There is a legitimate clinical argument that a healthy 35-year-old with a BMI of 33, no comorbidities, no relevant family history, and no medications can safely start a low-dose GLP-1 agonist without requiring a full metabolic workup first particularly if the prescriber is using a thorough intake questionnaire to screen for contraindications
GLP-1RA exenatide administered once a week decreased heavy drinking days and total alcohol consumption, but only for a subset of participants with body mass index (BMI) over 30 19,20
The Official Guidelines are clear on this point
It requires careful dosing due to potential severe cardiotoxicity if accidentally injected into a blood vessel, may cause symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, seizures, or cardiac arrest
Hypoglycemia risk Hypoglycemia, dangerously low blood sugar, is the most feared acute complication of insulin therapy