Semaglutide for weight loss – what you need to know

The search for effective and safe weight loss treatment seems never-ending. But the newest anti-obesity medication, semaglutide, is still making waves more than a year after its 2021 approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The injectable drug, initially only used as diabetes medication, is the first drug since Saxenda (2014) approved to treat chronic weight management in the 70% of American adults who are obese or overweight. Research continues to show the effectiveness of semaglutide injections for weight loss. It also highlights the value of treating obesity as a chronic metabolic disease instead of expecting people to rely solely on willpower and lifestyle changes to manage their condition. But semaglutide is not a miracle drug. And it’s not for everyone.

Here’s what you need to know about semaglutide:

What is semaglutide?
Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs. It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating.

One role of GLP-1 is to prompt the body to produce more insulin(Link is external) (Link opens in new window), which reduces blood sugar (glucose). For that reason, health care providers have used semaglutide for more than 15 years to treat Type 2 diabetes.

But GLP-1 in higher amounts also interacts with the parts of the brain that suppress your appetite and signal you to feel full. When used in conjunction with diet and exercise, it can cause significant weight loss — and a reduced risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) — in people who are obese or overweight.

How effective is semaglutide for weight loss in non-diabetics?
There have been several anti-obesity medications that help suppress appetite and achieve weight loss. But semaglutide performs on a new level.

An early study(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) of 2,000 obese adults compared people using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with people who made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide. After 68 weeks, half of the participants using semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, and nearly a third lost 20%. Participants who incorporated only lifestyle changes lost about 2.4% of their weight.

Since then, additional studies have shown similar results. But they’ve also revealed that participants tend to regain the weight lost when they stop taking semaglutide.

“The fundamentals of obesity management will always be changes to diet and exercise,” Dr. Surampudi says. “But having anti-obesity medications is another tool in the toolbox — depending on the person’s clinical history.”

What are the side effects of semaglutide injections?
The side effects of semaglutide are typically mild — especially when compared to the complications associated with overweight and obesity.

People taking semaglutide for weight loss may experience:

Dizziness
Fatigue
Gastrointestinal issues, such as diarrhea, constipation and gassiness
Headache
Stomach issues, including nausea, vomiting, pain or distension (bloat)
Gastrointestinal issues are the most common complaint among people just starting semaglutide. But you may be able to reduce the side effects by beginning on a lower dose and then slowly increasing the amount you take.

This material has been extracted from “UCLA Health”