Semaglutide: How this Revolutionary Weight Loss Medication Is Changing Lives
Sep 03, 2024
If you’re trying to lose weight, a healthy diet and a good exercise regimen are essential. However, not all people see the same success, and some need an additional boost. That comes in the form of weight loss medications, each of which targets the problem somewhat differently.
Now, doctors and patients alike are all abuzz about a newly repurposed medication, semaglutide, which is proving to be a game-changer for people struggling to lose weight. Originally used as a drug for diabetes, it can make your weight loss journey more fulfilling and successful.
At Armstrong Telehealth, Nikki Armstrong DNP, APRN, FNP-C, provides weight loss medication, including semaglutide, for patients in Kentucky and Wyoming. Here, she discusses how this revolutionary drug is helping patients lose weight and become happier, healthier versions of themselves.
Though used previously to treat diabetes, the FDA approved semaglutide for chronic weight management in 2021, and it’s still making waves. It’s the first medication since Saxenda’s approval in 2014 to help treat the 70% of American adults who are overweight or obese, and research demonstrates its effectiveness for weight loss.
It also highlights the value of treating obesity as a chronic metabolic disease instead of expecting people to manage their condition solely based on willpower and lifestyle changes. However, we also can’t expect semaglutide to be a miracle drug. It’s not for everyone, and it’s important to work closely with Dr. Armstrong to ensure you don’t have any adverse effects.
Semaglutide was initially developed for type 2 diabetes treatment as part of a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs. This means it mimics the GLP-1 hormone, which is released in the gut in response to eating.
One role of GLP-1 is to trigger more insulin production, which reduces sugar levels in the blood as the cells use that sugar to fuel themselves. Because of that, doctors have used semaglutide for over 15 years to treat type 2 diabetes, where blood sugar levels become consistently elevated.
In higher amounts, GLP-1 also interacts with the areas of the brain that suppress appetite and signal you that you’re full. So, when combined with diet and exercise, the drug can cause significant weight loss — and a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease — in people who are overweight or obese.
The drug works on many levels: It slows gastric emptying, increases feelings of fullness, and reduces hunger, all of which help lower calorie intake.
And becoming slimmer and healthier can be life-changing.
The effectiveness of semaglutide in weight loss is backed by robust scientific research, such as a 2021 study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Two thousand obese adults participated in the study, which compared people using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with people who made identical lifestyle changes without taking the medication.
After 68 weeks, half of the participants taking semaglutide had lost 15% of their body weight, and almost a third had lost 20%. Those who only made lifestyle changes lost just 2.4% of their weight.
Since then, other studies have shown similar results, but there’s a caveat: If the participants stopped taking the semaglutide, they regained their lost weight. That means, at least for now, you’d have to remain on the medication indefinitely.
Currently, Wegovy® is the only form of semaglutide that’s FDA-approved for weight loss; other forms, like Ozempic®, are used “off label.”
You’re a good candidate for the drug if you meet either of the following criteria:
You’re not a good candidate if you have:
If you’re considering semaglutide for weight loss, contact Armstrong Telehealth to speak with Dr. Armstrong and learn how we can help you progress in your weight loss journey. Call us at 937-657-0757 to schedule a consultation, or book online today.