Can you really lose weight while lying down?, The first "weight loss needle" in China approved for 1 and a half months with Liraglutide | Effect | Weight loss needle

Lose 30 pounds in 3 months! After hearing about the effectiveness of a friend's use of Liraglutide Injection, Momo's heart immediately moved. While checking the drug name, he placed an order with a scalper.

At that time, a 3ml: 18mg Liraglutide injection cost nearly a thousand yuan, which was nearly 70% more expensive than the hospital and pharmacy's pricing of over 300 yuan. The premium is high, but the effect is also significant. For the whole day after the first injection, it was unclear whether it was a psychological effect or a drug reaction. Momo only drank one glass of milk a day, not hungry at all, and did not experience fatigue. After half a month of injection, her weight dropped from 150 pounds to 140 pounds.

Lilalutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, was initially approved for marketing as a therapeutic drug for type 2 diabetes. Due to its significant effect in weight loss, it was later approved by some countries for the treatment of ordinary obese patients. But in China, liraglutide as a "weight loss needle" is not compliant.

In July of this year, the domestically produced version of Liraglutide - a Liraglutide injection declared by Hangzhou Zhongmei Huadong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. - was officially approved for marketing due to its indications for obesity or overweight, becoming the first approved "weight loss needle" in China. The reporter found through search that currently, this prescription drug has swept through social media and is regarded by many netizens as the "miracle medicine" for weight loss.

Has it become a reality that lying down can make you thin? What kind of chaos has arisen amidst the popularity of "weight loss needles" and what risks will it bring?

The miracle medicine for weight loss

Zhejiang girl bathing in the forest is not an internet celebrity. She had only sporadic likes in over 20 previous posts, but a sharing titled "Liraglutide resistant" received nearly a hundred comments within a week, which surprised her and made her feel reasonable.

Although she indicated at the top of the post that she has a strong expertise in the medical field, please follow the doctor's advice when taking medication. But many netizens are still asking, "Can 'small base' weight loss be achieved?" "What is the effect?" "What are the side effects?" They want to know from bathing in the forest that after injecting Liraglutide, "lying down can help you lose weight" is not a true thing.

In fact, this popular hypoglycemic "weight loss needle" has been in clinical use in China for more than 10 years, including two types: Liraglutide introduced in 2011 and Smegglutide introduced in 2021.

"There is little difference. Lilalutide is a short-term product that needs to be injected every day, while Smeaglutide is a long-term product that needs to be injected once a week." Jin Jianhong, chief physician of the Endocrine Department of the Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, told Chao News that the pharmacological mechanism of the two drugs is to reduce glucose by activating the GLP-1 receptor, increasing insulin secretion, inhibiting glucagon secretion, and pulling and pressing once. "This is a good news for type 2 diabetes patients. In addition, the drugs also act on the feeding center of the human hypothalamus, inhibiting appetite, slowing gastric emptying, and thus playing a weight-loss role."

In foreign countries, due to its good weight loss effect and high safety factor, it has long been common for these hypoglycemic drugs to be used as weight loss drugs. In October 2022, Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly announced that he had successfully lost 18 pounds in a month by regularly fasting and injecting Smegglutide. With the approval of weight loss indications in the United States and other regions, this type of hypoglycemic drug has gradually gained popularity and even been directly labeled as a "miracle drug", making some people who pursue efficient weight loss flock to it.

Compared to liposuction surgeries that often cost over ten thousand yuan in medical beauty institutions, getting a weight loss injection costs less. Compared to exercising for weight loss, getting an injection is much easier. Even if the needle pricks the stomach and turns hard or blue, bathing in the forest still doesn't want to give up using Liraglutide injection to lose weight.

Selling chaos

Currently, although the indications for obesity or overweight of Liraglutide injection have been approved in China, most hospitals in Zhejiang have not yet prescribed this medication to patients who simply want to lose weight due to ethical and drug admission approval processes.

Before accepting an interview with Chao News reporters, Jin Jianhong just rejected two girls with a BMI of less than 20, saying, "A BMI greater than 25 is considered overweight, and a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese, which meets the indications for Liraglutide Injection."

Jin Jianhong also emphasized that Liraglutide Injection is not as "non-toxic, harmless, and has no side effects" as claimed on social media platforms. Even in the face of type 2 diabetes patients with a large body weight base, Jin Jianhong is also cautious about the use of this drug: "It may increase the risk of pancreatitis, medullary thyroid cancer and other diseases. Patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and patients with a history of medullary thyroid cancer or family history cannot use this drug. When patients with disease indications take drugs, they must also actively observe the relevant indicators."

Offline medicine is difficult to prescribe, but online medicine is the opposite.

The reporter searched a certain e-commerce platform and found that many stores are selling Liraglutide Injection. Just click on a store and the introduction page will read "Weight Loss". In the prescription and medication options, there are also options for "obesity" and "overweight". The price is similar to that of a hospital, 3ml: 18mg per bottle, around 300 yuan.

After the reporter's real name authentication, he checked "overweight" in the diagnosis of the disease, without any information verification, and doctors on the Internet would immediately write prescriptions. SF Cold Chain, 3 boxes free shipping, up to 10 boxes can be purchased at a time. According to the daily dosage of 0.6mg, a maximum of 10 months of injections can be purchased at a time.

On social media platforms, even without real names, the reporter only replied "Where to buy" under a post about bathing in the forest, and received a private message from a stranger in just 3 hours, claiming that he could get direct sales from the manufacturer. After adding WeChat, he also suggested, "If there is no obvious discomfort with a small dose, you can directly add it up.".

A pharmacy revealed to reporters that some drugs have also flowed to beauty institutions. Netizen Hong Hong posted on social media stating that she was afraid to get a needle and had used a slimming agency to help with the injection, "paying an extra 100 yuan per injection."

Cost of use

In the post 95 article, insulin resistance patients with a BMI exceeding 30 are mentioned. She tried various methods such as cutting off sugar, producing ketones, and cutting off fluids in order to lose weight, but she struggled all the way without success. Later, she went to the endocrinology department of the hospital for examination and found out that she was sick.

After evaluation, the doctor prescribed Liraglutide Injection for Wen Wen. Although there was an early warning, she did not expect such a big reaction, "Irritating the gastrointestinal mucosa, nausea, diarrhea, and even hiccups and acid reflux all day. In the most severe case, she vomited until the sky and ground were dark, unable to sleep all night."

The reporter searched social media and found that there are significant differences among individuals who use "weight loss needles". Among more than a hundred posts, there are those who claim to have a daily check in effect and a "crazy weight loss", as well as those who claim to have "felt lonely" and "lost one or two pounds when feeling so uncomfortable".

A pharmaceutical company staff member told reporters that people with a BMI of around 30 can generally lose 10% of their weight by taking "weight loss injections" regularly for several months, but it is difficult to maintain the same rate of weight loss afterwards.

"It is necessary to adjust the dietary structure and cooperate with daily strength exercises, otherwise the skin will loosen and it is very easy to regain weight after stopping the medication." The staff member admitted that on the road to treating obesity patients, even "miracle drugs" can only work during a specific period of time.

Jin Jianhong also holds the same idea, "Anyway, liraglutide is the 'external cause' of weight loss, and individual efforts and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are the eternal 'internal cause' of weight loss.".

As the saying goes, medicine is three parts poisonous, so be careful not to overuse it.