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Semaglutide?

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is an injectable medication that belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1 RAs). It mimics the GLP-1 hormone in your body, which is released in the gut in response to eating. 

One of the many roles of GLP-1 is to promote production of more insulin, to reduce blood glucose. For that reason, healthcare professionals have been using Semaglutide for more than 15 years to treat Type 2 Diabetes. 

GLP-1 also interacts with the parts of the brain that suppress appetite and signal a person to feel full. When used with diet and lifestyle changes, it can cause significant weight loss – therefore reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease. 

Semaglutide injections for weight loss

Semaglutide is approved by the FDA for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy. Administered as a once per week subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. Wegovy will require a prescription from your healthcare provider and might not be covered by your insurance plan.

Possible side effects of Semaglutide

Side effects are typically mild – especially when people are following the healthcare providers recommendations. 

Some common side effects could be:

    • Dizziness
    • Fatigue 
    • Intestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, bloating
    • Headache

Who should NOT take Semaglutide for weight loss

  • History of Medullary Thyroid Cancer
  • History of Pancreatic Cancer or Pancreatitis 
  • Multiple endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2)
  • History of gastrointestinal issues (to be discussed with provider) such as IBS, Gallbladder issues, history of bowel obstructions, gastroparesis 
  • History of Type 1 diabetes

Criteria that will NEED to be met in order to qualify for Semaglutide

  • Body Mass Index (BMI) equal or greater than 27, AND one underlying chronic disease such as diabetes type 2, hypertension, hyperlipidemia 
  • OR 
  • BMI equal or greater than 30 

Effectiveness of Semaglutide for weight loss

Early study of 2,000 obese adults compared people using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with people who made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide. After 68 weeks, half of the participants using semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, and nearly a third lost 20%. Participants who incorporated only lifestyle changes lost about 2.4% of their weight.

The fundamentals of obesity management will always be changes to diet and exercise. Having an anti-obesity medication in addition to diet and lifestyle, is another tool in the box

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