Users read the piece as a thinly veiled attack on gray-market sourcing meant to scare people away and delegitimize independent testing. They note the writer had unusually detailed knowledge of recent community events and suspect paid influence or lurking. Several wish journalists would instead highlight how high brand-name prices and insurance barriers push patients toward alternatives for real health reasons.
What this discussion establishesNothing here is advice.
Tagging the person who shared the link.
I like how the writer plays up the fatigue and feeling lousy. Sure you eat less, that part is obvious. You lose muscle when protein intake drops. Extreme dieting without any GLPs does the same thing. Bottom line for me is that the drug works fine and the interviews show more ignorance about diet than anything else, while the writing itself is weak.
I read it as mostly a disguised attack on the gray market meant to scare users off and undermine independent testing efforts.
Saw this going around. Loudmouths ready to ruin things for everyone else. Also hate that one specific source got named directly. At this time of year hopefully readers are busy with gifts instead. Anyway, I have enough on hand for years.
Also, how dare they name those two groups. Assholes.
I would almost guarantee the writer spends time here, at least as a lurker and possibly someone we talk to without knowing. The details about gray-market history and recent events suggest serious research. The biased angle feels paid for.
I think someone joined about a month ago saying they were a journalist looking for insight. But I am old and could be mistaken. Once I thought I was wrong but I was mistaken. 😉 😎
Pretty sure that person was from Business Insider. I never saw anything from them, which is fine with me. Unfortunately the writer from the Atlantic has far too much inside information for comfort.
Yeah that checks out. But I do not think it was the same person. That one said she worked for the financial times and it checked out.
Hey journalist lurkers, would you please write about how we are improving our own medical results here? About how many of us could not afford the huge prices for the brand versions? About how more of us were being hurt by our previous conditions than will ever be hurt by the alternatives? About how insurance, big pharma and sometimes our own doctors care more about the bottom line than helping people?
A most fair request. 👍 🫡
Yes, I really wish journalists would focus more on the bigger public health problem pushing people toward compound pharmacies or the gray market. That is the rising cost of health insurance and pharmaceutical prices, especially name-brand meds in the US, which makes them unaffordable for many who truly need them. It is not all about vanity and weight loss but also about improving cardio-metabolic health and lowering risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and mortality.
Wanting more money along with profit-driven systems seem to drive much of what's happening. It's sad that crooked ways have become the usual pattern lately. 😞
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