Wegovy is a once-weekly prescription drug prescribed to assist individuals drop extra pounds. It’s changing into more and more common attributable to its effectiveness.
Nevertheless, Wegovy and different related medicines do have a lot of uncomfortable side effects.
If in case you have been prescribed Wegovy, chances are you’ll marvel in regards to the frequent uncomfortable side effects of taking the remedy. In addition to the severity of the much less frequent uncomfortable side effects.
This text offers you an summary of Wegovy and summarize what you could learn about Wegovy’s uncomfortable side effects.
What’s Wegovy?
Wegovy is the model title for Novo Nordisk’s model of the drug semaglutide specifically for weight reduction.
The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised Wegovy in June 2021 for people who find themselves overweight or who’re obese and have no less than one weight-related situation.
It has the identical energetic ingredient as different medication you could have heard of, like Ozempic.
Wegovy helps individuals scale back the quantity of meals they eat by reducing their urge for food and by slowing down the digestive course of.
It helps you are feeling full for longer by delaying the emptying of meals out of your abdomen into your small gut.
It additionally stimulates the pancreas to launch insulin and decelerate your liver’s manufacturing of glucagon. These modifications are likely to lower insulin resistance and decrease total blood sugar ranges.
Wegovy is available in 5 totally different sizes of auto-injector pens with pre-measured doses starting from 0.25 milligrams (mg) as much as 2.4 mg.
If you happen to’re new to Wegovy, you’ll seemingly be prescribed a low dose, and your physician will regularly enhance it over time.
Injections of Wegovy are designed to be taken solely as soon as per week and must be taken on a constant day of the week.
What are the uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy?
Many individuals who take Wegovy will expertise gentle to reasonable uncomfortable side effects and signs.
The commonest uncomfortable side effects are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdomen ache
- Constipation
- Heartburn
- Fuel or bloat
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Runny nostril, sore throat, or congestion.
Nausea is the commonest aspect impact that you ought to be ready to expertise—no less than briefly.
Most of those signs usually are not critical, and plenty of will fade over time as your physique turns into acclimated to the remedy.
Nevertheless, it’s at all times a good suggestion to inform your physician or medical supplier about any uncomfortable side effects you expertise.
They can assist with any signs which can be bothering you.
What are the extra critical uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy?
There are additionally uncommon however extra critical uncomfortable side effects and issues that you ought to be conscious of:
- Thyroid tumors, together with most cancers
- Pancreatitis
- Modifications in imaginative and prescient
- Kidney issues
- Psychological modifications or melancholy
- Severe allergic reactions
- Hypoglycemia
Some individuals will even expertise hypoglycemia (low blood sugar ranges), particularly in the event that they take insulin on the similar time.
It’s essential to pay attention to the signs of low blood sugar and know act to right it.
Low blood sugar may be harmful if untreated, so be looking out for the next:
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Confusion
- Sudden modifications in your temper or notion
- Shakiness
- A quick heartbeat
- Any of the opposite signs of hypoglycemia
Your physician ought to focus on all of the potential uncomfortable side effects, from frequent to critical, and may reply the questions you’ve got in regards to the remedy and its potential dangers and advantages.
If you happen to imagine you’re having any of the intense uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy, it’s essential to cease taking it and get medical consideration instantly.
Do most individuals who take Wegovy expertise uncomfortable side effects?
In case you are experiencing uncomfortable side effects like nausea whereas taking Wegovy, you’re not alone.
Some uncomfortable side effects, notably gastrointestinal uncomfortable side effects, are quite common. A big proportion of people that take Wegovy do expertise no less than a number of the gastrointestinal uncomfortable side effects.
About 44% of individuals on a most dose expertise nausea, whereas about 30% expertise diarrhea, and about 25% expertise vomiting.
Round 10% of contributors in scientific trials of the energetic ingredient in Wegovy (semaglutide) determined to cease taking the drug attributable to uncomfortable side effects like nausea.
In complete, 71.4% of scientific trial contributors skilled some sort of uncomfortable side effects whereas taking semaglutide.
How can I scale back the uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy?
As a result of a big proportion of individuals taking Wegovy will expertise a number of the frequent uncomfortable side effects of the remedy, the drug producer has printed a useful listing of the way to scale back the frequent uncomfortable side effects.
These suggestions embrace:
- Briefly change your weight-reduction plan to emphasise bland, low-fat meals like crackers, toast, or rice.
- Eat meals that comprise water. Novo Nordisk recommends meals like soups and gelatin.
