Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) remedy that’s generally prescribed for folks with kind 2 diabetes to assist handle blood glucose (sugar) and A1c ranges and to handle insulin resistance.
Whereas accredited for kind 2 diabetes, Ozempic has additionally seen off-label use in kind 1 diabetes instances to handle related points, resembling insulin resistance.
This off-label utility has contributed to its rising recognition amongst a broader vary of individuals with diabetes, though such use isn’t formally accredited by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA).
Listening to concerning the lived expertise of somebody taking this remedy remains to be fairly uncommon.
Stevie Cook dinner, a authorized assistant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has lived with diabetes for the previous 23 years. Recognized with kind 1 diabetes on the age of 10, they’ve been utilizing Ozempic for the previous 15 months for diabetes administration, along with insulin pump remedy.
Stevie sat down with us to share their story.
Desk of Contents
How did you get began taking Ozempic?
Cook dinner was focused on exploring Ozempic for managing insulin resistance — a situation the place the physique requires extra insulin to keep up regular blood sugar ranges — and consulted their pharmacist, who believed it might be useful. Inspired by this, Cook dinner remarks, “So I approached my physician to start the dialogue.”
Many individuals with kind 1 diabetes develop a stage of insulin resistance just like that seen in kind 2 diabetes, particularly after managing the situation for a few years.
Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicines mimic the motion of hormones which might be naturally concerned in regulating starvation, emotions of fullness, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar ranges, and abdomen emptying. These hormones are usually poor in folks with each forms of diabetes, which may complicate administration of the illness.
Learn extra about this remedy in: All the things You Have to Know About Ozempic.
This deficiency is why medicines like Ozempic might be helpful. They assist deal with insulin resistance and enhance blood sugar and A1c ranges (a measure of glucose management over the earlier 2 to three months).
Study extra about blood sugar ranges and A1c in: Blood Sugar Chart: Blood Sugar and A1c Targets.
Why did your physician need you to take Ozempic?
Overcoming doctor hesitancy is a major barrier for folks with diabetes, particularly these with kind 1 diabetes, in accessing medicines like Ozempic. This hesitancy stems from the truth that Ozempic is formally accredited by the FDA just for managing blood sugar ranges in folks with kind 2 diabetes.
Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of motion of Ozempic — the way in which it impacts insulin secretion and blood glucose ranges — is analogous in each forms of diabetes.
Consequently, many medical doctors take into account prescribing the remedy “off-label” (with out FDA approval). That is significantly widespread for folks with kind 1 diabetes who’re coping with insulin resistance and protracted excessive blood sugar ranges.
Analysis is ongoing to judge the effectiveness of GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic for treating kind 1 diabetes, with the hope that these research will result in FDA approval for this use. Such approval would simplify entry to those medicines for everybody with diabetes.
Cook dinner recounts, “My physician wasn’t too eager on prescribing it at first, however agreed we should always attempt it for insulin resistance and gave me a 3-month prescription to start out. That was 15 months in the past.”
Did you expertise any unintended effects? Do you continue to?
Ozempic could cause quite a lot of antagonistic unintended effects, particularly when first beginning the remedy. Cook dinner skilled a few of these results, noting, “I had quite a lot of nausea and vomiting for the primary three to 4 weeks, however that has since dissipated.”
It is not uncommon for folks to expertise unintended effects initially once they start taking the drug. These unintended effects of Ozempic can embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Decreased urge for food
- Low blood sugar (particularly should you additionally take insulin)
Sometimes, because the physique adjusts to the remedy, these unintended effects usually subside on their very own. Nonetheless, it’s necessary to pay attention to uncommon however severe unintended effects, resembling extreme gastrointestinal issues, and talk about any persistent or worsening signs along with your healthcare supplier.
Study extra about potential unintended effects in: Ozempic Facet Results: What You Have to Know.
Has your diabetes administration improved since taking Ozempic?
Ozempic has been efficient for Cook dinner in not solely reducing blood sugar and A1c ranges but additionally in curbing blood sugar spikes.
Cook dinner shares their expertise: “I don’t expertise vicious excessive blood sugars as usually now, and after I do, they’re much less ‘sticky’ — they don’t keep excessive for as lengthy, and the crash down isn’t as extreme.”
Thanks to those enhancements, they’ve continued utilizing Ozempic for over 15 months, demonstrating the remedy’s long-term effectiveness in bettering each blood sugar ranges and total diabetes administration.
Did something shock you about taking Ozempic?
Whereas Cook dinner anticipated some antagonistic unintended effects from Ozempic, they had been pleasantly shocked by how efficient it’s for managing their blood sugar ranges.
Regardless of a nationwide scarcity of the remedy in the US, Cook dinner reviews that they didn’t encounter any difficulties acquiring Ozempic in Canada. They plan on taking the remedy for the foreseeable future.
Is the remedy inexpensive for you?
One of many tougher points of managing diabetes with medicines like Ozempic is their price. Cook dinner notes that with out insurance coverage, the remedy could be unaffordable. In the US, for instance, the record worth is $935.77 monthly.
They are saying, “I’ve an incredible advantages plan by my employer, however at first they might not cowl Ozempic as a result of I’m a kind 1 diabetic. My physician offered a word, which they nonetheless denied. I then spoke to my insurer straight and defined the state of affairs, and so they accredited it below my protection.”
Navigating the advanced prior-authorization course of to safe obligatory medicines might be irritating. Luckily, by persistent negotiation and clear communication, Cook dinner efficiently secured protection for his or her Ozempic prescription.
Do you could have any suggestions or recommendation for folks trying to take Ozempic?
Cook dinner gives a necessary piece of recommendation:
“If price protection is a matter for you, I like to recommend being pushy about it along with your insurer. In case you are a long-time kind 1 diabetic and expertise insulin resistance, advocate for your self! Inform your physician you assume it’s value attempting, and word your unintended effects and advantages completely in your physician’s assessment.
Be constant along with your injections. And don’t let anybody let you know that you just’re ‘simply taking it to shed extra pounds.’ Folks don’t need to hear that it might be useful, they only assume we’re being useless. Self-advocacy might be difficult, nevertheless it was value it for me!”
Last ideas
Navigating the complexities of diabetes administration requires extra than simply following a prescribed medical routine.
Cook dinner’s expertise with Ozempic underscores the necessary function of self-advocacy and personalised care in managing continual situations like diabetes. Regardless of the hurdles, Cook dinner’s persistence in overcoming doctor hesitancy and insurance coverage limitations highlights the significance of advocating for your self within the healthcare system.
Cook dinner’s journey additionally highlights the evolving panorama of diabetes remedy. With the off-label use of the drug in folks with kind 1 diabetes, there may be hope for extra folks to entry this efficient medication.
