Latest news with #Ratliff
Mint
24-05-2025
- Health
- Mint
Why some people are microdosing popular weight-loss drugs
Microdosing isn't just popular for psychedelics. Some consumers are taking smaller than standard doses of GLP-1s—the popular class of weight-loss and diabetes drugs that include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound—or spacing out doses longer than indicated. The reason: to save on money or lessen side effects. Some people say they can lose or maintain weight on such tiny doses and others believe the microdoses can help with other health-related factors. The truth: This may be more of a social-media phenomenon than a reality. Doctors say yes, some people are super responders to the drugs and can lose or maintain weight loss at low doses—but it's unusual to lose all your weight with these. The majority of people microdosing will need to escalate their dose, which can be done more slowly for those with bad side effects, notably gastrointestinal issues. Still, people are trying microdosing. Here's what to know about it. The first challenge with microdosing is the method of delivery. The prescription drugs entail taking weekly self-injections with pens. Currently, most people taking alternative doses of GLP-1 drugs are using cheaper compounded versions of the medications, says Dr. Katherine H. Saunders, a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of FlyteHealth, a medical obesity-treatment company. (Saunders, like many doctors, doesn't recommend compounded copies of the drugs because of potential safety issues; the federal government has cracked down on the compounded market). The only weekly GLP-1 drug that makes it easy to take alternative doses is Ozempic. It comes in a self-injectable pen where doses are administered with clicks. The other drugs have mostly been sold as single-dose injectable pens. But some patients will stretch out doses taking them every 10 days to two weeks. And once used the pens have a shelf life of 56 days. Zepbound single-dose vials became available in the U.S. last year for self-pay customers only. This makes it theoretically possible to microdose by drawing out smaller amounts of liquid with a syringe. But the single-use vials are free of preservatives. So using them after the rubber stopper is punctured increases risk of infection, says Anne Kome, a clinical pharmacist at University of North Carolina Health in Chapel Hill. Saunders says many people taking fractional doses likely don't meet the criteria for the drugs and are trying to lose a little weight or are hoping for potential longevity benefits. They are people like Rachel Ratliff, a 56-year-old retired corporate lawyer in San Francisco. She was effortlessly skinny until she hit menopause and gained 10 pounds. Ratliff says she was always ravenous and nothing she did to take the weight off worked. Ratliff decided to try a compounded version of tirzepatide—the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro. 'I started taking [tirzepatide] out of vanity but it's completely changed my relationship to food and given me the ability to make healthier food choices," she says. Initially she took the usual starting dose of 2.5 milligrams, which wiped her out. Then she tried a quarter dose. 'It was amazing, it took the edge off my hunger," she says. Ratliff says she lost 10 pounds in the first six weeks and continues to take a maintenance dose. This costs about $50 a month. Saunders says some people are so-called 'super responders" who are very sensitive to medications and may need lower than a standard dose. 'We're personalizing the dose, not microdosing them on purpose," she says. Most people learn about microdosing from TikTok, according to a recent survey of 640 GLP-1 users conducted by Tebra, a health-software company. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they microdose. Among them, 48% take smaller injections than prescribed and 43% split doses over a longer period. Sixty-six percent microdosed to reduce side effects; 40% wanted to ease into the medication; and 38% did it to save money. Spokespeople for Novo Nordisk (Ozempic and Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (Mounjaro and Zepbound) said they don't condone or encourage misuse of their products. They said microdosing poses potential safety risks. Doctors agree that patients shouldn't be choosing to microdose on their own. 'What about a patient microdosing on their cancer therapeutic or how about microdosing on their blood pressure medication based on how they feel? Or how about their insulin?" says Dr. Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. 'We have a disease here—not cosmetics." Patients who try to conserve medicine by spreading out their doses may experience worse side effects, such as nausea and gastrointestinal issues, says Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava, a professor and co-director at the Vanderbilt Weight Loss Center. 'The body is not exposed to that medication for longer periods of time so they are less tolerable," she says. Taking doses that aren't standard can also lead to more dosing errors. One promising area of microdosing may be health benefits independent of weight loss, researchers say. Data published at the European Congress on Obesity conference last year found that people who took semaglutide—sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy—and didn't lose much weight had the same 20% reduction in heart attacks and strokes as those who took it and did lose weight, says Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist and professor at University of Toronto who studies GLP-1 drugs. 'And so then the question is, if it doesn't matter whether or not you lose weight, does it matter how much semaglutide you actually took to get that benefit?" he says. We don't know the answer, he says, because trials use standard doses of the drugs. 'I think what we're starting to see is that there are clearly weight loss and glucose independent benefits of these medicines," says Drucker. 'But what we don't have is data saying 'and you can achieve those benefits with microdosing.'" Write to Sumathi Reddy at
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Wine theft led to felony charge under Prop 36
