Truth Bomb: How Ozempic Finally Made Me Feel Like Me Postpartum

Have you ever wondered what it's actually like to take GLP-1 medications beyond the celebrity headlines? In this eye-opening episode, we dive deep into the reality of semaglutide medications like Ozempic, exploring their profound effects on both physical and mental health.

The conversation begins with Sam's candid personal account of using these medications for approximately a year. While the initial motivation was addressing stubborn postpartum weight gain, the most surprising benefits emerged in unexpected areas - particularly mental health. For the first time since becoming a parent, the medication quieted the constant "noise" of anxiety, OCD, and rumination that had become overwhelming. This silencing effect extended beyond food-related thoughts to shopping impulses and general mental clarity - benefits rarely discussed in mainstream coverage.

We explore the physical health transformation as well, sharing how lab results showed dramatic improvements in cholesterol, A1C levels, and other key markers. The episode doesn't shy away from discussing potential side effects either - from GI issues to the importance of protein supplementation to prevent hair loss. Listeners will gain valuable insights into proper dosing, hydration requirements, and how to work with healthcare providers when considering these medications.

The discussion challenges the stigma and criticism directed at celebrities using GLP-1s (Chrissy Teigan, Serena Williams, and more) highlighting how these medications are providing genuine health benefits that extend far beyond weight loss. Major companies are now covering these medications for employees because they recognize their positive impact on long-term health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Whether you're curious about these medications for yourself or simply want to understand the phenomenon better, this episode provides an honest, nuanced perspective that goes beyond the headlines.

Mindful Wellness Pharmacy mentioned in the pod (Sam, Zara nor the pod are sponsored by this clinic. The clinic didn't even know we spoke about them until after the episode was recorded). Mention the pod or Sam for 10% off your order. 

* The content of this podcast, including any discussions of GLP-1 medications, is provided for  entertainment purposes only and reflects the personal experiences of the speaker(s). It is not intended as, and should not be relied upon for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, medication, or treatment plan. Neither the hosts, guests, nor producers of this podcast assume any liability for actions taken based on the information provided.

Chapters

• 0:29 Truth Bomb on GLP-1 Medications
• 1:23 Personal Journey with Weight Struggles
• 2:56 Mental Health Benefits and Side Effects
• 6:21 Physical Health Improvements and Lab Results
• 10:49 Important Considerations and Precautions
• 19:32 Benefits Beyond Weight Loss

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Okay, welcome to today's Truth Bomb on Do you Want the Truth, and today we're going to be talking about GLP-1s and, specifically, you know what's going on in the news.

Speaker 1: 0:09

There are a lot of celebrities who are on this medication. Some are out about it, like Serena Williams being the spokesperson for Roe, and Chrissy Teigen just came out and spoke about it. And then there's a lot of people who are rumored to have been on it, like Mindy Kaling and so many other people. And I have been on this medication or microdosing it in some way, like kind of going on and off since for about a year now, and I really don't like how people are treating Serena Williams and I think it's ridiculous that they're like, oh, she's an athlete and she's giving a bad example to women, and I couldn't disagree with them more, because if you have not been on this medication or needed this medication, I don't think you understand how life changing it is. I only had to give you all a little background about why I got on this medication. I had about 15 pounds that I had gained postpartum, so I lost all the weight and then I gained the weight back and I was working out and I was doing all the things and I just couldn't lose it, like I was going to a personal trainer to try to get it off. I was, you know, doing all these things and it just wouldn't come off. So one of my girlfriends in LA was like, let's get you on this medication, let's see what you can do. And I will say there is a difference between the compounded medication in my experience and the actual Ozempic. For the first few months, for the first six months, I was on the actual Ozempic and I feel like it was a lot more effective, with fewer side effects from some of the other compounding places that I tried. So just want to put that out there, because now I am on a compounded version and I got off of it for about six months and I didn't gain any of the weight back. It was great. And then Easter rolled around and I don't know I just got so stressed out about I don't even know what that I just started eating and couldn't stop. And I have not weighed myself. But I know that I've gained the weight back. So recently I've been kind of going back and forth and I went to my old guy again. Shout out Mindful Wellness in Manhattan Beach. This is not sponsored, by the way, but he changed my life and so I am very grateful and I'll see if I can get us a link, because I tried a different compounding pharmacy from Push Health and it was awful.

Speaker 1: 2:17

I got the most intrusive thoughts like paranoia I thought people were following me like it was crazy. I immediately got off of it. But one of the things that isn't spoken about are the mental health side effects. I think people are speaking about them more, like Chrissy Teigen just spoke about it. But I started taking them when I was about three months, three years, postpartum, and it is the first time that I felt like myself again and so that side of it doesn't get a lot of attention and I don't.

