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Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

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Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#31

Post by BJones12 »

rzzzt wrote: post #4
gnabgib wrote: post #2

The medicine: semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, possibly Wegowy)

The eye condition: non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)

Non-arteritic → Not involving arteries [0]

Anterior → Front part

Ischemic → Low blood flow

Optic → Related to the eye

Neuropathy → Nerve damage [1]

"Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) refers to loss of blood flow to the optic nerve (which is the cable that connects the eye to the brain). This condition typically causes sudden vision loss in one eye, without any pain." - https://www.brighamandwomens.org/neurology/neuro-ophthalmolo...

[0] This differentiates it from a similar condition that does involve arteries

[1] More literally, nerve sickness

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#33

Post by monero-xmr »

beardedwizard wrote: post #24
monero-xmr wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps a better phrasing would be, "There is no free lunch." If you prefer to take Ozempic rather than monitoring caloric intake and exercising, then there are consequences. But if the consequences are worth it, is up to the individual.

Someone reading this might assume its zero sum to you - as if people on Ozempic have not already been exercising and monitoring caloric intake without the associated weight loss/health results they desire - and have only chosen it because they don't want to try something else. I'm sure you aren't trying to come across as fat shaming, but the reality is of course not zero sum. Diet and exercise doesn't magically work…

Diet alone is 100% guaranteed to cause you to lose weight. It really is as easy as counting calories. It is a scientific fact. It is physically impossible to gain, or maintain weight, if you cut caloric intake sufficiently.

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#34

Post by samatman »

monero-xmr wrote: post #16
bshepard wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Human civilization is built on the creation of shortcuts. Insulin is a shortcut for T1 diabetics to avoid death.

Perhaps a better phrasing would be, "There is no free lunch." If you prefer to take Ozempic rather than monitoring caloric intake and exercising, then there are consequences. But if the consequences are worth it, is up to the individual.

It's true, it isn't a free lunch. You, or your insurer, has to pay for it. It needs to be injected. It won't work as well if you insist on eating a pint of ice cream three times a day. And so on.

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#35

Post by thesuitonym »

compiler-guy wrote: post #3

Important to note that this side effect is still very rare and that we still use drugs with similarly serious and rare side effects. The authors of the study do not recommend abandoning these drugs, rather we should understand and manage the risks.

This was addressed in the article:

"This is a serious but very rare side effect. Often, we only learn about this kind of thing after a new drug has been on the market for a few years, as is the case with Ozempic. It should be emphasised that it is neither more serious nor more common than the rare side effects of many other medicines that we continue to use. It is, so to speak, just a new piece of the puzzle of understanding how this drug works, explains Anton Pottegård."

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#36

Post by pessimizer »

monero-xmr wrote: post #9

If you literally cannot stop yourself from being obese any other way, then Ozempic and similar may be a good choice. But the side effects are large. You can never, ever stop taking it. We don't know what being on it for decades causes. There are anecdotes that it numbs you out emotionally. There are no shortcuts in life. There is always a tradeoff.

> You can never, ever stop taking it.

You can't stop taking it without gaining the weight back (unless the lifestyle change sticks), but everybody stops taking it in the medium term. The side effects are horrible and stack up over time.

We'll start seeing the miserable condition of very long-term users (or maybe, hopefully, their bodies will reach an equilibrium!), and we will be able to use the sacrifice of their health in order to understand how better to counteract the long-term side effects, or to get hints on how to design the next class of miracle weight loss drugs.

I'm never going to take them. There are better ways to lose weight, with no side effects, and they slowly and stably got me from a 28 BMI to a 22 BMI. I will push the people I love towards those rather than to a set of powerful, expensive drugs with wild side effects that somebody invented a week ago. But I am not hostile to the concept in any way.

> There are no shortcuts in life. There is always a tradeoff.

There are an enormous number of shortcuts in life. This is just the Law of Averages as Protestant superstition stated as a pithy self-help maxim. Taking shortcuts rather than going the long way is almost the definition of intelligence. If you see a bunch of points laid out in a rectangle, you can count them one by one, or you can count the ones on the sides and multiply. There's no tradeoff.

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#37

Post by LeSaucy »

Interesting synchronicity of seeing this article. I just had an optometrist appointment this morning and my glasses prescription updated/renewed. The only medication I am on is Ozempic for weight management, ~8 months, lost ~40 lbs so far. My old prescription was -1.75 / -1.0 (about 5 years ago), and my new one is -0.5, -0.5. My optometrist said it was unusual but likely due to having blood glucose under control as it changes the blood pressure and shape of your eyes slightly.

Re: Ozempic increases risk of debilitating eye condition: studies

#40

Post by Spooky23 »

monero-xmr wrote: post #9

If you literally cannot stop yourself from being obese any other way, then Ozempic and similar may be a good choice. But the side effects are large. You can never, ever stop taking it. We don't know what being on it for decades causes. There are anecdotes that it numbs you out emotionally. There are no shortcuts in life. There is always a tradeoff.

That’s not true. It’s like anything else, it’s about you.

I was on it for 18 months, it allowed me to lose weight and change my habits in a way that has persisted. I lost 90 pounds, and gained back 15, which I attribute to an injury that stopped me from running. I’m back in action now and down 5.

I cannot stress how transformative this drug was for me, at a time of my life that was particularly difficult.

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