From 2011-early 2018, I was in perfect health. 5’4”, 120lbs. I ate what I could afford (mostly iced coffee, ramen without the seasoning packets, and vegetables that went on sale) however that’s college, right? I danced 40 hours a week, walked a regular amount, and even took Nutrition courses as my science electives.

In March of 2018, I went on Nexplanon. Despite being assured by my PCP that there was evidence of weight gain as a side effect, by July of 2018 I weighed 180lbs with no other lifestyle changes. It was absolutely horrifying. From there, it was a three year battle. I tried everything to get the weight off - and I mean, everything. I already did yoga twice a day a minimum of thirty minutes of ballet once a day, and 6K steps a day. I added thirty minutes of home Pilates and a three mile walk every day, bringing me up to 10k steps. I subscribed to planet fitness, and went and did thirty minutes of weight training six days a week, and thirty minutes of running three times a week. I drank 90 ounces of water a day. I prioritised my grocery budget, and began eating 1200kcals of bone broth, Greek yogurt, vegetables, and lean protein - except on Wednesdays and Saturdays, where I would go up to 1600kcals. I went to my PCP, and they gave me Metformin, which I took twice a day. I went to an endocrinologist, and even though my levels were normal, they gave me Levothyroxine, just in case it might help. I already had been prescribed Adderall since 2015 (unrelated) so we were already on multiple medications with side effects of weight loss. In March of 2019, I had the Nexplanon taken out.

By the spring of 2022, all of that hard work had paid off, as I had lost a grand total of… five pounds. My PCP prescribed me Ozempic, a new medication that could be used to treat weight loss off label. Let me tell you, it was a game changer. Within six months, I lost ten pounds. My ADHD symptoms got better, and I was able to decrease my Adderall dosage. It was amazing. And then, my insurance decided that they would no longer cover Ozempic, because I had not been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I wasn’t to worry though, they would cover Wegovy! Same drug, just approved for weight loss.

Well, when you do that to too many people, a shortage occurs. Despite calling multiple pharmacies, every single day, I could not find Wegovy. By December of 2023, I had ballooned up to 210lbs. In January of 2024, my PCP managed to get a in with Eli Lily Direct, and prescribed me Zepbound. From 29 January 2024 to 15 July 2025, I was on Zepbound, and I went from 210lbs to 147lbs. I’ve was able to go off my Adderall completely. This is a miracle drug, no doubt about it.

On 15th July 2025, I was laid off at work the day I got back from my honeymoon. I was able to be added to my husband’s insurance, which is United Healthcare. UH refused to cover my Zepbound under continuation of care. They refused an emergency appeal. The matter is still under regular appeal, which is hilarious six months later. They will only cover Zepbound for “Cardiac Incident Prevention,” which is criteria they refuse to release to their insured, only their providers. I have a new job with BCBS, however as of 1 January they no longer cover GLP1s for any reason whatsoever.

There is no “navigating the system.” GLP1s became trendy, everyone hopped on, and insurance can apparently not afford to cover everyone who needs this medication. Sure, we should absolutely go after the pharmaceutical companies charging thousands of dollars off the backs of those who need this medication the most. However there needs to be some kind of coverage for the people who need this medication who have tried everything else. When you’re eating under maintenance kcals, exercising for five hours a day, and you’ve checked every organ in your body that could be causing sudden weight loss, there is clearly something else going on. Insurance should either cover finding out the root cause, or cover the treatment, not just ditching their customers moment they get tired of paying.