Speaker 1: 2:46

I am not formally diagnosed with any ADHD, anything other than anxiety. In postpartum I presented with anxiety and OCD and it stopped the noise and like the OCD if you're not familiar with what that actually is, it's not like keeping your house clean, because you should see my house and my cleaning ability, but it's about obsessing about thoughts and ruminating and you cannot stop thinking about things which really contributed to my anxiety, like I didn't drive with my son for the first eight months because I was convinced I was going to get in a wreck and kill him, and so it's about that and this medication stopped it. And I have struggled with eating in the past and my when I was younger I struggled with it, and this is the first time in my life that I have not had that food noise, and even right now. I restarted it a couple of months ago, but I'm not. I'm not regular about taking the shot and I haven't gone up past, you know, the 0.25 milligrams, which is just the starter dose, because I keep forgetting to take it and I get really bad side effects.

Speaker 1: 3:47

When I initially get on it, zara was like I'm not going to talk. You can talk and I haven't stopped taking this all the time, but it is truly like I've never I've tried an ADHD medication, because trauma and ADHD present similarly. So my doctor at one time was like, well, let's try this. I was curled up in a ball wanting to die when I tried. I don't remember if it was Adderall or Ritalin. It was the worst thing I have ever done and I was like, nope, never doing that again, which also makes sense, since I have anxiety Tried, welbutrin same thing.

Speaker 1: 4:18

So my issue is not a dopamine issue and I'm probably not describing this right. But what it does is it kind of they're doing studies on it right now for addiction too but it kind of organizes your dopamine receptors and so things are firing better. And so it has reduced me wanting to shop, so I can tell when I am not, when when I'm not on it, because I will buy more and more and more and more inventory for my reselling business and when I'm on it it curtails that, and same with like. So not only is it stopping wanting the food, but it's also stopping me from ruminating on other things, from wanting to shop, from doing things, and I will say it does reduce pleasure for things. In terms of like, I don't if I buy something and I'm on an actual dose I only got up to one milligram, but I won't feel that high or that rush.

Speaker 1: 5:05

So that is my long monologue about GLP-1s and how these should be available to everyone, because they're the most incredible drug in the world, and I've gotten two people on them. Actually. One has lost 70 pounds and it has completely changed her life, and then the other one has lost 30 and she also agrees that it has completely changed her life. They've gone with different pharmacies. It's not like I don't get a kickback or anything, but it has been life changing for both of them and the things that they're able to do now physically because of this medication and mentally has been incredible. So those are my thoughts.

Speaker 2: 5:39

Yeah, I mean so. I've written a decent amount about GLP-1s, but more from the standpoint of like the side effects, and I did quite a bit of writing about how there was that whole Ozempic Babies discourse on social media. Do you remember that?

Speaker 2: 5:51

Yeah, because it regulates your hormones and for a lot of people you know, getting to a healthy BMI can really boost your fertility and help you get pregnant. But this is really interesting to me because nobody really talks about the experience of being on these drugs. I had never heard about the mental health effects until I heard them from you. Yeah, so, yeah, I'm very interested in hearing. I'm also interested in like, so I have. I think I have quite a bit of food noise, oh, what was that.

Speaker 1: 6:21

Did you hear that?

Speaker 2: 6:23

No.

Speaker 1: 6:23

Okay, great Okay, you have food noise.

Speaker 2: 6:26

I think I probably am someone who has food noise, but so what does it look like now? I mean, do you have to remind yourself to eat?

Speaker 1: 6:36

Do you have to like set a schedule for yourself. So I've only ever gone up to the one milligram dose, and an actual, like therapeutic dose is considered two milligrams of semaglutide and I didn't need to go past one because it just like curtailed it enough. And what it looks like is I'm not thinking about like, oh, I need ice cream right now. I love ice cream. Ice cream is my jam.

Speaker 1: 7:01

I still eat ice cream because I'm on a lower dose of it, but it also makes you sick. If you eat it and you're on a specific dose like I need to go up on my dose right now but it will make me, like a lot of people you know like have shit their pants on it because it makes you your, it makes you have like GI issues if you eat something that you're not supposed to, and so it curtails it. So then you not only do you not want it because you're not having the craving, you don't want it because you know how you're going to feel, like if you have fried food, you're just going to be so sick. But the noise I don't know how to describe it other than the absence of noise. So if, like you know, when you put in noise, canceling headphones, it's like that.

