WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy. Those medications seem to be everywhere right now. In our new series, \u2018A New Weigh of Life,\u2019 NewsChannel7 will share the weight loss journey of three people and what GLP-1s do to the body.<\/p>\n
How GLP-1s affect the body:<\/b><\/p>\n
The medications mimic a hormone our body makes naturally called Glucagon-Like Peptide 1, or GLP-1. <\/p>\n
Our bodies use that hormone as a signal, telling us we\u2019re full. Normally, after you eat, those hormones stay in your body for five to ten minutes. <\/p>\n
Dr. Dawn Belt Davis, a professor at UW-Madison for the Department of Medicine and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, says GLP-1 injections can keep those hormones in the body for up to a week after injections.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey do it in a sustained way, so they continue to have that effect of reducing appetite,\u201c she said. \u201dIt\u2019s slowing down the gut and allowing that food to process more slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says GLP-1s reduce food intake and make sure the body is using calories more effectively. They also improve metabolism. <\/p>\n
GLP-1 drugs have been around for people with diabetes for about 20 years. They trigger insulin release from the body, lowering blood sugar levels. <\/p>\n
However, over the past five years, they\u2019ve started being used more for obesity. <\/p>\n
\u201cObesity can impact the entire body and it can have some negative impacts across many different systems,\u201d Dr. Davis said. \u201cAs a doctor who specializes in diabetes, the first one I think about is diabetes and blood sugar control. We know that weight loss, as little as, you know, 5% of your body weight, that can have a significant benefit in terms of reducing your risk for developing diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bobbi Birk-LaBarge\u2019s Story:<\/b><\/p>\n
To use GLP-1s for weight loss, you have to have a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher. <\/p>\n
Bobbi Birk-LaBarge is someone who qualified for Ozempic. On it, she lost 50 pounds. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t afraid to take selfies,\u201d she said. \u201cI would get in pictures with people because they would notice I\u2019d be out and about and they\u2019d be like, \u2018Oh my gosh, we haven\u2019t seen you for so long. You\u2019re looking so good. Did you lose weight?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Her quality of life was better, she had minimal side effects and she felt happier. However, after 14 months of weekly Ozempic injections, Bobbi lost insurance coverage for the drug.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though your lab results have been the best that they\u2019ve ever been, we\u2019re not gonna cover that anymore. So there I was with nothing anymore,\u201d Bobbi said. <\/p>\n
Her cost for Ozempic went from $20 a month to over $1,000. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was absolutely devastated,\u201d she said. \u201cI felt like all the progress that I had made was put to the wayside and there was nothing I could do to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n