Gerrard Kaonga
Two best friends who took weight loss drugs to lose the extra weight had very different experiences, and now, they've spoken out about it.
AnnaLee Canario and Dacia Benjamin decided they wanted to lose weight and felt that this is a journey they could take together.
The two Virginia women took two different drugs and ultimately had very different experiences on their weight loss journey.
AnnaLee, 32, started treatment first in December 2022 on Mounjaro (which contains the active ingredient tirzepatide).
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Dacia, 40, got a prescription for compounded semaglutide (the active drug in Wegovy and Ozempic) about six months later.
Both subscriptions are GLP-1 drugs that are used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Studies have come to the conclusion that tirzepatide can be the more effective of the two, due to how it operates in the body. It acts on two gut hormones that help regulate blood sugar, digestion, and appetite, while the other only focuses on one.
Speaking to the Mail Online about the experience, Dacia noted that at some points the side effects she experienced were ’paralyzing’.
Despite this, she also noted that she was able to lose weight quicker on semaglutide.
She said: “My side effects have been pretty hard, I'm not going to lie. I've dealt with continuous nausea and constipation, but I think my team and I have found my sweet spot and I'm doing so much better.
“I noticed that AnnaLee didn't deal with as much as I did."
Both drugs can have side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Both women managed to shed weight over the years and have insisted the weight loss drugs are the reason.
Both women have lost almost 40 percent of their body weight, with AnnLee now weighing 184lbs and Dacia coming in at 140lbs.
When they began their weight loss journey, AnnaLee was weighing 293lbs while Dacia weighed 220lbs.
Both women said they decided to lose weight for their own health and the sake of their children.
They also said that they were able to lose weight effectively because of the support they gave one another.
AnnaLee said: “She just motivates me to want to be better and doesn't really accept mediocre. She wants you to be successful and will push you but compassionately.”
Dacia added: “Our friendship has served as built-in motivation.
“I have shared things with AnnaLee that I don't think I'd normally just share. It's made me realize that we truly aren't alone in this GLP-1 world when it can be harsh.”