

Celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels expressed concern that people seek the medication at the expense of more sustainable forms of weight loss. Fitness gurus and dietitians are skeptical of potential long-term risksĭespite its reported benefits, there are some skeptics of semaglutide as a weight loss solution. Scott Butsch, the director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, said that the side effects of semaglutide were no riskier than those of medications used to treat other chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. In some patients, semaglutide can cause minor, temporary symptoms like nausea and diarrhea.ĭr. Story continues Known side effects are mild In contrast, the study group that kept taking the drug went on to lose another 8% of their body weight. One recent study showed that patients on semaglutide lost 10% of their body weight in 20 weeks, but regained nearly all of it after the treatment. However, people regain weight if they stop taking the drugĭespite the promising research, there's one major caveat to the medication: in order to keep the weight off, patients need to continue taking it. While doctors have said semaglutide may someday be prescribed for weight loss, it's not yet available to the general public for that purpose. The drug is currently only approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Previous research found that patients taking the drug lost 15-20% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared to 2.4% in patients taking the placebo. Semaglutide can be taken orally or by injection, according to Novo Nordisk, and it works by increasing the production of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps regulate blood sugar. Patients can lose significant weight on semaglutide because it suppresses appetite While side effects are typically mild, some experts are concerned about the safety of its long-term use. The medication can help balance out hormones like insulin, which may curb appetite and allow people to shed pounds by eating less.
