According to CSO data in Poland, 62 percent are struggling with the problem of overweight. men and 46 percent women, and every fifth Pole is obese. Some of these people see the problem, the rest underestimate him. However, even those who see the need to lose unnecessary kilograms do not necessarily want to decide to use a diet or trainings – they are looking for simpler, easier ways. One of them seems to be used in order to lose weight on diabetes – ozempic, which in short reduces appetite.
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Ozmpic was approved by the American Food and Drug Administration for treatment in adult type 2 diabetes in 2017. Four years later – in 2021 the agency allowed him to be used in the treatment of obesity in patients with co -occurring diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol. He is not approved for slimming without comorbidities, yet some doctors prescribe it to their obese patients. They believe that this is an effective alternative to bariatric surgery – a decrease in the stomach, although the truth is that the degree of weight loss obtained by surgery is usually much higher and stays longer than in the case of ozempic.
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Ozmpic – how does the medicine work?
The patient, having a choice of surgery or an injection, will be more willing to decide on the latter – the form and duration of therapy are selected individually, having regard to the patient's health, co -existing diseases or the effects of the drug. Doctors, according to the manufacturer's recommendations, usually prescribe the initial dose of no more than 0.25 mg, while after 4 weeks it can be raised to 0.5 mg. Ozmpic works by increasing insulin secretion, reduction of glucagon release and slowing down the gastric emptying. Studies show that by using this preparation, you can achieve a decrease in body weight by up to 20 kg in a few months.
However, there is nothing for free and literally – the active ingredient of the drug Ozmpic – the semaglutide works for slimming, but – as experts point out – it is important to At the same time, patients introduced lifestyle changes, supporting slimming, took care of proper nutrition using diabetic diet and physical activity/exercises. In addition, they emphasize that artificial lowering blood sugar is dangerous and leads to making bad habits, the body can get used to the drug by setting a new norm.
Slimming with ozempic? Consistency is needed
Patients who are focused only on weight loss, usually after a few months decide to stop the treatment, especially since it is not cheap – Full payment is about PLN 350-400.
And then disappointment may come because In the event of stopping ozempic, you have to take into account the yo -yo effect. To avoid this, it is important to continue using a healthy and balanced diet that helps in controlling appetite and stabilizing blood sugar. And of course increased movement and physical activity.
Doctor Marc Bessler, a bariatric surgeon in an interview published on the Columbia University website Treatment with drugs such as ozempic requires lifetime involvement, because interruption of treatment often leads to a re -gain weight gain. – Side effects may occur, including nausea, reflux, abdominal cramps, delayed gastric and constipation, which may affect the possibility or willingness to continue treatment – explains Marc Bessler.
– The high cost of OZEMPIC is a financial barrier for many people, potentially limiting access to this treatment option. Bariatric surgery remains the most effective method of treating severe obesity, but in the future treatment will probably develop and include a new combination of therapy. Ozmpic, Mounjaro and other drugs are not a solution for people who need to lose a significant amount of weight. The future of obesity treatment may consist in using a combination of drugs affecting many hormones, as in the case of treating diabetes or hypertension – he adds.
Professor Anna Popławska-Kita from the Clinic of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine of the Medical University of Bialystok reminds that the semaglutide is currently available in Poland under two commercial names: Ozmpic, registered for the treatment of diabetes and Wegova, registered for the treatment of obese.
-Both versions contain the same active substance that shows high efficiency both in therapy of obesity and diabetes-emphasizes Anna Popławska-Kita. – Unfortunately, there is a significant difference in price between these preparations, despite the same composition. Therefore, patients often put pressure on doctors to prescribe a cheaper ozempic – he adds.
The professor points out that the semaglutide, like any medicine, can cause side effects, but in its opinion their importance is low compared to complications resulting from untreated obesity. It is worth remembering that Obesity, as defined, is a chronic and progressive disease, which is why its treatment should be long -term in nature. Interrupting therapy after weight reduction, while maintaining metabolic disorders, almost always leads to recurrence of the disease.
The British regulatory agency for medicines and medical products also warns against another side effect of the use of ozempic – a reduction in the effectiveness of birth control pills – the media in the west is widely written about the so -called ozmpic children. 40 cases of pregnancy were recorded when using birth control pills simultaneously with these drugs.
