GLP-1

[MOMITCHE]

Anyone using any of the GLP-1 agonists such as Zepbound, Wegovy, Moungaro, etc.
Saw one brief study in Japan which said there are some good results for MC.
Looking into it with my doctor.
Thanks

[tex]

Hello Momitche,

I'm not a user, but I thought I would welcome you to the group. This currently appears to be a promising area of research regarding IBD. It will be interesting to see how things develop.

Again, welcome to the group, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[Sue777]

Well then.... let's bring this topic back to life! (Hi everyone, nice to see so many old familiar names still here!)

I never ever dreamed I would be tempted to take a med to help me lose weight as I am deathly afraid of medications and don't even take Ibuprofen or Tylenol unless someone makes me. But I have seen so many incredible results from others who have struggled with their weight and I get so jealous that I started reading and researching more about how and why this seems to work for some people. "Slows down motility of food through the system"???? That sounds like the fantasy of everyone with microscopic colitis! Constipation as a side effect? Yes, please, I have no idea what it's like to be constipated! Being able to eat salad, fruits and vegetables again to help bring on a BM??? OMG, sounds like a dream - I so miss salad and veggies.

It's also supposed to help keep blood glucose levels more stable? I have been a reactive hypoglycemic all of my adult life and would LOVE to not have such severe swings of my BG levels. And if I lost a few pounds and lost my urge to eat all the time? What a bonus that would be.

So anyway..... now I'm excited at the potential prospect of maybe trying this one day. I wrote to my nurse practioner (don't have a primary care doctor anymore) to get her thoughts on using semaglutide and she referred me to a nutritionist to discuss it. But all the nutritionists I spoke to said they can't prescribe it and tried to sell me their wellness package instead. So today I wrote a message to my GI doc, asking him what he knows, if anything, about the potential for GLP-1 / semaglutide to help with colitis. I hope to hear from him by Monday or Tuesday and if someone reminds me I will post here what he says.

Trying not to get excited about the potential of something that might help with colitis, but it's darn hard not to get excited!
Sue

[tex]

Hi Sue,

There is evidence to show that because GLP-1 drugs have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects, they might be useful for treating IBD's. Of course actual proof in the form of clinical trials is not yet available. And since these drugs commonly cause gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and can occasionally cause pancreatitis, intestinal blockage, and gastroparesis, clinical trials are urgently needed in order to evaluate side effect risks for IBD patients. Of course, many MC patients normally have to deal with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pancreatitis, and gastroparesis, anyway, so that risk might be irrelevant.

There are studies showing indirect evidence of their beneficial effects for IBD patients in research studies such as the one at the following link, where the researchers interpreted their study results as:

In patients with IBD and type 2 diabetes, we observed a lower risk of adverse clinical events amongst patients treated with GLP-1 based therapies compared with treatment with other antidiabetics. These findings suggest that treatment with GLP-1 based therapies may improve the disease course of IBD.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8343256/

There's certainly a possibility that GLP-1 drugs may be the future of medical IBD treatments, and based on the personal issues that you mentioned, you appear to be a candidate for an experiment, if you don't object to playing the part of a medical guinea pig. But we're all guinea pigs, anyway, since we're using diet (an officially unapproved method) to control our MC symptoms.

Tex

[Sue777]

Thanks, Tex, for the prompt and very useful reply. I think I am willing to give it a shot (literally) if I can find a doctor willing to do the trial with me and manage my dosage, symptoms, progress, etc. I'm hoping the GI doc is game but if not, I will reach out to my physician's assistant again to see if she will prescribe the lowest dose possible.

Normally those side effects would keep me from ever attempting this, but as you mentioned, some of us pretty much live with that every day anyway, right? And now that I am semi-retired and work from home, feeling lousy for a few days isn't the crisis it would have been a few years ago, ya know?

I'll keep you posted, and thanks for the link, I may share that with my GI doc.
Sue

[tex]

This should be a very interesting and educational project, if you're able to get a prescription. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best.

Tex

[Sue777]

I still have tons of research to do on exactly what semaglutide is, what it's affects on other body parts may be, what drug interactions there may be, etc. I'm especially interested in whether or not it affects neurological funtioning at all - I do NOT want to put anything in my body that might bring my anxiety back or rev up my metabolism. Took me decades to get anxiety under control and I don't want any one or any thing messing with that!

The other issue is cost - gotta figure out a way to get it as cheaply as possible ("cheaply" being relative because it's so expensive) and make sure that I get a verified, validated product, not some knock off from a spa or med lab, ya know?
Sue

[Weepy1001]

many MC patients normally have to deal with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pancreatitis, and gastroparesis
I’ve had all these symptoms!!!! 2.5 plus years…..
Currently gluten free diet is the choice I have made!!!
Almost ceasing to thrive with little nutrition……