Dr. Decotiis discusses if popular weight loss drugs are safe: Ozempic,Liraglutide,Saxenda,Mounjaro

Dr. Decotiis discusses if popular weight loss drugs are safe: Ozempic,Liraglutide,Saxenda,Mounjaro on NY1
Joining us now, Dr. Sue Decotiis back with us again. Uh, thank you for being with us again. We've heard so much about Ozempic, a lot of celebrities taking it. So first for our viewers who don't know, what exactly are these drugs meant to do and what are they sometimes being used for now?
So, these drugs have been around about 10 to 12 years, which gives us some, you know, some relief here as far as safety goes. And they, they get better and better. You know, the original drug was something called exenatide. Then they, they developed something called Liraglutide, which is Saxenda and Victoza. And then there was Trulicity, which is ide. And, and then they finally came out with Ozempic. Um, and what they are is they work on the GLP one receptor system in the body. And what that does is it delays gastric emptying and also creates a tremendous feeling of satiety. So patients feel really, really full. It also works on the brain and inhibits appetite from the brain. And the most important thing is that it optimizes insulin. That's why it's so important for diabetics. And even most of us who were overweight have a problem with insulin. Mm-hmm. So when insulin can be optimized, people can start burning fat.
So you said that they've been around for a number of years and in terms of being safe, the short answer is they're safe.
I believe that they're safe if they're used properly.
Mm-hmm. Well that's the key, right? Because so often now we see people just using it for weight loss, people who are not overweight necessarily using it. So let's talk about that. Who is a candidate for this? Are we going down a little bit of a dangerous path with having people who are already considered thin using drugs like Ozempic?
That's a very good question. So I practice in Manhattan and most of my patients are pretty sophisticated. And a lot of patients who come in are not really obese, but they are overweight. And you know, it's very important to look at someone's body fat composition. Someone may seem thin, but they have a very high body fat composition. So their body fat is higher than it really should be. And that can predict insulin resistance and it can also predict future diabetes and other health problems. So it's more, it's very important to not just look at somebody's B M I, right, which is their weight divided by height, but also their body fat.
And with any drug it's important to point out that drugs, including these do not replace eating, right? Eating healthy, exercising, those types of
Things. Correct? Correct. Uh, and it's very important for people to maintain healthy lifestyle. Mm-hmm. But so many people are told, all you have to do is eat healthy. All you have to do is work out and you should be thin and lean. And that may not be the case. So now it's such an exciting time to be in the field of weight loss medicine cuz we have answers for people, we can really help them.
There has been talks about concerns of a demand for this drug increasing because people wanna use it for weight loss, but people don't actually need it necessarily for a medical condition. What do you say to concerns like that?
Well I think that, uh, being overweight is a medical concern. You know, you don't wanna wait for a patient to become obese. Insulin resistance should be treated. Cuz as we said, those people can go on to develop problems. You don't want people using it for vanity, you know, so if a patient gets sent to my office and they just need to lose five pounds, I'm not gonna put them on one of these drugs.
I think that's such a key critical differential right there. Yeah,
Exactly.
That's not what the cost of they exp And are they covered by health insurance? And what happens if, you know, if it's prescribed as something for diabetes versus described for weight management through? Is there a differentiator? There's difference there when it comes to, uh, uh, coverage.
There really is. I mean, the insurance company is probably not gonna cover it unless the drug has been FDA approved for obesity. Now wavy has been, and that wavy is basically ozempic and the generic name is semaglutide that has been approved for obesity. How getting an insurance company to cover it is something else they might say, we want you to be of above a certain weight. They're gonna request medical records. And actually, I was on the media about this, how now some of the insurance companies are sending warning letters to doctors saying, don't you dare tell us if the patient has diabetes when they don't. I'm sure.
Sue Decotiis, MD
20 E 46th St., #1201
New York, NY 10017
Phone: [phone]
www.drdecotiis....
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