How does Ozempic work? The active ingredient in Ozempic is semaglutide, which works by inducing satiety. This feeling of being satisfied or “full”, suppresses appetite. This is why it works for weight loss.
Once you begin using Ozempic, some people can find it takes several weeks to see any weight loss, yet others may see some weight loss within a week or 2. While it can be difficult, try to remain patient — change looks different for everyone.
So, on average, with the recommended starting Ozempic dose of 0.25 mg, a 500 to 1000 calorie reduced diet, and exercise 3 times a week, you can expect to lose 3-5 pounds in the first month of treatment, which works out to about 3% of body weight for most overweight or obese individuals.
Will Ozempic or Wegovy reduce belly fat? The answer appears to be yes. That Novo Nordisk-funded study of almost 2,000 overweight or obese adults without diabetes also found their visceral fat — the type that accumulates in the belly — was reduced from baseline with semaglutide, along with their total fat mass.
Ozempic® (semaglutide): It's one of several GLP-1 medications that are best known for their ability to help patients with type 2 diabetes control blood sugar—but the drug is also effective in helping those with obesity or overweight improve their metabolic health and lose weight.
The prescription drug Ozempic helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar. But its wild popularity is due to a side effect: rapid weight loss.
Seeing results. Ozempic starts working within the first week of beginning your maintenance dose. Your blood sugar levels will start to decline during this time. Reaching the steady state can take about four to five weeks of once-a-week Ozempic doses.
Take Ozempic® once a week, on the same day every week, exactly as prescribed by your health care provider. You can take Ozempic® with or without food. You may change the day of the week you use Ozempic® as long as your last dose was taken 2 or more days before.
Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medication formulated to help adults with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar. Although not officially a weight loss drug, research suggests that people who take Ozempic may lose modest amounts of weight while on the medication.
Some individuals may actually gain more weight after stopping an obesity drug than they initially lost, Conde-Knape added. Studies have similarly shown weight rebound in people who stop taking Ozempic.
“Ozempic face” is a term for common side effects of the type 2 diabetes medication semaglutide (Ozempic). It can cause sagging and aging of facial skin. A doctor may recommend lifestyle modifications or facial fillers to treat these effects.
Ideally, you should not take Ozempic if you do not have diabetes, or if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning on becoming pregnant. Ozempic may cause serious (but rare) side effects, including thyroid C-cell tumors and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).
Patients trying to lose weight with either drug should work with a dietitian for a guided meal plan, but in general, they should aim to eat 1,200 to 1,800 calories a day depending on their initial weight, Rubin says.
The most common side effects with Ozempic include stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and constipation. These tend to be mild-to-moderate and usually clear up in a few weeks in most people.
Nausea was the most common side effect reported by people taking the drug in clinical trials. For most people, the nausea was mild and temporary. You're more likely to have nausea when you first start Ozempic treatment or after your doctor increases your dose.
Caffeine. Caffeine can also affect the action of Ozempic by causing low blood sugar levels or dehydration. Make sure you are consuming plenty of fluids throughout the day when taking this medication and limit caffeine consumption to no more than one cup of coffee per day.
Refined carbohydrates
This can make it harder to manage blood sugar levels in people both with and without diabetes. These types of foods are typically lacking fiber, which can send blood sugar levels soaring. It is best to avoid refined carbohydrates if you're taking Ozempic.
If people are unable to eat enough while on the drug, he decreases the dose or tells them to stop taking the medication altogether. No standard nutritional guidelines have yet been established for patients taking Ozempic or other medications that work similarly, like Wegovy and Mounjaro.
You'll need to stay on the drug to keep seeing weight loss effects from Ozempic. If you stop taking it, you will most likely regain the weight you've lost.
The drugs also come with a warning that they may increase the risk of thyroid cancer, acute pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar, kidney injury, damage to the eye's retina and suicidal thinking or behavior.
Many have reported losing substantial weight after taking the trendy drug semaglutide, which has the brand name Ozempic or Wegovy. But plastic surgeons say they're seeing a rise in patients coming in with saggy, loose skin that appears after dramatic weight loss — a phenomenon known as "Ozempic face" or "Ozempic body."
The starting Ozempic dosage is usually 0.25 mg once weekly. This dose isn't intended to have an effect on your blood glucose. Instead, it's meant to help your body start adjusting to digestion-related side effects.