Has anyone tried Wegovy for long-term weight management?

@m245837
Very expensive if your insurance does not cover.

Per my PCP had to start at lowest dose to see if side affects.

First dose level, nothing, gained weight. Note: each does level is 1 injection once a week for 4 weeks.
Second dose level, no weight loss
Third dose level: Notice sllight decline in appetite for dinner. No weight loss. Some constitpation
Fourth does level: Again decline in dinner appetite, no weight loss. Some constipation.

Did not work for me. My PCP said I could be one of those this formula does not work. He wants me to go on ZEPBOUND. It has a different treatment with more brain receptors for appetitie and not the same side affects.

Problem is insurance won't cover it and is about $600.00 per one month treatment (1 injection per week).

I am trying to diet from past experience now. I cut out all snacking after dinner. I did lose 1.5 lbs this last week so I did find something. Going to look at other snacks to go low calorie on them. Event though nuts are very good for you they are very high calorie so have to accept that won't be a snack item.

Good luck on your journey. You could be in the group you have great weight loss with WEGOVY. Try it and see if side affects are worth the benefits.

@m245837

Welcome to Mayo Connect, many members of this group have tried and have shared their success and also the side effects. Your provider was right to have you research before making the decision. I did weight loss surgery over 10 years ago, I tried a medications first (can not remember name) and could not tolerate side effects. It was not Wegoby , not sure if that was available 10 years ago.

As @m245837 mentioned, cost can be important part of decision. I suggest you check your insurance coverage for the drug. Sometimes coverage is based on BMI or if have other medical conditions.

This Mayo Clinic video discusses Weight Loss medication:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/weight-management-1/tab/medications/

I have struggled with weight loss almost my entire adult life. Lose a little, gain it back. I finally had some success after enlisting to help with my primary care doctor. I was not able to take medication‘s like wegovy because they are hormone based and my breast cancer was ER positive Pr positive. So my oncology doctor said as long as I could find a medication that was not hormone based I could give it a try. Bless my primary care, doctor! He said they were very few that were not hormone based, one of them was phentermine, half of the old Fen/Fen medication, the safe part, that was taken off the market years ago. I Pcp said I could try it if it worked great if it didn’t work there was one other option that was not hormonal. I succeeded in losing 25 pounds a year ago using phentermine for about a six month window, increasing my activity, and really focusing on changing what I ate. I’m going to start it again in this calendar year in about a month. The added benefit of the phentermine was that the prescription cost me somewhere around five dollar co-pay. It was covered by my insurance and I think even if I had to pay the full out-of-pocket cost, it wasn’t very expensive. The bad side effects that they worn about were nervousness and things related to that. I didn’t notice any such side effects but I’m high strong to begin with so maybe it just fit right in! I’m glad it worked for me and I do understand that not every drug works for every person. I had no idea that the newest versions of these wonder drugs was hormone based and I see nowhere in their advertising that they include this information. Hopefully that doesn’t apply to you but for someone with ER positive PR positive breast cancer any hormone based medication is a big no.

Hello, I was on Wegovy for 6 months in early 2024. I experienced gut discomfort and massive headaches the first two months. I did lose 20 pounds, but I finally had to go off of it as it kept throwing me into painful UTI's. It was miserable and NOT WORTH IT! Then, of course, as is always the case with weight loss drugs, the weight loss is temporary, and all 20 pounds+ came back on, plus. :'-( Yuck. Certainly, you may have a completely different experience. Good luck to you if you do decide to try it. I have struggled with being overweight for far too long, and Wegovy was my last ditch effort to get a handle on it on my own. I am set to have a consult with a bariatric surgeon for gastric bypass surgery at Mayo in two weeks. I know it will be a big change and require a lot of me, but I am ready and truly my life and longevity depend on it. I fully realize there are risks with this surgery, but I feel staying obese is an even higher risk.

@cheryl4mgk
Welcome to Mayo Connect, hope you find some helpful support / advice in this group.
What Mayo location is your appointment at?

Eau Claire.

Hi! I’m in Eau Claire and have my surgery scheduled for April 1st at Mayo! Good luck with your consult. This is a great place to ask questions and find support. Let us know how your consult goes. 😊👍🏼

I sure will, and thank you!
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All the very best with your surgery and post-operatively, and please let us know how things go for you into the future. I will keep you in my prayers.

@cheryl4mgk
I had no benefit from WEGOVY. No weight loss just a slight reduction in appetite at dinner but really hungry at breakfast and lunch. My PCP said I was among others they have found that do not have the same reaction to WEGOVY.

He wanted me to ZEPBOUND. He stated uses a different formula that addresses additional enzymes that go to brain to reduce appetite versus drugs like WEGOVY trying to make you full from slowing down digestion.

Maybe asked about it with your PCP. I would have tried it by my insurance will not cover it and would have cost me over $600.00 a month.
Good luck!!

@m245837, did you decide to start Wegovy (semaglutide)?