Ozempic and Wegovy: Are these drugs helpful or harmful?

Ozempic weight loss Injection

Ozempic and Wegovy I guess it’s not black and white; as with many things, the question of these medications’ usefulness depends on context. I can understand the effectiveness of the medication for those who needed it. What’s more, under medical guidance, my dose would have started smaller and be steadily increased, swerving the nausea and vomiting. However, I came away with the strong feeling that if A-listers are using medication to get super teeny then there is in some ways a duty for us to know – rather than us mere mortals thinking they’re simply on point with their macros and smashing their PBs in the gym. Just like the plethora of famous faces insisting that plenty of sleep and facials – not Botox or a facelift – are the reason for their youthful glow, isn’t there something similarly toxic about celebrities failing to come clean about the real reason behind their svelte body transformations? Additionally, while they might help those who are obese or overweight, I can’t help feeling that these medications are finding an audience among already fairly slim women wanting to shrink even more – I’m also concerned that people might take it too far. According to the NHS, the recommended daily calorie intake for women is 2,000, and the recommended pace for healthy weight loss being just two pounds per week. It begs the question: if semaglutide effectively suppresses your appetite, aren’t these drugs open to abuse? ‘Yes,’ says Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic. ‘For those struggling with disordered eating, pharmaceutical tools can be very damaging. They offer a shortcut to managing weight – instead of learning healthier ways of managing weight and appetite – which can be dangerous, especially for those who are vulnerable to having difficulties with body image and eating.’ Ozempic and Wegovy

Ozempic side-effects: The grim reality of taking the medication

Ozempic side-effects:

Ozempic side-effects: The array of side effects are one of the reasons why it’s important to be issued the right dose and be monitored by a doctor or pharmacist. These can include nausea, cramping, diarrhoea, acid reflux, vomiting and constipation, as well as – less commonly – hair loss, heartburn and swelling at the site of injection. There is also a slight increased risk of pancreatitis, hypoglycemia and thyroid cancer, and it’s important to stay hydrated to avoid kidney issues. Of course, for the medication to receive NICE and FDA approval it would have been rigorously tested for safety. However, while Dr Ahmet Ergin, endocrinologist and founder of the diabetes and lifestyle channel SugarMD, has not seen major complications in patients, he notes that the drug is relatively new. ‘There’s no way of saying long-term risks, unless we use the medications for 20 years and then look back retrospectively and find problems,’ he explains. Indeed, other seemingly miracle weight loss solutions have left a bitter taste. In the past six decades there have been more than two dozen approved, only for some unsavoury side effects to come to light – including heart valve damage, strokes and a fatal lung condition called primary pulmonary hypertension. One of these, an amphetamine-based weight-loss drug, Tenuate Dospan, was linked to short-term ‘anxiety, insomnia and delusions of grandeur’ and long-term psychosis. The latest alleged iteration of the ‘Kardashian effect’ – which we’ve come to know via lip filler and shapewear – is a global shortage of semaglutide, to the point where some type 2 diabetes sufferers are struggling to get hold of it. Novo Nordisk has recently announced shortages in the UK and US due to ‘overwhelming demand’. Supplies haven’t been helped, notes Dr Ergin, by the pandemic and that it is ‘a very labor intensive, high-technology medication [to be manufactured]’.

Can you take Ozempic just for weight loss?

Can you take Ozempic just for weight loss?

Can you take Ozempic just for weight loss? At present, Ozempic and Rybelsus – the latter of which is the only tablet form of semaglutide – will continue to be available on the NHS to treat type 2 diabetes, where prescriptions will remain free for those with the condition. ‘Draft guidance from NICE indicates those with a body mass index (BMI) over 30 with an obesity-related comorbidity – like high blood pressure – will be able to access it through the NHS,’ notes Dr Chahal. For others, it will be available for treating obesity in a private setting for just under £200 per month. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that people in the UK – including those who aren’t obese – are paying to access the medication under any brand name online. This includes a friend of mine – slightly overweight, thanks to a more sedentary pandemic lifestyle – who was able to order Rybelsus tablets, £300 for three months, by tweaking their details on the form so their BMI fell into the obese range. They have lost two stone in a year and are now continuing to take it for ‘maintenance’. It was the ease of access to Ozempic that also shocked Isobel, who also wasn’t obese. ‘I couldn’t believe that there wasn’t even a Zoom, phone or face-to-face consultation before they dispensed it,’ she admits. ‘They are being issued “off label” to treat obesity,’ explains Abbas Kanani, superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click UK. ‘This is a term used when a medication is prescribed for any reason other than what is stated on its product license.’ He explains that online weight management services will issue a prescription after the patient has completed a consultation to check whether it’s clinically appropriate. ‘Of course, online, it is easier to be untruthful, as face-to-face providers will have weighing scales and physical oversight of the patient,’ he adds. ‘But to lie is dangerous. Indeed, health professionals are worried. ‘It’s a genuine threat to a patient’s safety if they are taking prescription drugs that they have bought online without a prescription from a qualified medical professional,’ says Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, in a recent statement. ‘It’s even more worrying if those drugs are being used for purposes that they are not intended to be used for.’ One of the problems is that, on some sites, it’s not possible to verify the quality of ‘weight loss injections’ offered at the click of a button. Not being under medical guidance, warns Dr Chahal, opens you up to complications or interactions with certain medicines. He adds that there are strict dosage guidelines because the strength needs to be gradually increased, and – if in the instance that a patient still doesn’t lose weight – it’s important to investigate what other hormonal problem could be going on, like thyroid issues, PCOS or excess cortisol. Can you take Ozempic just for weight loss?

