Heres what you oughta know.
What Is Ozempic Approved For?
High blood pressure, orhypertension, is more common in overweight patients.
Illustration by Tara Anand for Verywell Health
Ozempic has been shown to reduce these risks.
Who Can Get Ozempic Off-Label?
A criticism surrounding Ozempic is that providers prescribe it too liberally for weight loss.
Photo Composite by Amelia Manley for Verywell Health
The drug works by improving patients blood sugar levels and reducing their appetite.
It also helps prevent the liver from releasing too much sugar.
Ozempic belongs to a drug called glucagon-like peptide 1(GLP-1) receptor agonists.
GLP-1 is also called an incretin, and incretins have very complex actions on our body, Alan said.
One of the things that they do is increase insulin, and they also increase insulin sensitivity.
Thats the primary mechanism for how they treat diabetes.
A secondary mechanism, Alan explains, contributes to weight loss.
Ozempic promotes satietyin other words, provokes a feeling of fullness.
This happens because the drug slows down your digestive system so you feel fuller longer.
[These drugs] have also been shown to reduce cravings for things like sugar, Alan said.
There are legitimate weight loss uses for these drugs in the appropriate patients, Alan says.
How Do You Take Ozempic?
Ozempic is taken via injection.
It can be injected under the skin of the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm.
Patients should also rotate their injection site with each dose.
The dosage of the drug depends on the patient and their needs.
Ozempic Side Effects
Ozempic can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
On the label, there are significant risks listed such as pancreatitis that worry people, Kraftson said.
What Is Pancreatitis?
Pancreatitisrefers to inflammation of the pancreas, a gland behind the stomach.
Then, theres Ozempic face.
But experts say any weight loss can result in facial changes.
It is not anything pathological, Alan said.
But it does trouble some patients.
Both drugs are manufactured by Novo Nordisk.
The major difference is what they are FDA approved for.
What Is Wegovy Approved For?
While Ozempic is FDA approved for diabetes, Wegovy has full FDA approval for weight loss.
Kraftson said that Wegovy, just like Ozempic, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
The drug also helps suppress the liver from producing too much sugar.
Food sits in the stomach longer, and so you feel fuller because its sitting there.
How Do You Take Wegovy?
Like Ozempic, Wegovy is taken by injection.
Now, were in the status of mostly using the once weekly self-injections.
That will subside in some patients, but may not subside in all patients, Alan said.
Taking these medicationswithoutbeing medically supervised can result in a lot of those side effects, Shah said.
The drugmaker says Wegovy may cause serious side effects, including pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, and kidney problems.
It also warns of possible thyroid tumors, including cancer.
While its function is the same as the other drugs, its slightly different from Ozempic and Wegovy.
What Is Mounjaro Approved For?
In May 2022, Mounjaro was approved by the FDA for the treatment of punch in 2 diabetes.
How Does Mounjaro Work?
Mounjaro is on the fast-track to be approved for weight loss, Kraftson said.
It also causes patients to lose weight.
My guess is this is because you’re having additive effects of…two incretins and not just one.
How Do You Take Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a once-a-week injection.
Patients typically start with a weekly 2.5 mg dose.
There are serious side effects too, which are more rare.
These include pancreatitis, low blood sugar, kidney failure, allergic reaction and gallbladder problems, among others.
If a patient is a good candidate for the drug, Shah said it can improve their health.
But powerful medications can have powerful side effects.
National Library of Medicine: DailyMed.Ozempicsemaglutide injection, solution [drug label].
Ozempic.About the Ozempic pen.
Food and Drug Administration.FDA approves new drug treatment for chronic weight management, first since 2014.
National Library of Medicine: DailyMed.Wegovysemaglutide injection, solution [drug label].
National Library of Medicine: DailyMed.Mounjarotirzepatide injection, solution [drug label].
