This week’s blog comes from our Founder and Medical Director, Guy Slater, who offers an insightful comparison of the gastric balloon and weight loss medications as weight management options. As the field of medicine rapidly evolves, Guy explores how and why the gastric balloon may no longer be a viable solution for weight loss.
Gastric Balloon – The Changing Landscape
Like all good companies, Streamline aims to review its blogs regularly to ensure they’re still current and importantly because we’re weight loss experts, clinically reliable.
The last time we compared the intra-gastric balloon and GLP-1 type injectable medications was 2022 (you can read that blog here: Gastric Balloon vs Weight Loss Medication). Back then we thought there was a role for both interventions in weight management, but as is often the case with medicine and surgery, the World sometimes moves on very quickly.
There is no doubt that with advances in the medication and increased experience with the balloon, the situation has changed and as explained below in my opinion there is no longer any role for intra-gastric balloons in weight management.
Undoubtedly the safest, most reliable, cost-effective, non-surgical treatment is the GLP-1 weight loss medication drugs. Like many seemingly good ideas, the intra-gastric balloon has had its day and should now be consigned to the dustbin of history (!)
Below I’ve compared the two interventions in terms of safety, side-effects, effectiveness and cost. I think you will quickly share my opinion and if you’re considering a balloon, change your mind, avoiding potential harm, risking an expensive procedure with poor weight loss and no long-term gain.
The Case Against the Gastric Balloon
We tried our hardest to get the swallowable pill balloon to work for patients. We prescribed all the anti-sickness medication and looked for advice from the manufacturers and supposed balloon experts, but no matter what we did, many patients struggled with it.
Overall, it was poorly tolerated with nausea, reflux and retching, but for some patients it was far worse causing dehydration, needing admission to hospital and for some the balloon became wedged in their stomachs needing urgent removal. Because of all these problems, we abandoned balloons about 18 months ago.
Maybe it’s because we’re weight loss experts, but it seems we were prescient; European countries including France, experienced the same difficulties as we did and withdrew the balloon’s licence. Despite being an American Company, the manufacturers have not been able to secure FDA approval for use in the US either. That probably says it all.
Poor Weight Loss Results with the Gastric Balloon
But did it work, did patients lose weight? In our experience not very much. The research suggested that in the four months the balloon was in place, patients could lose 10% of their body weight, but we saw that infrequently, with balloons sometimes being expelled much sooner. In those patients that did lose weight it was difficult to know whether it was ‘proper’ weight loss, due to appetite control or caused by the side-effects of the balloon; nausea, reflux, retching and vomiting with patients literally unable to ‘stomach’ food.
The Rise of Weight Loss Injections as a Solution
But this blog isn’t just about the balloon failings, it’s about weight loss medication too. Three years on we have drugs on the market like Mounjaro (tirzepatide) which are much better tolerated with less side-effects, than the original GLP-1 drugs.
Studies have been published using Mounjaro, demonstrating an average of 22.5% total body weight loss in two years. Vastly superior to intra-gastric balloons and not far behind a sleeve gastrectomy, although unlike surgery, medication cannot provide permanent weight loss.
Cost Effectiveness – Balloon vs Weight Loss Injections
Lastly which is more cost-effective for patients, swallowable intra-gastric balloon or injections. As with all other considerations it’s a no-brainer in favour of medication. Mounjaro is so much more cost-effective.
For that price you can get medication with advice for the best part of two years and unlike the balloon, you can pay monthly. As I’ve already said, the decision intra-gastric balloon or injections, on every count is a no-brainer, Mounjaro wins hands down!
Streamline’s weight loss medication programme
Unlike other providers of weight loss medication, Streamline is owned and led by a team of weight loss surgeons with decades of experience in the field, bringing a unique perspective to weight loss treatment. Our deep understanding of weight management and metabolic health allows us to offer the best possible care and weight loss solutions, one of them being our weight loss medication programme.
What is included in our weight loss medication programme?
- Breakthrough weight loss medication
- Access to our health app, to track and monitor your progress
- 1:1 coaching and support from our team of experts
- Eco friendly, insulated packaging
If you’re interested in finding out more and to see if you’re eligible, please follow the link below:
