Wegovy is a comparatively new treatment that’s authorized by the Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) to deal with weight problems.
It has grown in recognition and is turning into a standard injectable treatment to assist individuals drop extra pounds.
This text will clarify every part you might want to find out about Wegovy and if it’s acceptable for you.
What’s Wegovy?
Wegovy is a brand-name treatment with the lively ingredient semaglutide. It’s produced by Novo Nordisk.
Wegovy falls beneath the drug class of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists.
It helps individuals in a wide range of methods, together with:
- Higher blood sugar stage administration
- Decrease A1C ranges
- Improved insulin sensitivity
- Combating insulin resistance
- And weight reduction
Nevertheless, it is just authorized as a weight reduction drug and isn’t thought-about a diabetes treatment.
It’s an injectable treatment, accessible solely by prescription and administered as soon as weekly.
Different GLP-1 agonists embrace Ozempic, Victoza, Saxenda, and Trulicity.
What are the advantages of Wegovy?
There are numerous advantages to taking Wegovy, together with:
Weight reduction
Wegovy is proven to assist assist in substantial weight reduction.
In research, Wegovy causes weight reduction in sufferers by lowering urge for food and slowing digestion.
By doing so, it stops the liver from releasing glucagon and prevents spikes in blood sugar ranges whereas bettering insulin sensitivity.
In a single research, grownup members taking Wegovy misplaced 15% of their beginning weight on common.
In a separate research, adolescents taking Wegovy misplaced 16% of their beginning weight on common.
Improved insulin sensitivity
Wegovy improves blood sugar ranges, A1C, and insulin sensitivity.
The STEP 2 trial checked out Wegovy’s results on blood sugars and A1Cs in individuals who have kind 2 diabetes.
The researchers discovered that members taking the treatment not solely misplaced weight however noticed statistically important enhancements of their blood sugars and A1C ranges as effectively.
Even in the event you don’t have diabetes or prediabetes, taking Wegovy might help insulin resistance and enhance your blood sugar ranges.
This might delay and even stop the event of diabetes sooner or later.
Decrease cardiovascular threat
Semaglutide (the lively ingredient in Wegovy) has been confirmed to scale back the chance of main coronary heart assault, stroke, or loss of life in adults with kind 2 diabetes and coronary heart illness.
Within the research, semaglutide-treated sufferers lowered their threat of cardiovascular loss of life, coronary heart assault, and stroke by 26%!
Why would you be prescribed Wegovy?
Wegovy is FDA-approved as a remedy for weight problems, weight reduction, and continual weight administration. It could decrease blood sugar ranges and enhance A1C, however Wegovy shouldn’t be a diabetes treatment.
Not everybody who desires to take Wegovy will have the ability to get a prescription.
Individuals should meet sure physique mass index (BMI) standards to turn out to be eligible for Wegovy, together with individuals who have a BMI of 30 or greater.
You may additionally qualify for Wegovy in case your BMI is 27 and you’ve got a number of weight-related medical situations, similar to excessive ldl cholesterol, hypertension, or kind 2 diabetes.
Wegovy is authorized for continual weight administration in individuals 12 years and older.
To qualify for Wegovy, the adolescent should have a BMI at or above the 95 percentile for his or her age and intercourse.
Individuals who don’t qualify for Wegovy might qualify for one more GLP-1 treatment like Ozempic. Particularly in the event that they dwell with kind 2 diabetes and are combating insulin resistance.
Speak together with your physician in the event you’re interested by taking Wegovy or Ozempic.
What are the unwanted effects?
Many individuals expertise delicate to average unwanted effects when taking Wegovy, particularly once they first begin taking the treatment.
These widespread unwanted effects embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdomen ache
- Constipation
- Weight reduction
- Low blood sugar, in the event you take insulin
Though uncommon, extra extreme problems might embrace:
- Thyroid tumors, together with most cancers
- Pancreatitis
- Adjustments in imaginative and prescient (worsening of diabetic retinopathy)
- Kidney issues
- Critical allergic reactions
A number of of those extra extreme unwanted effects can result in well being problems and loss of life.
Name your physician or search emergency medical consideration in the event you:
- Develop a fever
- Expertise adjustments or worsening of your imaginative and prescient
- Really feel weak or in ache after taking the treatment
- Suppose you might be having an allergic response to the treatment
Search emergency medical consideration in the event you’re experiencing extreme low blood sugar ranges and you can not preserve sugar down within the type of meals or drinks.
Extreme low blood sugar might be deadly if not handled shortly.
What’s the right dose?
There are numerous totally different Wegovy doses accessible.
The quantity you are taking will rely upon a number of elements, together with your peak and weight, well being objectives, life-style, and well being historical past.
Wegovy comes within the following doses:
- A Wegovy pen for giving a 0.25 mg weekly dose (for the beginning of remedy)
- A Wegovy pen for giving a 0.50 mg weekly dose
- A Wegovy pen for giving a 1 mg weekly dose
- A Wegovy pen for giving a 1.7 mg weekly dose
- A Wegovy pen for giving a 2.4 mg weekly dose (the utmost weekly dose)
Every pen operates the identical because the others, the one distinction between them being the totally different pre-measured dosing sizes.
Every pen is designed to present solely a single weekly dose.
By no means take extra Wegovy than you might be prescribed. In case you overdose on Wegovy, you might expertise opposed unwanted effects.
