I’m still using Ozempic. Back in February 2023, I was 270 lbs. By May, I was 248. It’s slowed down a little, but:
241.
I’m still happy with the progress. That’s a decent amount of time to be slowly losing weight. I’d like to keep it going. There is a bit of a roadblock, though, and it’s the damn cost. It’s close to $1,000 a month. If I wanted to increase dosage to maintain effectiveness, it just means more money. In all this time, my insurance has not relented. They haven’t covered one penny of the costs. That’s annoying. My literal doctor prescribed this medication for my health and well-being. She thinks I’m a good candidate. I’m overweight. This thing helps that.
I’m on UnitedHealthcare CU5A/N61S via SimplyInsured. I mention that because it feels like it might be plan-related. If anyone knows, I’m all ears.
Ozempic is a semaglutide drug, and there are others. I did a quick round of research to see if there were any notable list price differences.
| Drug | List Price | “For” Weight Loss | Notes | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | $935.77 | ❌ | Currently using at 1mg/week. I’d go up in dose if it was feasible. | 💉 |
| Mounjaro | $1,023.04 | ❌ | Shown to be slightly more effective than Ozempic. Anecdotally I know more success stories with Mounjaro. | 💉 |
| Wegovy | $1,349.02 | ✅ | Actually approved for weight loss by FDA. | 💉 |
| Saxenda | $1,349.02 | ✅ | “Liraglutide” instead of semaglutide, daily injection. | 💉 |
| Trulicity | $930.88 | ❌ | “Dulaglutide” whatever that is. | 💉 |
| Rybelsus | $915.73 | ❌ | Still a semaglutide | 💊 |
| Metformin | $29 | ❌ | First-choice drug for Type 2 diabetes, but doesn’t have the weight loss effects. | 💊 |
Long story short: if there are any weight loss effects to the drug at all, it’s a thousand bucks a month.
Because Wegovy is approved for weight loss, my doctor gave me a prescription for that to try to run at the pharmacy against my insurance — immediate nope. The pharmacist said it was a “plan block”, which I don’t entirely understand, but I assume it means that these drugs are just 100% not covered with this insurance, no matter what.
I’ve tried one other thing.
I was recommended this online health company called Marek Health. I went through the whole process with them, which included very comprehensive lab work and a Zoom doctor consult. They, too, were happy to offer a semaglutide drug to me, so I did that instead of Ozempic for one month. Their version doesn’t have a brand name. It comes from a “compounding pharmacy” called Empower. It comes in a generic brown vial, and you have to buy your own needles to administer it as it doesn’t come with the handy “pen” style injectors that are common to this drug. You’d think all those choices would make it cheaper, but no, they charge $1,100 a month just for the drug, the shipping is extra, the needles are extra, and you have to get “panels” done every few months in order to continue the prescriptions. It’s not a good system for this. (Although the fact that you can get it all done without leaving your house I’m sure makes it worth it for many.)
My next stop is Canadian pharmacies. My doctor recommended one to try, so I’m going to give them a call and see what the deal is. I can easily find websites of Canadian pharmacies that claim to sell Ozempic for $450, which would be much better, but the websites look a little sketchy so I need to try the doctor-recommended one first. Will report back.
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