Ozempic, medically known as the Semaglutide, is generally used in the case of those suffering from the Type-2 form of diabetes. In the case of Type-1 diabetes, Ozempic is not used.
It lowers the blood sugar levels in this type of diabetes. Cardiovascular disease and related problems can be reduced by it. Ozempic is injected under your skin.
Ozempic is used with diet. An exercise after taking Ozempic is helpful for you. The non-insulin category Ozempic may be beneficial for you in reaching the level of your blood sugar. It can be taken once a week.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is a drug that belongs to the Antidiabetics and Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Agonists class of medicine. It can be sold only on a prescription issued by a doctor.
It is a medicine that is administered to the body of a diabetic patient through injection. The doses of this injection may be 0.5 mg and up to a maximum of 2 mg depending upon the seriousness of Type 2 diabetes. These two doses are administered to the human body through injection.
Ozempic injection is only for adults and those below 18 years are not allowed medically to take it.
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How Does Ozempic Work?
It is a non-insulin drug. Ozempic works with your anatomical system or body’s own ability to lower blood sugar. This drug is formulated in such a way that it evokes a response when your blood sugar rises.
Ozempic helps your anatomical system to release its own insulin to reduce blood sugar. In the case of Type 2 diabetes, Ozempic is generally recommended all over the USA, Japan, and the European Union countries.
Uses of Ozempic
This drug is used in the case of adults only to treat Type 2 diabetes to reduce the chances of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular issues. One of the uses of Ozempic is to reduce the AIC.
The ADA (American Diabetes Association) has approved the injection of Ozempic to treat Type 2 diabetes which is termed as A1C less than 7%. During the research carried out on the medical efficacy of Ozempic, it has been found that a majority of adults taking Ozempic injection reached the A1C under 7% and succeeded in maintaining this level.
Side Effects of Ozempic
Ozempic has side effects that can be classified into the following categories:
Common Side Effects: These are listed below:
- Pain in the belly or abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
Mild Side Effects: They are:
- Taste may change
- Dizziness
- Headache
- General weakness or fatigue·
- Indigestion
Serious Side Effects: The following can be serious side effects:
- Blood vessels in the eye may get slightly damaged
- Gallstone may be formed
- Kidney problems may happen
- The pancreas may get swelled
- Thyroid cancer
- Low blood sugar
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Foods to avoid while taking Ozempic
There is no restriction regarding food. You can consume most of the foods. But you should avoid the food to which you are allergic.
Precautions While taking Ozempic
- You must take some precautions while taking Ozempic. These precautions are:
- If you have pain in the region of your neck.
- If you have developed a lump.
- If you experience trouble swallowing food.
- If you have breathing troubles or shortness of breath.
- Serious allergic case.
You should stop taking this drug in case you show the above symptoms. The additional precautions that should be taken by you are rash in your body, dizziness, and fainting.
Can Ozempic Cause Weight Loss?
Ozempic may cause weight loss. Research has shown those taking Ozempic tend to lose weight. But Ozempic is not a weight-reducing drug.
You should not take it to lose your body weight as this drug is not meant to lose weight but to lower the blood sugar level to prevent cardiac attacks and cure cardiovascular problems.
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It may be mentioned here to educate you on the weight-losing properties of Ozempic that research conducted on the effect of this drug has proved an adult (with an average of 197 pounds) may lose body weight up to 12 pounds due to regular injection of this drug.
The research was conducted in America for one year and at the end of this, the results showed (that an adult average starting weight of 197 pounds) lost around:
- 9 pounds on 0.5 mg Ozempic®
- 12 pounds on 1 mg Ozempic®
- 4 pounds on 100 mg Januvia®
The one-year monitoring of the weight pattern of 1231 adult users of Ozempic was done in the USA to get the above results regarding weight loss.
You should not consider it a weight-losing drug. If you use it as a weight-reducing medicine, you may run at a serious health risk.
This caution needs to be analyzed as some persons think that as those suffering from Type 2 diabetes reduce their weight after taking Ozempic, it may as well act as a bodyweight-reducing drug.
This is a wrong idea. You should know that Ozempic may cause several side effects that may have an adverse impact on human health. If adults take it to reduce their body weight, it can seriously impact their health.
Conclusion
The anti-diabetic medicine Semaglutide is marketed under the brand name of Ozempic. There are several other brand names for Semaglutide drugs available in the market. Ozempic is one of them. Ozempic is meant exclusively for the Type-2 form of diabetes.
Semaglutide increases insulin secretion thus enhancing the level of blood sugar metabolism. It has been found to be medically useful to treat Type-2 diabetic patients. Ozempic, approved for medical use in the USA in December 2017, is injected into the body.
After the USA, Ozempic was also approved in countries falling into the European Union and Japan in 2018. The oral way of taking Ozempic was approved in the USS in 2019. It is known as Rybelsus.
Medical research studies on Ozempic are being carried out regularly to find out more about the efficacy of this drug.
