Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Munjaro and Zepbound are skyrocketing in popularity.

The anti-obesity medications are in a class of drugs called GLP one receptor agonists, or GLP ones.

Patients have been prescribed them for a variety of reasons, everything from weight loss to diabetes and other health conditions.

We visited a business in Bethlehem where two of the women there are seeing results.

Working in the world of skincare.

Brittany Warner and Lyric Rigby are constantly surrounded by beauty stereotypes.

And because you have a brow in the appointment, you're a do.

The two work together at Warner's Bethlehem Spa?

Glow with the flow skin care and share a common goal of wanting to lose weight.

I was sick and tired of like, my clothes not fitting right and I just wanted to feel a bit more confident.

I wanted to go through my own like weight loss journey of working out and just eating healthier.

And it truly ended up not working out at all in the end.

And I just never saw progress.

Two months later.

Both women are now exploring the.

World of injectable GLP ones.

I really was trying to avoid even starting the weight loss shots just because I'm like, why is it so crazy right now?

Why is everybody on these?

But, so I decided after trying different things like dieting and exercising, that I did want to try something different because I did try a different weight loss route before with diet pills, and I did not like how they made me feel.

And I'm like, well, these are horrible.

So what are my other options?

Being at your highest weight is so uncomfortable, especially if it's something you're not used to.

Although they share the same goal of shedding a few pounds.

The two are taking different avenues to get their medications.

Rigby approached her primary care doctor and was told she was pre-diabetic.

Her physician then went over weight loss options, including bariatric surgery.

But I just felt like surgery was so dramatic and like, drastic, and I just didn't want to go that route.

So I told her that I was interested in possibly doing the injections, and then she ended up saying, oh, well, I was going to bring it up to.

The mom of two running the supply chain issues, but was finally able to start using Zepbound, a trezepitide manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company.

But the reason that we also went with Zeppelin was because the other options were not like available.

They were in high demand.

They were low stock.

Whatever the case may be, it wasn't available.

In just a few short months time.

She lost 20 pounds, but due to more trouble getting her medication and having the pharmacy shop, she started the alternate medication Wegovy, a semaglutide manufactured by Novo Nordisk.

I don't have time to search pharmacies for this medication.

The same supply chain issues are the reason Warner took another route.

I decided to go with a med spa because I saw the difficulties of trying to get a hold of the shot itself.

So this is the injection that I take weekly, and it is a small needle.

Without a prescription.

Warner is able to purchase semaglutide injections from a medical spa where a doctor and nurses are on staff.

I just had my primary doctor order the bloodwork, and then you have to be approved to make sure you're a candidate as well as, if you were using insurance and then you do pay a monthly fee to, to, get your shots every month.

The price tag of the med spa shots can be more than quadruple that of a traditional prescription covered by insurance.

Warner pays $375 a month for four weekly shots.

Brisby pays a $3 monthly copay.

With a very small needle, so it's not bad at all.

It doesn't even hurt.

It doesn't hurt to me.

And you, inject in your stomach.

Just a few months in, the medications seem to be working for both ladies.

I am about four months in, and I've lost, the last time I was at my appointment, which was maybe three weeks ago, 12 pounds, which I'm pretty happy with because I wanted a slow decline in weight loss.

They say the side effects of calm down as time goes on as well.

It hasn't been bad, like there were a few times where I felt a little bit more nauseous, but the nausea is very minimal.

I've kind of like, almost like that nausea that when you feel like you're hungry and you have to eat something, and then you can eat something and it it kind of quiets nausea a little bit.

I'll be like, okay, now today I'm really feeling it.

I have thrown up a couple times, but typically that's because I've eaten something that my body's just not agreeing with.

Because when you take the medication, the whole point is to change your eating habits and you shouldn't eat too greasy because it messes with your stomach in an unforgiving way.

They also both say they do not plan on being on the medication forever.

My long term goal actually isn't just about me, it's also about my kids.

I want to make sure that I'm doing good for me, so that way I can do good for them.

And then we can all be on like good eating habits because I don't I don't want my kids to go through what I went through or ever have to deal with massive weight gain or anything like that.

I have a weight loss goal and once I get down to that, then I'll revisit with the nurse at the med spa to decide moving forward if I if it's something I have to stay on a little bit longer, or I mean, at the end of the day it's making healthier lifestyle choices.

In the end, the institution say they are happy with their choice to try the medications that so many are using to get on a path to a healthier, happier lifestyle.

While I definitely am enjoying that, I'm able to lose weight, and I do know that I have to continue to make healthier choices as far as like exercising and working out.

So continue to see an improvement like it works hand in hand.

You can't just take the shots and expect to lose weight without doing any making lifestyle changes with it.

Don't ever feel ashamed for the route that you choose to go, because everybody's experience is going to be different.

Whether you lose weight naturally or you need a little bit of extra help, you'll get there and it'll be amazing in the end.

Insurance coverage of these medications can vary from patient to patient and company to company.

It's important to check with your doctor before starting a GLP one.

Well, that'll do it for this edition of living in the Lehigh Valley, I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.