Many people might be at risk of getting diabetes, even if they seem healthy now. Type 2 diabetes usually happens to those who are really overweight or eat badly, but sometimes it’s just because of the genes they got from their family. Since the creation of insulin in 1921, people have been able to manage type 2 diabetes. Despite much talk about the benefits of Ozempic for diabetes treatment, it remains unclear whether Ozempic and insulin are the same, as well as how Ozempic works.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is a medicine to be injected once a week to help adults with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. It has semaglutide in it and acts like a hormone called GLP-1, which helps keep blood sugar steady. It’s important to note that Ozempic is not an insulin and it isn’t used to replace insulin. It simply works with the body’s existing insulin levels. It can be used with insulin, however.
Recently Ozempic has been in Hollywood news with a lot of celebrities being accused of misusing the drug to lose extra pounds. It has become a sort of trend to take it for weight loss after celebs have been taking to social media to promote it for weight loss.
People use Ozempic for weight loss while handling diabetes. If it helps lower their A1c score under 7 and makes them thinner, it’s the medicine they’ll want to try. Trulicity is another pill that lowers blood sugar and helps with weight loss for diabetics, but on average, someone using Ozempic loses more than double the weight compared to Trulicity. The same is true for Bydureon or Lantus – a real insulin that helps with weight loss.
Taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes is also good for people with a higher risk of heart problems.
“In addition, Ozempic is a breakthrough in diabetes management, offering a weekly injection solution for type 2 diabetes with the convenience of Ozempic 4mg pens, providing users with a user-friendly and effective way to enhance their understanding and control of their diabetes. “Sometimes, people have heart issues before getting diabetes, and they need to be extra careful about controlling their blood sugar.
Side Effects
Ozempic works well for helping people with diabetes lower their A1c score to under 7% when other ways to treat it haven’t worked. But it comes with side effects.
Ozempic can cause some side effects, with some being more common. The usual ones are feeling sick, throwing up, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. These are usually minor and go away without many other steps needed.
Other side effects can be low blood sugar, upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, feeling dizzy, tired, taste changes, and a runny nose or sore throat. Serious side effects are rare, like allergies, vision changes, strange mood changes, fast heartbeats, kidney problems, and stomach flu symptoms.
It’s important to talk to a doctor about any side effects while using Ozempic and get help if serious side effects happen.
How Does It Work
Ozempic has semaglutide in it, which acts like a hormone called GLP-1 that our body makes naturally to control blood sugar. Ozempic mimics what GLP-1 does, helping to make more insulin and less glucagon. This helps lower blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes.
This medication helps lower blood sugar and encourages weight loss for diabetics in 3 ways:
- making the pancreas give out more insulin,
- stopping the liver from letting out too much sugar,
- and slowing down how fast food leaves the stomach.
NICE guidelines say that GLP-1 treatments, like Ozempic, should only be kept going if the person with type 2 diabetes has good results (lowering HbA1c by at least 1.0% and losing at least 3% of their starting weight in 6 months).
GLP-1 treatments should only be given with insulin, expert advice, and help from a team led by a specialist.
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