If you're on a GLP-1 medication, you know about... The Shortages.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of both Wegovy and Ozempic, has even shared updates about The Shortages on the Wegovy website (TBH I haven't looked at Ozempic's website to see if they share info there too). And honestly, if you've watched or read the news, the media looooves to talk about GLP-1 medications, so you've probably heard discussions about The Shortages through news media as well. Shortages are so prevalent through mainstream pharmacies, that telehealth sites are making BANK.
For those unfamiliar with Wegovy, your prescribed doses increase after a marked time period. The starter dose is .25. The diagram below (courtesy of the Wegovy website) can explain the dosage timeline better than I can.
I was lucky with my first prescription for four pre-filled pens of .25mg of Wegovy. I've always been a CVS girl, but my health insurance is a no-go at CVS, so Walgreens it would be. Once I was approved by my health insurance company to start Wegovy, I picked it up at my neighborhood Walgreens, a whole five minutes from my apartment, on that same day. No shortages here! What was all the hype?
After spending a lot of time reading posts in the two Wegovy Facebook groups I'm part of, I came to realize that .25mg wasn't the problem. Posts pour in on those groups discussing the fact that .5mg is difficult to come by.
Once my doctor cleared me for .5mg, I was excited for all of ten minutes, after which I received an automated call from Walgreens regarding "an update on my prescriptions." Sure enough, no .5 in stock. I called Walgreens -- before I could even ask, I was interrupted by the pharmacy associate who picked up the phone that "no one in the area" had .5 in stock.
As I said to one of my best friends... sometimes my tenacity comes in handy. I called SIX "Mom and Pop" pharmacies, one Rite Aid location, and two more Walgreens in spite of the information I'd been given. And whaddya know! A Walgreens in Manhasset, seven miles away, had .5mg in stock. If you know my personality, you know that I couldn't wait to call up the Glen Cove Walgreens to tell the folks over there that they were WRONG.
After work, my husband Anthony and I headed out for an "adventure" to Manhasset. I should have known that the goods would not come easily. I had a basic idea of where the Walgreens was located, but I did NOT know that it was surrounded by full-capacity street parking and one-way side streets. After much frustration, we found the municipal parking lot, I went inside, and I found out that the prescription... was not ready. But there was no way that I was leaving the store without my sought-after .5mg Wegovy.
As evidenced by the header photo... the mission was accomplished. I start .5mg over the weekend. The Wegovy Goose Chase was worth it.
For those of you also on a GLP-1, my advice to you in the event of these shortages (which are likely to continue) is made of the following points:
Exhaust every resource. Make all of the phone calls to pharmacies in your area, including the Mom-and-Pop ones.
If your national chain pharmacy tells you that no locations in the area have your GLP-1 medication, call the other locations anyway.
This note is for Wegovy only -- .5mg is the most popular dose. If you know that you are going to need .5mg, try to see if your doctor will call it in early.
And don't give up!
very inspiring!
❤️