Status: 05/16/2023 10:32 a.m
Ozempic with the active ingredient semaglutide is a highly effective diabetes drug. Because it curbs appetite, it is increasingly being used as a diet supplement. But is Ozempic useful for losing weight?
Ozempic is a very effective drug for people with difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes who also have coronary disease. Once a week, Ozempic must be injected into the subcutaneous fatty tissue of the upper arm, abdomen or thigh. Those affected can easily do this at home. The drug works on three levels:
- lowers the blood sugar level
- helps with weight loss
- protects the vessels
Ozempic fills you up and slows gastric emptying
The active substance in Ozempic, semaglutide, mimics the hormone GLP-1, which is produced in the duodenum. It works once in the brain and creates that feeling of satiety. It also slows down gastric emptying. Semaglutide also docks onto certain receptors in the pancreas, which ensure that more insulin is released. The result: the blood sugar level drops.
Even diabetics who already have complete insulin resistance can produce their own insulin again and in some cases dispense with injecting insulin altogether. Insulin production is boosted again and blood sugar levels normalize – but only as long as the drug is injected regularly.
Ozempic becomes a lifestyle drug – risk of shortages
It becomes problematic for diabetics if the drug is suddenly discontinued because – as has often happened recently – it is not available. Due to the high demand, the manufacturers cannot keep up with the production. Because since the active ingredient semaglutide has also been approved for combating obesity, there has been a veritable run on the drug worldwide. Also because Ozempic is fashionable with Hollywood stars. Many people get Ozempic for weight loss at their own expense, with a private prescription. The so-called off-label use – the use of an approved drug to treat a disease for which it is not approved – is legal for doctors.
Ozempic not a harmless appetite suppressant
People who see Ozempic as a harmless appetite suppressant and want to lose a few pounds quickly are endangering themselves. Because Ozempic can cause significant side effects. They also put people who urgently need Ozempic because of their diabetes at risk. The The German Association of Pharmacists is raising the alarm that the supply of people with diabetes is at risk and that there are supply bottlenecks.
Drug can cause severe weight loss
Medications such as Ozempic with the active ingredient Semaglutid are also well suited for people who suffer from morbid overweight, obesity – if they are available in sufficient quantities, say doctors. So far, many severely overweight people have only had a stomach reduction in order to lose enough weight. Obesity is a chronic disease. Once you’re overweight, you’ve developed a metabolism that makes it very difficult to lose a lot of weight. This is exactly where semaglutide supplements like Ozempic target. They can lead to massive weight loss.
Effect of semaglutide on weight loss
The center for appetite regulation is in the brain, more precisely in the hypothalamus. The drug causes the brain to send out a satiety signal. The desire to eat decreases. Also, after taking the drug, the brain tells the stomach to keep the food in the stomach longer. This also leads to a longer feeling of satiety. That’s why people who take Ozempic lose up to 17 percent of their body weight. Semaglutid also has an effect on the reward system: the desire for junk food, i.e. food very rich in fat and carbohydrates, decreases.
Medication with semaglutid must be taken permanently
For this, however, the drug must be taken permanently. If you stop taking it, you will start gaining weight again. Therefore, the therapy must necessarily be accompanied by a change in lifestyle: more Exercise and a change in diet are important parts of treatment.
Strong side effects possible
Drugs with the active ingredient semaglutide have a strong impact on bodily functions and various side effects can occur:
- permanent nausea
- constant feeling of fullness
- Vomit
- constipation
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- inflammation of the pancreas
Therefore, the drug must be taken under medical supervision. The side effects often only occur for a limited time. Therefore, the dose is usually increased slowly.
Wegovy not yet available in Germany
The active ingredient semaglutide has been approved in the EU by the European Medicines Agency under the trade name Wegovy for the treatment of severe obesity since 2022. It is dosed twice as high as Ozempic. It is already being marketed in the USA. It can be prescribed with a body mass index (BMI) of 30, or with concomitant diseases such as diabetes or high blood pressure from a BMI of 27. Wegovy is not yet available in Germany – the Danish manufacturer cites delivery problems as the reason.
The pharmaceutical industry is working on other weight loss drugs
Wegovy or Ozempic are not the only drugs that will be used in the future to treat severe obesity. Tirzepatid, for example, which is on the market under the name Mounjaro and has so far only been approved for people with type 2 diabetes, should also be approved for the treatment of obesity according to the US manufacturer. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry is researching other drugs with semaglutide or similar active ingredients.
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