Considering Taking Wegova to Lose Weight? Here Are the Risks and Benefits – and How It Differs from Ozempic

Slimming medicine Vegi is now available in Australia.

Wegovy is administered as a once-weekly injection and is approved specifically for weight management. It is intended to be used in combination with a reduced energy diet and increased physical activity.

So how does Wegovy work, and how much weight can you expect to lose while taking it? And what are the potential risks—and costs—for those who apply it?

Let’s look at what science says.

What is Wegovy?

Wegovy is the brand name for the drug semaglutide. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA). This means it makes your body’s own hormone glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1 for brief, work better.

Normally, when you eat, your body releases the hormone GLP-1, which helps signal your brain that you’re full. Semaglutides enhance this effect, leading to feelings of fullness even when you haven’t eaten anything.

Another role of GLP-1 is to stimulate the body to produce more insulin, a hormone that helps lower blood glucose (sugar) levels. That is why semaglutides are used in a few years in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

How is Wegovy different from Ozempic?

Like Wegovy, Ozempic is a semaglutide. The way Wegovy and Ozempic work in the body is essentially the same. They are manufactured by the same pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk.

There are, however, two differences:

1) They are approved for two different (but related) reasons.

In Australia (and the United States) Ozempic is approved for use to improve blood glucose levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. By effectively managing blood glucose levels, the medicine aims to reduce the risk of stern complications such as heart disease.

Wegovy is approved for use along with diet and exercise for people who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, or 27 or more but have other health conditions such as hypertension.

Wegovy can also be used in people aged 12 and older. Like Ozempic, Wegovy is designed to reduce the risk of future health complications, including heart disease.

2) Both are injectable but come in different concentrations.

Ozempic is available in disposable pens with pre-filled doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg per injection. The dose can be slowly increased to a maximum of 2 mg per week if needed.

Wegovy is available in pre-filled disposable pens with doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, or 2.4 mg. Treatment is initiated at a dose of 0.25 mg once a week for four weeks, after which the dose is gradually increased to a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg per week.

While it is unknown what impact the introduction of Wegovy will have on the availability of Ozempic, Ozempic is still available It is expected to be in small quantity until the end of 2024.

Is Wegovy effective for weight loss?

Considering that Wegovy is a semaglutide, there is very strong evidence can lend a hand people lose weight and keep it off.

Recent test found that over four years, participants taking Wevovy as directed experienced an average weight loss of 10.2% of their body weight and a reduction in waist circumference of 7.7 cm.

Analyses showed that people who stopped taking the drug lost about two-thirds of their weight. recovered.

What are the side effects of Wegova?

Most common side effects there is nausea and vomiting.

However, other stern side effects are also possible due to the drug’s effects on the entire body. Thyroid tumors and cancer have been identified as risks in animal studies, but are infrequent in humans. scientific literature.

In the four-year-old Wegovy test16.6% of participants who received Wegovy (1,461 people) experienced an adverse event that led to indefinite discontinuation of the drug. This was higher than 8.2% of participants (718 people) who received placebo (no vigorous ingredient).

Side effects included gastrointestinal upset (including nausea and vomiting), which occurred in 10% of people taking Wegovy compared with 2% of people taking placebo.

Gallbladder dysfunction occurred in 2.8% of people taking Wegovy and 2.3% of people taking placebo.

Recently, there have been concerns about suicidal thoughts and behaviors, global analysis more than 36 million adverse event reports associated with the apply of semaglutide (Ozempic or Wegovy) since 2000 were reviewed.

There were 107 reports of suicidal thoughts and self-harm among people taking semaglutide, including, unfortunately, six actual deaths. When people stopped taking the drug, 62.5% said the thoughts stopped. We don’t know if the dose, weight loss, previous mental health conditions or apply of antidepressants played a role.

There are also growing concerns about the negative impact of semaglutide on our social and emotional relationships with food. Thematic AND scientific evidence suggests that people taking semaglutide significantly reduce their daily food intake (as expected), skipping meals and avoiding social gatherings – which is not very pleasant for people and their loved ones.

How can I access Wegovy?

Wegovy can be purchased at a pharmacy with a prescription from a doctor.

But there is a high price. Wegovy is currently not subsidized through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, leaving patients to bear the cost. The current cost is estimated at around 460 Australian dollars monthly dose.

If you are considering Wegovy, arrange Consult your doctor for individual advice.