GLP-1 agonists (Ozempic, etc.) to treat long-COVID?

I paid $400 for two months of GLP1 last summer. It did not a lick of good

@annlandi
I Googled it-they sell online -they are drops.

Can you tell me what the drops are called? Thanks!

@annlandi It’s called Orygn and it’s sold by individuals. I’ll attach a picture if it will let me. .

Thanks! I will look into this.

@donnasharpe1 Currently I am taking 1.7mg. I'm moving up to the "therapeutic" dose of 2.4mg in 2 weeks. It's also very expensive here, but I found coupons on the manufacturer's site and Medicare has a "bridge" program which only requires me to pay a $50 co pay each time I get a 4 week supply. I hope you can find something similar in Canada so you can try it. I started with a .5 dose which is what they start everyone on, and most people increase each month. I stayed on the 1.0 for 2 months because i found it to be enough for the extra month. My test for MCAS came back negative but I am sure I have it as a result of Long Covid. My symptoms definitely flare around food.

Does the bridge program work for everyone or only those of a certain weight?

@jgk177 thank you for your reply. My Dr was talking about putting me on 1.mg but I really don’t want any side effect. Over 2 years with LC and I’m tired . And it’s very expensive in Canada. The only coupon I found is $30. Prices ranged from $600-$328 a month here . How did it help you ? Brain fog / fatigue? I nausea along with that . I’m not sure what causes flares I wake up horrible then towards end of the day symptoms subside a bit . I appreciate the reply hopefully my Dr would drop amount lower . I also have weight gain without eating ,

@thedreamingtree You have to be at least in the overweight BMI category which I was (am) and quite honestly unless I lose too much weight, I will still be in when I reach my "goal". I have always weighed more than I appear to, because the BMI charts don't take body composition into consideration. I definitely needed to lose weight, LC and whatever else I have put 20 pounds on me over 3 years. Another possibility if you are on Medicare might be if you have Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease or sleep apena.

@donnasharpe1 I'm sure your Dr knows best but I would really start with the .5 to avoid serious side effects. I was super careful about what I ate and how much I ate the first few weeks. Like several tablespoons of food at a time, throughout the day. I think most of the nausea and vomiting people experience is because they don't change their eating habits. You must eat much less, eat SLOWLY, chew the food well, and drink in small sips. I had been dealing with GI problems on a small scale before LC. Once I got Covid those issues exploded. Along with crazy weight gain (25 pounds in 3 years) that I could not reverse.. The GLP helps with bloating, gas, sleep, brain fog, seems most of the time to regulate my GI system, and dulls a list of symptoms I get each time I have a "flare" . I find my energy is better because I don't feel nearly as miserable (not in pain with pelvic and lower back pain because the GLP is an anti-inflammatory and my colon would become inflamed after eating. BUT energy is still an issue. I simply don't have much energy. I feel fatigued every time I eat (unless i eat less than half a meal) and it's so frustrating because if i eat, I almost always want to nap. I imagine the GLP helps with that somewhat because I am eating less. I do get a headache usually about 36 hours after I take an injection, and about 48 hours after I sometimes feel fatigue. Then I feel energized and much better for 4 days, and the process starts over again. The bottom line for me is I am less nauseous BUT I do still get nauseous, tired, etc.. but as I said it's better than it was before. And I am losing the stubborn weight I gained post covid, which makes me feel better. Also I have stomach ulcers which most likely came from the constant GI issues post covid. I'm told they may have been a factor in the frequent nausea. I also noticed when I deviate from a very specific diet, I start feeling worse again. Stupid things like bananas make me feel awful. Even 1/2 a banana gives me problems. I ate bananas all my life. Oats too, and yeast. I cannot touch any of those things anymore. Too much uncooked food (fruit and veggies, salads, etc) are also still an issue. I'm so sorry you're struggling with this. I understand and encourage you to not give up! I almost did a few times.. but I always start over and try to find help. We cannot fail if we don't give up on ourselves.