Ozempic for weight loss

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Started Ozempic 0.25 as suggested by my Dr for weight loss,three weeks ago.
I have been eating carefully,I exercise daily, very regular with food logging but have some 30-35 lbs to lose.
Week1,my appetite dropped,I was carefully eating between 1000-1200 calories.
Week 2,my appetite began to return. Was'nt not hungry any more !! So began to eat.
Week 3 on .25 and feel NO appetite suppression.
Had knocked off close to 2 KGS,but have gained back 1 KG already !
Hoping that the .5 will do the trick. And then the proper dose ,4 weeks after that should definitely do the trick
Have random periods of nausea every day. My IBS seems better. Some gastric issues like mild cramps, some diarrhea ( though with the IBS, it's hard to pin point),some bloating.
Anyone else has a similar experience?
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Replies

  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    Did you try to lose weight before taking the drug? Or was this the first step?

    To me, it seems extreme to take a drug for losing a reasonable amount of weight. And I agree with the other poster that a huge part of successful weight loss comes with learning how to eat the right way, not just relying on appetite suppressants.

    I would focus on your food intake (weigh everything, and find foods that keep you full and feeling healthy). Unless your doc told you to keep it that low, I'd eat more calories as well.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
    edited September 2022
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    Yes I can second that. I work in general practice in Australia myself.

    It is legal to prescribe as a private script ( ie the patient pays full price, it isn't PBS subsidised) and it is on the PBS ( ie capped subsidised price) for diabetics for whom oral meds are not sufficient or are not tolerated.

    There has been a shortage leading to supply issues for those who really need it for medical reasons.

    Yup, and private clinics like Juniper are charging $13 a day to prescribe it for weight loss!
  • bethhl
    bethhl Posts: 6 Member
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    I've never taken Ozempic, but if I remember the ads for it, weight loss is fairly minor.... 8-12 lb per year.

    Tracking your food intake will probably help you more than any drug. Start off by just tracking every thing you eat.... don't worry about changing what and how you eat. Just get an honest picture of what you are currently doing. I thought I was doing a good job of watching my carb intake but until I started tracking my food ...again... my blood sugar levels and my weight were a constant issue.
  • zutshihora
    zutshihora Posts: 30 Member
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    So,I am pre diabetic. Have tracked my calories and exercised daily for 6+ years and managed to knock off 12 + KGS My family doctor has suggested this ,seeing all the efforts that I have put in. The last blood work shows an uptick on my A1C,my lipids as well. He thinks ,this could act as a boost,to reset?
    I didn't even know that something like this existed..
    I was Ok with my weight having plateaued but then it just began to pile back on with nothing having changed as far as my diet and exercise go. I went back to the "obese" category from the "overweight"🤫.
  • Cbionic
    Cbionic Posts: 3 Member
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    However just one correction - Ozempic is not an appetite suppressant - it works by filtering more glucose through the kidneys rather than it all being left in the bloodstream to then enter the cells,
    so weight loss is acheived by the body absorbing less calories.

    Strictly that isn’t correct. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 agonist which works by increasing insulin release, lowering the amount of glucagon released (diabetes) delaying gastric emptying and reducing appetite (weight loss).
    It’s a bit like saying Sildenafil (viagra) is not for erectile dysfunction! It is a medication for angina but like the Semaglutide they found it had other applications too.

  • zutshihora
    zutshihora Posts: 30 Member
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    @Cbionic.
    Hang in there Sorry to hear of your struggles. Hope Ozempic works and is enough to do the trick.🤞🤞
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,016 Member
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    They do not work “by filtering glucose”- that is a total misunderstanding of their several neurocentric and metabolic modes of action.

    yes they do. In simplified terms, as I stated in my first post

    that is how they lower blood sugar level for diabetics. And it is primarily a diabetic medication

    I wont appeal to authority of myself, because of course anyone can claim expert status on the internet - a simple google will confirm that.

