Semaglutide

Semaglutide is an injectable medication that belongs to a class of medications called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. GLP-1 is a hormone that affects the regulation of blood sugar by stimulating glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Insulin is a hormone that promotes sugar uptake by the cells, stores sugar as glycogen, promotes the building of fat, and signals the body to build skeletal muscle.

GLP-1 inhibits the release of the hormone glucagon, which slows down the release of sugar into the blood so that you burn more fat, and slows down gastric emptying to make you feel full longer while reducing the desire for food intake.

Semaglutide mimics the GLP-1 hormone in your body, which helps to control your blood sugar by blocking the liver from releasing sugar into your bloodstream, slows down how fast your stomach empties food, and causes your pancreas to release insulin.

Together, these functions can help you feel less hungry, causing you to eat less food and lose more weight.

Yes, it is believed that semaglutide can help curb your appetite. In addition to slowing gastric emptying to make you feel full for longer, GLP-1 also plays a direct role in how your appetite is regulated.

No, semaglutide is not a type of insulin or a substitute for insulin. Semaglutide simply stimulates your pancreas to release insulin when glucose (sugar) is present. Because semaglutide relies on your body’s own insulin to be released from the pancreas, semaglutide isn’t used when your pancreas can’t make insulin, such as in patients in type 1 diabetes.

Weight loss will be gradual since you will slowly work your way up to the target dose of semaglutide, at which time you will see the most amount of weight loss.

This was the case in the clinical trials, where participants had their dose adjusted until they reached 2.4 mg once weekly. In the phase 3 trial that measured outcomes at 20 weeks, most participants were able to reach the full dose and also lost weight as their dose was increased. They saw additional weight loss over the remaining 48 weeks at the full dose. Study participants received treatment for a period of 68 weeks (about 1.5 years) during each of the four trials conducted by the company.

It is important to keep in mind that weight loss can take time, and you’ll see the best results when you are using your medication in combination with a healthy diet and exercise. Sometimes the medication may not work for you, or you may not be able to tolerate the full dose due to side effects.

Studies, as mentioned above, do not currently have data past 68 weeks. However, your program is designed to help you begin adopting healthy lifestyle changes that will promote lasting weight loss where medication is no longer needed. Being on semaglutide can help you learn to control your portion sizes. However, if you go back to how you were eating once off semaglutide, and do not adopt the necessary lifestyle changes to maintain the weight loss, it is likely that you will gain the weight back.