What you should know before taking semaglutide for weight loss
Ozempic (with the active ingredient semaglutide) and other weight-loss medications are hot topics in the nutrition world.
Many patients wonder about the now-prescribed semaglutide treatment beyond blood sugar management. To diabetics.
People with diabetes, for whom this drug was originally targeted, are having trouble accessing it because of shortages that have resulted from a sharp rise in demand for weight loss among non-diabetics.
If you are considering taking semaglutide, it is best to talk to your doctor to make an informed decision based solely on your situation. For now, let’s look at the top three things you should know about Ozempic, according to nutritionist Shyla Cadogan, a columnist at studyfinds.org.
First, it’s important to grasp the precise nature of Ozempic. Ozempic belongs to a class of medicines called GLP-1 agonists. GLP-1 is a hormone that our body produces naturally and is released by cells in the gut. It helps the body release more insulin to better stabilize blood sugar levels.
People with diabetes have reduced GLP-1 functionality, so they have higher blood sugar levels and have difficulty keeping them under control. Ozempic helps this process work smoothly again by encouraging blood sugar balance and reducing HbA1C (hemoglobin A1C) levels, which measure average blood sugar levels over three months.
What you need to know about semaglutide:
1. As a rule, weight loss is not permanent
It is possible that you will lose weight, but it is not absolutely certain. It is important not to start taking semaglutide with the mindset that it is a “magical” solution to a slim body. It doesn’t happen to everyone, and it can leave you in despair.
A drug is not a lifestyle change by itself. Switching to Ozempic can help you lose weight, but it also takes a personal effort on your part to keep it off.
Many have reported regaining weight after stopping the drug, but this is largely due to semaglutide doing the weight loss work for them. Both weight loss and weight maintenance require positive lifestyle changes to be sustainable in the long term.
2. You are likely to experience unwanted side effects
Studies have shown that gastrointestinal discomfort is a common side effect of semaglutide. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, constipation, gastroesophageal reflux, and abdominal pain are also commonly reported. For most, symptoms resolve with minimal intervention, but for others, they may persist for days, weeks, or even months.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning for Ozempic and other similar drugs because studies have shown they can increase the risk of thyroid tumors. Of course, these studies were conducted in mice, so we can’t yet say that this is definitely true in humans. Researchers are currently engaged in the project, but it will be a few more years before we see any results.
3. We have no long-term data on semaglutide
The FDA approved Ozempic to treat diabetes in 2017. So no one can say definitively what the long-term effects of taking semaglutide will be 10 or 15 years from now.
This is nothing new. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ephedra (also known as ma huang) was the main ingredient in many weight loss products. It was praised in the same way as Ozempic, but it turned out to be harmful to users. It has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, seizures, high blood pressure, and more. After a spike in poison center calls in the early 2000s, the FDA banned the sale of ephedra products in 2004. It remains illegal in the US to this day.
Conclusion
Semaglutide has certainly shown benefits for people with diabetes, even those battling obesity. However, its popularity is due to people who want to turn to these drugs just to lose some weight without the required effort.
All medicines carry risks, but many do not properly assess them. Working with your doctor to arrive at a treatment regimen and lifestyle changes is a positive step. Ozempic can be part of that journey for you. However, with all the hype surrounding semaglutide, it’s important to always follow your doctor’s instructions.