Weight Loss
The class of medications called GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide, terzepatide, ozempic or wegovy is a real breakthrough in medicine. They were initially developed for treatment of diabetes but soon were found to be effective for treating obesity and in combination with lifestyle changes including diet and exercise patients can safely lose weight. There are very few minor side effects that we look out for and can manage very easily. It is important that these medications are given under the supervision of an experienced physician so that the dosage can be adjusted properly, and side effects can be identified quickly.
The medication is administered as an easy once a week injection into the skin that can be given in the office or at home if the patient is comfortable with it. Periodically, the dose is slowly increased until you achieve the desired weight loss.
What are the side effects?
The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting and acid reflux which usually happen at higher doses. Rarely a condition called pancreatitis can be seen also. To prevent these, we always start at the lowest dose and slowly increase over time to watch and make sure the patient does not have any side effects. If side effects occur, we can easily treat them and simply reduce the dose back to the tolerable level.
What about Ozempic face?
When your body is losing weight, it follows a certain order: carbohydrates are used up first, then the body then burns off fat. If you run out of fat, the body starts breaking down muscle/protein which causes that wasting away appearnce to the face. Here’s how to avoid that: 1. The medication should be used for people who truly have extra weight that needs to be lost. 2. This is really a weight loss program, meaning you still need to follow a proper weight loss diet and exercise regularly include resistance training to keep your muscles strong. 3. Have a target weight goal and stop the medication when you reach it.