But is it really effective to lose weight? Does the doctor advise people who need to lose weight to buy and use it privately?
Hypoglycemic drugs become "online celebrity slimming needles"
Some users said that they lost 20 pounds in one and a half months.
Ms. Wu, a citizen, once weighed 140 kg due to her heavy daily work, irregular diet and regular work and rest. Obesity has brought some complications to Ms. Wu: mental anxiety, sleep disorder and slow metabolism.
Since last year, Ms. Wu has made up her mind to lose weight. She signed up for a fitness class and insisted on exercising two or three times a week, with diet control, but her weight didn't seem to fluctuate much.
"Because I have a family history of diabetes, I don't know if I have insulin resistance, which makes it difficult to lose weight." With such doubts, Ms. Wu went to a hospital near her home for examination and found that she had problems with cortisol and insulin resistance. "The doctor told me that if it continues to develop, it will soon develop into type 2 diabetes."
In order to seek a treatment plan, in February this year, Ms. Wu went to the Endocrinology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. According to the doctor's introduction, she first learned about the drug "smectite".
"For people like us who are hard to lose weight due to insulin resistance, smectite is useful. However, doctors also made it clear that hospitals can't prescribe such drugs for non-diabetic patients at present because of tight supply and stricter management. At present, hospitals only charge diabetic patients. "
Finally, Ms. Wu bought Smegliptide through the online platform and started to use it herself. "This kind of hypoglycemic needle is just like insulin. Only one shot a week, and the dose is gradually increased. I will feel diarrhea and vomiting in the first two weeks. After that, the effect of suppressing appetite will be reduced, and then the dose will be increased. It is now the sixth week, but I feel that the efficacy has dropped. "
Ms. Wu said that in the past month and a half, she has lost 20 pounds by injecting smectite and cooperating with exercise.
In fact, there are still many people like Ms. Wu who need to lose weight. The reporter searched for terms such as "smectapeptide" and "slimming needle" on social platforms, and found that some people regarded the medicine as "magic medicine" and some "experienced people" reminded everyone to use it with caution.
So, does this hypoglycemic needle really have a weight loss effect? The reporter learned that smectite was originally used to treat adult patients with type 2 diabetes.
From 20 17 to 12, the US Food and Drug Administration approved smectite for controlling blood sugar in adult patients with type 2 diabetes.
From June, 5438 to June, 2020 10, FDA once again approved the use of smectite in adult patients with type 2 diabetes complicated with cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of related diseases;
In April, 20021,Smegliptide was approved in Chinese mainland, with the same indications as the above two first approved in the US market, so it can enter the medical insurance.
In June, 20021year, the drug was approved for long-term weight management in the United States. The clinical research results show that obese patients who continue to receive the drug can achieve an average weight loss of 17%- 18% after 68 weeks.
At present, the drug has not been approved for weight loss indications in China.
Experts remind rational weight loss
Buying medicine privately may be risky.
Combined with clinical experience, Professor Wei from the Department of Endocrinology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University told the reporter that the main mechanism of Smiler in reducing blood sugar and losing weight is to activate GLP- 1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor, promote insulin secretion in a glucose concentration-dependent manner, inhibit glucagon secretion, delay gastric emptying and increase satiety, and inhibit hypothalamic feeding center.
The weight-loss effect of smectite has made many people flock to it, and it also makes the demand for this drug fall short quickly.
Ms. Wang, a citizen, encountered the problem of out of stock when she went to the hospital for obesity last year. "I couldn't prescribe medicine that day. After several days, the diabetes care system informed me that I had medicine, and I hung up the general outpatient number to get the medicine that day. "
Wei Guohong told reporters: "Two years ago, when Smegliptide was just listed in China, the public had high expectations for its weight loss effect. Our hospital has indeed encountered many patients who need to lose weight, and even once caused drugs to be out of stock, and diabetic patients could not use them normally. "
"Later, we made adjustments, strictly controlled the indications, and only prescribed drugs for diabetic patients, but even so, this drug is still in short supply in the market. At present, our hospital has been adjusted to be limited to endocrinologists who have the right to prescribe Smegliclazide, and pharmacies only prescribe Smegliclazide to patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to ensure that the drug has not been stopped. "
Because non-diabetic patients can't prescribe drugs in offline channels of regular hospitals, some people begin to find ways to buy drugs.
