Many friends who need to lose weight must be familiar with semaglutide, which can not only be used to treat type 2 diabetes, but also is very effective for weight loss in obese people. Its indication for weight loss in non-diabetic adults was approved in the United States back in 2021.
The good news is that just on June 25, 2024, semaglutide, a "weight loss version" to improve obesity/overweight in adults, has also been approved by China's NMPA.
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So, can the slimming version of semaglutide be "used casually"? What are the similarities and differences between it and semaglutide, which is used to lower blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, and what are the noteworthy aspects in the process of weight loss? I'm going to talk to you about this topic today.
Slimming version of semaglutide
What are the precautions for medication?
For the weight loss version of semaglutide, which has been approved in China, what are the precautions for using it to lose weight? Let's talk about 3 points briefly.
First of all, those who are not obese and just want to be in better shape may be a little disappointed. Because although we say that semaglutide can be used for weight loss, the use of the drug has a strict range of users, even if it is a weight loss version of semaglutide, there is also a suitable population, and the following two groups of people can consider using semaglutide for weight loss -
· Obese people with a body mass index greater than 30.
· People with a body mass index between 27 and 30 who also have one or more overweight-related comorbidities, such as hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease.
Only adults who are obese or overweight who meet the above conditions can use semaglutide to lose weight. People who do not exceed the body mass index and just pursue "thin and beautiful" may not be able to get a doctor's prescription.
Second, it is important to note the risk and tolerability of adverse effects of semaglutide. Although the safety of semaglutide has been clinically verified by a large number of people, its adverse reactions still exist.
One of the most common is gastrointestinal adverse reactions, about more than 40% of people will have nausea after using semaglutide, and nearly a quarter of people have diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and other adverse reactions, stomach pain, bloating, belching and other problems, are also very common adverse reactions, although these gastrointestinal adverse reactions are usually mild and most can be gradually tolerated, but care should be taken not to increase the dose too quickly, so as not to cause more serious adverse reactions and tolerance problems.
In addition, the use of semaglutide for weight loss also needs to be aware of the possible problems of pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and thyroid tumors. Generally rare, but noteworthy.
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Finally, it should be emphasized that semaglutide weight loss is not just something that can be achieved by drugs alone. Although a large number of clinical research data show that its weight loss effect is considerable, it is also based on the life intervention of participants to do a good job of diet control and strengthen exercise.
With good living and eating habits, drugs can play a better role in weight loss, better ensure the safety of drugs and maintain long-term weight loss effects, and reduce the risk of skin laxity caused by rapid weight loss.
Semaglutide hypoglycemic version and
What's the difference between the slimming version?
Some friends say, isn't this all a kind of medicine? Although it is indeed the same drug, it belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class of drugs in terms of drug classification, and its mechanism of action is also to improve islet secretion, improve metabolism and delay gastrointestinal emptying, and suppress appetite by activating GLP-1 receptors. There are still some differences.
In terms of drug dose, the dose of the hypoglycemic version of semaglutide is between 0.25mg and 2mg, and the general dosage should be confirmed according to the tolerance and hypoglycemic needs of diabetic patients, generally injected once a week, and the maximum drug dose is not recommended to exceed 2mg.
The slimming version of semaglutide is available in 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg sizes, also once a week, but it is generally recommended to start with a dose of 0.25mg and gradually increase the dose after 4 weeks until a maintenance dose of 2.4mg per week is reached. Therefore, from the perspective of the maximum dose, the slimming version of semaglutide is greater than the hypoglycemic version.
From the perspective of drug packaging form, hypoglycemia is a process that requires long-term regular medication, so the hypoglycemic version of semaglutide packaging form can be used 4 times (one month) per vial, for example, patients who choose a 2mg dose to lower blood sugar can use 8mg specification, injected with a pen every week, and one per month is enough; The slimming version of semaglutide uses a single-dose packaging form, and each drug is used in a single dose, which is also conducive to more convenient adjustment of drug dosage to a certain extent, and also reduces the problem of drug waste caused by intolerance in the process of drug weight loss.
Clinical research data show that 1mg dose of semaglutide injected once a week not only achieved effective blood sugar control within 30 weeks, but also reduced the average weight of users by about 4.5kg.
For obese patients without diabetes, the weight loss version of semaglutide has a stronger weight loss effect, in a study of semaglutide weight loss in adults without a history of diabetes, more than 50% of the population was obese, the weekly dose of 2.4mg, after 68 weeks of using the drug, the average weight loss of these subjects was 15%, which is equivalent to an average weight loss of 15.3kg, this weight loss effect can be said to be very significant, at the same time, 2.4mg Semaglutide also improved metabolic health, including blood pressure levels and cholesterol levels, in obese patients.
From the point of view of drug cost, although the weight loss version of semaglutide has just been approved, and the price has not yet been announced in China, from the perspective of foreign countries, generally speaking, the weight loss version of semaglutide is more expensive than the hypoglycemic version, and the current hypoglycemic version of semaglutide has entered the medical insurance catalog through medical insurance negotiations, while the weight loss version cannot enjoy the preferential treatment of medical insurance payment.
Seeing this, some friends who may be active will be concerned, anyway, it's semaglutide, can I use the economic version?
Slimming version of semaglutide and hypoglycemic version of semaglutide
Is it interchangeable?
In principle, although the same semaglutide, the weight loss version and the hypoglycemic version of the two drugs are not interchangeable, because the two approved indications are different, and from the above introduction, I believe you can also understand that there are certain differences in the dosage and mode of administration of semaglutide in the two versions. At the same time, it may also bring about the problem that the hypoglycemic version of semaglutide is abused for weight loss, which will also preempt medical resources and cause an imbalance in drug supply.
If you are using another weight loss drug, it may be safe to switch to a weight loss version of semaglutide after a professional evaluation and confirmation, and this product exchange may be safe, but it is still not recommended and advisable to use a drug with diabetes treatment instead of a weight loss version of the drug.
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Finally, it is emphasized that whether it is to lower blood sugar or lose weight, the use of semaglutide should be used on the basis of life conditioning intervention. Moreover, only by developing good living and eating habits can we better maintain weight loss results. Please remember that healthy weight loss pays attention to a "natural success", but don't pursue "medicine to fat removal".
Planning and production
Author丨Li Jin, Deputy Chief Pharmacist, Deputy Head of the Youth Group of the Medical Committee of the China Association for Science Popularization
Audit丨Liu Guanyang, chief pharmacist of the Fourth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital
Planning丨Ding Kun
Editor丨Ding Kun
Reviewer丨Xu Lai Linlin