WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy. Those medications seem to be everywhere right now. In our new series, ‘A New Weigh of Life,’ NewsChannel7 will share the weight loss journey of three people and what GLP-1s do to the body.
How GLP-1s affect the body:
The medications mimic a hormone our body makes naturally called Glucagon-Like Peptide 1, or GLP-1.
Our bodies use that hormone as a signal, telling us we’re full. Normally, after you eat, those hormones stay in your body for five to ten minutes.
Dr. Dawn Belt Davis, a professor at UW-Madison for the Department of Medicine and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, says GLP-1 injections can keep those hormones in the body for up to a week after injections.
“They do it in a sustained way, so they continue to have that effect of reducing appetite,“ she said. ”It’s slowing down the gut and allowing that food to process more slowly.”
She says GLP-1s reduce food intake and make sure the body is using calories more effectively. They also improve metabolism.
GLP-1 drugs have been around for people with diabetes for about 20 years. They trigger insulin release from the body, lowering blood sugar levels.
However, over the past five years, they’ve started being used more for obesity.
“Obesity can impact the entire body and it can have some negative impacts across many different systems,” Dr. Davis said. “As a doctor who specializes in diabetes, the first one I think about is diabetes and blood sugar control. We know that weight loss, as little as, you know, 5% of your body weight, that can have a significant benefit in terms of reducing your risk for developing diabetes.”
Bobbi Birk-LaBarge’s Story:
To use GLP-1s for weight loss, you have to have a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or higher.
Bobbi Birk-LaBarge is someone who qualified for Ozempic. On it, she lost 50 pounds.
“I wasn’t afraid to take selfies,” she said. “I would get in pictures with people because they would notice I’d be out and about and they’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we haven’t seen you for so long. You’re looking so good. Did you lose weight?’”
Her quality of life was better, she had minimal side effects and she felt happier. However, after 14 months of weekly Ozempic injections, Bobbi lost insurance coverage for the drug.
“Even though your lab results have been the best that they’ve ever been, we’re not gonna cover that anymore. So there I was with nothing anymore,” Bobbi said.
Her cost for Ozempic went from $20 a month to over $1,000.
“I was absolutely devastated,” she said. “I felt like all the progress that I had made was put to the wayside and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
NewsChannel7 reached out to her insurance provider TeamCare, but they declined to say why they stopped covering Bobbi.
However, one employee told us over the phone that about a year ago, they stopped covering the medications if they were only being used for weight loss.
“So I was desperate. I was looking on the black market for anything similar to it. I was actually looking to see if anybody was selling their Ozempic,” Bobbi said.
She could no longer afford Ozempic. Just two weeks after she stopped taking it, she noticed she was gaining weight.
Out of desperation, she started using a third-party weight loss drug, which was three times cheaper than Ozempic.
“The challenge with that is, first of all, they’re not technically FDA regulated in that situation,” Dr. Davis said.
She said these third-party companies began making and selling GLP-1 medications when there was a shortage of them during COVID-19.
“So we don’t always know for sure that the medications are being made properly, that they’re at the correct dose, that they’re being prescribed in a way that is going to be absorbed correctly,” Dr. Davis explained.
“I had been on it and it wasn’t working,” Bobbi shared. “It wasn’t doing anything for me, so I knew it was not Ozempic, I knew it. I don’t even know what I was taking. That’s the scary thing.”
On this third-party drug, she was vomiting and noticed no changes to her body. She was also given the wrong dosage and was not followed up with by providers. Since April 2024, she has not been on any weight loss drugs.
“When I go to Florida this year, I might be able to put a bikini on at the age of 50 and walk around on the beach, and not feel like a beached whale, but yeah, that’s not happening. That got taken away from me.”
On Ozempic, Bobbi went from a size 18 to a size 10. Now, she’s back to 18.
“I just wanted to do it for me. So I’d have a better quality of life, lose weight, gain confidence—and that’s all gone again,” Bobbi said.
She’s tried multiple other diets, but she said Ozempic is the only thing that’s worked for her: “It’s like the golden ticket. It really is.”
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