Weight Loss Drugs: The Science And Side Effects Behind Ozempic And Wegovy
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Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the drug semaglutide. Many countries have approved Wegovy for weight loss in people who are obese or overweight and Ozempic for people with type 2 diabetes.
Drugs such as semaglutide mimic the actions of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1. These so-called GLP-1 analogues have several effects, including slowing stomach emptying, acting on the brain to reduce appetite and boosting the release of insulin, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
[...] Wegovy leads to about a 15 per cent reduction in body weight over a year, when combined with exercise and eating healthily.
In fact, some people seem to feel that the GLP-1 analogues have caused them to become too gaunt, as reflected in the rise of the search terms Ozempic face" and Ozempic butt". Ozempic doesn't do anything specific to the skin," says Alexander Miras at Ulster University, UK. It is the weight loss that causes these apparent side effects, with similar outcomes often also occurring after weight loss surgery, he says.
Side effects can be mild, such as nausea, constipation and diarrhoea, which tend to occur as people get used to the drug. More worrying side effects include inflammation of the pancreas, although this is relatively rare.
Hair loss has been reported by some semaglutide users. This is also sometimes seen after significant weight loss from other causes, such as stomach surgery, says Miras.
[...] GLP-1 analogues - such as Ozempic and Wegovy - are being investigated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after recent reports that they may cause thoughts of suicide or self-harm. This was after Iceland's health regulator received three such reports regarding semaglutide and another drug called liraglutide, which is an earlier GLP-1 analogue.
The EMA says it is analysing about 150 reports of possible cases of self-injury and suicidal thoughts. This doesn't mean the medicines caused these effects, however, only that people reported these experiences after starting to take them. More work is needed to determine if a causal link exists," says Michael Schwartz at the University of Washington in Seattle.
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