How a lot Wegovy ought to I take?
Your physician will make it easier to decide the best dose of Wegovy for you. It’ll differ relying in your well being historical past, objectives, life-style, peak, and weight.
There isn’t a “typical” or “regular” dose.
The FDA’s approval is for sufferers to start out with a low dose of 0.25 mg per week and progressively escalate over time till they obtain desired weight reduction or weight upkeep.
The utmost weekly dose is 2.4 mg, administered as soon as per week.
That is the dose that the majority sufferers will finally attain, relying on their tolerance of the treatment, the efficacy of remedy, and the severity of the unwanted effects they’re experiencing.
What occurs if I take an excessive amount of Wegovy?
By no means take Wegovy greater than as soon as per week.
Nevertheless, in the event you by accident take an excessive amount of Wegovy, you might expertise opposed unwanted effects similar to:
- Debilitating nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdomen ache
- And even low blood sugar—particularly in the event you’re additionally on insulin which may turn out to be deadly if not handled instantly.
Name your physician or search emergency medical consideration instantly in the event you’ve by accident taken an excessive amount of Wegovy.
I missed a dose of Wegovy. What now?
That is fully okay, and lacking a dose of Wegovy each from time to time won’t hurt you, make you achieve weight, or worsen your blood sugar ranges.
Nevertheless, Wegovy is best when it’s taken constantly.
In case you miss a dose of Wegovy, it’s okay to take it a number of days late.
Nevertheless, in the event you missed your dose greater than 5 days in the past, simply skip that week’s dose and take your recurrently scheduled dose on time.
The way to inject Wegovy
Verify your Wegovy pen earlier than injecting. If there are any particles or discoloration current within the treatment, don’t use the pen. It could have expired or the treatment might have gone unhealthy.
Earlier than injecting, clear the injection web site with rubbing alcohol.
Rotate injection websites every week to stop accidents and the event of scar tissue.
Wegovy is often injected beneath the pores and skin within the thigh, stomach, or higher arm.
Speak to your physician about the perfect locations so that you can inject and the best way to rotate injection websites.
Who shouldn’t take Wegovy?
Don’t take Wegovy except you’ve been prescribed the treatment.
It isn’t really useful to be used in case you are pregnant, planning on turning into pregnant, or in case you are breastfeeding.
Don’t use Wegovy (or another treatment containing semaglutide) in the event you or any of your loved ones members have ever had medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or when you’ve got A number of Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome kind 2 (MEN 2).
Don’t use Wegovy in case you are allergic to semaglutide.
In case you’re involved in attempting a GLP-1 agonist however you’re allergic to semaglutide, you might go for Victoza—whose lively ingredient is liraglutide.
How can I cease taking Wegovy?
It’s possible you’ll want to cease taking Wegovy for a lot of causes, and that’s high quality. Nevertheless, you’ll not need to cease the treatment chilly turkey.
Be sure to discuss together with your physician earlier than stopping any diabetes treatment, together with Wegovy. Your physician will most likely need you to wean your dose as a substitute of stopping remedy abruptly.
Insulin resistance, meals cravings, blood sugar ranges, and weight might creep again up when you cease taking Wegovy.
On common, individuals achieve again about 2/3rds of the load they initially misplaced one 12 months after stopping remedy with GLP-1 drugs containing semaglutide.
It’s possible you’ll want to discuss to your physician about another treatment, train, or weight loss plan plan to assist fight any rebound results you might expertise in the event you resolve to cease taking Wegovy.
Does Wegovy change insulin?
No. In case you take Wegovy and also you’re insulin-dependent, you can’t cease taking your insulin when you begin this weekly injection.
Your blood sugar ranges could also be decrease over time, however in contrast to insulin, Wegovy doesn’t trigger acute low blood sugar ranges.
In case you usually take insulin for diabetes administration, you have to to proceed to take action.
In case you’ve been on Wegovy for a number of months, you might discover that your insulin wants are progressively lowering, however this hardly ever, if ever, fully takes away the necessity to take insulin.
How do I retailer Wegovy?
Ideally, Wegovy ought to be saved within the fridge between 36°F to 46°F within the authentic field to guard it from mild.
It may be used for as much as 56 days after opening.
If wanted, it may be saved exterior the fridge with the pen cap nonetheless on for as much as 28 days (between 46°F to 86°F.)
By no means freeze your Wegovy pens or put them in direct daylight or excessive warmth.
How do I get a prescription for Wegovy?
Speak to your physician in the event you want to get a prescription for Wegovy.
Your physician ought to have the ability to write you a prescription to attempt the treatment in the event you meet the BMI necessities or are chubby and have a qualifying continual situation.
If you don’t qualify for Wegovy however want to drop extra pounds, your physician might be able to suggest different FDA-approved weight reduction drugs that could be a greater match for you.
Can I take Wegovy with my diabetes drugs?
This can rely upon what your different diabetes drugs are.
Wegovy shouldn’t be mixed with another GLP-1 drugs similar to Ozempic, Victoza, Trulicity, or Mounjaro.
The lively ingredient semaglutide might be taken together with metformin, insulin, or different drugs. Simply make sure to ask your physician earlier than doing so.
Lastly, make sure that your physician is aware of of each different treatment you are taking earlier than beginning Wegovy.
