A physician who experimented with weight loss injections has shared an unpleasant side effect he encountered.
GLP-1 medications are designed to assist individuals with type two diabetes in controlling their blood sugar levels.
While some GLP-1 drugs are specifically for diabetic patients, others, such as Mounjaro, are also prescribed for people aiming to lose weight by reducing their appetite.
However, these medications are not without risks, as one doctor discovered when he decided to try them himself.
Dr. David A. Kessler has had a noteworthy career in public health, serving nearly a decade as Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in the 1990s, and later as the chief science officer of the White House Covid-19 Response Team. Despite his accomplishments, he has struggled with his weight since his college days.
Dr. Kessler admits that although he understands how to advocate for a healthy lifestyle, he didn’t always follow his own advice during medical school, often consuming French fries and salted roast beef to sustain his late-night study sessions.
He mentioned gaining 20 to 40 pounds quickly but eventually losing it through a strict low-carb, high-protein diet combined with regular exercise.
However, the weight gradually returned, and his previous methods were no longer effective, leading him to test out the new ‘fat loss jabs.’
In his latest book, Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine: The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight, Dr. Kessler disclosed that he lost an impressive 60 pounds over seven months with the injections but cautioned about an uncomfortable side effect.
In an interview with NPR, he explained that GLP-1 drugs are effective in teaching users how to eat by enhancing the sensation of fullness after a small meal.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that this fullness can be uncomfortable, likening it to feeling ‘on the edge of nausea.’
Continuing to eat despite this sensation can lead to further issues, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, or even hypoglycemia, which may necessitate emergency medical treatment.
Dr. Kessler explained that this is part of the drug’s mechanism: “If you know that if you put anything else in that stomach that’s going to cause distress, you become conditioned to not to put more food in your stomach.”
He also expressed that drug manufacturers and the FDA need to inform consumers about potential risks, stating: “I don’t think the companies have leveled with the American public on how these drugs work.”
“The companies and the FDA, no one’s identified an endgame with these drugs,” he added, noting the lack of guidance for patients on discontinuing the drugs and maintaining a healthy weight.
Despite these concerns, Dr. Kessler acknowledges that GLP-1 drugs have ‘changed the landscape of weight loss’ and, while they don’t address the ‘root cause’ of obesity, they are ‘effective tools’ for the time being.