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Comment by codr7 | Hacker News Reader

I'm more worried about longer term side effects.

This sounds a lot like numbing "bad" feelings to me; there's no way to selectively numb, it's all or nothing.

Impulsivity isn't all bad.

My wife's taking GLP-1s for health reasons. The author's ideas about the effects of these things are not evidence based. It isn't a magic drug that makes people ascetics. She eats less, but she still impulse buys clothes and things. The idea that the drug numbs feelings is not at all what I see, while some appetites are diminished, we still both do art, enjoy going out doing all the same stuff as before. She's lost weight, her vitals are looking better, and we eat out less, that's it.

I'm taking GLP-1s and it's absolutely reduced my impulsiveness in ways besides food. Not completely, for sure, and being less interested in food actually means more time to spend on other hobbies.

But it's definitely done something to my non-food behaviour, albeit I'm not sure what exactly. It may well be that I was previously trying to satiate my constant desperate hunger for food with other forms of harmful addictive behaviour, and without the hunger, I just don't need that as much. The concept of satisfying one craving with another isn't new, after all.

Sounds like a good case for keeping a detailed diary of emotional state to me.

The effects don't have to be dramatic to be harmful, subtle over time is arguably worse.

I just hope people keep their eyes open, that's all.

As opposed to the good long term effects of being obese?

There are a lot of people who are not obese that are taking these drugs. That might be where the fear is coming from.

Something like 70% of the US is overweight, so there actually aren't as many people who aren't experiencing negative health effects from being overweight or obese as you think

Nothing wrong about wanting to look hot if the danger level is not high. I haven't heard about people trying to use them to aid an eating disorder, like diabetics do with insulin.

Most of them likely are obese. Obesity is so normal that what most people call “overweight” is actually obese and the people they think are obese are morbidly obese.

I realize obesity a major issue for a lot of people.

But is it worth giving up your impulses? I mean all of them.

I have no proof that's how it works long term, but I do feel the question should be asked before we dive in head first.

Anecdotally, it isn’t really giving up impulses. It blunts the desire for a lot of the ones that are related to consumption.

I can still get a wild idea at 9 pm and lose myself in code. I still see flowers and buy them form my wife without planning. I still have a bowl of ice cream before bed sometimes.

The best way to describe it is that you still have the impulse, but you are able to rationally consider it.

But how does the drug differentiate between consumption and other impulses?

If that's where your most powerful impulses are, that's where you're going to notice the difference.

As it happens, in the elderly, a BMI at the lower range of "obesity" is better than having higher or lower weight.

Of course, with the shortage of geriatricians, most seniors are unlikely to find this out.

Breaking news, being obese is good for your health. And wait to learn about smoking!

This probably isn't true. What's more likely to be true is that it's hard to be overweight when your dying from cancer or whatever.

I personally can't believe humanity is in such a state of decay that the two options allowed to be discussed are "50% of the population is morbidly obese, has 0 impulse control and will literally eat themselves to the grave" and "ozempic for life for 50% of the population"

Are we just a bunch of NPCs waiting for the orders? One day it's McDonald's selling you the disease the next it's Novo Nordisk selling you the cure, and you apparently have to clap at that "miracle"?

I'm not sure what you mean by "allowed". It's common and quite popular to discuss other strategies for controlling obesity. If someone invented a diet or exercise plan that works as well as Ozempic, it would be huge. But nobody's yet been able to do so, which I suspect is because diet and exercise are fundamentally not effective anti-obesity strategies.

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