Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Hollow Men of Hims

alexkesin.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 277 posts

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#191

Post by Der_Einzige »

hammock wrote: post #63
bickfordb wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there evidence that compounded Semaglutide from Hims pharmacies has harmed anyone?

Safe and effective. Side effects are very rare and are usually limited to soreness at the site of injection. Recommend everyone who is recommended semaglutide by a relevant authority, to get it. The obesity epidemic is a national security concern

Yup. And using it as the wonder drug it is, I.e women using it to get “beach bodies” should be celebrated and not stigmatized.

I want bodily autonomy and control. The right to experiment with weight loss drugs is analogous to the right to be trans or to not have your foreskin removed at birth.

It’s crazy that these drugs even have further benefits like anti addiction properties!

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#192

Post by wonderwonder »

jjcob wrote: post #166
wonderwonder wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These people should be firmly ignored. I am very open with my drug use. If anyone objects I have labs that I will happily compare to anyone's and I am in better shape than 95% of 20 year olds. There should be no stigma associated with being the master and commander of your own body and health choices.

Why are you taking testosterone?

Started out as Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). I had low overall testosterone due to age (low 300's). Mid 40's. Not necessarily low for my age but low overall. Who wants the testosterone levels of an old man? Before I got on I was lethargic, unfocused and had no real drive. My evenings would consist of just sitting on the couch. I had been like that for years. I was middle aged. I didn't want to be like that so I saw a hormone doctor and got on. Best decision I have ever made. I am in the best shape of my life and the only time I sit on a couch is if I am watching something with my family. I have get up and go in spades now.

Still on it, I occasionally take a full steroid cycle once a year though to accomplish certain physical goals.

Generally run a single 14 week cycle each year where I essentially triple the amount of testosterone I take. I may add another substance for the 14 weeks as well. Then I return to the regular testosterone replacement therapy dose.

I feel and look 20+ years younger. I get blood work done 3x a year and additional 2x while on a cycle to ensure I am good.

My wife has also gotten on TRT, testosterone is required for women as well, just at much lower doses. Her levels were very close to zero, even her OBGYN was surprised. She has seen good results as well. Not the full new lease on life I have had as Testosterone is not as critical for women but an increased sex drive and more energy. She is very closely monitored by her doctor as too much will have negatives for women.

I'm also on GLP-1 medication (Semaglutide), I got on in January and have lost 30lbs. Started at 240lbs and am now 210lbs. I have visible abs again and can bench 405lbs. These are the only medications I am on. Blood pressure is perfect, cholesterol is perfect, etc. Only negative I have is fatty liver which I was diagnosed with in my mid 20's. I'm going to self prescribe Metformin in a couple months (I am currently on cycle) to see if I can resolve that. If I can fix that then I will essentially be healthier that I have ever been in my life.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#193

Post by wonderwonder »

jjcob wrote: post #168
zdragnar wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are other options for addressing obesity than "semaglutide or nothing".

Yeah, but they don't work for most people. For example, I could say, just start running/cycling/swimming if you want to lose weight. It's really easy! If you slowly work up to working out 5 hours a week, and keep at it, your obesity will probably disappear. However, most people won't be able to do that, because it's boring, takes a lot of time, and they will stop sooner or later. There are some success stories of peo…

Best part is most GLP-s are not even daily, just once a week. Even easier.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#194

Post by BeFlatXIII »

sokoloff wrote: post #177
jjcob wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How people justify paying $1000 for probably less than 15 minutes of work is beyond me.

That included lab work, talking to the front desk people, the nurse who took the blood, the GP, the drivers, the janitors, the record-keepers, the lab techs, and the calibration work on equipment and who knows who else. That is way, way more than 15 minutes of work.

