Ozempic For Weight Loss: How It Works, Side Effects & More

Ozempic® has taken the world by storm. It’s hailed as a miracle weight loss drug that helps you shed the pounds without even trying. 

There’s lots of misinformation about Ozempic for weight loss on social media, so it’s important to educate yourself. Ozempic is actually a type 2 diabetes drug, not a weight loss drug. But its active ingredient (semaglutide) may promote considerable weight loss in people both with and without diabetes.  

Let’s dive right in. We’ll cover how Ozempic works, its safety profile, and what side effects you can expect (beyond fitting into your favorite jeans again).

Ozempic is a once-a-week injection FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes — not obesity. However, some healthcare providers prescribe Ozempic off-label as a weight loss medication.

When used alongside diet and exercise interventions, Ozempic can help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It can also reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death in people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Ozempic is one brand name of the drug semaglutide. A higher-dose injection of semaglutide is available under the brand name Wegovy® — this one is FDA-approved for weight loss.

When used alongside diet and exercise, semaglutide helps with weight management in:

• Adults who have obesity 

• Adults who are overweight and also have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol 

• Children 12 and older who have obesity

Keep reading to learn how semaglutide works for weight loss.

Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. This class of drugs can be used to treat both diabetes and obesity.

Quick science lesson: When you eat, your digestive tract releases the GLP-1 hormone. One of this hormone’s jobs is to prompt your body to make more insulin, which reduces your blood sugar levels.

High levels of GLP-1 can reduce your appetite and trigger feelings of fullness. 

GLP-1 weight loss drugs work by mimicking GLP-1 hormone in your body, lowering blood sugar levels, and making you feel full faster and longer. 

The active ingredient in Ozempic, semaglutide, is linked to: 

• Less hunger

• Fewer food cravings

• Better control of eating 

• Lower preference for high-fat foods

All this can lead to you eating fewer calories and, therefore, losing weight. 

There are studies to back this up. 

A 2021 study looked at almost 2,000 adults without diabetes taking either a weekly semaglutide injection or a placebo for 68 weeks (over a year!). 

After 68 weeks, the group taking semaglutide lost an average of almost 15 percent of their body weight. The group taking the placebo wasn’t quite as successful — they lost an average of only 2.4 percent of their body weight.

Of course, all participants also made some lifestyle changes, like improving their diet and getting regular physical activity.

Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) is not only safe for most people struggling to lose weight, it helps reduce the risk of future health problems like heart attack and stroke. 

It’s important to note, however, that Ozempic and other GLP-1s are intended for people with an elevated BMI. If you are already within a healthy weight range (or underweight), these medications could potentially lead to disordered eating and nutritional deficiencies. 

Most clinical trials of brand-name Ozempic involve people with type 2 diabetes. But the outlook of long-term treatment has been largely positive. When people taking Ozempic see both improved blood sugar managment and weight loss, practitioners typically encourage them to continue taking Ozempic indefinitely.  

Just like you wouldn’t stop taking your blood pressure medication once your blood pressure reached a healthy level, your doctor wouldn’t want you to stop taking Ozempic once the benefits had kicked in. 

Wegovy (the higher-dose version of Ozempic) is approved for weight loss, but it’s still a relatively new drug. While FDA approval means they’re confident in its safety, these newer drugs don’t have decades of safety research to back them up.

As with any medication, Ozempic comes with risks. 

One of those is the potential risk of a rare form of thyroid cancer. In studies on mice and rats, semaglutide was shown to increase the incidence of thyroid C-cell tumors. It’s not clear whether semaglutide could have this effect in humans.

Liraglutide has also been linked to cases of medullary thyroid cancer.

As a result of these animal studies, Ozempic is not considered safe for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer. Or those with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 — another type of thyroid cancer. 

Beyond cancer, there are other health risks you should know about.

In clinical trials, some participants developed pancreatitis while taking Ozempic. And in trials involving people with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, there were some cases of diabetic retinopathy (vision loss). 

It is also unclear whether Ozempic is safe for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Let your healthcare provider know if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to be soon.

Ozempic and Drug Interactions 

There are a few drug interactions to know about.

You shouldn’t take Ozempic if you’re taking insulin or an insulin secretagogue drug, like sulfonylurea. This can up your odds of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). 

