SAN DIEGO — Medicare and Medicaid will begin covering certain GLP-1 medications in the summer. GLP-1 drugs were initially approved approximately 20 years ago as a treatment for diabetes.
More than 30 million people in the U.S. are currently taking GLP-1 medications. There are more than a dozen approved GLP-1 medications available today, including formulations in pill form. Patients taking GLP-1 drugs for diabetes experienced substantial weight loss as a secondary effect.
Gastrointestinal distress is a common side effect associated with GLP-1 medications. A small number of patients have reported experiencing anhedonia, a reduced ability to experience pleasure, while taking these medications. Carly Anderson, an online influencer, experienced chronic joint inflammation for several years. She created an online community called Just Wear the Suit, aimed at female empowerment and feeling comfortable in one's body. She reduced her mile running time by approximately one minute.
"I remember telling my husband, this is what it felt like to be old. I would wake up with severe back pain every single morning." She said. Many patients with private insurance face difficulty affording weekly GLP-1 injections. "It is mind-boggling how different I feel every day, every single day." she said.
Dr. Ania Jastreboff, an endocrinologist at Yale University, co-authored a book titled *Enough* with Oprah Winfrey, discussing obesity's causes and treatments. Jastreboff stated that treating obesity could impact a wide range of related diseases. "It's going to take a lot more time and more studies to really understand how treating obesity will impact those types of diseases, like cancer. By treating obesity, if we're impacting obesity and potentially 200 obesity-related diseases and complications, these medicines will save millions of lives." Jastreboff said. Obesity rates in the U.S. show a downward trend.