{"id":2075,"date":"2024-05-24T15:22:49","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T15:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/24\/prescriptions-for-weight-loss-diabetes-drugs-for-young-people-leaped-600-since-2020-study-says\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T15:22:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T15:22:49","slug":"prescriptions-for-weight-loss-diabetes-drugs-for-young-people-leaped-600-since-2020-study-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyretirementnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/24\/prescriptions-for-weight-loss-diabetes-drugs-for-young-people-leaped-600-since-2020-study-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Prescriptions for weight loss, diabetes drugs for young people leaped 600% since 2020, study says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The number of young people in the US who are prescribed GLP-1 agonist drugs\u00a0like Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss and diabetes soared 594.4% in just three years, according to new research. <\/p>\n

Demand for these drugs has skyrocketed for people of all ages recently, but the study, which was published <\/strong>Wednesday in the journal JAMA, found that between 2020 and 2023, the number of prescriptions written for people ages 12 to 25 increased from 8,722 to 60,567. <\/p>\n

Young women and adolescent girls had the biggest increase in the number of prescriptions. <\/p>\n

The study looked information from a database that reports prescriptions from more than 93% of retail pharmacies in the United States, although the data cannot capture what exactly the prescriptions were intended to treat and whether the patient actually used the medications. <\/p>\n

For context, the study authors also looked at prescription trends for other medications and found that there was a 3% decrease in the prescription of <\/strong>other drugs for this age category during this same time period. <\/p>\n

The study looked at <\/strong>Ozempic (which uses the active ingredient semaglutide), <\/strong>Trulicity (dulaglutide) and Byetta (exenatide), <\/strong>which <\/strong>are approved to treat type 2 diabetes and can help with weight loss, and Saxenda (liraglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide), <\/strong>which <\/strong>are approved for weight management. Each can be prescribed <\/strong>for children as young as 10 or 12. Tirzepatide, sold as Zepbound and Mounjaro, is approved only for adults. <\/p>\n

The authors from the University of Michigan Medical School and Yale University said that, given how many young people are being prescribed these medications, efforts to promote safe and appropriate prescribing should include endocrinologists, doctors who practice family medicine and nurse practitioners. <\/p>\n

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are affecting an increasing number of young people. The number of people ages 10 to 19 with type 2 diabetes doubled just over the past two decades in the US, a 2023 study found. The study predicted that by 2060, the number of young people with type 2 diabetes will increase 673%. <\/p>\n

Obesity is also <\/strong>a significant problem for young people in the US, where the average young adult is now overweight, according to a 2023 study. About 1 in 6 adolescents is overweight, and almost 1 in 5 has obesity, studies show. Obesity alone affects 14.4 million children and teens in the US. <\/p>\n

Having obesity as a young person significantly increases a person\u2019s chance of weight problems when they are older, research shows. Obesity and overweight can also be a significant risk factor for other health conditions like heart disease, kidney problems and even cancer, studies show, in additional to mental health conditions. <\/p>\n

Dr. Melanie Cree, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado who has been working with this class of medication in clinical trials with children for almost a decade, says the drugs have been a game-changer not just to help kids lose weight and lower blood sugar, but also to lower liver fat and improve cardiac and kidney function \u2013 \u201call of those conditions that go with type 2 diabetes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s not only that they\u2019re lowering blood sugars. It\u2019s that they appear to be decreasing the complications that we see from type 2 diabetes, so that they\u2019re really affecting multiple aspects,\u201d said Cree, who was not involved with the new study. \u201cThey\u2019re really changing the face of what diabetes looks like in an individual and in the field of diabetes across the board.\u201d <\/p>\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines for managing obesity last year and said that, in addition to behavior and lifestyle treatments for the whole family, the use of weight loss medications is appropriate for children 12 and over. <\/p>\n

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      Cree said she sees few downsides to these drugs. <\/strong>Some of her patients have had to stop taking them or can\u2019t take as much because of side effects like nausea, and she\u2019d like to see more research on that topic. <\/p>\n

      When her patients can get access, Cree said, the positive changes have been significant. Many have experienced \u201cprofound\u201d weight loss, she said, transforming their lives. <\/p>\n

      The most significant downsides have nothing to do with the physical impact of the medications; <\/strong>rather, it\u2019s that the medicine can be expensive and many of her patients can\u2019t get insurance to cover the cost, particularly if they\u2019re used for weight loss. Additionally, many patients have had a hard time filling prescriptions because of drug shortages. <\/p>\n

      One parent of a child who lost a significant amount of weight told Cree that the medicine gave her her daughter back. <\/p>\n

      \u201cI had another girl who, after some weight loss, went to prom last fall, and it was the first dance she had ever gone to, because it was the first time she felt comfortable wearing a dress,\u201d Cree said. \u201cSo really, really poignant stories from these adolescents. I just feel privileged to be a part of their life and be able to share in these transformations and moments with them.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

      This post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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