You also want to watch out for any oral medications you’re taking — that’s right, any oral medications.

Ozempic causes a delay in gastric emptying, which means food is kept in your stomach for longer. This delay may impact how oral medications are absorbed by your body. 

Tell your healthcare provider about any oral medications you take (or may start taking) if you’re considering adding Ozempic to the mix. 

Weighing the Risks and Benefits of Ozempic

Ozempic, like most medications, comes with some health risks, but so does obesity. 

Almost 42 percent of U.S. adults have obesity, and a whopping 73.6 percent are either overweight or have obesity. 

Obesity can lead to a host of medical conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cancer — to name just a few. 

You and your body are unique. That’s why it’s so important to discuss the risks and benefits of weight loss medications with a medical professional. Together, you can come up with a treatment plan that prioritizes your health and your weight loss goals. 

Common Ozempic side effects include: 

• Nausea 

• Vomiting 

• Diarrhea

• Stomach pain 

• Constipation 

These side effects are reported in more than 5 percent of people taking Ozempic. 

That’s not all, though. Other potential side effects of Ozempic include: 

• Low blood sugar 

• Redness or discomfort at the injection site

• Increased amylase and lipase (enzymes that break down carbs and fats)

• Gallstones 

• Increased heart rate 

• Fatigue 

• Changes in taste (foods could taste bad to you)

• Dizziness 

Ozempic weight loss may also not be forever. Once you stop taking the drug, there’s a chance you’ll regain some (or all) of the weight you lost. 

Research from 2022 looked at what happened when people stopped taking semaglutide after 68 weeks of treatment. One year later, study participants had regained an average of two-thirds of the weight they’d lost. 

There are a number of alternatives to Ozempic that can help promote weight loss. These include other GLP-1s, medications prescribed off-label to support weight loss, and alternatives of the active ingredient semaglutide. 

Wegovy, which also contains semaglutide, has been proven to promote weight loss in people with obesity who don’t have type 2 diabetes. 

Learn more about Ozempic vs Wegovy.

Compounded semaglutide, which Hers offers to qualifying individuals, can also help support long-term weight management when combined with diet and exercise. You may wish to consider compounded semaglutide if you know your insurance company won’t cover Ozempic.

Most insurance companies do not cover weight loss medications, which means the out-of-pocket price can be quite steep — insurmountable really.  

There are also several other types of GLP-1 receptor agonists that may be able to help support you on your weight loss journey. These include: 

• Exenatide

• Lixisenatide

• Liraglutide

• Albiglutide

• Dulaglutide

• Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) 

One study, this time from 2022, compared a weekly semaglutide injection with a daily liraglutide injection. Besides taking the injections, participants made those all-important diet and exercise interventions.

Both groups lost weight, but participants taking semaglutide lost more weight than those taking liraglutide.

Other weight loss medications, available as oral tablets, may also meet many of your needs. These medications (some of which can be provided as part of your personalized Hers weight management plan) include: 

• Metformin

• Topamax® (topiramate)

• Contrave® (naltrexone-bupropion)

• Rybelsus® (semaglutide)

• Xenical® (orlistat)

• Qsymia® (phentermine-topiramate)

Ozempic is a diabetes drug, but it can be prescribed off-label for weight loss. Its higher-dose cousin, Wegovy, is FDA-approved as an anti-obesity medicine. 

But does that mean the drug is right for you? Maybe, but not necessarily.

Here are the key facts:

• Ozempic can help you lose weight. Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) can help you feel less hungry and more full. When combined with diet and exercise changes, it can help you lose weight. 

• Ozempic comes with potential side effects. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea — oh my! More serious adverse reactions include low blood sugar and gallstones. The cost of Ozempic (and similar drugs) is also a barrier for many.

• Ozempic alternatives. Alternatives to Ozempic, like compounded semaglutide, may help support your weight loss goals without breaking the bank.

The final verdict? Ozempic may help you lose weight, but speak to a healthcare provider to find out if it’s suitable for you.

The Hers weight management program offers premium, ongoing access to licensed healthcare professionals. If you’re interested in weight loss medications like semaglutide, you can start a free online assessment to find out what options are the best fit for you.