Ozempic is said to have been used by a small number of celebrities due to its reputation for promoting weight loss.
On TikTok, the hashtag Ozempic has been viewed 450 million times, and it is now trending on social media. However, it is vital to highlight that Ozempic is primarily a diabetes medication used to regulate adult blood sugar levels.
What Is Ozempic?
However, in recent years it has been utilized to aid in weight loss, as many people who take Ozempic do lose weight.
Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have become so popular for weight loss due to their efficacy, says Dr. Rekha Kumar, MD, endocrinologist and director of medical affairs for the Found weight care program. 15% to 22% of a person’s total body weight is often lost while using GLP-1s.
Even modest weight loss, such as 5-10% of your total body weight, can reduce your blood pressure, normalize your blood sugar, enhance your blood cholesterol, and give you more energy.
Ozempic semaglutide promotes weight loss by slowing stomach emptying, resulting in a longer sense of fullness and a longer duration of fullness. Semaglutide also activates the brain region involved in detecting fullness.
Dr. Kumar says that when people take Ozempic, their stomach and brain feel fuller, resulting in decreased appetite, fewer cravings, and an inability to consume large portions.
Negative Effects
Although semaglutide is an FDA-approved injectable drug for type 2 diabetes under the brand name Ozempic, it is also FDA-approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy. And there is a Rybelsus tablet form for diabetes.
Ozempic, like any other prescription medicine, has the potential to cause negative effects. Dr. Kumar adds that Ozempic may cause gastrointestinal distress, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. The majority of these adverse effects subside within a few weeks of drug use.
Serious but uncommon adverse effects include the possibility of developing or worsening renal failure, pancreatitis, hypoglycemia, and thyroid cancers.
In one research of persons with overweight or obese, those who took the medicine plus made lifestyle modifications lost, on average, over 15% of their body weight, compared to only 3% in the placebo group.
Semaglutide has not been evaluated in individuals without obesity, i.e., those who wish to lose vanity pounds. Therefore, it is impossible to predict what type of weight reduction if any, or negative effects may result from improper use.
GLP-1s are the safest, most successful drugs for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity (both of which are chronic diseases) and they operate on the root cause of biology for weight and metabolic health, explains Dr. Kristina Baier, MD, Clinical Director at Calibrate.
It is crucial to remember that these medications have only been investigated and authorized for these chronic disorders and were produced exclusively for patients who match the qualifying criteria for the prescription. Unknown are the adverse effects and long-term consequences for those without diabetes and obesity.
Read more: Japan, Netherlands to join US in restricting chip equipment exporting to China
Planning To Stop Using This Meds?
If you expect Ozempic to result in long-term weight loss, we’re sorry to disappoint you. Several months after discontinuing Ozempic, the majority of weight loss is likely to be regained, according to research.
Clinical trials for Wegovy, the same chemical as Ozempic, semaglutide indicate that patients will gain weight after discontinuing treatment, explains Dr. Baier. Another study suggests that even with continuing access to the medicine, it may become less effective, leading to some weight regain.
Comparing Ozempic to other weight reduction procedures that aren’t simply focused on calorie restriction or eating just certain foods, such as bariatric surgery, it makes sense that if you adopt actual behavior change, weight loss can be relatively sustained.
Sadly, there is now insufficient scientific evidence to support such a theory. If you are now considering Ozempic, you should anticipate that if you stop taking the drug, you will likely regain the weight you lost.
Read more: Kepler’s first exoplanet: Astronomers’ discovery on the verge of destroy
