It’s no secret that, if you have seen Oprah lately, she has lost weight. For many years, she struggled to maintain her weight. She would lose weight with diets and then gain weight back again.
The reason for her latest weight-loss journey has been the drug Ozempic.
When Oprah Winfrey revealed to People magazine earlier this week that she has been taking medication to help her lose and maintain her weight, web fans went crazy. The substance, according to Oprah, has been a gift, a relief, and a redemption.
“I’ve had enough of being shamed by other people and especially by myself,” Winfrey declared to the publication.”
With her support of a class of medications that were once licensed for the treatment of diabetes but are now commonly used for weight loss, Oprah is giving voice to the feelings that countless others have experienced.
This week, WeightWatchers® introduced WeightWatchers® GLP-1, a subscription program designed to meet the nutritional and health needs of patients on two brands of semaglutide, a diabetic medication that has become extremely popular due to its ability to help patients lose weight: Ozempic and Wegovy.
The gut hormone known as GLP-1 is essential to the way semaglutide and the brain interact to reduce appetite. Although semaglutide is available under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, the FDA has only authorized Wegovy for the treatment of chronic weight management. However, those without insurance coverage for Wegovy frequently take Ozempic for off-label use.
Gary Foster, chief scientific officer at WeightWatchers said, “The WeightWatchers GLP-1 Program helps members establish and adhere to healthy habits while the food noise from GLP-1 medications is reduced.”
However, there are implications for using this drug.
Inflammation Of Your Pancreas (Pancreatitis).
Changes In Vision.
Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia). …
Kidney Problems (Kidney Failure).
Serious Allergic Reactions.
Gallbladder Problems
WeighWatchers has all the information one may need on Ozempic. What makes Ozempic and Wegovy different from one another?
Although semaglutide, the medication administered by weekly injection in both Ozempic and Wegovy, is the same, there are some significant distinctions between the two. In 2017, the FDA authorized Ozempic to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels. Then, in 2020, Ozempic’s label was expanded to include its use in lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke for those with cardiovascular problems who may or may not be obese.
Babak Azizzadeh, M.D., FACS, answered the following questions for CWEB.
What are the side effects of each? Does one have more or worse side effects than the other? Is one safer? The side effects of these drugs are rather similar, with the most common being constipation, stomach pain, dizziness, and nausea. It’s difficult to compare the safety and tolerability of medications because individuals may react differently. I advise patients to weigh the benefits and risks of different medications with their doctors to decide which medication is the best fit for them.
How is Ozempic taken? Ozempic is typically administered once a week by subcutaneous injection, which means it’s injected into the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle.
Babak Azizzadeh, M.D., FACS, is a Harvard-trained board-certified facial plastic surgeon who serves as director of Beverly Hills’ Center for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery and a board member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery.