Ms. Pan first learned about smectite from the media. Because the hospital in her city didn't prescribe medicine for obese patients, Ms. Pan injected it through a diabetic friend who prescribed medicine in the hospital and then sold it to herself. In two months, Ms. Pan, who weighed 120 kg, lost 6 kg.
And more drug buyers choose to turn their attention to online internet hospitals and pharmacies, and even obtain drugs through medical and beauty institutions or overseas purchasing.
When the reporter searched online, he found that several platforms were selling smectite, among which the freight price was 1.5ml/ tablet (0.25mg, 0.5mg dose), and the price ranged from 578 yuan to 650 yuan. There are also specifications of 3ml/ piece (both are 1.34mg/ml), and the price ranges from 1000 yuan to 1200 yuan. The price is higher than that of Zhongshan No.1 Hospital, and drugs can only be reimbursed if they meet the conditions of medical insurance reimbursement.
On the network platform, the purchase amount of the drug is also particularly amazing. Some users scored more than 5,000 on the purchase page, and some even exceeded 20,000. The reporter operated on the grounds that he needed to buy Smelertin, and found that he only needed to consult online in the Internet hospital, and then checked the "diabetes" option, so he could buy it online without providing relevant prescription proof.
Ms. Wu told reporters that when she bought Smecta online a month ago, she had the option of "obesity". "Now it may be because of drug management, there is no such option."
From the clinician's point of view, Wei suggested that the public should not regard Smegliptin as a "diet pill".
There are many reasons for obesity. From a professional point of view, it is suggested that secondary obesity should be ruled out first, and then regular lifestyle intervention should be carried out under the guidance of doctors before drug treatment. And healthy lifestyle intervention needs to run through the whole process of weight loss and follow-up management, otherwise the effect will be greatly reduced and will rebound after stopping taking drugs. For people who are not obese, if they just pursue the so-called' thinness is beauty', don't buy and use this drug privately.
"Although the current clinical research shows that Smegliptide has good safety, it does not mean that it has no side effects." Wei Guohong added that the use of smectite often has side effects on the gastrointestinal tract, such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, constipation and even vomiting.
In addition, GLP- 1 agonists, including smeglitazone, have been found to stimulate the proliferation of thyroid C cells in animal experiments, so this drug is prohibited for patients with past or family history of medullary thyroid cancer and multiple endocrine tumor syndrome type 2.
"In addition, after long-term use of this drug, the effect of suppressing appetite and losing weight will gradually decrease; After stopping the drug, if you don't pay attention to diet and exercise, weight rebound will also exist, so I suggest you buy medicine carefully and privately. " Wei said to him:
Obesity cannot be ignored.
"slimming needle" can't cure Ben
According to the reporter's understanding, at present, the GLP- 1 receptor agonists approved in China include seven products from Lilly, AstraZeneca, Haosen Pharmaceutical, Ren Hui Bio, and all of them have certain weight-loss effects.
Behind the popularity of these "slimming needles" and "slimming drugs", it reveals the "physical anxiety" of the people at present, and also reflects that the obesity problem cannot be ignored.
"Especially according to epidemiological research, the prevalence rate of obesity in China is over 20%, with a large base." Wei Dui said: According to the report of China Nutrition Society, overweight and obesity will increase the risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, female breast cancer and other diseases.
"For these patients, the most important thing is to gradually lose weight through healthy lifestyle intervention and by developing good living habits and healthy exercise."
In recent 10 years, Ms. Wang has spent a lot of effort and money on losing weight. "Now, smectite is a more expensive attempt to lose weight." Ms. Wang told reporters that she spent more than 4,000 yuan on this medicine in the past six months.
Ms. Wang believes that relying solely on this drug is not a long-term solution. Different individuals have different reactions to drugs: they are also 20 pounds thinner. Some people say it took one and a half months, but Ms. Wang used it for seven months.
"Because I really don't have time to exercise, I lose weight slowly." At the peak, Ms. Wang's weight once reached 160 kg, which made her less than 40 years old face problems such as lumbar disc herniation, fatty liver and senior three. "There was only one and a half years in the middle. I insisted on playing badminton and controlling my diet. I lost 15 kg, but I didn't insist on it later. Coupled with overeating, my weight rebounded."
After nearly 10 years of "fighting" obesity, Ms. Wang understood a simple truth: "There is no' diet medicine'. If you want to be healthy, you still have to keep your mouth shut and take your legs. "