Like remedies like Ozempic, Munjaro can transform holiday dinners like Thanksgiving

When Tara Rothenhofer sits down at the Thanksgiving table this year, she said she envisions being able to enjoy it instead of feeling stressed about the food on the table.

Rothenhofer said she attributes that change to Munjaro, a drug she said helped her lose more than 200 pounds.

Before taking on Munjaro, Rothenhofer said on a holiday like Thanksgiving, centered around a big meal, she would worry about being able to “make good choices” when it came to food.

“You’re really focused on the food as a whole, not the rest,” Rothenhofer told “Good Morning America,” adding of the change she’s seen since starting the drug: “I’ve been able to change the fear and the anxiety. in more enjoyment and reassurance that you know, I still eat the foods I enjoy. “I just make sure I don’t eat so much.”

Also, Joe Sapone, who lost more than 100 pounds on Munjaro, told “GMA” that for him, gathering on holidays like Thanksgiving is now more about the company he’s with than the food.

“My enjoyment hasn’t really diminished,” he said. “Because being with family and friends is as important as eating food.

Mounjaro and other weight-loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have skyrocketed in popularity over the past year as they have proven successful in changing some people’s eating habits and helping people who are overweight and obese to lose weight.

Clinical studies show that drug users can lose between 5% and 20% of their body weight over time.

The active ingredient in Munjaro, tirzepatide, works by activating two naturally produced hormones in the body: glucagon-like peptide-1, known as GLP-1, and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, or GIP. The combination is said to slow stomach emptying, make people feel fuller for longer, and suppress appetite by slowing hunger signals in the brain.

Munjaro – Made by Eli Lilly & Co. – is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat type 2 diabetes. Earlier this month, the FDA approved the obesity drug Zepbound, which contains the same active ingredient, tirzepatide, as Mounjaro.

The drug is similar to semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy — both made by Novo Nordisk — but works slightly differently because it targets two hormones involved in blood sugar control, not just one.

Ozempic is currently FDA-approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes along with diet and exercise if other medications cannot control blood sugar levels well enough.

Vegovi is essentially the same injectable drug as Ozempic prescribed in higher doses. The FDA specifically approved Wegovy for patients who are severely obese or who are overweight and have one or more weight-related conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Possible side effects of all three drugs – Munjaro, Ozempik and Vegovi – include nausea and stomach pain.

Dr. Kathryn Saunders, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said people taking medications used for weight loss should be prepared to manage their expectations when it comes to big holiday meals like Thanksgiving Day. the gratitude.

“It doesn’t completely take away the pleasure that comes from food,” Saunders told “GMA.” “It allows people to have a few bites and then say, ‘I don’t need to eat a big portion of this.’ That was enough.”

Saunders also noted that it may take time for people to adjust to eating different amounts and different types of food when taking drugs like Ozempic and Munjaro.

“It can definitely take some time for people to get used to eating differently and making food choices differently when they’re on these medications,” she said. “So if you don’t change your eating behavior or the content of your diet at all when you take these drugs, then people can get into trouble.”