Semaglutide Side Effects
Introduction
Semaglutide is a transformative obesity treatment that can help you lose weight and keep it off. While relatively new, the FDA-approved medication is well-studied and widely available. Doctors can prescribe it to eligible patients with body mass indexes (BMIs) over 27 and at least one weight-related comorbidity, as well as those with BMIs over 30 even if they don’t have one.
All medical treatments carry the potential for side effects. Learning about these possibilities and how to manage them is essential to determining whether a medication is right for you. Side effects vary in frequency and intensity based on an individual's unique biochemistry, medical history, and dose.
The best way to assess your eligibility for semaglutide and manage potential side effects is to participate in a medically supervised weight loss program. These structured treatment plans educate patients about semaglutide and provide proactive side effect management.
What is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. The medication works by simulating the effects of a naturally occurring digestive hormone. The substance is the active ingredient in the weight loss drug Wegovy. It's also in Ozempic, an FDA-approved type 2 diabetes medication that doctors prescribe off-label for weight loss.
How Can Semaglutide Help You Lose Weight?
Once you reach a therapeutic dose, semaglutide helps you lose weight by affecting your appetite and digestion. More specifically, the medication slows gastric emptying. This action leaves food in your stomach longer, thereby suppressing hunger. Consuming fewer calories makes your body burn fat for energy.
The medication simulates the effects of incretin, a hormone the body releases after eating. Semaglutide engages the GLP-1 receptors in the brain that manage satiety, reducing portion size and cravings. This action further reduces caloric intake to expand the deficit that fuels weight loss.
When you participate in a medical weight loss program, doctors prescribe and monitor your response to semaglutide. They also offer guidance on side effect management, diet modifications, and exercise. Changing your diet and exercise plan can widen your caloric deficit, thereby increasing weight loss and improving your overall well-being.
What are the Side Effects of Semaglutide Injections?
All medications have the potential to cause side effects. Doctors manage the risk of their development by using a tiered approach to semaglutide dosing. In short, they build patients’ dosage levels up over the course of several weeks. This gradual increase allows your body to adjust to the medication, thereby minimizing the occurrence and intensity of side effects.
The most common side effects of semaglutide are gastric because the injection impacts digestion. Patients may experience the following:
Abdominal pain
Burping and gassiness
Constipation
Diarrhea
Heartburn
Nausea
Vomiting
Altering your diet may help reduce gastric events if you experience side effects. High-fat, sugary, and spicy foods can trigger gastric distress in some patients. Self-monitoring for foods that cause unwanted symptoms will help you identify trigger foods so you can eliminate them from your diet.
Doctors also recommended eating a relatively bland diet, remaining on your feet immediately after meals, and eating slowly to reduce the odds of experiencing side effects as your body adjusts to the medication.
For most people, digestive side effects are short-term and develop between one week and one month after starting the medication. One analysis concluded that the risk of adverse events with GLP-1 agonists decreases over time.
Serious and potentially long-term side effects are less common but possible. They include:
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that can lead to fatigue, lightheadedness, and dizziness
Elevated heart rate
Pancreatitis, which presents with pain in the upper abdomen, fever, nausea, and vomiting
Gallbladder inflammation or gallstones that can cause severe and sudden pain in the right upper abdomen, pain between the shoulder blades, nausea, and vomiting
It is critical to talk to your doctor if you experience any of these effects. If they arise, your doctor may alter your dose or consider an alternative medication.
Who Should and Should Not Use Semaglutide for Weight Loss?
Semaglutide is generally only recommended for individuals with BMIs over 27. Women trying to become pregnant, and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take the medication. It's also unadvised for those who’ve had an allergic reaction to semaglutide in the past.
Being forthright with your doctor about your medical history is essential to your safety. They must rule out contraindications that can elevate your odds of experiencing side effects from semaglutide.
You may not be a viable candidate for semaglutide if you have a history of:
Chronic kidney or liver disease
Depression or suicidal thinking
Diabetic retinopathy
Pancreatitis
Stomach or intestinal conditions
Type 1 diabetes
Those with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MENS) should also not take semaglutide due to the elevated risk of developing thyroid tumors.
As always, be sure to consult a licensed physician before using semaglutide or any other medical injections for weight loss.
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- https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/ozempic-for-weight-loss-does-it-work-and-what-do-experts-recommend/2023/07
- https://www.uclahealth.org/news/semaglutide-weight-loss-what-you-need-know
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.996179/full
- https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a618008.html
October 12, 2023
Written By
Jake Peter
Fact-checked By
Dr. Avidon Appel
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