Speaker 2: 7:48

Interesting.

Speaker 1: 7:49

Yeah, so what does your food noise, look like?

Speaker 2: 7:52

I am just like maybe it's not food noise, maybe for me it's more like I have a family to feed. So I'm always thinking about like the groceries and what I'm going to make tonight and what you know, always that. But I am like I'm a person who really likes to eat, like I enjoy food. I, when Chrissy Teigen was like this has kind of been torturous for me because I'm the kind of person who loves to be hungry, I was like, yep, that would be me. So, yeah, I mean I would say like I don't love this term, but I think I'm a foodie.

Speaker 1: 8:23

Okay.

Speaker 2: 8:24

But yeah. So I mean, does it take the pleasure out of eating for you?

Speaker 1: 8:29

It can, like it depends. It's just it's not like it takes the pleasure out. It's just like you're not getting that same dopamine rush. Where it's like, oh, it's just like, ok, that was nice, all right, moving on.

Speaker 1: 8:41

And then and it does that for a lot of things, honestly where you're like, ok, I bought that, or just like adding it to the next thing and it's I don't know how to describe it I don't know if you've ever had disordered eating where you okay, so it really helps with that. Where it's like you're like okay, if I, if I eat this cupcake, then I'm going to need to walk this many steps or do this workout, or I can't have this, and you're constantly doing this math in your head and you, just now, instead you, you just don't do that. And it's like, if I want that cupcake, great, and then you can stop at that cupcake instead of being like, oh well, now I want a whole cake because I already fucked it up, so I may as well eat a whole cake. And yeah, so I will say it. Like corrected that for me.

Speaker 1: 9:26

But since I didn't do the dietary changes of like eating really healthy while on it and like change the lifestyle, like there are some companies like FedEx, who pays for two years for you to be on the medication and it comes with like a life coach or like a nutritionist to help you like do all of the things and you can track it in the app and like it's a whole integrated, holistic program that I think probably has more lasting effects where you're not gaining the weight back. And if, like, a company like FedEx is doing this, they're doing it because it's increasing the longevity of folks. And then, oh, I'll talk about my lab results. So I got my labs done before I got on it. My cholesterol I've never had high cholesterol until this, until I had a kid, like everything, like I just could not stop eating sugar, like I don't know.

Speaker 2: 10:13

I had that too, especially while I was breastfeeding.

Speaker 1: 10:19

Yeah, for me, even after breastfeeding I just but I was working out double days Like I went and did the most, and then I stopped doing the double days and the weight started coming back on. So my labs before my cholesterol was bad, my AC1 was bad. My glucose wasn't bad Like I've not been diabetic or pre-diabetic but it was like it's called AC1, right, a1c. A1c was bad and so I recently, last week went and got my blood done again because my doctor was like, hey, let's check this. Since I'm very honest with my doctor, I'm like, hey, I'm going and I'm getting this compound through the pharmacy, since Kaiser won't cover it.

Speaker 1: 10:53

And all of my labs have, like drastically improved. The only one that has gotten worse is my T4, which is a thyroid. So I need to do a little investigating into that. But that signifies hyperthyroid, which I had kind of before pregnancy, and then that went away and so got to figure that out.

Speaker 1: 11:12

My iron is still bad because I have always like, basically I've always been anemic and yeah, but my they say you know like, oh, you really got to watch your labs. Well, yeah, you fucking do, because my labs got so much better, like my doctor was really concerned about my A1C and now she's like oh, your labs look great, have a great day. So this is not just like anecdotal which I know I share a lot of anecdotal evidence on this podcast but this is like scientific, like they're seeing this across the board people's labs improving, people who are pre-diabetic no longer being pre-diabetic and it just increasing longevity. And again, if a company like FedEx is doing this for their employees, they're not going to do that unless it's going to save them money on the back end through insurance, through time off, through all of those things.

Speaker 2: 12:00

Yeah, I mean, I think people forget that these are diabetes drugs. I think, people think that's just, you know, and I think people, when they think about the weight loss, of it all too, I think they think it's just about the vanity and it's just about, like the aesthetic and it's just about.

Speaker 1: 12:13

Which it is part of that. For sure, I want to be able to fit in my old clothes. It's expensive.

Speaker 2: 12:25

And I think part of it too, is that they see these celebrities who are already thin doing it to get thinner and there's some like weird body image things with celebrities and the effect that they create on you know people, and girls and women especially. But it's also like that's their body, you know they can make decisions around it that work for them and, like what Chrissy Teigen said right was that she did it because she hated that her postpartum body was a reminder of the baby she lost.

