Houston woman trying Ozempic, Wegovy rival after using other options
75% of Americans are considered to be overweight, but that number is starting to drop because of popular weight-loss injections. While there have been constant shortages of them, a new one could soon hit the market that is expected to be even more effective. A woman from Houston is already taking a jab at it!
Diane Schram has lost about 25 pounds in her weight loss journey so far. "I wanted to do something nice for me. I just felt like I had over the course of 20, 30 years, put on a couple of pounds every year, and it doesn't really register until one day you step on the scale and you weigh 30 pounds more than you thought you did," says Diane.
Diane first tried to lose weight with Ozempic, but it eventually stopped working for her. "I kind of plateaued and that's when we started the second one," explains Diane. The second one she mentioned was Tirzepatide, but then she says she peaked on that one as well. Now she's one of the first to try the next generation of weight loss drugs called Retatrutide, while being treated at Renew Body Contouring and MedSpa in Houston.
"It's like a pen. So, all the ink inside the pen is the same, but every manufacturer makes a different process of that pen. It can be clear, it might be really pretty metal, it might be a different color, but in the end. all the ink is the same. That's exactly what these GLPs are right now that we're dealing with," explains Katina Kearns, the Owner of Renew Body Contouring and MedSpa.
You may recall, Semaglutide was the first on the market, but to treat diabetes, not weight loss. It mimics one peptide hormone in our bodies that stimulates an insulin release after meals and reduces appetite. It's sold as Ozempic and Wegovy... with only Wegovy getting approval for weight loss... because it was developed with higher doses of Semaglutide.
Moving on to the next stage: a stronger choice intentionally developed for weight loss.
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Terzpatide targets TWO receptors in the body, this time helping regulate metabolism under names like Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Finally, a triple peptide hormone is awaiting FDA approval. Retatrutide mimics three different hunger-regulating hormones, with the goal to be the most effective option yet. Renew Body Contouring and Med Spa has been able to offer this last one in a clinical research study, to understand the effects of all three medications. Diane says each generation worked better for her. Her only side effect was nausea with the first one.
"So, the new Retatrutide has an ability to help you retain muscle and now you're having less side effects," says Kearns. She says they can help with side effects like hair loss, which can happen with sudden weight loss. "They also had side effects of muscle loss, so we've been dealing a lot with that Ozempic face, because we're also a body contouring clinic and we also deal with that Ozempic body with sagging skin. Withe the new generations of drugs, you're having less side effects and a very good study is out recently, where they have seen no long-term side effects at all with patients. They also saw that the majority of patients did not gain the weight back either," states Kearns. For patients who do have any side effects, we can offer different supplements to help with the hair and other peptides to retain muscles," says Kearns. She goes on to say that her clients have lost anywhere from 20 to 100 pounds with weight loss injections.
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"Some people just think it's going to melt off, but it took time. I had to exercise, I had to eat better, but when you start to lose weight, you become cognizant of that and you want to do better," says Diane. Sagging skin is another concern from rapid weight loss, which is why Diane is getting help tackling that issue, as well, but she has a healthy attitude about it! "I'm 64, everything is sagging. It's just the way it goes. But that was exciting. I came in here and they have skin tightening treatments that you can do," says a laughing Diane.
She's thrilled with her new look and only wants to lose five more pounds. This weight loss journey is a dream come true for her! " just feel better doing healthy things. I mean, it feels exciting to go for a walk and to get out there and exercise or are they fit but I felt like I was constantly stuck in my stomach or something. Then all of a sudden you don't feel like that anymore and it feels pretty good.
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Renew is able to use a compound pharmacy, so Kearns says that helps reduce the price to 60 to 100-dollars per injection.
For more information: https://renewbodycontouring.com