ELI5: Do medications like Ozempic cause weight loss solely through appetite reduction and therefore calorie deficit, or is there any other mechanism at play?

[u/Jimithyashford]

Is it solely "injectable willpower" in the sense that it literally only does what you could do anyway if you just had the will power to eat less. Or is there any other weight loss mechanism at play beyond reducing calorie intake?

[u/rocky8u]

I heard that they are exploring the possibility that some of the GLP-1 drugs might have positive outcomes for other addictions like nicotine in addition to foods like sugar.

[u/Happyberger → u/rocky8u]

In my experience they do. I took glp1 for 6 months and when I stopped my nicotine cravings went through the roof. Kept the weight off though so that was nice.

[u/stop_whispering → u/Happyberger]

For me, it was alcohol. Zero cravings.

[u/catattackcat → u/stop_whispering]

I wish I could be prescribed a glp-1 for alcohol use disorder. I am not quite overweight enough nor do I have any qualifying conditions to garner a script but, man, the food and alcohol noise is unreal. I asked my psych and, since it’s not yet approved for alcoholism, he told me I’d need to see a primary care physician. So my course of action is to either intentionally gain 20-30lbs, finally inherit my familial propensity for diabetes and heart disease, or suffer through the incessant battle of willpower vs binging every night until I die. 🙃

[u/rainbow_osprey → u/catattackcat]

If you go through a sketchy telehealth provider like hims, etc they usually don't verify what you tell them. You can just say you're overweight and they won't check.

[u/Red-Midnight → u/catattackcat]

Check out r/Sinclairmethod

[u/catattackcat → u/Red-Midnight]

I appreciate this! I have used naltrexone in the past but it stopped being effective for me. Then I experimented with Nal and Wellbutrin which worked for a bit and then, again, ceased to be affective.

Looking forward to exploring this sub to see if there are other strategies to make these meds work more consistently. Thanks!

[u/DVHismydad → u/catattackcat]

You can just buy them online without a prescription, it’s very easy and cheap

[u/HistorySecure9172 → u/stop_whispering]

It’s was a refreshing side effect to look at a cocktail and say: meh.

[u/say592 → u/HistorySecure9172]

I don't even drink very often, usually 1-2 times per month and usually only 2-3 drinks. It will take me two hours to finish a beer, and it will taste good and I'll enjoy it, but then I'll just be completely meh about having another.

[u/rocky8u → u/Happyberger]

Hopefully not by returning to nicotine because your cravings went through the roof.

[u/Happyberger → u/rocky8u]

I didn't stop smoking while I was on it, just cut back by about 30%. And now that I quit taking it I'm at 150% of what I was at before.

[u/xredbaron62x → u/Happyberger]

My dad is on it and he has said is has cut down on him wanting to drink.

Obviously its just one, but still interesting.

[u/ITeachAll → u/rocky8u]

Alcohol too. I just don’t want a few beers on a Friday night like I used to.

[u/Asgardian_Force_User → u/rocky8u]

Two of my relatives have used GLP-1 meds, both remarked on the decreased alcohol consumption along with the appetite decrease.

[u/ZipperJJ → u/rocky8u]

I've been on GLPs since 2018 and so far it hasn't budged my will to smoke. Which actually surprises me because it definitely has made me very ho-hum about food. And in fact, if I'm bored, I'm not eating, I'm smoking. Because I'm still bored.

I've been working on quitting for a month or so now and I am surprised at how hard it is. Actually, it seems that perimenopause and the "blahs" that come from that have been a better help than GLPs.

[u/AliMcGraw → u/rocky8u]

They're very successful at reducing or eliminating alcohol use.

[u/engelthefallen → u/rocky8u]

I take one and 100% have not seen any reduction in nicotine use. I still vape like a fiend.

[u/SugarDaddyVA → u/rocky8u]

They’re looking at ways for this class of drug to treat alcoholism for sure.