Ozempic is a straightforward weekly, once-a-week injection that contains semaglutide, a weight loss drug and aids in losing weight. It was a drug originally designed to assist people suffering from diabetes control and lower the blood sugar level. However, clinical studies have proven that Ozempic is also a secure and efficient treatment for obese patients to help them lose weight.
What is Ozempic function?
Ozempic mimics a hormone that is naturally produced within your body, called GLP-1. The hormone is created by your digestive system when it is triggered to food intake. It affects both the digestive system and the brain to control how full you feel after eating. It also slows the process of emptying your stomach to other parts of the digestive tract.
GLP-1 also regulates insulin production when you eat meals , ensuring that blood sugar levels are more managed (even decreasing the levels of blood sugar) and also reduces appetite by alerting your brain that you’ve had an entire meal.
Ozempic is a natural hormone that makes you feel fuller and longer and reduces your desire for food and enhancing the way that your body regulates blood sugar levels as well as the accumulation of fat. It can aid patients in losing weight.
Ozempic: How can you use it for weight loss
Start with the most minimal dosage, 0.25mg, and then gradually increase it over the course of 8 weeks until you reach the dose of 1mg. This will help your body adapt to the medication over the initial few weeks and decreases the severity of typical adverse effects, like nausea. Ozempic is an injection pre-filled that appears like a pen, along with needles that are single-use. It takes only 2 minutes to fill and comes with complete instructions.
For information on the Ozempic patient assistance program click here.
Simply place a brand new needle on your Ozempic pen, choose the dose, and then place the pen with firm pressure against the skin of your upper thigh, tummy or upper arm as you press the button for injector. Then, you can put the old needle into the safe sharps container. That’s it!
Ozempic can be used to aid in weight loss?
Absolutely, Ozempic is a great way to aid people in losing weight, even although it was initially designed to treat diabetes.
Ozempic isn’t a licensed product by the UK medicines regulator to treat weight loss, however studies conducted on a variety of patients have proven Ozempic as safe to lose weight. We’re confident that it’s the most efficient drug for people who are overweight to shed pounds in the UK currently.
The medication in Ozempic semaglutide is already accepted for weight loss treatments within the UK, USA and European Union The new versions of the drug aren’t yet available for use in the UK as of yet (that’s the reason we’re currently using Ozempic as our treatment to lose weight).
We’re using Ozempic “off-label” that means that we’re using it to aid in weight loss, even although it’s approved for use in the treatment of diabetes, as there’s an plenty of evidence that Ozempic is efficient and safe in weight loss, too.
Who is able to benefit from Ozempic to lose weight?
In general, Ozempic is a good choice for people who are considered to be clinically obese or overweight due to a health issue.
Ozempic can be used for losing weight as part the Weight Reset Program if you’re between 18 and 75 years old and:
If you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher (clinically obese) you are
If you’re overweight, you’ve got an index of body mass 27 or higher (significantly overweight) and you have an illness that is usually caused or made worseby excessive body weight.
Who should not use Ozempic for weight loss?
The majority of people can use Ozempic to lose weight safely however there are certain medications and medical conditions that could make it ineffective for you due to the increased risk of harm to your health. The main reasons why you should not use Ozempic to lose weight (or you may have to provide you with specific advice) are:
an allergy to one ingredient;
the diabetes condition and taking insulin or other medications;
kidney problems;
certain digestive system problems;
The history of eating disorders;
nursing, and trying for a child.
Ozempics for diabetes
Ozempic was approved and introduced in the year 2019 to treat of patients suffering from diabetes who’d failed to manage their blood sugar levels enough. It was the result of years of tests in the lab and clinical trials on humans to establish that it is reliable and safe. Ozempic helps treat diabetes by increasing insulin production to regulate blood sugar levels. It also has the additional benefit of weight loss and helping many people suffering from diabetes manage their blood sugar levels better.
Does Ozempic work for weight loss?
Ozempic has been proven to be effective in weight loss. Ozempic was evaluated in six important studies (called SUSTAIN 1hich involved 7,215 patients. 4107 patients received treatment with Ozempic, while the rest were in the placebo group and had no active drug , or, in some cases, taking another diabetes treatment. Treatment with Ozempic showed significant weight loss up to two years, compared to placebo or the other treatments for diabetes. The results were comparable across genders, ages, races and ethnicities.
