist in bariatric medicine at the IUCPQ, Marie-Philippe Morin, the effects of obesity should not be generalized either.
“These are individualized cases,” she says.
“Some patients have an increased BMI, without having any health problem related to their weight. But it is not said that they will not develop some in the future. If the patient seeks help, psychological or physical problems are associated. And it’s not just the metabolic comorbidities,” emphasizes Dr. Morin, who reminds us that patients must first review their lifestyle.
A person will be considered “obese” by the healthcare system if they have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30.
And sacrifice for health
Despite physical activity and the advice of a nutritionist, Andréanne Modérie, 33, might not lose the pounds gained following depression.
“As many know, antidepressants cause weight gain and it is often almost impossible to lose. I started taking the medicine [l’Ozempic] January 30. I knew he was not being reimbursed, but my spouse and I were ready to make this sacrifice. My weight gain had a big impact on my physical and mental health,” she says.
His 1 mg dose costs him $255 a month.
Before prescribing her, her family doctor took several things into consideration, including her “very high” BMI and the possible health problems associated with her overweight, says Ms. Moderie.
“Any activity was more difficult with extra weight, especially when you’re 5’1. The fact of moving more and finding myself beautiful really helps my morale in general, ”continues the mother of the family, who claims to have resumed her good eating habits and has since resumed exercise.
The Ozempic allowed him to lose 50 pounds in seven months.
Prevention rather than cure
“It is extremely difficult to lose weight when cold. And there are categories of patients for whom we know that their excess weight will lead to diabetes, hypertension or cholesterol, ”underlines the president of the Quebec Association of Proprietary Pharmacists (AQPP), Benoit Morin.
“We know that if they don’t lose weight, they will have a heart attack, thrombosis or fatty liver disease,” adds the expert. There are certain situations where prevention is better than cure. And this kind of medicine is part of the arsenal. We had nothing effective on the market before.”
He assures that most of his patients who take Ozempic are at risk of developing chronic diseases, which weigh heavily on state finances.
The economic burden of chronic disease reaches tens of billions of dollars per year.
“Obesity is an extremely worrying public health problem. The need to prevent it needs to be reassessed. These are astronomical direct and indirect costs borne by the State,” concludes Mr. Morin.
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