Page 120 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2023

HEALTHY LIVING
Skinny
BY
ACCIDENT
story by Dr. Nickie Harris-Ray
Lifestyle change and diet are the best solutions to maintaining a healthy weight. However, a newer trend found by coincidence has left some skinny by accidental discovery.
It has been found that the use of a particular diabetic drug can help some patients to lose weight: the popular drug Ozempic. It was approved in 2017 by the FDA for use in those with type 2 diabetes. The active ingredient, semaglutide, works by helping the body to produce more insulin when needed. However, many have since used it for weight loss. The University of California Davis (UC Davis) tells us that Ozempic works by imitating a hormone that convinces your brain that you are full and also slows digestion time. Drugs that behave similarly to Ozempic include Saxenda and Mounjaro.
The FDA has not approved Ozempic for weight loss, but semaglutide is authorized. Semaglutide is prescribed under the name Wegovy and is a weekly injection that was approved by the FDA in 2021. Categorized as a GLP1 drug, the popularity of the medicine and other GLP1 drugs has exponentially skyrocketed in the last few years.
Because of this popularity, numerous insurances have stopped
covering these GLP1 drugs. However, many people are willing to pay out of pocket for these amazing medications. Novo Nordisk is the manufacturer of both Ozempic and Wegovy. According to their webpage, a one-month supply can be over $900.
Novo Nordisk is experiencing a shortage in medication production due to its popularity, so the injection can take a
lot of work to get now. The company states that the demand sufficiently exceeds production. A complete statement can be found on their webpage. But the popularity can be understood – patients can lose 15 percent or more of their body weight, according to studies from Keck Medicine of the University of South California.
There are many GLP 1 drugs and, like all drugs, there are side effects associated with use. Also, your body may get used to the drug, and your weight may reach a plateau. Research from UC Davis has also shown that if you stop using the medicine, you may regain all the weight you lost.
120 | October 2023
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