Speaker 1: 12:51

Yeah, and I do. I think they are. I know they're studying it for addiction right now, but there is something about anxiety and depression there that I wouldn't be surprised if that is next. Because you know, and I know part of the eating thing is from my SRI, my Zoloft, like they say. It doesn't make you gain weight, it does Like I don't, like yeah, but um, yeah, I don't know, these are just magical.

Speaker 1: 13:18

I will say it's not all um rainbows and butterflies, because I have, when I first started it, I shit my pants one time, like I'm going to be honest, we're going to keep this in because I think it's important. To be honest, my husband was gone on on uh, on a hiking trip or something, and I had our son and again, I am allergic to milk protein and I ate yogurt and I don't know if it was norovirus. I don't know what happened, but it was not great. Hasn't happened since then. But that is something that happens to a lot of people. So beware, do not eat dairy if you shouldn't be eating dairy, especially as you're just getting on this medication and it can make you irritable. So I've had to reduce. When I'm on it, I have to go and drink espresso rather than coffee, otherwise, like, my irritation goes off the chain. And there are just like adjustments you have to make in your life, like don't eat two hours before your shot, Don't eat two hours after it, and these are all things that I have learned through trial and error, of like. And then you have to drink a shit ton of water. You have to because your kidneys can literally shut down and, yeah, I wouldn't say it makes me forget to eat, but kind of it makes it not important to me. And so I also have to remind myself oh, you need to drink water because, yeah, sometimes I just won't eat drink water, because, yeah, sometimes I just won't eat and then I'll eat crap because you can eat crap, and then I'll get sick and it's a whole cycle.

Speaker 1: 14:39

So, yeah, for anyone who is looking to do this, I would say, obviously, consult with your doctor. I let my doctor know before I got on it. That was really important to me because I have a child and I have parents who died young or younger and so I really wanted them to know. I was honest about all the cancer in my family. I was honest about everything. I was honest about my weight and I will say I highly recommend doing that. Your doctor is probably not going to prescribe it to you. You can go to a compounding pharmacy and I know you can't do that in all states now and I don't know what's going to change with the new administration or on any of that. We're recording this September 22nd, so I don't know if these things are gonna change. But my pharmacy is in Manhattan Beach, so it's in California and I'm in California. I went to one called Booth One Pharmacy that I cannot recommend to anyone and it was not a good experience for me prior.

Speaker 1: 15:27

So, yeah, how long did it take before you really saw differences, physically and mentally? Um, because I used Weight Watchers in the past, like for my wedding, to lose weight, and um, yeah, and as soon as I started tracking and staying on track for what they told me I should be eating, which I think was 1600 calories a day, whatever they told me I should be eating for my height, weight, activity, sedentary level Um, immediately after that I started losing weight and, like it just kind of started falling off, but I never lost more than 15 and I didn't like, could I lose more? Yes, but I also didn't want to get, I didn't want to use this as a tool because they will tell you, if you've had an eating disorder, not to get on this medication, because I can see how it could trigger that again. For me it did the opposite. For me, it shut off any eating disorders that I had in the past.

Speaker 1: 16:39

So definitely consult with your doctor and your doctor is going to tell you not to get on it. So then consult with a compounding pharmacy who and you know they're reputable. If they make you get your labs done prior to providing medication and that they are testing you at least every six months to a year, I would say medication, and that they're testing you at least every six months to a year, I would say but again, you can also go through your own doctor to get your labs tested and if you have a good doctor, they're going to want to test you to make sure that everything's okay. Like my doctor, she was like this is actually my OB. She's like let's just get you tested just to make sure that everything is looking okay, because you do need to get your kidneys and your you know thyroid and everything checked because this is, you know, medicine.

Speaker 2: 17:18

Yeah, was there anything like really surprising or shocking to you about getting on the medication?

Speaker 1: 17:25

Shitting my pants. Other than that, like the mental health impacts, yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:32

And nobody told you that that might happen, right, they don't.

Speaker 1: 17:35

The doctors are just starting to hear about it now, but nobody told me about that. And again, it's all. Everyone has different chemistry on your body, so I don't know that this is going to impact everyone the same way. But the guy I went to was like it is not your fault, you can't stop eating. They put addictive stuff in the food, and it took a lot of the shame away from it.

