Oh the problems with this... so SOOOO many:
Yes it's expensive - the vast majority of people can't possibly afford these drugs without insurance paying for it.
Which brings up the issue of insurance policies concerning these drugs - the article claims that you may not see any results (weight loss) until you reach the highest dosages, which takes 5-6 months to reach. But if the insurance company doesn't see sufficient weight loss during that time, they'll cut you off. Which means that if you haven't been losing weight the whole time, you aren't likely to suddenly lose enough during that last month or two to remain in your insurance company's good graces to continue with the drug, so they'll deny coverage.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as less common side effects such as pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and kidney issues - claims that proper management of what you eat as well as specialists to treat these problems will somehow magically make all those side effects go away. From what I've seen, other drugs to control those side effects aren't very effective at all. (They also left out severe constipation because of how the drugs slow digestion) Insurance again enters the picture: how many insurers will pay a team of specialists long term to manage the drug side effects, without discontinuing coverage for the very drug that is causing the side effects?
Muscle loss early in the weight loss process, and you might not regain muscle when you (inevitably) regain weight after stopping the GLP-1: Ya think?
This just shows how ignorant the author is about how these drugs are prescribed:
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“It is common to experience gastrointestinal side effects when initiating these medications,” he said. “Side effects usually subside after four weeks or less but may return for about four weeks each time the dose is increased.”
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The drug dosage is increased every 4 weeks whether you've gotten used to the side effects or not, which means that until you've been on the highest dosage for 4 weeks, you could very well experience those side effects the entire time you're on the drug.
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If you do stop taking the medication, experts advise having a dietary program in place and cognitive support to override the potential cravings and increased hunger you may experience.
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Potential cravings? No... more like INTENSE, undeniable cravings for foods that provide the essential nutrients you're short on after months and months on an inadequate diet.
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“Obesity is a chronic disease, and it does not make sense to treat a chronic lifelong condition with a temporary treatment,” Isaacs said.
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So they somehow magically expect insurance to pay for 30-40 or more years of these drugs at $1,000+/month, assuming you reach your goal weight... but we've already seen that insurance will cut you off if you don't lose enough, quickly enough. They're not going to continue to pay that much every month just to keep you from regaining weight. And just like you can get used to the effects of lower dosages to the point where they no longer provide appetite control, you're also going to get used to the effects of the highest dosage, and that will not longer provide appetite control, so you'll end up gaining weight, even while on the drugs.
But let's go back to that monthly $1,000+ price tag for the drug itself: That's on top of payments to a team of specialists to control side effects, the cost of drugs needed to control the side effects, as well as any life threatening side effects, or side effects requiring surgery or otherwise requiring hospitalization.