Seeing the rapid increase of GLP-1 agonist prescriptions is like watching a bad horror movie over again. We saw the same thing with fen-phen and with opiates. Doctors were told that these medications were safe, and prescribed them for problems (fen-phen for weight loss and opiates for pain) that were not being adequately treated.

Cue the ominous music.

Over the course of my career, I have unfortunately seen colleagues be too quick to prescribe new drugs that do not treat the underlying cause of patients’ illness, and have far too many adverse effects.

GLP-1 agonists are just the latest version of that sad story. The only patients who should even consider taking GLP-1 agonists are those who are bed-bound because they weigh too much to be ambulatory.

As a last resort, for someone who is going to die from complications of morbid obesity, I would perhaps consider prescribing a trial of GLP-1 agonists. For everyone else, the right prescription is to roll up their sleeves and get to work. That includes eating a healthy diet, exercising, correcting nutritional and hormonal imbalances, and detoxifying the body.

That’s how you safely and effectively treat the underlying cause of obesity. It’s a lot cheaper than $1,000 per month, and a lot safer than medications that are associated with serious adverse effects. Find a good holistic doctor to work with.

If your doctor is prescribing GLP-1 agonists to patients who are not morbidly obese, it may be time to consider finding another.