- Keep away from mendacity down quickly after consuming a meal.
- Get recent air in the event you’re feeling like you’ve got an upset abdomen.
- Eat extra slowly.
Individuals who’ve taken Wegovy and different related medicines additionally advocate breaking meals up into smaller snack-size parts and consuming all through the day—relatively than consuming so many energy round mealtime.
Report any uncomfortable side effects chances are you’ll be experiencing to your physician and ask them for steering as to how greatest to handle these signs.
Your physician or medical care workforce will be capable to assist make suggestions that take your well being historical past and targets into consideration.
This additionally could embrace briefly reducing your dose of Wegovy earlier than bringing it again up once more later.
How lengthy does it take for the uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy to cease?
The frequent uncomfortable side effects of Wegovy are likely to ease inside a number of days to per week.
Any signs lasting longer than per week must be reported to your physician, even in the event you assume they’re minor.
A part of the explanation that your physician will begin you on a decrease dose of Wegovy and work your method up over time is to assist your physique acclimate.
This helps to stop uncomfortable side effects like nausea from getting too dangerous.
If you happen to’re discovering the uncomfortable side effects of bigger doses are too troublesome to handle, your physician could possibly briefly scale back your weekly dose earlier than attempting the bigger dose once more later.
This helps many individuals to change into accustomed to the remedy with out all of the uncomfortable side effects.
If you happen to cease taking Wegovy altogether, most uncomfortable side effects cease inside per week or two. The remedy is sort of completely eradicated out of your physique inside a few month.
Nevertheless, though most individuals do expertise some uncomfortable side effects like nausea, particularly when first beginning to use the remedy, these signs have a tendency to ease up over time.
Does Wegovy trigger temper swings?
Although proven to be uncommon in scientific trials, Wegovy and different semaglutide medication could cause temper swings.
In accordance with the Mayo Clinic, Wegovy “could trigger some individuals to be agitated, irritable, or show different irregular behaviors. It might additionally trigger some individuals to have suicidal ideas and tendencies or to change into extra depressed.”
It’s not frequent, however in the event you expertise any modifications in your temper or psychological state, it’s essential to inform your physician instantly.
Does anybody acquire weight on Wegovy?
Whereas individuals lose, on common, about 16% of their physique weight after a yr on Wegovy, that’s to not say that everybody loses weight.
Trial information printed in 2022 confirmed that simply over 20% of individuals don’t lose 5% or extra of their physique weight when taking semaglutide medication like Wegovy.
Anecdotal studies point out that a fair smaller proportion of individuals will proceed gaining weight when on the drug.
Although, it’s sufficiently unusual sufficient to to not be listed as an hostile impact in any of the scientific trials printed to this point.
Nevertheless, weight reduction after stopping remedy with Wegovy is quite common.
Does Wegovy trigger hair loss?
Wegovy itself doesn’t trigger hair loss, however 3% of people that participated in a single scientific trial did expertise hair loss whereas taking the drug.
It’s hypothesized that hair loss was a part of the physique’s stress response to fast weight reduction.
A small proportion of people that have weight reduction surgical procedures will expertise hair loss as a aspect impact.
As a result of each Wegovy and bariatric (weight reduction) surgical procedures could cause fast weight reduction, hair loss can happen in a small variety of instances.
Is Wegovy linked to thyroid tumors or most cancers?
The FDA’s approval for Wegovy carries a warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.
Because of this, individuals with both a private or household historical past of thyroid tumors, particularly medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and sufferers with A number of Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome kind 2 (MEN 2) usually are not purported to take Wegovy or different medicines containing semaglutide.
As described by the FDA, the priority round thyroid tumors is predicated on the outcomes of dosing related medicines in rodents.
When dosed with a clinically related quantity of the remedy, some rats and mice developed thyroid tumors—together with some which had been cancerous.
Nevertheless, it’s not but recognized if this threat applies to people, as not one of the human trial contributors developed these tumors.
It’s essential to know what the signs of thyroid tumors are and to debate any related well being historical past together with your physician and care workforce.
What are the signs of taking an excessive amount of Wegovy?
You need to by no means take extra Wegovy than you’re prescribed.
Contact your physician or a poison management heart instantly in the event you by accident take an excessive amount of Wegovy.
An overdose of Wegovy or different semaglutide remedy could trigger extreme nausea, persistent vomiting, and dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), amongst different signs.
As a result of Wegovy stays in your system for a very long time, chances are you’ll must be monitored in a medical setting to make sure you’re staying hydrated and that your blood sugar ranges are in a secure vary.
