Does Semaglutide (Ozempic) Lower Blood Sugar?
There are more than 37 million people in the United States alone that suffer from diabetes, and most of them have Type 2 diabetes specifically. Diabetes can be a tough thing to live with, but medication can make the struggle much easier. You may have heard of Semaglutide (Ozempic) before, but you may not know exactly what it is supposed to do.
Does it help lower blood pressure? What kind of side effects are there? How can you know if this particular medication is a good choice for you?
Keep reading and learn more about what this medication is and how it works in the body.
What You Need to Know About Semaglutide (Ozempic)
People with Type 2 diabetes are unable to maintain their own blood sugar. This is because the pancreas is no longer able to produce enough insulin to do this. Insulin is the chemical that is released into the blood that causes sugar to leave the blood and instead go elsewhere.
That way, it doesn’t build up in the blood and cause problems. However, if the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin to do this, a variety of problems could occur. In some cases, too much sugar in the blood can cause serious issues, such as coma and even death.
This particular medication is not a good choice for those who have Type 1 diabetes. Instead, it will only work for those with Type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide is specifically a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist. This means that it will mimic another chemical in the body and promote the pancreas to produce more insulin.
As a result, as long as there is a steady flow of insulin in the body, your blood sugar levels should remain low and stable. Studies have shown that this medication is very effective at lowering not only blood sugar levels but also A1C. The longer you take the medication, the more effective it will become.
The Details
After several weeks, your blood sugar levels will stop fluctuating so much and they will instead become very stable and healthy.
This is also true for your A1C levels. Keep in mind that if your diabetes is quite severe, your doctor may recommend this medication along with other medications used to treat diabetes.
What you might not know is that besides keeping your blood sugar levels stable, Semaglutide has been found to be beneficial for other functions in the body as well. In particular, researchers have discovered that this medication is very helpful in allowing people to lose weight.
Most people know that losing weight can be an uphill battle, but Semaglutide makes it much easier. This is because it has the side effect of making your stomach digest food at a slower rate. This will make you feel full for a longer period of time.
Of course, the longer you feel full, the less likely you will be to keep eating more food which could contribute to your weight gain. As a result, it will be much easier for you to lose weight. This can be made even easier with the addition of a healthy diet and exercise.
But there is still more important information you should know about this medication.
What Else Should You Know About Semaglutide?
The main way people take this medication is by injecting it. Whenever you inject medication, it is important to talk with your doctor about it so that you can do it safely. After all, the last thing you want to do is accidentally inject yourself with a dirty needle and give yourself a nasty infection.
As long as you inject yourself safely and follow all the necessary precautions, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about. Injecting the medication is the most effective way because the medication will enter your body directly rather than being broken down by your stomach acid beforehand. While there are oral pills you can take, they will not be as powerful and they won’t work as well or as fast as the injections.
You usually have to start at a low dose such as 0.25 mg for the first few weeks of using this medication. Then, your doctor will allow you to move up to a higher dose, such as 0.5 mg. In some cases, you may even need to take 1 mg, depending on the severity of your condition and what your body can tolerate.
What to Know
The clinical effectiveness of this drug reaches its maximum potential at around 4 or 5 weeks and from then on. Before that point, your body will still be adjusting to the presence of the medication in the body.
Keep in mind that you may experience a variety of side effects when taking this medication. You likely won’t experience any side effects from very low doses, but as the doses increase, you may experience side effects such as nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and constipation. Nausea is the most common side effect.
However, keep in mind that these side effects usually go away on their own after a week or two. If the side effects are very severe, you may need to stop taking the medication completely and switch to another option.
All About Semaglutide
Semaglutide (Ozempic) is an injectable medication that is useful for a variety of reasons. For one, it is effective at lowering blood sugar levels in those who have Type 2 diabetes. It is also ideal for helping people lose weight.
To learn more about different medications and treatments, contact us here or call (509) 474-0597.