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GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

wildfirelabs.substack.com

491–500 of 553 posts

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#491

> alcohol spending fell 85% You've replaced one drug with another. Freud would be proud. > If you told someone in 1850 that air conditioning would reshape the global economy, they'd think you were crazy. This is incredibly misinformed. You've lived /with/ refrigeration and /without/ malaria for so long you have no Earthly idea how people in the opposite state lived their lives or saw the world around them. > We're di…

Thank you for this comment! First, those in power rebased the diet of the masses to carbs. Consequence: an eternal epidemic of obesity, with the many known complications and illnesses as a result. Then, they now try to remedy the problem by fucking with the human body's mechanisms. 100% guaranteed to cause terrible side effects, in the long term. It's always more complex than you think. The more coveted a "medication…

The Wikipedia article you linked states that Midgley actually knew the dangers:

> tetraethyl lead was known to be acutely toxic by those involved in the development of leaded gasoline. This included Midgley, who publicly insisted that there was nonetheless no health hazard posed

W.r.t. making people dependent on big pharma:

I have multiple allergies and although the drugs I take have side effects, I would not function without them ~8-10 months of the year (where I live, the pollen season is expanding with global warming).

I am somewhat dependent on big pharma for quality of life, but the alternative is strictly much worse for me.

I know it is a more mature type of drug, but the automatic kneejerk reactions against “Big Pharma” is unwarranted IMO.

There are rotten apples everywhere..

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#492

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder which is more harmful?

I can't say which is more harmful, but social media is a hell of a lot less fun

It certainly leads to less sex. Seems a lot of vaguely-defined experts (economists/demographers/??) are very concerned we're not having enough, so more impulse-regulating drugs seem relevant.

Then again, maybe everyone being a 10 would level that out a bit?

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#493
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are these the same effects that folks would get if they stopped eating cold turkey? Would Zofran throughout the day help with the side effects until the body adjusted?

That was my hope, and I gave it a shot for a few months. I seem to be an outlier though!

Thanks for sharing your experience :)

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#494
post #19

I started Tirzepatide 3-4 weeks ago. (Mostly as an experiment to understand the hype around GLP's... I don't have diabetes and only very slightly overweight at 20% body fat). Even at the lowest 2.5mg starter dose which you're only allowed to stay on for 1 month: - Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to for…

Thanks for experimenting with your body. I'll be sure to check back in about ten years to see how all this shakes out. Keto + intermittent fasting are my magic pill right now and have been for some years.

I am much more daring in my will to experiment but I do agree.

Keto, fasting and also breaking the "foodie" culture that eating and going out to eat becomes a hobby.

I didn't order/dine in at all from a restaurant in 2024. It is much easier to not over eat the boring keto meals I make myself. My "cheating" is eating basmati or jasmine rice with a stir fry instead of cauliflower rice.

There is actually not enough known side effects for me to take GLP-1s. They are either complete miracle drugs or side effects we don't currently understand haven't come out in the wash yet.

We have a pretty good track record when a new powerful medication like this is introduces of doing things quite wrong. There are probably risk mitigation strategies we will learn in the coming decades that we simply can't know right now. Otherwise, these are basically free lunch miracle drugs. That seems an easy short.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#495

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it only appropriate for people with heart disease / mobility issues but not for someone who is merely overweight? This feels like finger-wagging for the sake of finger-wagging.

It isn't. 20% body fat is 6% below average. That isn't "merely overweight", it's likely underweight. No, I don't think underweight people should take appetite suppressants and I don't think that qualifies as a hot take. I think anyone who is medically overweight (which is a very modest BMI qualifier for anyone with any amount of muscle) should have the choice. Many US medical systems and insurers agree, which is a go…

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Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#496
post #457
post #383

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the side effects ? I heard these drugs just freezes the intestine.

Depends. I tried Ozempic and felt fine but every time I bumped up the dose I’d feel a vague feeling of dread, until I got to the max dosage then I didn’t lose any weight but also felt like I was going to die at any moment. It was bad. I discontinued usage then immediately went back to 300 pounds from 260. Zepbound/Mounjaro on the other hand has been fantastic. I just noticed I was hurting my muscles a lot and realize…

Absolutely understand. Never had joint issues, but after being on Tz for a couple of months, I had knee and hip pain. I'm convinced it was muscle loss, because after I boosted my protein intake and exercise, they started to go away. All but gone now (thankfully).

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#497
post #204
post #19

I started Tirzepatide 3-4 weeks ago. (Mostly as an experiment to understand the hype around GLP's... I don't have diabetes and only very slightly overweight at 20% body fat). Even at the lowest 2.5mg starter dose which you're only allowed to stay on for 1 month: - Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to for…

Does it have any impact on focus or motivation to get work done, do hobbies or recreational activities, engage in human relationships, sex, intellectual curiosity, etc.? It would be fascinating and almost too good to be true if we found a way to suppress only largely harmful (in our current environment) urges but leave the good ones intact. Something like that becoming widely available could change the world, and mos…

I've never had any lack of focus or motivation to get anything done since I started Tz.

I did have some energy loss, especially at first, but I assume that was because my body was struggling to cope with a lack of carbs. However, after a couple of weeks that for the most part disappeared.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#498
post #171

I don't see any comments talking about it, and it's not mentioned in the article, but if it changes impulse control I wonder what effect that will have on politics. Hopefully one where people will take a longer view and look at policies rather than impulsively voting for the candidate they think they like the most.

I think the most likely political effect is from media consumption. There have been anecdotal reports of the drug helping people avoid doomscrolling compulsions, which likely means less exposure to various political social media.

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#499
post #19

I started Tirzepatide 3-4 weeks ago. (Mostly as an experiment to understand the hype around GLP's... I don't have diabetes and only very slightly overweight at 20% body fat). Even at the lowest 2.5mg starter dose which you're only allowed to stay on for 1 month: - Extreme appetite suppression to the point where I've started calorie counting specifically to make sure that I'm eating enough. It's incredibly easy to for…

I’m not going to lie all this sounds like heaven to me. I absolutely hate the way my appetite works. I have a genuine dysfunction with food. It goes back as far as I can remember. My cravings never stop, even after being satiated. It’s an endless cycle of weight gain then loss then gain as my willpower fluctuates for a variety of reasons. My insurance only recently started to cover these weight loss drugs, and I have…

Don’t waste your time with insurance. Just go to one of the consumer facing companies that compound them directly.

I’ve seen cases where these sites are 5x cheaper than insurance

Re: GLP-1 drugs: An economic disruptor? (2024)

#500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you got that information, but no they don't. That's not a thing. You were misinformed.

What do you mean no? This is a widely known and commonly used approach. Citric acid, salt and bitter compounds are some of the most prevalent options. This isn't even remotely close to a controversial opinion.

I mean no. All those compounds are used for flavor. They aren't used to mask sweetness.

Manufacturers design foods to taste good, not for some secondary effect of sugar in the stomach.

The idea that the sweetness would be "unbearable in your mouth" is just plain silly. People suck on lollipops which are pure sugar -- are those "unbearably" sweet? What you're saying doesn't hold up to even the slightest scrutiny.

Manufacturers aren't going to waste money on additional sugar and then try to undo the taste with other ingredients. That's not a thing.

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