Will I get in trouble?

Slick666

I’m overweight and I have type 1 diabetes. My weight is really getting me down, I’ve literally become a recluse as I find myself repulsive!! Anyways I asked my diabetes consultant about ozempic and he told me to try lose weight naturally. So I lost a stone in about 2 months by literally starving and of course I went back to normal eating and the stone is back on. I made an appointment with a weight specialist in Dublin whom I’m seeing in September about medication or surgery.

In the meantime Ive been researching online about medication and surgery and I came across a pharmacy online that let me buy Saxenda. I couldn’t believe it!! But today I got an email from the pharmacy’s legal team saying customs stopped my order as I need a prescription in this country Ireland for it. I knew that before I ordered but it let me order so i said I’d chance it. They asked for my permission to give customs my details… I replied saying just cancel my order please and can I have a refund! The order was coming from Slovenia. Would someone in customs have opened my package in Dublin airport?

Will I get into trouble over this??? Darn it!!! Sorry for the long winded post!!

FunkyChicken24

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058363985/will-i-get-in-trouble

I'm sorry that nobody answered you before. You should not get in any trouble especially as the medication was not sent and it was presumably only enough for personal use. If you had been trying to get a huge order in where it could look like you were planning on selling it then that would be cause for concern for the authorities.

I once got a letter from customs saying that my package of Melatonin had been seized because it needed a prescription but that was it. So I wouldn't worry.

As far as Ozempic/Saxenda is concerned, I am really sorry that your Diabetes specialist was so ignorant as to tell you to lose weight naturally. If you have the disease of overweight/obesity then it is not possible for us to lose weight naturally and keep it off, we will actually get heavier after dieting as our bodies are programmed to make us put on weight as a survival mechanism against famine. If you have diabetes you are actually "luckier" than those of us who have the disease of overweight/obesity but are NOT diabetic, as you are eligible for Ozempic (even better than Saxenda) on the medical card as it is very pricy to pay for privately and out of reach of most people.

I would definitely suggest trying the medication route before trying surgery. I paid for Ozempic privately until it was impossible to get any because of the shortages (plus I could really afford it anymore) and it changed my life! I was finally able to lose weight without the misery, stress and mental load of strict dieting. I finally had a normal appetite and wasn't craving carbs and high calorie foods anymore, I could live my life without thinking about food every second of the day. I lost 3 stone in a year, and felt fantastic but unfortunately I have put most of it back on since stopping. I am really hoping that I get approved by the HSE for Saxenda but the eligibility requirements are very high unfortunately.

You still need to do some work in that you need to make sure you don't have low quality, high calorie foods in your home and have lower calorie, healthier options available to yourself, plus you may have to counter some side effects by being smart about eating small amounts even when you don't feel like it to avoid nausea, drinking lots of water and maybe taking a fibre supplement to help reduce constipation. Of course exercise will be important too but it is a lot easier to get a habit going when you can actually see results and also when you lose weight it is more comfortable to exercise regularly.

I would highly reccommend going to talk to Dr Crotty in My Best Weight clinic as he is one of the country's experts in obesity medication and they have exercise and nutrition advice there too if you need it. The other partner in the clinic is Prof Carel le Roux, arguably Irelands foremost authority in Bariatric/Obesity medicine who teaches and does research in the area of obesity medication in UCD.

To be clear, I am not affiliated with them in any way, they were the clinic I found when I was looking into obesity medication and I found Prof le Roux who pointed me towards the clinic and where I was seen by Dr Crotty who prescribed me Ozempic. To be clear, they only prescribe to those who meet the criteria they are not a fly by night operation for someone looking to lose a couple of pounds. Dr Crotty is lovely and very knowledgable and they have a no shame approach to treating this disease.

Because you have diabetes, your regular GP should be able to re-write your prescription from Dr Crotty as a "green script" for the Medical Card so you should only need to pay for the follow ups with Dr Crotty as the medication is incredibly expensive if paid out of pocket and probably still impossible to get hold of unless you have diabetes.

I would also suggest that if you haven't yet done so already, ask your GP to refer you to the obesity management clinic. The waiting list is currently about 5 years long as until recently the only real option was bariatric surgery but once the supply levels of Wegovy and Mounjaro etc improve and they become available in this country then the waiting lists should shorten rapidly as most will be put on those medications due to how immediately successful they are for most people.

These medications are for life as this disease is lifelong, so it will be important for you to be registered with the clinic as a patient, so that you are eligible for these medications for life, plus if you are one of the very few unlucky people that these meds don't work well for then at least you are on the list for the surgery.

Lastly, try not to give yourself a hard time, although I can empathise with you. It is really important that you recognise that you have the disease of overwight/obesity and that you are not a bad person for being overweight. Be kind to yourself and good luck, I hope this helps 🤗

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058363985/will-i-get-in-trouble

I wouldn't worry. I doubt they sent anything, seems like a bit of a scam

Slick666

thanks for your reply. I’ve contacted them numerous times to try get my €60 back but nothing :(

Slick666

wow thanks so much for your brilliant reply. So I went back to my diabetes consultant this morning and he agreed to start me on ozempic 0.25. I must have rang 20 pharmacies, no one has the 0.25 dose. Some have the 0.5 and 1 dose. My local pharmacy said if my doctor alters my prescription I can start on 0.5, I’m afraid il be as sick as a dog though starting on 0.5. I really don’t know what to do. I was thinking of asking my consultant to prescribe me something similar to ozempic that works the same and is more readily available.

I made an appointment with My Best Weight about 2 months ago and I’ve actually a phone consultation this Tuesday with Dr Mondoh. I was thinking of cancelling on Monday since my consultant prescribed ozempic but I think I will still see Dr Mondoh on Tuesday to see what he says. I’ve read about the gastric balloon option to lose weight and it seems very non invasive so could be helpful. Or maybe Dr Mondoh will prescribe an alternative to ozempic.

Lord it’s all very confusing, il talk to My Best Weight and see what they say, no harm I guess besides the cost. I also didn’t realise ozempic is so expensive, I’d be paying privately. Ahhh why did I let myself put on so much weight these last few years 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

CW2022

your gp can prescribe saxenda or Lyods pharmacy have an online service to prescribe

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122567246#Comment_122567246

There is no .25mg pen anymore afaik. The .5 pen dispenses both .25 and .5 doses.

https://www.ozempic.com/how-to-take/ozempic-dosing.html