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Weight Loss News February 2024

by Kevin Jones | Feb 4, 2024

Crater Lake from the North. February 3, 2024

In this update:

Feeling cold or tired while losing weight? We have some tips!
Save money with monthly billing
Nutritional coaching available – a great complement to medical weight loss. Karin is highly reviewed by our patients.

Feeling cold and tired while taking medical weight loss medication?

These symptoms can be a common side effect while on weight loss medication. Please check out our latest blog post to learn more about why this occurs and how to treat these symptoms. Topics discussed include how extra calories generate heat in the body and how shifting food metabolism can cause changes in energy levels. Also reviewed is how to counteract these side effects.

Monthly billing update:

This is an optional opportunity to save money and have the medication mailed to your house. Your credit card will be charged monthly, and the medication will be mailed from the pharmacy via FedEx or UPS directly to your house. We aim to have the medication delivered within a few days of your billing date. You should receive tracking information from the pharmacy when the medication is shipped. You can stop anytime though we ask for one week notice before your billing date.

The medication will be shipped with ice packs which may not be cold when you receive your shipment. Please place the vials in your refrigerator when the package arrives. Please contact your clinician if you wish to change your dose for the next month. If you would like to start this program, please contact your treating clinician.

Nutrition coaching

Feel you could benefit from a personal nutrition coach to ensure your success? Nutrition coaching is a phenomenal addition to semaglutide and tirzepatide treatments, ensuring that you have the tools and resources you need to optimize your weight loss results, in addition to maintaining progress when you are tapering off or completing treatments.

Karin Allumbaugh is a functional medicine nutritionist who specializes in nutrition as it relates to hormones, weight loss, blood sugar and blood pressure regulation, as well as overall gut health. Incorporating nutrition coaching can help minimize set-backs and cravings during your medical-assisted diet therapy, and also aid in your progress beyond therapy. Through nutrition coaching you will receive optimized diet and nutrition recommendations to maximize metabolism and continued weight loss. You will have regular follow-ups to ensure your continued progress. You will learn tools to deal with any setbacks that may come your way- things like celebrations and events, challenging family members, mindset, and tips for maintaining motivation. And finally, we’ll make sure you have a good plan for incorporating exercise in a way that enhances your progress AND brings you joy. Programs can range from 1 to 6 months, for as little as $399. To learn more, head to: https://www.thrivenaturalnutrition.com/weight-loss Appointments are available virtually or in-person in Bend, Oregon.

GLP-1 Medication in the News

Concerns about semaglutide and mental health unsubstantiated:

We see this commonly in medicine when new medications are introduced: potential adverse effects are proven to be unfounded. A new study suggests that this is likely the case with earlier reports about possible adverse effects semaglutide may have on mental health. Reports of suicidal thinking were made to the FDA in patients taking semaglutide in the earlier years that this medication was on the market. This led to cautionary statements about an association between semaglutide and worsening mood. However, a recent study in the prominent journal Nature Medicine found that this concern over increased risk of suicidal thinking was not in fact substantiated when specifically studied. Moreover, the researchers actually found that there was a somewhat decreased risk of suicidal thoughts among patients taking semaglutide. Link to article.

These findings prompted an FDA press release walking back their prior statements about caution with semaglutide (and GLP-1 agents in general) in patients with mood disorders or history of suicidal thinking.

We certainly encourage patients to report any potential side effects to their prescribing clinician and primary care provider and seek support from a mental health provider for mental health concerns. 988 is also a free, 24-hour, national crisis hotline that can be used for mental health emergencies. However, the best medical evidence currently suggests that there is no reason for concerns about GLP-1 agents and adverse effects on mental health.