In these studies, after 1 year treatment, up to 63 percent of patients lost 5 percent to 10% or more from their weight. Additionally, as high as 27% of patients lost 10 percent to 10% or more.
In one specific study, that was conducted over two years, Ozempic 1mg along with lifestyle changes (such as changes to diet and exercises) was compared to patients who had only lifestyle interventions . Patients were able to lose an average 4.9kg using Ozempic, compared to losing just 0.5kg with the medication.
The STEP-1 drug study [reference 7] examined higher dosages of semaglutide (up to 2.4mg Ozempic has up one milligram in UK at the moment). Over 85percent of those taking semaglutide shed 5% from their weight. almost 70% of them achieved 10 percent weight loss, 50 percent achieved a 15percent weight reduction, and less than a third of them achieved 20 percent weight loss.
What is Ozempic’s role in losing weight?
Ozempic aids in losing body fat by connecting to your brain and digestion system to help you feel fuller longer after meals, lessen your cravings for food, and control how your body utilizes the sugar it consumes and store fat.
Ozempic is a drug used in the pharmaceutical industry. While it can be beneficial in helping you begin your weight loss journey, lifestyle modifications and permanent lifestyle changes are required to keep the weight off after you have stopped using the drug.
What weight can I shed with Ozempic?
A third of those who use Ozempic for weight loss will lose 10 percent to 15% of body fat. The majority of people can expect to lose at minimum 5% of their body weight using Ozempic for weight loss.
We are aware that different people lose weight in different ways, but those who experience the greatest weight loss are those who have the support of healthcare professionals which makes the lifestyle changes needed for lasting change simpler. This means addressing the diet, exercise and utilizing behavioral sciences to modify your eating habits.
Other health benefits from Ozempic
Due to the way Ozempic works to aid your body in regulating its sugar, food as well as fat metabolic rate, some additional health benefits were observed during drug trials:
Ozempic reduces blood sugar levels in three ways
Your pancreas releases more insulin when your blood sugar levels are high.
Ozempic transmits signals to your pancreas , making it more responsive to changes in your blood sugar. This means that if you eat food and your blood sugar levels rise due to it the pancreas responds rapidly and produces more insulin to reduce blood sugar levels and bring them back to their optimal levels.
Ozempic isn’t known to cause blood sugar levels to drop because it triggers insulin only when blood sugar levels rise. Studies have demonstrated that this triggers the majority of patients’ long-term blood sugar levels to be dramatically improved , which could reduce the risk to develop diabetes, or suffering of diabetes later on in life.
It helps prevent the liver from holding excessive sugar and fat
If your blood sugar remains elevated for longer than is necessary the liver is triggered to convert it into glycogen, and stores this type of sugar in your muscles and liver. The glycogen can be released when your blood sugar drops to a low level or during intense exercise.
But, it could also trigger the liver to accumulate the extra energy as fat. Ozempic, in conjunction with changes in your lifestyle, such as more exercising, help improve blood sugar levels, which prevents the likelihood of this occurring.
The slowing down of food will help you get rid of your stomach
Ozempic transmits signals to your stomach to make it empty into other areas that comprise your digestion at a slower rate. This means that when your digestion transforms your food into sugars, it is able to power the cells of your body more efficiently and gradually. The result is a gradual and gradual increase in blood sugar levels, not massive peaks and troughs.
In the end, this helps improve blood sugar control, and will reduce the risk of developing diabetes as well as the negative health effects of problems with your organs.
Ozempic reduces the risk of heart attacks
Ozempic has been proven to lower the chance of having cardiovascular events especially in people who are more at risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. The SUSTAIN-6 study [link or footnote to 6 below] specifically examined the effects of Ozempic on major cardiovascular events, like heart attacks. For patients suffering from Type 2 diabetes, who already were at a higher risk of heart attack or stroke, the treatment of patients with Ozempic led to deaths and fatal events significantly lower for those who received the drug than those who received placebo.
Ozempic options for weight loss
There are other weight loss drugs available which offer a way to treat patients suffering from overweight before pursuing the drastic possibility for bariatric surgical intervention. Each of these options should be considered in light of your specific situation and recommended by a certified medical expert.
