Who Is the Youngest GLP-1 User in Your Circle?

[dickybob]

That earlier response doesn't reflect how things actually work. Food manufacturers have leaned on science to engineer products specifically so we keep wanting to eat, eat, eat. And it worked. Put just about anyone on the standard American diet and the pounds will come. If shedding weight and keeping it off were truly simple, we wouldn't rank among the most obese nations on earth. I've tried dieting, eaten both healthy and unhealthy food, and exercised, yet eventually the weight came back and then some. Carrying extra weight does psychological harm at any age, but from roughly 13 to 25 it hits especially hard. Why set a 16-year-old up to fail? Use what actually works, GLP_1'S, and stop acting like enough willpower and self discipline will let this 16-year-old lose the weight and keep it off long term.

 

[QueenMuntha]

Kique03 said:

My 12-year-old niece was prescribed a GLP-1 by her Doctor due to her weight and family history of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes runs in the family — her Mom, older brother, and sister all have it. The prescription was for Wegovy.

It's impressive that a doctor would acknowledge how serious that child's situation is. Without the weight of obesity stigma following her around, her life is likely to be richer and more complete. That's a forward-thinking practitioner.

 

[RubbaDubba1]

Shittersfull said:

RubbaDubba1 said:

tedvio said:

Curious about the youngest individual you're aware of who's taking a GLP-1. Our 19-year-old is significantly overweight. We've gone through the standard approaches—dieting, sessions with a dietitian, a personal trainer, and so on. Occasionally there's short-term success, but they're unable to maintain it. I'm left wondering whether we're essentially penalizing them by withholding the 'tools' that are now on the market to assist...

I could fill an entire book with what I've been through on this. From the time I was in cubscouts, as far back as I can remember, I dealt with a lot of the same stuff. My dad was set on not having big kids, yet I ended up 3X the man he figured I'd become — close to 600lbs by the end. Twice I chose to make a change for my health: first weight loss surgery, then tirzepatide. What got through to me was tough love — and it came from someone outside my everyday circle, not from my parents. If there's a way to show them what life looks like 10-20-30 years down the road, and that the weight doesn't just disappear — all the health issues waiting, plus the money it costs (speaking from my own experience) — maybe that flips the switch.

400lbs down, Fourteen surgeries behind me, with 3-5 more expected over the next few years based on how things look and feel. For context, I'm in my mid 50's and have spent my whole working life in production enviroments, always on my feet. How I wish Tirzepatide had been available to me at 19!

Wishing you luck!

Honestly, you're a textbook case for why glp access needs to be way wider. Sounds like you've dealt with a ton. Ideally, stories like yours won't happen down the road — that's my hope, anyway.

Triz versus weight loss surgery: setting aside the operation itself and the recovery period, could you break down how the two compare for us? I was actually looking into surgery back before I'd ever heard of glp's.

Sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for, and it took me a while to reply. My experience with WLS has been pretty smooth overall — for reference, I had the VSG, also called the sleeve. Nearly 90% of my stomach was removed, so what I have is restriction only, not a bypass. A few years down the line, I did have my Gallbladder taken out. Still, the 2 are extremely alike in most respects, which is kind of strange when you think about it. After my WLS, I went through/tried all 3 GLP-1's and, like many people on this board, ended up on the Tirz to shed most of my weight. The wls never gave me any complications or problems.

The big (hehe) or nice part is that the sleeve never turns off — there's no dosing and no tapering effect as the week goes on. It stays with you permanently, (17 years in my case) unlike the Roux-en-Y, whose bypass effect diminishes over time. The Duodenal Switch is great when it's done properly and can hold up very well long-term without losing its bypass effect. One thing you may never have read or heard about the Duodenal is that some patients leave the hospital after surgery and no longer need Insulin, because they were diabetic. I knew several people in our support group this happened to as well. (Yes, I attended a support group for big people, for 5 years no less)

During the intial 6 month to 1 year, weight loss is likely greater (I lost 300lbs in one year) than with the GLP-1's. People have to ramp up their doseage overtime, and then it seems like the big numbers come later on. There are probably alot fewer bathroom issues with the glp's, and I think your blood work is more wonky during that 1-2 year period until your body figures the surgery out. The 1st year or 2 were called the honey moon period, because whatever you ate didn't matter and you never gained weight. I feel like you get full alot faster, especially with dense meat; pasta, mcdonalds fries kill! I get a runny nose and hiccup like an SOB — that's my barometer to stop eating or slow down. I have family who had this done and they deal with the same issues as me, probably easier to throw up. You get a gag reflex a supermodel would pay to have.

I'm happy to answer more questions, I just tend to babble alot. I hope that answers some things you were wondering about.

 

[Neurogroot]

I did a bit of searching (though I’ll admit it wasn’t very thorough), and I started thinking: since dopamine signaling can lead to reduced neuron activity, could that be a problem for a child whose brain is still developing? I realize that carrying extra weight brings its own mental and emotional difficulties, but I’m left wondering which situation carries the greater risk.

