Semaglutide is an injectable prescription medication originally approved for treating type 2 diabetes. More recently, it has shown great promise as a highly effective weight loss drug when prescribed in higher doses.
Semaglutide works by mimicking the hormone GLP-1. This hormone helps regulate blood sugar levels and appetite. Specifically, semaglutide:
Numerous studies have shown that semaglutide can help people lose significant weight - on average 15-20% of their body weight over 68 weeks when combined with diet and exercise.
There are many reasons why semaglutide is an excellent option for weight management:
Semaglutide may be an appropriate weight loss treatment if:
Talk to your doctor about whether prescription semaglutide is right for your weight loss goals. Those with certain medical conditions like a history of pancreatitis may not be eligible.
While semaglutide can jumpstart weight loss, long term success requires adopting healthier habits. Your specialized weight management clinic can provide customized diet and fitness guidance to help make lifestyle changes.
Some examples include:
With commitment to these lifestyle changes, semaglutide helps ease cravings, control portions, and empower success on your weight loss journey.
If prescribed semaglutide, you'll inject a fixed dose under your skin once weekly using an easy-to-use prefilled pen device. Most people tolerate it well, but some temporary GI side effects can occur like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. These usually resolve within a month.
You’ll visit your clinic regularly for weigh-ins, medical supervision, and support. Most people begin seeing weight loss results within 3-4 weeks, with maximal benefits achieved after about 20 weeks.
Although treatment can continue long term, your doctor determines the appropriate duration based on your progress and medical profile. For sustained success, adopting healthy lifestyle changes is vital.
Semaglutide was originally discovered in the saliva of a non-venomous species of gila monster lizard. Scientists found that components in the lizard's saliva helped regulate blood sugar levels and used that discovery to develop semaglutide as a treatment for diabetes in humans.
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Our comprehensive medical weight loss programs including semaglutide feature:
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Semaglutide is an injectable medication used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that mimics a hormone called GLP-1 that is released from the gut after eating. Semaglutide works by stimulating the release of insulin when blood sugar levels are high, slowing digestion to reduce blood sugar spikes, and suppressing appetite which can aid in weight loss efforts. Overall, it helps lower average blood sugar levels.
There are several key benefits to using semaglutide for type 2 diabetes management or weight loss efforts:* It can lower HbA1c (average blood sugar level over 3 months) by 1-2% typically which is significant for improving long-term health outlooks. This helps reduce the risk of diabetes complications.* It can result in 5-15% weight loss on average which also provides health benefits for blood sugar control, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc. The appetite suppression effects help facilitate the weight reductions.* Unlike some other diabetes medications, it has a low risk of hypoglycemia (very low blood sugar levels). The blood sugar lowering effects are glucose-dependent.* It can improve cardiovascular health markers like blood pressure and lipids based on clinical research. This may reduce heart disease in summary, semaglutide provides excellent blood sugar control, weight loss effects, cardiovascular benefits, and low hypoglycemia risk advantages.
The most common side effects of semaglutide are gastrointestinal in nature. These occur mostly when first starting treatment and improve over time for most people. Side effects can include:* Nausea - Often the most frequently reported side effect. Happens initially for ~20-30% of people.* Diarrhea - Can also occur commonly when starting out. May improve on its own within 4-8 weeks.* Decreased appetite - Expected given the appetite suppressing effects. Ensure adequate nutrition.* Vomiting - For ~5-10% of people early on. Generally lessens over time.* Constipation - Less common than diarrhea. Drink plenty of are some other less frequent possible side effects like indigestion, stomach pain, dizziness, headache, fatigue, etc. Most improve or have self-management strategies. Very few people need to discontinue treatment due to persistent side effects.
Semaglutide is taken as a once weekly injection, not as a daily pill. The usual dosage is 0.5 mg injected under the skin of the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm using an auto-injector pen device. The injection site should be rotated each week. Most people start at 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks before increasing to 0.5 mg to improve tolerability of side effects. Doctors may increase later to 1 mg or 2 mg weekly for additional glucose lowering or weight loss effects. Proper injection technique helps minimize side effects and absorption.
The cash price for brand name Ozempic or Wegovy semaglutide runs around $1,000-1,300 per 30 day supply. Most private insurances and Medicare cover it with prior authorization and varying copays or coinsurance. The out-of-pocket cost varies greatly but can be expensive for patients without coverage. Luckily, the FDA approved generic semaglutide in 2022 which costs notably less at around $500-700 per month without insurance. So generic can provide cost savings for those with high copays or no coverage. Discuss costs with your pharmacist and doctor. Financial assistance may be available.