Rybelsus
Rybelsus is a tablet version that contains semaglutide (the ingredient in Ozempic) which must be taken every day instead of an injection every week. It isn’t currently approved to treat losing weight in the UK. While it has been proven to be effective in weight loss, studies [Reference 8 below] demonstrated that it was 30-40 percent less effective in weight loss than Ozempic.
Wegovy
Wegovy is a high-dose infusion of semaglutide (the same active ingredient that is used in Ozempic) and has been proven that it is more efficient in losing weight than Ozempic during studies due to the greater dosage [reference 7reference 7. It’s been approved for its safety and effectiveness in weight loss by the medicines regulators across the USA, UK and EU. It will be available by the USA in 2021. However, it isn’t accessible in the UK at the time of writing.
Metformin
Metformin is a medication which is used for treating diabetes over a number of years. It helps the body produce and utilize insulin more efficiently. It has been proven to have some beneficial effects for weight loss in a few clinical trials, but the outcomes and adverse effects are often erratic and unpredictably. This implies that metformin is not an ideal choice for secure and efficient weight loss therapy.
Trulicity
Trulicity is a dulaglutide-based drug and is administered weekly, just like Ozempic. Trulicity works in a similar manner to Ozempic, and offers similar results for weight loss in a few drug trials, but there’s less evidence available for weight loss than there is for Ozempic. It’s licensed in the UK to treat diabetes however, it’s not licensed to treat weight loss.
Saxenda
Saxenda is a source of liraglutide that performs the same function like semaglutide (the ingredient in Ozempic) however, it requires injection every day since it is much less effective. Saxenda is approved to treat weight loss in the UK however, studies conducted on weight loss have shown that Saxenda is a little less efficient than Ozempic.
Orlistat
Orlistat is a medication that block certain enzymes in your digestive tract that normally work in breaking down fats in the food you consume and allow them to be absorbed into the bloodstream. By blocking these enzymes, you eat less calories from fats that you consume, which leads to weight reduction.
Orlistat is much less efficient than Ozempic and patients often experience unpleasant digestive adverse effects (include moderate to severe digestion discomfort issues) that can lead to patients stopping treatment prior to seeing results in weight loss.
Other medications for diabetes that can result in weight loss
Other diabetes medications like ones that boost levels of sugar absorbed from your body through the kidneys through urine (e.g. empagliflozin and dapagliflozin) have been proven to result in tiny reductions in body weight. However the weight loss effects are not enough to make this to be particularly effective.
Does Ozempic cause excessive weight loss?
It’s not usually. Weight loss that is extreme is usually unhealthful weight loss.
Due to the way Ozempic is able to mimic a natural hormone that is present in your body, GLP-1 (rather than the older medications that concentrate on suppressing appetite) excessive or unsuitable weight loss has not been observed in clinical studies. Ozempic can help you shed weight at a sustainable rate.
What is the dosage of Ozempic to lose weight?
The Ozempic dose for losing weight begins at 0.25mg and increases gradually to 1mg over the course of a couple of weeks. This gives your body the time to adjust gradually to your body’s response to Ozempic. It also decreases the likelihood and severity of adverse effects once you begin treatment.
Ozempic starting dose
The Ozempic weight-loss treatment begins at 0.25mg every week. It is recommended to stay on that lower dose for 4 weeks during the initial phase of treatment while your body adjusts to the medication.
Ozempic maintenance dose
When you begin on Ozempic low dose, you’ll gradually increase the dose to 0.5mg for another four weeks before moving to the weekly 1mg maintenance dose for the remainder of your treatment program – as long as everything is running according to the plan. It is possible to increase the dosage above 1mg, if your healthcare professional and your clinical prescriber think that it is appropriate for you.
Before taking Ozempic
Before using Ozempic it is essential to go through the information leaflet provided by the manufacturer included in the package prior to beginning the first dose. Be aware that since we use Ozempic “off-label” and not on the label, the leaflet discusses a lot of the use of it to treat people who suffer from diabetes. This is acceptable since the method you actually take Ozempic injections is exactly the same.
The booklet contains complete instructions, including images of how to properly use the pen as well as how to store and get rid of your pen, and the possible side effects to watch out for.