 

[Shittersfull]

RubbaDubba1 said:

Shittersfull said:

RubbaDubba1 said:

tedvio said:

Curious about the youngest individual you're aware of who's taking a GLP-1. Our 19-year-old is significantly overweight. We've gone through the standard approaches—dieting, sessions with a dietitian, a personal trainer, and so on. Occasionally there's short-term success, but they're unable to maintain it. I'm left wondering whether we're essentially penalizing them by withholding the 'tools' that are now on the market to assist...

I could fill an entire book with what I've been through on this. From the time I was in cubscouts, as far back as I can remember, I dealt with a lot of the same stuff. My dad was set on not having big kids, yet I ended up 3X the man he figured I'd become — close to 600lbs by the end. Twice I chose to make a change for my health: first weight loss surgery, then tirzepatide. What got through to me was tough love — and it came from someone outside my everyday circle, not from my parents. If there's a way to show them what life looks like 10-20-30 years down the road, and that the weight doesn't just disappear — all the health issues waiting, plus the money it costs (speaking from my own experience) — maybe that flips the switch.

400lbs down, Fourteen surgeries behind me, with 3-5 more expected over the next few years based on how things look and feel. For context, I'm in my mid 50's and have spent my whole working life in production enviroments, always on my feet. How I wish Tirzepatide had been available to me at 19!

Wishing you luck!

Honestly, you're a textbook case for why glp access needs to be way wider. Sounds like you've dealt with a ton. Ideally, stories like yours won't happen down the road — that's my hope, anyway.

Triz versus weight loss surgery: setting aside the operation itself and the recovery period, could you break down how the two compare for us? I was actually looking into surgery back before I'd ever heard of glp's.

Sorry if this isn't what you were hoping for, and it took me a while to reply. My experience with WLS has been pretty smooth overall — for reference, I had the VSG, also called the sleeve. Nearly 90% of my stomach was removed, so what I have is restriction only, not a bypass. A few years down the line, I did have my Gallbladder taken out. Still, the 2 are extremely alike in most respects, which is kind of strange when you think about it. After my WLS, I went through/tried all 3 GLP-1's and, like many people on this board, ended up on the Tirz to shed most of my weight. The wls never gave me any complications or problems.

The big (hehe) or nice part is that the sleeve never turns off — there's no dosing and no tapering effect as the week goes on. It stays with you permanently, (17 years in my case) unlike the Roux-en-Y, whose bypass effect diminishes over time. The Duodenal Switch is great when it's done properly and can hold up very well long-term without losing its bypass effect. One thing you may never have read or heard about the Duodenal is that some patients leave the hospital after surgery and no longer need Insulin, because they were diabetic. I knew several people in our support group this happened to as well. (Yes, I attended a support group for big people, for 5 years no less)

During the intial 6 month to 1 year, weight loss is likely greater (I lost 300lbs in one year) than with the GLP-1's. People have to ramp up their doseage overtime, and then it seems like the big numbers come later on. There are probably alot fewer bathroom issues with the glp's, and I think your blood work is more wonky during that 1-2 year period until your body figures the surgery out. The 1st year or 2 were called the honey moon period, because whatever you ate didn't matter and you never gained weight. I feel like you get full alot faster, especially with dense meat; pasta, mcdonalds fries kill! I get a runny nose and hiccup like an SOB — that's my barometer to stop eating or slow down. I have family who had this done and they deal with the same issues as me, probably easier to throw up. You get a gag reflex a supermodel would pay to have.

I'm happy to answer more questions, I just tend to babble alot. I hope that answers some things you were wondering about.

I really appreciate you telling me this. It's quite fascinating. I'll likely come back to you with additional questions down the line. I'm still taking in what you're saying.

 

[lessthanhalf]

Neurogroot said:

I did a bit of searching (though I’ll admit it wasn’t very thorough), and I started thinking: since dopamine signaling can lead to reduced neuron activity, could that be a problem for a child whose brain is still developing? I realize that carrying extra weight brings its own mental and emotional difficulties, but I’m left wondering which situation carries the greater risk.

I'm quite convinced that obesity on its own harms the brain circuits governing hunger and weight regulation, and the damage may not be reversible. On top of that, it clearly carries long-term physical harm, and perhaps most crucially at that age, long-term social harm: for instance, obese individuals earn less, and they tend not to be chosen early for sports teams. Being bullied, or simply facing social stigma, probably leaves lasting effects, particularly when it persists and starts young.

So although it could interfere with reward circuitry, and perhaps even injure it, I find it difficult to accept that this would be worse than the condition it aims to fix, at least in cases of more severe obesity. And I doubt physicians would prescribe GLP's to a teen who is overweight rather than obese, unless a weight-related illness such as diabetes is present. For mild overweight or purely cosmetic/looksmaxxing purposes, the case is far more dubious given those possible unknown longer-term effects.