AKRON, Ohio — As many gear up for the holidays and enjoy some food favorites around the dinner table, Ohio’s top doctor issued a health warning: obesity is still a problem.
"The honest truth is too many of us are struggling with obesity and excessive weight," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff with the Ohio Department of Health.
It comes as the CDC reports more than 38% of adult Ohioans are considered obese, making the state seventh-worst in the nation when it comes to personal health.
At the same time, doctors across Northeast Ohio are seeing an increase in patients seeking out newer medications for weight loss that are showing more dramatic results than ever before — drugs that seemingly trick the brain into thinking it’s full.
"When you think about previously having medicines where you'd only get 5-10% weight loss, and now we have medications we can give patients that are anywhere in the 15-20% range, we have a lot of people's attention now," said Dr. Brian Burtch, an endocrinologist with University Hospitals.
Brand name drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have become synonymous with weight loss, even if that wasn't their original intent.
Drug maker Novo Nordisk created Wegovy, which is almost identical to Ozempic, a drug meant to treat diabetes. Drug manufacturer Eli Lilly just received FDA approval for Zepbound, which mirrors the diabetic medication Mounjaro.
That being said, experts point out it can be more difficult to get insurance to cover weight loss drugs, so the diabetic version can sometimes be prescribed instead.
"From a weight loss perspective, it’s been an uphill battle," Burtch explained. "We’re having a lot of problems getting it covered on insurance so what we would do is use the diabetes form of Ozempic. Ozempic’s dose is really the same as Wegovy. So it’s kind of semantics. In many ways, it's kind of the path of least resistance."
Burtch adds the new medications are leading to a change in the health ecosystem, potentially staring down other issues that arise from weight problems.
"We know that obesity leads to things like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, fatty liver, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease," Burtch explained. "We know that 5% weight loss is clinically meaningful, but we know that when people start hitting 10-15% weight loss, that's disease-state-changing."
He adds these drugs are not new, typically require a long-term commitment, and can carry side effects, such as heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, feeling bloated and effects to the gastrointestinal tract.
At first glance, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to talk with Kevin and Amber McCoy for this story. On the surface, they don’t look overweight, but that’s not the same person they’ve always seen in the mirror.
"I was always hungry; I could eat half a pizza and still be hungry," Kevin McCoy of Akron said.
"I’ve tried everything," Amber McCoy added. "I would lose 10 pounds; I’d gain 20 pounds."
But this past spring, after a humiliating experience, they both said goodbye to the bodies they knew and began taking Mounjaro, the FDA-approved diabetic medication that also helps for weight loss.
"The amusement park had a weight limit for the rides, and we got on that scale that day, and the number just shocked us," Kevin McCoy recalled.
"His dad was on it, and he lost a bunch of weight, and he was on it to treat diabetes," Amber McCoy added.
Since taking Mounjaro seven months ago, Kevin McCoy dropped about 50 pounds and hopes to lose another 20 pounds, whereas Amber stopped taking the drug five weeks ago on the advice of her specialist after losing 96 pounds and keeping it off.
"I’ve changed how I eat now," Amber McCoy smiled.
The two recently went backpacking at Yosemite, hiking 60 miles in six days.
The trip was "a dream that we’ve had for years, and it was easier because the weight was gone," she explained.
The two decided to share their experience with News 5 in hopes others can reclaim the joy buried by pounds.
"I have self-esteem; she has self-esteem," Kevin McCoy explained.
Clay LePard is a special projects reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on Twitter @ClayLePard or on Facebook Clay LePard News 5.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
