Weighing Your Obesity Treatment Options: Ozempic, ESG, And More

Weight problems is a power, relapsing situation that always wants medical intervention past food regimen and way of life modifications. Lately, there’s been an unbelievable and promising improve in therapy choices to assist sufferers shed extra pounds, enhance their metabolic well being, and lead fuller, happier lives.

However these choices might be overwhelming. With a lot data on the market, how do you select the therapy choice that’s best for you? Out of the tens of millions of People annually who’re eligible for bariatric surgical procedures reminiscent of gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and adjustable gastric banding, only one p.c select to go below the knife. Regardless of its efficacy, surgical procedure is solely not a fascinating choice for most individuals trying to deal with their weight problems.

That leaves two therapy routes: GLP-1 weight reduction drugs like Ozempic. Mounjaro and non-surgical procedures such because the endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG). Let’s take a better have a look at every of those choices and their implications for sufferers who wish to preserve weight reduction over the long run.

There are a number of weight reduction drugs at present available on the market for treating weight problems. Ozempic and Wegovy are each injectable types of semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which will increase insulin and insulin sensitivity to enhance blood sugar management, curbs urge for food, promotes emotions of fullness, and prevents the liver from releasing extra sugar into the bloodstream.

Mounjaro and Zepbound take these advantages one step additional, by focusing on two main hormones chargeable for blood sugar management – GLP-1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide. Due to this twin intervention, sufferers expertise higher weight reduction on Mounjaro than semaglutide alone.

Nonetheless, weight reduction drugs have important downsides. For one, they’re meant for use long-term; whereas they deal with sort 2 diabetes and weight problems, they’re not a remedy. When you cease taking them, your extra weight and power circumstances will return. In reality, analysis has confirmed that after discontinuing these drugs, most sufferers will regain two thirds of the burden they’ve misplaced inside only one 12 months.

Second, they’re very costly. Many well being insurers not cowl weight-loss drugs or solely cowl a number of months’ provide, which once more, shouldn’t be how these drugs are designed for use. With out insurance coverage, Ozempic comes with a hefty price ticket of about $935 per weekly dose.

Third, the recognition growth of weight reduction drugs lately has led to shortages and provide inconsistencies that current important challenges to individuals who depend on them as upkeep drugs.

Fortunately, there are secure and efficient non-surgical alternate options to weight reduction drugs. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) and gastric balloons are non-invasive weight reduction procedures that supply comparable outcomes to bariatric surgical procedure with out the dangers and longer restoration instances related to main surgical procedure.

An ESG process is carried out utterly endoscopically, with out the necessity for any belly incisions. Your doctor will insert an endoscope (a versatile tube with a digicam and suturing system on the top) down your throat and into your abdomen, suturing your abdomen from the within. The process solely takes about 30 to 45 minutes and reduces the dimensions of your abdomen by 70 to 80 p.c. Most sufferers return residence the identical day with minimal restoration time and negative effects – and are again to their common routines inside days.

Gastric balloons are additionally a confirmed weight reduction surgical procedure different. They’ve been used to deal with weight problems for 20 years, which has led to important enhancements to their design and efficacy. The process solely takes about quarter-hour and entails the location of a small silicone balloon in your abdomen that’s stuffed with saline to take up area. The balloon stays in place for six to eight months, resulting in speedy, important weight reduction. The process might be carried out below sedation (with out the necessity for basic anesthesia) and is totally reversible.

Gastric balloons make you’re feeling full quicker and restrict your meals consumption. The ORBERA® and Spatz3 gastric balloons utilized by True You Weight Loss are each glorious selections for jumpstarting your weight reduction journey.

General, endoscopic weight reduction procedures have a number of benefits over anti-obesity drugs, together with:

Entry and affordability

Weight reduction medicationsare merely not accessible to most individuals, both on account of their excessive price ticket or the instability of the availability chain. It’s not unusual for somebody to spend 1000’s of {dollars} to shed extra pounds on Ozempic, solely to achieve all of it again once they can not discover the drug at their native pharmacy, or when their medical insurance firm stops masking it. For many sufferers, the annual value of taking widespread GLP-1 drugs exceeds $15,000.

Against this, with a non-surgical weight reduction process, you’re making a one-time funding in outcomes that final. [CS1] There are a number of financing choices accessible, beginning at simply $217 per thirty days. This contains limitless medical follow-up and a 12 months of individualized vitamin counseling – all designed to assist assist you and guarantee long-term weight reduction success.