By Rachel Hosie for Business Insider, published April 22, 2023. Read Original Article here.
Since being approved for weight loss almost two years ago, semaglutide has been hailed as a "game-changer" Semaglutide originated as a diabetes medication but was FDA-approved to treat obesity in 2021.
Semaglutide originated as a diabetes medication but was FDA-approved to treat obesity in 2021.
Key Points
Semaglutide is a drug originally developed for diabetes that was approved for weight loss in 2021.
Hailed as a "game-changer," it works by curbing appetite and can make people's cravings disappear.
Six women who've taken semaglutide shared their pros and cons of the drug with Insider.
The drug manufacturer Novo Nordisk produces semaglutide under the brand names Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Confusingly, Ozempic has become the byword for the once-weekly shot regardless of which version of the drug a person is taking, or why.
There have been shortages of the drugs as people clamor to get their hands on them, and rumors swirl that celebrities secretly take the medications.
The drugs are expensive, with Wegovy costing $1,349 a month and Ozempic $892 if they're not covered by insurance, Insider's Gabby Landsverk reported.
For this reason, some people have turned to potentially risky compounded semaglutide which can come in different doses, forms, or with alternative ingredients than the original products, but is also cheaper, Landsverk reported.
Semaglutide works by suppressing appetite, but side effects such as muscle loss, nausea, and diarrhea have been reported, and it's common to regain the weight after stopping treatment.
Six women who are taking some form of semaglutide shared their experiences with Insider, from the highs of regaining their to confidence and "food noise" vanishing, to the lows of nausea and constipation.
Lana Rodriguez said semaglutide is the best thing that's ever happened to her.
Lana Rodriguez, 37, started taking semaglutide as a weekly injection in September 2022 after years of binge eating and weight cycling.
By January 2023, she had lost 30 pounds and was happy in her body so has since transitioned to one shot every two weeks with the hope of maintaining her weight.
Rodriguez, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, told Insider that the biggest pros of the medication have been:
No longer needing to control her portion sizes
Killing the "food noise" inside her head
"It's the best thing that's happened to me," she said.
Rodriguez had constipation, nausea, and headaches, but they're manageable, she said.
Rodriguez experienced side effects such as a dry mouth, tasting bitterness, nausea, headaches, and constipation.
Constipation
The cost
Rodriguez pays $200 per shot. She said this is expensive, but she feels safe in the knowledge that she gets her medication from an in-person doctor who is there to answer any questions, unlike her friends who've ordered the drug online for less, she said.
Ashley Dunham's blood work improved after she lost 70 pounds in 5.5 months.
Ashley Dunham, from St John's, Florida, lost 70 pounds in 5.5 months on compounded semaglutide and said she would recommend it to everybody.
Dunham, 32, started taking semaglutide in August 2022 and gradually started noticing changes over the first couple of months.
The biggest pros of the medication for Dunham are:
The weight loss
Improved blood work
"My blood work is great across the board," Dunham said, who's pleased that her blood glucose and cholesterol levels have improved.
Dunham struggled with nausea.
Dunham experienced a range of side-effects including nausea, migraines, and constipation, she said.
The biggest cons of semaglutide for her are:
Nausea
Hyper-fixating on foods
Receiving some backlash for taking the medication
By "hyper-fixating" on foods, Dunham means that if she feels she wants, say, McDonald's French fries, she's not satisfied and doesn't want to eat anything else until she's got them, she said.
Dunham wishes there was less focus on already slim celebrities allegedly taking semaglutide for vanity and more on how the drug can improve the health of people who really need it.
"There needs to be an understanding that this is an effective treatment for obesity and obesity is not just one size," she said.
Read full article here.
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