Frequently Asked Questions Wegovy® semaglutide injection 2 4 mg

Table Of Content

• Wegovy weight loss
• Get the answers you need to help set patients up with a weight-management plan1,2
• Less common
• Is Wegovy similar to the diabetes drugs Ozempic, Trulicity, and Victoza? Why isn’t Wegovy also used for diabetes?
• GYMS AND DIET FOOD COMPANIES LOOK TO MUSCLE IN
• Wegovy for heart health and stroke reduction

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is also a common side effect when used in people taking certain other diabetes treatments like sulfonylureas or insulin) and can be serious. Usually, once your weight stabilizes, this side effect will subside and your hair will regrow to its original thickness before you started treatment. Although you may notice hair thinning, other people may not recognize it all. “It’s extremely common for people after bariatric surgery to lose quite a bit of hair. It’s one of the biggest complaints I hear and people are worried they’re going to go bald,” Kraftson said.

Wegovy weight loss

“There’s not a withdrawal issue or anything like that, like other medications where you have to titrate off,” Stanford says. She advises people to inform their health-care providers of discontinued treatment so that they can keep medical records up to date. “If weight loss medications are included in a patient’s plan the copay can be anywhere from $25 to $100 per month,” said Patel. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. The GLP-1 drugs listed include newer medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, as well as older type 2 diabetes drugs such as Byetta, which was first approved in 2005.

Get the answers you need to help set patients up with a weight-management plan1,2

By mimicking the activity of GLP-1, Wegovy can help reduce your appetite and lower the amount of calories you consume. This can lead to weight loss and help with weight management over time. Wegovy and Saxenda can be used for long-term weight loss and weight management.

Less common

So, don’t be afraid to ask questions or offer feedback on your treatment. To learn more about how these drugs compare, you can talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Ozempic, Trulicity, and Victoza are all approved to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. Another easy way to purchase Wegovy is by using a telemedicine service such as Calibrate or Ro Body. If the evaluation shows that Wegovy could be a helpful option for you, the telehealth professional will provide an electronic prescription. This was among the more common side effects reported by people who took Wegovy in studies.

“There is generally a three-month lag after weight loss stops, when you hit that plateau, that the shedding will slowly start to dissipate and hair will start to grow back,” Massick said. "Ultimately, it’s important to weigh the benefits of anti-obesity medications against the potential risks, as we do with any medical intervention," Weintraub said. However, if the pattern of hair loss occurs in patches, this has an entirely different set of causes likely unrelated to their obesity medication and should be evaluated. This hair loss occurs during a stressful event that is either physical (surgery, pregnancy, illness) or emotional, said Weintraub, who is an assistant professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. While using Wegovy, talk with your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as a hoarse voice, trouble swallowing or breathing, or a lump in your neck. Your doctor will also monitor you for symptoms of thyroid cancer during your treatment.

FDA Investigating Whether Wegovy and Similar Drugs Can Cause Hair Loss, Suicidal Thoughts - Gizmodo

FDA Investigating Whether Wegovy and Similar Drugs Can Cause Hair Loss, Suicidal Thoughts.

Posted: Thu, 04 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

"People that have ghosted me or didn't want to go on a second date, all of a sudden they're trying to talk to me." "People are nicer to you when you're in a smaller body," she said. "I just feel like people offer to do things for me more. People will hold the door, offer to carry things for me."

In October 2022, weighing 246 pounds, she decided enough was enough. Starting a new job with regular hours felt like the perfect opportunity to commit to getting healthier. As her weight crept up over her 20s, she found herself declining social events because she felt self-conscious and noticed her health suffering, too.

Risk of thyroid cancer

In fact, constipation was one of the most common side effects in clinical trials of Wegovy. You may be at a higher risk of constipation when you first start taking Wegovy or when your doctor increases your dose. It’s possible for Wegovy to increase your risk of thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. In fact, Wegovy has a boxed warning for the risk of thyroid cancer.

Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you about any interactions these items may cause with Wegovy. Certain other weight loss drugs, such as phentermine, are controlled substances. This means there are additional rules for how the drug can be prescribed and used.

Tiredness (fatigue) and reactions at the injection site may also occur. If you’re getting enough nutrients, “your hair will rebound and there will be no permanent damage,” Kraftson said. People who undergo bariatric surgery require lifelong vitamin supplementation and yearly (or more frequent) lab testing, she noted.

Research has shown what happens when people stop taking GLP-1 agonists. Many regain a substantial amount of what they lost with the help of the medications. The body naturally tries to stay around its own weight point, a pull that obesity specialist Arya Sharma likens to a taut rubber band. “While clinical data to date shows that Wegovy was the most effective in weight loss, there are other medications for obesity like Qsymia, Contrave and Saxenda,” said Patel. In its current form, the drug is meant for chronic weight management, as opposed to quickly shedding weight and then ceasing medication. It can be difficult to navigate whether this drug is a healthy way to help you achieve your long-term weight loss goals, especially when confronted with the similarities to another drug, Ozempic.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drugs have been linked to side effect case reports on the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Now, the drugs are included in an FDA review list, updated last on January 2. If your doctor finds that you have developed acute pancreatitis, you will need to stop Wegovy treatment and not restart it. Your doctor will check your thyroid gland (found in your neck area) for nodules.

Hair shedding due to rapid weight loss after bariatric (weight loss) surgery and in patients with type 2 diabetes has also been reported. None of the experts consulted for this story had seen patients who came to them about hair loss while taking these drugs for weight loss. In some instances, the doctor believes patients may have increased benefits from starting weight loss medications at younger ages. Wegovy isn’t “stronger” than other weight loss drugs, but it may help you lose more weight. Recent guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association note that for most people, Wegovy will likely be more effective for weight loss than Saxenda, Qsymia, or Contrave.

The side effect is also often discussed on social media, including TikTok and Reddit. One Ozempic subreddit user complained of shedding everytime they brush their hair; another said they noticed chunks of hair coming out in the shower. Although most side effects are mild, it’s possible for serious side effects to occur as well.

The drugs work by targeting receptors in the body that are involved with producing insulin and regulating digestion. "Some of my patients swear by biotin supplements, prenatal vitamins, or 'hair, skin, and nails' vitamins," she added. If hair loss doesn’t stop, a dermatologist can look for other contributors and discuss strategies for hair restoration. They can help determine if Wegovy might be a good fit for you. Wegovy works by mimicking the action of a hormone in your body called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).