THERE is only one way forward, says Bridget, a 62-year-old Mayfield woman who is waging her own war against obesity, one kilogram at a time. Login or signup to continue reading That is with the help of medication which will soon become unavailable to her, and tens of thousands of others. From October 1, the federal government and Therapeutic Goods Administration's blanket ban on compounded weight loss medication will create serious supply hurdles.

Bridget underwent bariatric surgery two years ago which helped, she said, but eventually she started to gain weight again. Then she found Ozempic, which she considers a lifesaver. "For me it's impossible to lose weight without it," Bridget said.

With it, she has lost 20 kilograms at a slow and sustainable rate which makes "a huge difference", she said. "In terms of non-scale victories, just being able to cross your legs, that's a huge thing for me to just be like other people," she said. "It's very depressing, when you get fat .

.. to do things, and to exercise is much more difficult, going out is much more difficult - you can't buy clothes, you're very self conscious, it's horrible .

.. there are a multitude of things which make life very difficult and depressing.

" However, as more prescription drugs became less available, doctors would not prescribe it without a diabetes diagnosis, so Bridget turned to a compounded substitute, which stopped "the food noise". Now that supply also looks likely to be cut off. Dr Matt Vickers, a GP and .