Ozempic is an injection you give yourself in your abdomen, thigh or upper arm. It's part of a group of medications called "GLP-1 receptor agonists" that mimic a hormone in your gut.

A group of obesity specialists use it off-label to help people with medically severe obesity lose weight. We spoke with three of them to learn more about the drug and how it works for their patients.

What Is It?

The weight loss drug Ozempic for Weight Loss and its sister medication Wegovy are based on a hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1. They mimic a hormone in the body that makes you feel full, which can lead to eating less. A clinical trial of the drug found that people with type 2 diabetes who received the injections lost an average of 15% of their weight over 68 weeks.

It's important to remember that Ozempic and Wegovy are only intended for long-term use. It's been shown that after discontinuing the once-a-week injections, patients regain two-thirds of the weight they lose. While weight loss is the primary goal of these medications, they're also meant to improve blood sugar control and cardiovascular risk factors associated with obesity.

Common side effects of the medications include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Some have reported muscle loss, while others experience a decrease in appetite. They may also have difficulty concentrating, fatigue and headache. If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor about how they can be managed.

Some patients can develop negative beliefs about food and body image while taking the medication, which may lead to disordered eating patterns. If this is a concern for you, it's important to seek help from an eating-disorder-informed provider like our team at Columbus Park. They can provide guidance and support to help you overcome negative beliefs around food and your body.

What Are the Side Effects?

A doctor may prescribe Ozempic to help you lose weight when other medications aren't helping enough. This is known as an off-label use of the drug and your prescriber will weigh the benefits against the risks to decide if it's appropriate for you.

The most common side effects of Ozempic are gastrointestinal (GI) issues like nausea and vomiting. They're often mild, but in some cases they can be severe. This medication also slows down how quickly food travels through your digestive tract and can make you feel full for longer. This can lead to less food consumption.

GI symptoms can also cause problems with your mood. If you experience mood changes, talk to your doctor. They may recommend taking a different anti-obesity medication, like a GLP-1 receptor agonist, to help manage these symptoms.

Ozempic can also cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). If you have diabetes and take it with other medicines that can cause hypoglycemia, such as sulfonylureas or insulin, your risk of low blood sugar is higher. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar include blurred vision, confusion or drowsiness, anxiety, fast heartbeat, shakiness, weakness, and hunger.

Other possible side effects of Ozempic include a change in your menstrual cycle or gallbladder issues. Women experienced these more often than men during clinical trials of this medication, but they're still a possibility. You're also at risk of developing kidney or liver problems when taking this medicine.

Read More: Buy Ozempic online – what you need to know before starting treatment

How Do I Take It?

Like any prescription drug, it's important to take Ozempic as directed. That means avoiding high-calorie, sugary foods and not skipping doses. You'll also want to make sure you get adequate amounts of sleep and find stress management techniques that help you stay centered.

Before you give yourself an injection, you should wash your hands and clean the injection site with alcohol. Then, use the pen to select your dose and make sure the milligram amount lines up with the number on the dosing counter. Finally, inject the medication into the front of your thigh or abdomen (subcutaneous injection). You can change the day of your injection each week but should do so after at least five days have passed since your last dose.

Weight loss is often accompanied by hormonal changes, so you may experience increased cravings for high-calorie foods. This is a normal part of the process and can be mitigated by continuing to exercise -- specifically, by lifting weights that build lean muscle.

You can get a prescription for Ozempic through telemedicine services that provide a health evaluation and a personalized plan for you to follow. Typically, this includes weekly coaching sessions and access to a physician who will review your results and write you an electronic prescription. You can then pick up the medicine at a pharmacy or have it delivered to your home.

Is It Safe?

There are some potential side effects from taking Ozempic that you should know about. Nausea is the most common one. It happens when the drug slows down digestion and puts extra pressure on your belly. It usually gets better after a few weeks. You may also have stomach aches, diarrhea, constipation, or loss of appetite. Some people stop the drug because of these symptoms, especially those who have a sleeve gastrectomy and get reflux. The medication can also cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially when it's taken with sulfonylurea drugs like glimepiride, glipizide, and glyburide or with insulin. If you have this, talk to your doctor about how to manage it.

There have been a few cases of pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas, in people taking semaglutide. It's not clear if this is linked to Ozempic. You should tell your doctor if you have pain in the upper belly that moves to the back, nausea or vomiting, or loses appetite.

Semaglutide has helped some patients lose a lot of weight and improve their health. But it's important to remember that it's only a part of the puzzle of getting healthy. You still have to make lifestyle changes, including eating well and exercising more. In addition, it's important to stay hydrated and get enough sleep. You should also avoid smoking and take medications for depression or anxiety, if you have them.