Semaglutide is an injectable prescription medicine used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists that work by stimulating the release of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Semaglutide also slows digestion, helping you feel full longer after eating, which may help with weight loss.
By slowing digestion, semaglutide helps you feel fuller longer after meals which can decrease overall calorie intake. It also balances hormones involved in appetite regulation. In clinical trials, most people treated with semaglutide lost 5-15% of their body weight over 68 weeks. Pretty impressive results! The way it suppresses appetite makes sticking to a reduced-calorie meal plan much more manageable.
Like all medications, semaglutide can cause some side effects. The most common are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, and constipation. These tend to be mild to moderate and go away as your body adjusts to the medication, usually after a few weeks. Let your health care provider know if any side effects become severe or don't go away.
Semaglutide comes in a prefilled, single-use pen device designed for easy self-injection into the thigh, stomach, or upper arm. Your health care provider will show you how to use it properly. The starting dose is low and gradually increased over 5 weeks to allow your body to get used to it. After that, you simply inject a fixed dose once weekly on the same day each week.
In clinical trials, people using semaglutide plus diet and exercise over 68 weeks lost an average of 17% of their starting body weight compared to only 3% for people treated with placebo. Significant improvements were also seen in waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and other cardiometabolic risk factors. So with commitment to lifestyle changes, semaglutide can be an excellent adjunct for achieving robust and sustainable weight loss and health gains. As with any medication, responses can vary from person to person.
