New Obesity Drugs Come With a Side Effect of Shaming
Eileen Isotalo was always able to lose weight, but always gained it back. Now 66, her first diet was with Weight Watchers at age 14. She went on to try one diet after another and bought so many books on weight loss that she thinks she has more than the public library.
In desperation, she finally went to a weight management clinic at the University of Michigan. She had sleep apnea and aching knees, but could not curb her appetite.
“It’s just this drive to eat,” said Ms. Isoltalo, a retired interior design coordinator. “It’s almost like this panic feeling when you start craving food.”
“My mental shame was profound,” she said.
Now, though, since she started taking Wegovy, one of a new class of drugs for obesity that was prescribed by her doctor at the clinic, those cravings are gone. She has lost 50 pounds and jettisoned the dark clothes she wore to hide her body. Her obesity-related medical problems have vanished along with much of the stigma that caused her to retreat from family and friends.
Source: The New York Times