Still not $1000 worth.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#195

Post by matthewdgreen »

DoingSomeThings wrote: post #140

This is a frustrating article. To pick one example: "The most damning aspect is not their exploitation of loopholes or their willingness to combine dangerous drug cocktails or even their reliance on unvetted Chinese suppliers..." "unvetted" is doing a lot of work here. There's no evidence provided for this claim of working with shady sources and doing no diligence on the products they are selling. I know that to be f…

This is the one aspect of this article I’d have liked to understand better. It can simultaneously be the case that these compounding pharmacies are regulated, and also that they’re buying peptides from Chinese suppliers that aren’t regulated and hence there’s some room for serious problems. I’d be much happier if I felt that these suppliers were being carefully regulated and monitored but I’m not convinced that this is the case.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#196

Post by mcphage »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #188
jjcob wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently got a physical exam, including ultra sound, two urine samples, and bloodwork, at a private doctor in Austria and it cost 150€. You Americans are crazy. I'm not sure how a physical would be more than 15 minutes of work. Lab techs? Standard blood tests are all automated, the most complicated part is putting the stickers on the vials. Yes, someone needs to calibrate the machine, but the machine processes 1000…

Americans are so much more fat and unhealthy than aussies. That’s the primary reason why it’s so much cheaper in Australia.

I’m not sure that’s true. The average BMI in the US isn't much higher than in Australia.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#197

Post by potato3732842 »

sshine wrote: post #165
in_cahoots wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

420 young, healthy patients probably see the doctor 2x a year at most. That's less than 20 visits a week for the doctor. And as soon as you become unhealthy you are passed along to a specialist or dropped. You're paying for the bedside manner, not the medicine.

I’m 39 and I see my doctor once a year, at most. This year I had a urinary thing. Last year and the year before that I had a rash. The year before that I didn’t go. For all of my twenties I went three times. She still remembers me just fine, asking how is my CrossFit doing. I see my wife’s doctor more often than my own because he is also our newborn son’s doctor. They both have thousands of patients. The waiting room…

>She still remembers me just fine, asking how is my CrossFit doing.

That's because just before she walks in she reads your chart.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#198

Post by weeznerps »

This is one of the absolute dumbest things I have ever read. People want their problems solved without waiting months for an appointment and spending an insane amount of money, case closed. The fact that this market exists is an indictment of the current system.

The paternalism of medicine is infuriating. Doctors have been, for the most part, annoying gatekeepers of medication I already know I want or need. Way more medications should be over the counter.

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#199

Post by potato3732842 »

genocidicbunny wrote: post #64
bigyabai wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it will take more than 5 teenage overdose deaths to get most Americans to disagree.

Opposite those ODs you have thousands of people spending an arm and a leg on medicine that truly improves their lives, with no ill effect to them. The way I see it, services like Hims are forcing a discussion that needs to have happened a long time ago. If people are willing to rely on them for medicines that can have some pretty serious side effects, what does that say about our existing system that people are esche…

>what does that say about our existing system that people are eschewing?

"clearly we need to spend more on lobbying to get our ability to extract out pound of flesh more thoroughly written into the law"

-the system

Re: The Hollow Men of Hims

#200

Post by quickthrowman »

binarymax wrote: post #13
jackdeansmith wrote: post #7

>The real tragedy is not that Hims exists, but that it works so perfectly. Every day, thousands of people choose their compounded weight-loss drugs over FDA-approved alternatives, their combination ED pills over established single-ingredient treatments, their algorithmic consultations over actual medical care. They make these choices not because the products are better, but because the entire experience has been opti…

It’s possible for both you and the article to be right. The system sucks, but Hims are also terrible, and medical care should not be like Amazon prime.

Why not? It shouldn’t cost me $450 to go speak to my doctor for 5 minutes and say ‘I need Viagra’ and then have them write me a prescription, but it does cost $450 for me to do that. I can get (4) quarterly shipments from Hims for less than $450.

Personally I think viagra should be OTC, there’s no reason to gatekeep erectile dysfunction medicine.

Post reply on HN