Mounjaro for weight loss
This is the newest injectable medication for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, and it joins a rapidly advancing class of obesity medications that target specific hormonal receptors in the body. .
These medications are revolutionizing the medical treatment of obesity. They are markedly more effective than prior medications. In fact, Mounjaro (terzepatide) represents the most effective obesity medication ever developed note that at the time of writing this, Mounjaro (terzepatide) is not yet FDA approved for the treatment of obesity. It is approved for the treatment of diabetes and we anticipate FDA approval for obesity in the coming months.
Weight Loss Medications Review Old and New
let’s briefly review the current FDA approved weight loss medications just to establish a framework for this discussion, phentermine, which has been available since the 1950s leads to an average weight loss of about five percent of body weight.
If you combine phentermine with topiramate, which is a migraine medication that makes a brand name kusemia, that combination can produce an average of around eight to ten percent weight loss now contrave, which is a combination of bupropion, an antidepressant and naltrexone. An addiction prevention. The medication produces around four to five percent weight loss, sexenda, which was the first injectable weight loss. Medication was approved back in 2014 and this leads to an average weight loss of about eight percent of body weight.
Now the next medication that was approved by the FDA for the treatment of obesity was a full seven years later, and that was we govi, which is cemagletide 2.4 milligrams, and this was improved in 2021 and was a major leap in efficacy. Producing an average weight loss of about 15 percent at one year and that’s with a once weekly injection, so that’s nearly double the weight loss that we saw with saxenda. Now we go the targets and boosts a hormone known as glucagon like peptide, 1 or glp1. This is a critical hormone that controls weight through the brain and through the digestive tract, so higher levels of glp1 lead to less appetite a prolonged sense of satiety, and ultimately weight loss.
These medications also help to manage glucose levels and that’s why they’re also effective for the treatment of diabetes.
How does Mounjaro (terzepatide) work like cemaglotide?
It also targets the glp1 receptor to boost glp levels, but it also targets a second receptor known as gip. The actions of glp1 and gip are synergistic, so they actually boost the effect of each other. So terzepatide combines the actions of glp1 and gip receptors, leading to greater overall weight loss.
What is the average weight loss with terzepatide?
The recently published, surmount trial established the efficacy of trizepative for weight loss. This was a phase three randomized controlled study of 2539 people and they were randomized to receive either terzepatide or placebo. Furthermore, terzepatide was evaluated at three different strengths: five milligrams, 10 milligrams and 15 milligrams. So, after 72 weeks of treatment, the following results were seen with placebo
The average weight loss was three percent. It’s about what we’d expect, with just kind of diet and exercise with five milligrams of terzepatide, the average weight loss was 15 percent, with 10 milligrams of terzepatide that weight loss increased to 19 percent and at 15 milligrams the average weight loss was a remarkable 20.
9 Percent as a reminder with we govi the previous weight loss leader, the average weight loss was 15 percent.
How is Mounjaro (trezepatide) taken?
Terzepatite is taken as a once weekly injection, the medication comes supplied in a pre-filled pen, there’s no visible needle and patients use the medication.
Side Effects;
Once per week, patients taking terzepatide can experience some side effects. In fact, the most common side effects are gastrointestinal in nature.
This is very similar to the side effects seen with cemagletide. They include nausea, diarrhea and constipation. Most of these are mild and transient occurring during that dose escalation period in that same surmount trial that i mentioned up to seven percent of patients actually needed to stop their treatment due to these side effects
Other very rare side effects could include pancreatitis gallbladder disease, though these were actually no more frequent with terzepatide than with placebo in that same trial.
Who is a good candidate for terzepatide?
Once terzepatide is FDA, approved for the treatment of obesity? A good candidate would be an adult with a body mass index of greater than 30 or greater than 27, with an obesity-related medical condition such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea. Candidates for this medication must be willing and comfortable to use an injectable medication on a weekly basis.
This is critically important. You must be willing to use this long term.
Obesity is a chronic and relapsing condition, and we must treat it as such. So this is not a medication that you should take for a short time and then stop once you start it. You really want to remain on it, assuming it’s working for you and you’re tolerating it well.
Patients with obesity and diabetes may ultimately be the best candidates for Mounjaro (terzepatide), because it targets both of these conditions and may allow patients to wean off of other diabetes medications, such as insulin, which actually promote weight gain. Terzepatite is unquestionably a breakthrough.
An average weight loss of 20 or more is remarkable and significantly higher than any prior medication. We know that health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, begin to improve and even resolve when someone loses 10 percent of their body weight. So, with this medication, the average patient will lose double that.
So when you recognize that the average weight loss with bariatric surgery, which is the most effective obesity treatment by far, is around 25 to 30 percent of body weight, the numbers we’re seeing with Mounjaro (terzepatide) are truly impressive. Unfortunately, we know that patients really don’t want bariatric surgery, in fact of those who would be eligible, only one percent ever pursue it, so these alternative options are essential if we’re going to tackle the obesity epidemic.
So all of this is very exciting and terzepatide represents an immensely promising medication for obesity and diabetes treatment, but there are definite barriers and obstacles for patients now first and most importantly, is cost. We saw this with wigovi. The immense initial enthusiasm was clearly tampered by the cost of the medication, with the average out-of-pocket monthly cost greater than one thousand dollars, it’s simply not financially viable. We kind of anticipate the same thing with Mounjaro (terzepatide).
This is the biggest obstacle in the united states.
It’s clear that investing in obesity treatment will pay huge dividends, improving and reversing obesity and all of its related medical conditions. Ultimately, that leads to decreased health care costs. Unfortunately, insurers have a very short-sighted view of obesity treatment.
Does insurance cover Mounjaro (terzepatide)?
Insurers tend to view obesity as a problem of willpower rather than a disease, and that is blatantly wrong.
Obesity is a disease and must be treated as such,
what type of support is needed for patients who are using Mounjaro (terzepatide)
trazepatite is best provided by a comprehensive weight loss facility. This means a physician or medical provider who is obesity, medicine trained and skilled at managing obesity and its related conditions. Further patients must have access to nutrition support. A licensed dietitian in particular, will be best able to assist patients in their weight loss journey.
Optimizing nutrition and improving behavior over time and a structured exercise.
Regimen will only further enhance the health and weight loss benefits. So, ultimately, a comprehensive program is essential for patients to fully succeed with Mounjaro (terzepatide) here at our weight loss clinic. We are thrilled to see new and more effective options for patients with obesity, whether used alone or in combination with the weight loss procedure. The newest class of obesity medications such as terzepatide is truly making an impact after many years of stagnation in obesity treatments with the advent of newer medications, as well as less invasive weight loss procedures.
There are now multiple effective options for patients who don’t desire bariatric surgery for more information on weight, loss, medications, obesity treatment and non-surgical weight loss options chat with us or call us today.
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