Obesity drugs have been around for years, but now, more than ever, they’re making headlines. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke to an expert about when and how they should be used. 5 to 10 percent weight loss can be very effective to improve health, and often that’s an amount people can’t lose or can’t maintain when they do drug-free weight-loss surgeries, said Dr. David Rometo, director of the UPMC Center For Obesity Medicine. You may have tried everything from exercise to eating healthy, but that’s still not enough. We should stop trying to make patients feel like they should have lost 15 percent of their weight without any help, and biology and the world we live in, that’s just not true, Rometo said. Rometo prescribes anti-obesity drugs for many. of his patients and, most likely, you’ve heard of it. Ozempic is an injection once a week under the skin with a very small needle, just like insulin injections, Rometo said. Ozempic has become part of a new weight-loss trend that’s causing some controversy: People lose weight by taking a drug originally designed to treat diabetes. that they are wealthy influencers who have enough money to pay out of pocket regardless of insurance coverage, Rometo said. Using it for short-term cosmetic weight loss is not something doctors recommend. Now is not the time to get Ozempic off-label because there are patients who need it for their diabetes and, due to supply issues, there is a shortage right now, Rometo said. But he says it’s beneficial for some patients. For the FDA-approved indication, the patient would need to have a BMI greater than 27 and a weight-related medical problem, or a BMI greater than 30 whether or not they have a medical problem, Rometo said. Here’s what you need to know about anti-obesity drugs. Medications should not be taken instead of trying to lose weight. The medications should be taken while you’re doing the things you’re supposed to be doing to lose weight, Rometo said. As for their history of use, he thinks long-term. to gain weight back because the medicine is gone, Rometo said. Looking to the future, Rometo said research is underway in Pittsburgh and around the country that will continue to improve patient outcomes. There are already better drugs than Ozempic and Wegovy in the pipeline that will have better average outcomes than we have now, he said.
Anti-obesity drugs have been around for years, but now more than ever they are making headlines.
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 spoke with an expert about when and how they should be used.
Weight loss of 5 to 10 percent can be very effective for improving health, and often that’s an amount people can’t lose or can’t maintain when doing drug-free weight-loss surgeries, said Dr. David Rometo, director of the UPMC Center for Obesity Medicine.
You may have tried everything from exercise to eating healthy, but that’s still not enough.
We should stop trying to make patients feel like they should lose 15 percent of their weight without any help, and biology and the world we live in, that’s not true, Rometo said.
Rometo prescribes anti-obesity drugs to many of his patients and you’ve most likely heard of them.
Ozempic is an injection once a week under the skin with a very small needle, just like insulin injections, Rometo said.
Ozempic has become part of a new weight-loss trend that’s causing some controversy: People lose weight by taking a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
There’s been kind of a perfect storm on social media of people realizing this, people who are wealthy influencers who have enough money to pay out of pocket regardless of insurance coverage, Rometo said.
Using it for short-term cosmetic weight loss is not something doctors recommend.
Now is not the time to get Ozempic off-label because there are patients who need it for their diabetes and, due to supply issues, there is a shortage right now, Rometo said.
But he says it’s beneficial for some patients.
For the FDA-approved indication, the patient would need to have a BMI over 27 and a weight-related medical problem, or a BMI over 30 whether or not they have a medical problem, Rometo said.
Here’s what you need to know about anti-obesity drugs.
Medications should not be taken instead of trying to lose weight. The medications should be taken while you’re doing the things you’re supposed to be doing to lose weight, Rometo said.
As for the timing of their use, think long-term.
If you lose weight and stop the medicine, the body will try to gain weight back because the medicine is gone, Rometo said.
Looking to the future, Rometo said research is underway in Pittsburgh and across the country that will continue to improve patient outcomes.
There are better drugs than Ozempic and Wegovy already in the pipeline that will have better average outcomes than we have now, he said.
Rometo added that this year, Pennsylvania Medicaid began covering all anti-obesity drugs which he believes is a step toward less disparity in care.
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