    It's a GLP-1 receptor antagonist.

    https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00048155.PDF

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    They do not work “by filtering glucose”- that is a total misunderstanding of their several neurocentric and metabolic modes of action.

    yes they do. In simplified terms, as I stated in my first post

    that is how they lower blood sugar level for diabetics. And it is primarily a diabetic medication

    I wont appeal to authority of myself, because of course anyone can claim expert status on the internet - a simple google will confirm that.

    It's a GLP-1 receptor antagonist.

    https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00048155.PDF

    I cannot easily read PDFs on my phone and I am on pain meds. Would you please summarize?
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,066 Member
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    They do not work “by filtering glucose”- that is a total misunderstanding of their several neurocentric and metabolic modes of action.

    yes they do. In simplified terms, as I stated in my first post

    that is how they lower blood sugar level for diabetics. And it is primarily a diabetic medication

    I wont appeal to authority of myself, because of course anyone can claim expert status on the internet - a simple google will confirm that.

    It's a GLP-1 receptor antagonist.

    https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00048155.PDF

    Yes it certainly is.

    And from the intro in product PDF linked : OZEMPIC® is indicated for the once-weekly treatment of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve glycemic control, in combination with......


    59 pages of detailed product info follow.

    But clearly primarily for type 2 diabetes; weight loss is a ' side effect'.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,016 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    They do not work “by filtering glucose”- that is a total misunderstanding of their several neurocentric and metabolic modes of action.

    yes they do. In simplified terms, as I stated in my first post

    that is how they lower blood sugar level for diabetics. And it is primarily a diabetic medication

    I wont appeal to authority of myself, because of course anyone can claim expert status on the internet - a simple google will confirm that.

    It's a GLP-1 receptor antagonist.

    https://pdf.hres.ca/dpd_pm/00048155.PDF

    I cannot easily read PDFs on my phone and I am on pain meds. Would you please summarize?

    Sure. They're a Glucagon Like Peptide hence the GLP. Basically, they mimic the effect of glucagon which is released in the gut that increases insulin production in the beta cells of the pancreas which help lower blood glucose and they also increase satiety and slows gastric emptying which is the active mechanism for potential weight loss. They also have some effect on blood pressure and cholesterol. Cheers.
  • Mardo2044
    Mardo2044 Posts: 4 Member
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    Your question has anyone else experienced this on Ozempic. Yes, I have. Almost exactly the same experience. I was not hungry at all the first week. Second week I had some mild symptoms but appetite was back. Third week like I'm not on it at all. I am still being successful in my weight loss, in a large part because I am on the drug for diabetes and I am taking this very seriously. So I am losing slowly, but it mostly has to do with logging and tracking calories and improved commitment to exercise IMO.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,016 Member
    edited November 2022
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    They do not work “by filtering glucose”- that is a total misunderstanding of their several neurocentric and metabolic modes of action.

    yes they do. In simplified terms, as I stated in my first post

    that is how they lower blood sugar level for diabetics. And it is primarily a diabetic medication

    I wont appeal to authority of myself, because of course anyone can claim expert status on the internet - a simple google will confirm that.
    I agree about the best approach is not to use medication for weight loss.

    However just one correction - Ozempic is not an appetite suppressant - it works by filtering more glucose through the kidneys rather than it all being left in the bloodstream to then enter the cells (simplified version)
    so weight loss is acheived by the body absorbing less calories.

    Ozempic primarily is not a weight loss medication - its primary aim is blood sugar control in diabetics for whom oral meds are not enough - but who don't quite need insulin
    I agree about the best approach is not to use medication for weight loss.

    However just one correction - Ozempic is not an appetite suppressant - it works by filtering more glucose through the kidneys rather than it all being left in the bloodstream to then enter the cells (simplified version)
    so weight loss is acheived by the body absorbing less calories.


    Ozempic primarily is not a weight loss medication - its primary aim is blood sugar control in diabetics for whom oral meds are not enough - but who don't quite need insulin

    I suspect your talking about SGLT2 inhibitors? I suspect Ozempic could probably be combined with SGLT2's under a Dr's supervision of course.