Wegovy vs Ozempic for weight loss: What is the difference?

Wegovy vs Ozempic for weight loss

Wegovy vs Ozempic for weight loss Ozempic, Ryblesus and Wegovy are all brand names for a compound called semaglutide. It is prescribed in various doses and can be in the form of a weekly injection – administered in the stomach, thigh or arm – or a daily oral tablet. Wegovy is a higher dosing of an anti-obesity drug called semaglutide aimed at people with type 2 diabetes. It was developed a decade ago and has been available in a lower-dose form called Ozempic, designed for diabetics only, for the past five years. Enthusiasm for it in the UK as a weight management tool has risen after a University College London study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, found a found a third of people who took it for obesity lost more than one-fifth of their total body weight. But how exactly does the medication that’s being hailed as a ‘gamechanger’ work? A little science lesson. Meet gut hormone GLP-1. ‘When most people eat their levels go up, causing them to feel satisfied,’ says Dr Harvinder Chahal, consultant endocrinologist and lead bariatric physician at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. ‘But patients with type 2 diabetes lack this.’ That’s why semaglutide, which works as a receptor in the intestine, was created in 2012 to help the pancreas release the right amount of insulin. Doctors soon noticed that as well as improving blood sugar levels, patients – who were feeling fuller, sooner – also reported weight loss. Indeed, research has shown that obese people also lack satiety-signalling GLP-1 – and so semaglutide was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight management in 2021, with NICE (the UK’s equivalent) following suit this year. It’s effectiveness is clear: Dr Chahal points to research that has found a weekly 2.4mg dose of semaglutide can trigger up to a 15 per cent reduction in body weight in the space of six to nine months. Wegovy vs Ozempic for weight loss

Ozempic Face

Ozempic Face

Losing weight is hard, but has Ozempic and Wegovy made it easy? Today, semaglutide injections, also known as the “SKINNY SHOT” are the newest obsession in the aesthetic industry. Originally designed for diabetic glucose control, these shots are now being used for weight loss. These weekly injections have been effective, whereas other methods — diets, workout regimens, supplements, and medications to increase metabolism have failed. These semaglutide injections lead to an increase in insulin release and reduced glucagon release, helping the body see lower blood glucose levels. This medication can also cause a reduced appetite and slower gastric emptying. Slower digestion keeps people feeling more full for a longer period, which is why everyone is jumping on the Ozempic and Wegovy train. Both of these semaglutide injections have made weight loss easier and faster for many, but the acute weight loss may appear to speed the aging process in the face. Since the weight loss is relatively rapid, the structure of the skin and deep facial tissues do not have time to restructure and shrink, leaving the overlying tissue and skin with increased laxity, volume loss, and more wrinkles. Because of this, patients may experience the “Ozempic Face” or “O Face”. The O-Face may lead to a hollow and gaunt look that could be disconcerting to patients, but Dr. Mentz can reverse and treat these unwanted effects in several ways. Using fillers like Radiesse and Sculptra can add back the structural support needed by adding volume while stimulating the body’s natural collagen. Ellacor®, a one-of-a-kind micro coring device can be used to reduce jowling, facial laxity, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the chin and cheeks. This new micro coring technology reduces the surface area of the skin by 3-8% per treatment. When older patients experience excessive sagging, loss of muscle tone, and jowling, a mini lift to the lower face and neck can be done to restore youth by 7-10 years or so. A consultation with Dr. Mentz and often 3-D imaging and mapping can provide the best guidance for alternatives and treatment.


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