VEZINA: Talk to doctor before using Ozempic for weight loss

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Let’s talk about Ozempic or, to use its generic name, semaglutide, originally developed to treat people with type 2 diabetes but now also being used by many people for weight loss.

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Experts will tell you to speak to a doctor before using Ozempic or similar semaglutide products, to lose weight.

Altering the body’s natural hunger response the way this drug does is not something to undertake without medical supervision.

Weight and dieting to lose weight are complex issues, which can have both positive and negative outcomes.

Obesity is associated with a variety of serious and chronic medical conditions, some of which can be fatal over time.

Supposed miracle cures for weight loss have been around for a long time, so what makes this relatively new drug originally developed for another purpose work?

Simply put, semaglutide works for the most logical reason of all — it makes people less hungry.

When it comes to health, this has potential benefits as well as potential risks.

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One potential benefit is losing weight. One potential risk is developing adverse medical conditions related to eating disorders such as under-eating.

Supporters of Ozempic being used for losing weight say it is, in effect, injectable willpower.

Opponents argue it can replace one eating disorder with another.

Regardless of one’s perspective on the issue, semaglutide makes the person taking it less hungry, resulting in lower food consumption, resulting in weight loss.

Here are some subjects one might want to consider discussing with their doctor when Ozempic is used with the intent of losing weight.

The potential for nutrition deficiency

When it comes to eating, quantity matters in addition to quality. When people reduce the quantity of food they are consuming, it’s important they adjust the quality of what they are eating to ensure they are getting essential nutrients.

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Losing too much weight, too fast

Losing a lot of weight very quickly can result in many adverse health conditions, especially if someone starts increasing their dose of Ozempic in a bid to lose weight faster and faster, without medical supervision or consulting a doctor.

Losing weight the “old-fashioned way,” which takes longer and requires gradually adjusting to a healthier diet over time, may be a better way to diet for many people, while also increasing their chances of keeping the weight off permanently.

Mental health and coping issues

If an individual habitually stress eats, that is, they consume more food to cope with increased stress, what happens when that coping mechanism is removed by the effect of the drug? In this case, it’s important for people to develop healthier mechanisms to cope with stress than over-eating.

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Dependence on the drug

Over-relying on a drug to lose weight without making lifestyle changes to ensure the weight loss is permanent can result in yo-yo dieting.

This occurs when a person struggles to achieve a specified target weight and then starts gaining it again shortly after reaching their target, in some cases adding on more weight than they were carrying when they made their original decision to go on a diet.

At that point, they may go on a diet again with the cycle repeating itself.

The chances of dealing with all these issues successfully increase greatly — with or without using Ozempic as a dieting aid — if people take the time to consult with a doctor before embarking on a pharmaceutical-assisted weight-loss program.

— Vezina is the CEO of Prepared Canada Corp, teaches Disaster and Emergency Management at York University and is the author of Continuity 101. He can be reached at info@prepared.ca.

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