Mounjaro, or tirzepatide and Wegovy and Ozempic, brand name of semgalutide have been making
headlines since they came to market. In fact, your city may still have a shortage. The fact
that people tend to lose a significant amount of weight while taking these injectables is
one of many notable qualities. And is the reason why its talked about at your work,
your group of friends, and all over social media. No one cares this much about Acarbose or
Jardiance. And Last fall, the FDA granted the Eli Lillys Mounjaro a “fast-track” designation for
review to treat obesity and overweight. In this video I wanted to talk about how it compares
with ozempic and wegovy for managing weight, how it is different than the other players on
the market, how hard will it be to get, and finish off with side effects and how to mitigate
them, so without further ado, lets get started. Also, real quick before we get started, it would
mean the world to me if you hit the like button down below for the youtube algorithm and turn the
bell on to stay up to date with new weekly videos.
Now, Mounjaro is a weekly injection,
which works by controlling blood sugar and it was approved for use in type two
diabetics by the FDA in May of 2022. Its similar to Ozempic and Wegovy, in the
fact that it is a glucagon-like peptide-1 or (GLP-1) receptor agonist. But its not
just that. It’s also a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide or GIP for short,
which is a hormone that helps with the release of insulin after food consumption. The
last part is why its more sought after. Ive actually made a video about ozempic here that
has well over 800k views and a video Saxenda that you can watch after this one. And Mounjaro has not
been approved by the FDA for weight loss just yet, some doctors prescribe it for off-label use
for weight loss in patients who don’t have type two diabetes. Now this may be the
reason why your experiencing a shortage, and the manufacturer already had a feeling
this would happen, which is why In 2020, the company announced plans to open a $470
million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in their state, and on January 24, it
committed an additional $450 million to the site.
This is how optimistic they
are about its weight loss approval. Now lets talk about how it compares with the
other players. Mounjaro has shown more promising results, with a clinical trial which found
participants lost up to 22.5% of their body fat. Wegovy and Saxenda’s effectiveness was lower,
with participants experiencing an average of a 15% and 5% reduction in body fat respectively. So you
can lose more weight with this one. Because even when you look at it side by side, Tirzepatide at
a dose of 10 to 15 mg per week achieved over 20% body weight reduction. While Semaglutide
at a dose of 2.4 mg achieved roughly 17% reduction. While you see the placebo hanging out
up here at 2-3%. So the evidence is pretty solid. Now lets talk about how hard will it be to get. The coverage of Mounjaro may vary depending
on your insurance plan. For instance, your plan might not include coverage for weight
management medications like Wegovy. BUT, it might cover Mounjaro for treating Type 2 diabetes. So
It's a good idea to check with your plan to see whats covered. It’s challenging and I feel your
pain because insurance companies change what they cover without telling providers or patients when
or why or how.
And Another issue is, if a patient does get Wegovy covered instead, they must lose
5% of their body weight after five to six months of taking it or else insurance will stop paying
for it. Which I thought was interesting. So the medicine better work, or else your paying out
of pocket. Also, Medicare does not cover weight loss medication, though it covers counseling and
weight loss surgery for those of a certain BMI. So if youre going in without insurance, lets say
because youre on it as an off label, it should cost an average of 1172 dollars a month. Which
let me know in the comments if you think thats a fair price.
. Lets talk about side effects, and some possible
foods you need to be avoiding. Possible side effects while taking Mounjaro include
nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain and indigestion. Really all
the same ones you might have experienced if youve tried Ozempic. Although most nausea,
diarrhea, and vomiting typically happens when your dosage is increased, it usually settles
over time as your body adjust to it though. And Mounjaro comes as a pack of four single-use
pens, a 28 day supply, since youll be using it once a week, starting with 2.5 mg, which can be
increased to 5 mg after, and can be increased by 2.5 mg by your doctors approval every 4 weeks
depending on your sugar control, but not to exceed 15 mg.
This regimen may be different for
you, depending on your circumstances though. People with prior kidney issues may experience
dehydration with all the side effects which actually worsen kidney problems, so to work around
this you need to first, let your doctor know all the side effects youre experience, and just make
sure youre hydrated with enough fluids during this whole process. And if a patient experiences a
lump or swelling in the neck, trouble swallowing, hoarseness or shortness of breath, they should
consult their doctor. And speaking of the foods you want to avoid. Try avoiding fried or spicy
foods to limit the nausea. And avoid processed foods, they are empty of nutrition and can
produce inflammation and hinder your results. And I understand the frustration.
If patients
with actual type two diabetes were to stop taking GLP-1 agonists, their blood sugar
would uptick, leading to complication. The manufacturer knows this, and With the help
of the establishment of new facilities, Eli Lilly plans to “double their incretin capacity
by the end of 2023," to help combat the supply shortage. Which is just around the corner. So
I'm hoping this will help a lot of you guys. Im more curious to actually hear from you guys
though. In the meantime, click the video I made on Ozempic here, and the One on Saxenda here.
Comment down below what your thoughts are about this.
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And until then guys, ill see you on the next one..