If you’re overweight and just can’t seem to drop the pounds no matter how much you exercise and eat right, you might be a candidate for a drug called Ozempic. While Ozempic is not designed for weight loss, it nonetheless contains an ingredient that can actually make certain foods appear repulsive to overweight persons.
According to a new report by Poison Control, at base, Ozembic along with another drug called Wegovy are said to belong to a class of drugs referred to as GLP-1 agonists. In lay terms, the prescription drugs are engineered for Type-2 diabetes sufferers to help control their blood sugar levels.
For non-diabetic people who are obese or overweight, some GLP-1 agonists have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or FDA, to assist with weight control.
Defining Obesity
Poison Control states that obesity is considered a chronic health disorder that presently affects an ever increasing number of persons the world over. In the U.S. alone, it’s estimated the 70 percent of adults are overweight while another 40 percent are considered obese.
The complications of obesity are many and they are dangerous. They include heart disease, diabetes, depression, sleep apnea, anxiety, and a life-expectancy that is greatly reduced. Knowing that even a humble weight reduction will lessen the severity of these diseases, pharmaceutical scientists have engineered prescription meds to assist overweight and obese people with getting their weight under control and, in turn, extending their lives.
Defining Weight Loss Prescription Medications
For thirty years, the United States FDA has been evaluating and approving a variety of prescription weight management medications designed specifically to target obese and overweight individuals. A few of the medications became known for their bad side effects than for their ability to control weight.
For instance, Xenical which received its FDA approval in 1999, quickly became associated with nasty, smelly gassiness, rectal leakage, and painful, massive bowel movements. Belviq, which was approved by the FDA in 2012, was taken off the market a short eight year’s later over cancer concerns.
Some products designed for overweight persons are defined as weight loss supplements. But unlike over-the-counter and prescription medications, dietary supplements do not fall under the prevue of FDA regulation.
New Weight Loss Medications
Says Poison Control, the FDA approved Saxenda in 2014 which is designed for chronic weight management in overweight and obese adults who also suffer from weight-related problems. In 2020, the FDA expanded the approval to include children as young as twelve years old.
Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2021 for use in chronic weight management for heavy adults who also suffer from high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Defining Rybelsus, Saxenda, and Ozempic
Saxenda and the semaglutides Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, are said to belong to the GLP-1 receptor agonist drug class. A hormone that’s produced in the body’s intestines, GLP-1 responds to food intake. GLP-1 agonist medications will assist the body with making more GLP-1. In turn, this lessens your hunger, your food intake, and inevitably leads to weight loss.
Because GLP-1 is said to also affect blood sugar control and insulin release, GLP-1 agonist medications are also often used to treat diabetes mellitus. The GLP-1 medicines are available in injectable and oral forms.
Rybelsus is considered an oral form of semaglutide. Ozempic and Wegovy are usually exclusively injected into the body. Victoza and Saxenda are also said to be injected versions of liraglutide
Wegovy vs Ozembic
The prescription medications Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic, all contain the identical active element, semaglutide. But the medications are given out in different doses. They are also prescribed for differing conditions.
While Rybelsus and Ozempic are usually used to treat blood sugar levels in adults who have diabetes, Wegovy is more often prescribed for weight management.
How Ozempic works
Not only is Ozempic not an insulin drug, it acts differently in the body than insulin would. Due to their effects on a person’s intake of food, GLP-1 type drugs which include liraglutide and semaglutide, are said to possess lots of potential consequences in the human body that diminish hunger and help you lose weight.
The drugs are intended to slow the rate by which your food makes the transfer from the stomach to the intestines during digestion (gastric emptying), which makes a person feel full for far longer than normal.
These drugs are also known to enter into the bloodstream and eventually into the brain. There, they act on the nervous system, fooling it into believing you don’t have an appetite even for the foods you normally crave the most.