(KRON) – A San Francisco man was arrested after attempting to steal multiple wine bottles at a Colma Target, the Colma Police Department said on its social media Friday. Colma police officers responded to a Target on Junipero Serra Boulevard for the report of a theft around 8:41 p.m. on April 12. Responding officers were informed that a man had shoplifted wine bottles and subsequently returned to take men's clothing items. Officers located the suspect, later identified as San Francisco resident Dhani Ratliff, inside the store. Police said Ratliff fled through the store but was caught after a brief pursuit. Verbal altercation led to assault at Colma Target parking lot According to Colma PD, Ratliff took approximately $481.63 worth of unpaid merchandise on April 12. Target employees told police that Ratliff had stolen $2,580.26 worth of merchandise in total. Ratliff, 51, had two or more prior theft convictions, which under Proposition 36 made him eligible for arrest. Ratliff was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail for burglary, grand theft, felony theft with priors and resisting/obstructing peace officers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The First ‘White Lotus' Spin-Off Should Definitely Happen After Season 3
The White Lotus The White Lotus season 3 aired its finale this past weekend, which was ultimately divisive and one I personally did not love. One of the main issues was the resolution, or lack thereof, of the Ratliff storyline, where Timothy heads back to the US where he's about to be under investigation by the FBI for business illegalities. This entire season he's been popping Lorazepam and fantasizing about how he might kill his family and himself to save them the pain and embarrassment. He almost does so via deadly piña coladas, but changes his mind, though in the process almost accidentally kills his youngest son, Lochlan, who survives the poisoning without realizing his father did in fact poison him. The family finds out what's going on back in the US at last by finally looking at their phones after a week without them. That's it. We see no aftermath. We should see the aftermath. I have not seen a storyline in The White Lotus before that would justify a spin-off quite like this. If Lochlan had died, it wouldn't work, but the entire Ratliff family dealing with Timothy's crimes and 'being poor' back in the US would make for a great series. In a sense we…already had this show in the form of Schitt's Creek, a rich family forced to adapt to a humble life in a small town. Amazing series, but obviously it would be a lot different in tone coming from the White Lotus universe. The White Lotus This would allow the return of what were arguably the two best characters in the series, Victoria Ratliff and Saxon Ratliff, played by Parker Posey and Patrick Schwarzenegger (yes, that one). Posey was easily the funniest character in a season that wasn't funny enough, and Schwarzenegger was a rare character who actually underwent significant character development by the end. Will this happen? Odds are against it. Every single episode of The White Lotus is written and directed by Mike White. So either he would have to give up control of a spin-off to someone else (which could also affect its quality) or if he did it himself, it would significantly delay the already-greenlit fourth season which is about to start production, likely in Europe. There is the fact that White has not ruled out a spin-off in the past, namely a prequel focused on the now-dead character of Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya. Here's what he said to Deadline back in 2023: 'I absolutely think that's possible, we were just talking about that… It's a funny idea. And making Jennifer, you know, 20 years younger, that would be fun too. I think Jennifer's like, 'Sure, let's do it!'.' That did not happen, obviously, but if he's open to that, maybe he's open to a new idea. And maybe the Ratliffs could be it. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Bluesky Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The White Lotus 'coconut milk is off' line became a hilarious meme
The White Lotus 'coconut milk is off' line became a hilarious meme Season 3 of The White Lotus wrapped on Sunday night, bringing Mike White's tropical murder mystery to a close. Several characters didn't make it out of the Thailand resort, and that number would have been dramatically higher if Ratliff family patriarch Tim (Jason Isaacs) didn't call off his familial murder-suicide. Ratliff, who was facing a lot of business problems and probably federal prison back in Durham, North Carolina, hatched a dastardly scheme to "solve" all their problems by making his family poison piña coladas. Thankfully for Victoria, Paxton and Piper -- youngest son Lochlan was to be spared -- Tim panicked and stopped everyone from drinking by exclaiming that "the coconut milk is off." As is the case with The White Lotus, the moment provided some levity in a situation that didn't lend itself to any. It also immediately became a meme in the best way. THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The White Lotus 'coconut milk is off' line became a hilarious meme
Season 3 of The White Lotus wrapped on Sunday night, bringing Mike White's tropical murder mystery to a close. Several characters didn't make it out of the Thailand resort, and that number would have been dramatically higher if Ratliff family patriarch Tim (Jason Isaacs) didn't call off his familial murder-suicide. Ratliff, who was facing a lot of business problems and probably federal prison back in Durham, North Carolina, hatched a dastardly scheme to "solve" all their problems by making his family poison piña coladas. Thankfully for Victoria, Paxton and Piper -- youngest son Lochlan was to be spared -- Tim panicked and stopped everyone from drinking by exclaiming that "the coconut milk is off." As is the case with The White Lotus, the moment provided some levity in a situation that didn't lend itself to any. It also immediately became a meme in the best way. HE SAID THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF! — 💫 (@heyjaeee) April 7, 2025 the coconut milk is OFF #WhiteLotus — Duolingo (@duolingo) April 7, 2025 When I order coconut milk in my latte but forgot about the last time I ordered coconut milk and hated it. 🥥 #WhiteLotus — Kelly Krammes (@KellyKrammes) April 7, 2025 if we're taking shots and i say 'THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF' that just means that this next shot might kill me — mau (@rllydu) April 7, 2025 THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF!!! #TheWhiteLotus — the mayhem witch is at the white lotus🦇 (@darkeyer2) April 7, 2025 THE COCONUT MILK IS OFF. This article originally appeared on For The Win: White Lotus meme from coconut milk is off line is hilarious
