Losing weight is hard – like, really hard. Between fad diets, exhausting exercises, and the many “miracle” drugs that don’t seem to work, it’s easy to feel stuck. A lot of people struggle with their weight, and many of them opt for surgical treatments.
What about those looking for a non-surgical solution? Explore semaglutide injections – a diabetic medication that is increasingly gaining popularity and praise from the general public and professionals alike.
But does it live up to the hype? How does it really work? And most importantly, is it good for you? Let’s break it down.
What is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide, commonly known as Ozempic, is a once-weekly medication that is approved and used for people with Type-2 diabetes.
Semaglutide helps diabetic patients by working as a GLP-1 replacement, which is the hormone found in the pancreas and is responsible for producing insulin in the body.
The GLP-1 hormone is produced in the small intestine and released after you eat, while insulin helps regulate your blood sugar.
When the insulin levels in your body decrease, your blood sugar rises. Ozempic helps by slowing down your digestion, resulting in less glucose being released into the bloodstream.
How It Helps with Weight Loss
When diabetic patients started using semaglutide regularly, they quickly noticed an impressive side effect: they found themselves losing their body weight!
And the rest is history.
While Ozempic is yet to get officially approved as a weight loss medication, another injection, Wegovy, already is. It’s essentially like taking two doses of Ozempic, so it’s safe to call it the same drug.
Now, the question arises: Does Ozempic weight loss work for non-diabetics?
You know how, after you eat, you start feeling full and gradually lose your appetite? That’s the GLP-1 in Ozempic working in real time. It tells your brain to stop eating and helps you reduce your food intake in the long run.
This doesn’t mean losing weight simply requires you to eat less, but it’s more about your body and its relationship with food. If you decide to suddenly start “dieting” by eating less, your body goes into panic mode (thanks to survival instincts) and fights hard to keep your weight the way it is.
But when you’re taking semaglutide in any form, what it does is change your metabolism and tell your body to relax, even if you suddenly start eating less.
In other words, semaglutide helps your body feel less hungry because food stays in your stomach longer, which also satisfies your cravings.
What Research Says
A study published in 2021 observed two groups of people: those using semaglutide with weight loss diets and exercises, and those without the drug.
The result? Individuals using semaglutide managed to lose a significant amount of weight, especially compared to those who only changed their diets and lifestyles. This loss was almost 15% and 2.4% of body weight, respectively.
This was the largest research on semaglutide conducted in the United Kingdom. Many followed and yielded the same results. The most significant finding was the comparison of semaglutide with other weight-loss medications, where the former showed 15% weight loss, unmatched by any other.
Other Potential Benefits
So, we now know that Ozempic isn’t just for diabetes but also helps you lose weight. Great. But that’s not all.
When you start losing your body weight, many other physiological changes follow, lower cholesterol levels being one of them.
The semaglutide in medications like Ozempic also help you:
- Improve your cholesterol levels
- Regulate your blood pressure
- Reduce the risk of chronic diseases
Ozempic’s approved counterpart, Wegovy, has been scientifically proven to reduce major health issues like heart attacks and strokes. The aforementioned study also showed improvement in the risk factors for inflammation and heart diseases.
Future Benefits
Ongoing studies are exploring whether semaglutide could be effective for other health concerns like Alzheimer’s and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). For now, we know that it may contribute to reducing the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and managing PCOS symptoms.
Safety Considerations
As much as we’d like it to be, taking Ozempic for weight loss is not a one-and-done deal. You can’t take the drug to lose weight and then just stop using it.
Why? Because when you stop getting that extra dose of insulin, it confuses your metabolism, your body starts feeling hungrier, and well, you gain your lost weight back. You go into remission, a common effect of stopping any kind of long-term medication.
Ozempic requires you to stick with it for the rest of your life. Because obesity may not be incurable, but it is a chronic disease, all right.
Some other minor effects of taking Ozempic, like nausea, vomiting, heartburn, and other gastrointestinal issues, tend to go away in a week or two, all on their own. Just make sure you’re taking enough fiber and eating your food in smaller portions during your first few injections.
Is Ozempic Right for You?
Like every medication, Ozempic is not for everyone.
Avoid taking Ozempic for weight loss, especially if you are under 18 years of age or pregnant. Some people with medical concerns like pancreatitis and kidney-related issues also need to take appropriate precautions. Your family and personal medical history should be taken into account as well.
In any case, it’s best to talk to your healthcare provider before starting any kind of new medication.
Keep in mind that the medication itself may be a bit on the costlier side, especially if you don’t have insurance or type-2 diabetes, so you might have to empty your pockets a bit too, to get that body weight down.
How to Get Started
All in all, Ozempic is a pretty safe (and effective!) medication for weight loss. As long as you don’t think of it as a quick fix or short-term solution and consult a specialist medical professional, you’re good to go.
The first step is to consult your primary care physician, know your medical history, and then talk to a qualified person about the best type of treatment for your condition.
