Ozempic! Right now it’s the hottest drug in the country, if not in the world. For the past 2 weeks I have discussed some of the negative effects of what can occur when you stop taking it and some of the side effects, particularly those involved with medical procedures.
We know that Ozempic is in a class of medications called GLP-1RAS. They are considered a safe and effective medication for people who suffer from type 2 diabetes. However, about ten years ago, it was discovered, as we do with a lot of medications, that there are unintentional side effects, and one of those side effects associated with GLP-1RAS drugs is drastic weight loss. This caught the attention of those in the field of medicine concerned with obesity and weight loss. Fast forward a few years and one of these medications was approved by the FDA, specifically for weight loss, for people who are obese or over weight.
As I have said before, these are usually weekly injections, typically injected into the stomach by the patient themselves or by a health care provider. One of the ways they work is by slowing the emptying of the stomach, which means that food ingested stays in the stomach longer than usual, this reduces the amount of food the patient can eat before feeling full and in turn, causes the patient to lose weight. Other side effects are less desirable than the intended weight loss and can include nausea, in some cases even vomiting, diarrhea or bowl issues, and in rare cases pancreatitis and inflammation of the pancreas.
These drugs also carry a black label warning for a rare type of thyroid cancer. So what happens if someone were to take one of these medications like Ozempic, lose the undesirable weight and then discontinue or stop taking the medication?
We must keep in mind that over-weight and obesity are complex chronic disorders that are caused by a multitude of factors. Behaviors’ and habits around diet and exercise, environment, genetics and even other medications that may be associated with weight gain, are a big part of the picture. So if you remove one of these variables, in this case, one of the medications that has been helpful in achieving weight loss, it is possible, if not likely, that the person will regain all the weight back, plus much more.
In conclusion there is no short cut to weight loss, or better yet, fat loss. We like to think that a drug like Ozempic is a miracle solution to obesity when, like any other “quick and easy solution”, the negative side affects can greatly outweigh the benefits. We need to understand that not everything in life has a quick solution, sometimes we must put in the real work and commitment to achieve our desired outcomes. It is important that we as humans get back to eating mostly a human specific, human appropriate diet, no need for calorie counting or counting macros, eat till you are full, then leave the table.
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