In recent weeks, the use of the drug semaglutide, indicated to treat type 2 diabetes, and known under the brand name Ozempic, to lose weight, has gone viral on the Tik Tok social network.
Women of different ages, skin color, nationalities and who are overweight have uploaded videos to this social network where they confess to having lost up to more than 30 kilos very quickly with the support of this medication.
“I can’t believe it’s been 18 weeks. I now weigh 132 pounds. I started my weight loss journey at 185 (172-175 when I started Ozempic) with my A1C levels at 6.4%. Ozempic really saved my life”, says the American artist Mighty Mahree in a recent video published on Tik Tok.
But it’s in an earlier video, in week 16 of his weight-loss treatment, that Mighty shows off the before and following results of his Ozempic weight loss, revealing to his followers how he started his journey to drop those pounds. extra kilos with this drug.
It all starts following Mighty had some routine exams earlier this year. Although she weighed 185 pounds, this young American mother expected to have good results, however, blood tests showed that she was in a pre-diabetic stage.
Despite this news, this influencer did nothing to improve her lifestyle until she became seriously ill, and it was at that moment that she decided to investigate “how I might make big and fast changes.”
“I had some friends who had great success with Ozempic and Wegovy for diabetes and weight loss, so I started there,” he says.
“I went to my doctor’s office and told her I was ready to make some changes. We decided on Ozempic and it has been the best decision I have made for my health. It wasn’t even a week before the weight started coming off and the next time I had a blood test it was clear it was working. I had weighed 110 pounds all my life, so living with 180-185 was crazy for me, ”the famous tiktokers published on her account.
The case of this content creator on Tik Tok is similar to that of the American tiktoker Hannah Rae Vaden, who in her account has revealed the results that this medicine has given her to lose weight for health reasons.
In one of her most recent videos, Hannah shows off her transformation. She went from 233 pounds to 198.8 on this diabetes medication.
“This trip took place from August to November. Insulin resistance made weight loss impossible, regardless of how little she ate and how much she exercised, ”the young woman confesses on her Tik Tok account.
“My doctor recommended Ozempic, and following doing some research, I decided it was worth a try. I’ve lost 30 pounds and I’m still going. Metabolic disorders need medical treatment,” he wrote.
Another case similar to that of Mighty and Hannah is that of the Brazilian tiktoker Jéssica Ribeiro, who started this weight loss journey with Ozempic in May 2021 with medical monitoring.
In one of her Tik Tok videos, Jéssica explains that this treatment accompanied her with a change in her eating and life habits, and that in 8 months she lost 30 kilos. This, she confesses, helped her regain his health and self-esteem.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic semaglutide, indicated to treat type 2 diabetes, is a liquid solution that is administered as an injection under the skin, stomach, leg or arm, once a week, and that together with an exercise routine and healthy diet can Help lose weight very quickly.
Ozempic lowers blood sugar levels and regulates insulin, which is vital for people with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, this drug mimics a hormone called peptide-1, which is similar to the glucagon that we naturally produce in the intestines, which limits appetite by signaling to the body that we feel full and makes the stomach empty more slowly, causing people to with obesity lose weight when taking this substance.
However, like all medicines, there are some health risks caused by this drug such as diabetic retinopathy (damage to the blood vessels of the eye), gallstones, kidney problems, including kidney failure, inflammation of the pancreas, increased risk of cancer of the thyroid, allergic reaction and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
While among the milder side effects associated with Ozempic are nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
Hypoglycemia can cause blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, confused thinking, slurred speech, numbness, and drowsiness.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this drug in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes, and it is administered in this country exclusively under medical supervision.
However, four years later, in 2021, it approves another drug similar to it but with a higher dose of semaglutide to treat obesity under the name Wegovy.
Ozempic in Venezuela
This medicine is not available in the main public and private pharmaceutical chains in Venezuela, although it can be seen for sale in some clinics, social networks and electronic stores.
The price of a box of Ozempic, which varies between 0.25mg, 0.05mg, 1mg and 2mg, ranges from $180 to $300 in the country.
A person with obesity prone to diabetes will need a treatment of at least five months to reach a healthy weight, and for this they will need at least
five boxes.
The starting dose is 0.25 milligrams once a week. After 4 weeks, the dose should be increased to 0.5 mg once a week.
After at least 4 weeks with a dose of 0.5 mg once weekly, this can be increased to 1 mg once weekly to further improve glycemic control.
After a minimum of 4 weeks at a dose of 1mg once a week, the dose can be increased to 2mg once a week to further improve blood sugar.