Speaker 1: 17:55

Um, for me, cause it was like shameful, like why can't you do this on your own? It's kind of like mom guilt, Like you should be able to watch a kid on your own. Um, but he was like you're inundated all the time you're in, you're working in corporate America, you don't have time and all like everything is built around consumerism. Um, and all like everything is built around consumerism. And so the mental health impacts have been the most surprising. And even if I didn't lose weight on this because I'm not losing weight on it right now because I'm on such a low dose I would continue specifically for the mental health implications, because it's so I don't know, it's truly life changing.

Speaker 2: 18:33

Yeah, you know, I think when we're talking about food noise like I think I just have a noisy brain in general, if you know what I mean. So it helps with that.

Speaker 1: 18:40

In general, it like helps quiet down. So I think it's what people talk about. It's like getting on Vyvanse. As somebody on ADHD or who has ADHD, they talk about Vyvanse yeah, I think that's the best way to describe it. Even like that, do you have an inner monologue that's like okay, I got to get up, I got to go get the kids Okay, but first I have to go, okay. So a lot of people don't have that, like my husband and my friends don't have that. They're just like no, I just get up and I go do the same thing every day, which is not the case for me. So it quiets that, it quiets it and I don't know, I could see this drug becoming something that they use as like anxiety or depression medication. Yeah, did you have a hard time falling asleep before you were on it? Bad issues oh, actually, when I was working and I yeah, I would ruminate on work a lot I have a really hard time falling asleep.

Speaker 2: 19:41

I always have, and hearing you talk about it, I'm like should I do this to help me sleep?

Speaker 1: 19:46

I think you should, as an experiment, like from a journalistic perspective, like why not to write about it? Because I think there are so many positive implications, I'm sure there's negative ones too, like I've heard of paralysis of the stomach I forget the term for it and there are things which is why you start off on a low dose and you slowly work your way up and you work with either your doctor, a pharmacy that's reputable, or both, ideally, and you kind of go that way and I, and going slow is really important because some, like one of my friends, she lost, you know, 20 pounds, I want to say, in the first month and I was like hey, hey, hey, you got. Like this is concerning. Like 20 pounds in a month is like there is no way that's healthy, and she's since plateaued and I'm like you need to tell your doctor what's going on, cause, like, if you're losing that much weight, like there's something you're not eating and that's the other.

Speaker 1: 20:39

Oh, the other thing I will say is your hair might fall out if you're not supplementing with protein. So I didn't know this, so my hair was just falling out and just like clumps, and so now every morning, even when I'm not on it. I have a protein shake just because I should do that anyway, because I don't eat a ton of meat and I don't eat a ton of broccoli, which also has protein in it, or tofu, or any of that. So, yeah, that's another thing. Make sure you're taking your vitamins, make sure you're taking your protein. And this is all for educational purposes only, or entertainment purposes, not education. This is not medical advice. I have no idea what I not educate.

Speaker 1: 21:13

This is not not medical advice. I have no idea what I'm talking about. This is for entertainment purposes only and it's all alleged. Yeah, so that is my experience on it. I don't know, I can't. I think it's great.

Speaker 2: 21:26

Have you watched that show? Love Thy Nader at all, the reality show. So it's this new reality show. It's about Brooks Nader, who's like a Sports Illustrated model and she has these three sisters and they're all stunning, like super, super beautiful, and they're all models in New York and two of them were on Ozempic and the sisters like had this intervention with them because I guess one of them was like passing out and forgetting to eat and all this stuff. But yeah it's very interesting.

Speaker 1: 21:56

I think that is something why you also want to make sure to talk to your doctor too, because it is like, and they will tell you, if you've had an eating disorder, you shouldn't be on this medication. And so it sounds like they were abusing it because, like any medication, you can abuse. Any medication you can abuse, like cough syrup, you know. Like literally anything can be abused, and so it is powerful medication and for me it's been incredible. But again, this is my experience and yeah, I don't know. I will say, if you don't, I have forgotten to eat in the past and I will get very irritable and I get a little lightheaded. Then I'm like, oh shit, I need to eat something, because if you're busy, whatever, you can forget.

Speaker 2: 22:41

Are you still there? Okay, so we actually lost Sam. Her computer died while we were in the middle of recording, but we hope this gives you guys a little bit of insight into what it is actually like to be on a GLP-1 drug and also how harmful some of the stigma can be, because this really can have so many incredible benefits for people physically and mentally. Again, we are not doctors. This is not medical advice, but I know that there's a lot of curiosity around Ozempic and similar drugs, so hopefully this answered some questions for you, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure Sam would be happy to answer them. So hopefully this answered some questions for you, and if you have any other questions, I'm sure Sam would be happy to answer them. So shoot them our way. Thanks for listening.