Wegovy is a once-weekly prescription drug prescribed to assist folks shed pounds. It’s changing into more and more in style as a consequence of its effectiveness.
Nevertheless, Wegovy and different related drugs do have various unintended effects.
If in case you have been prescribed Wegovy, you could surprise concerning the widespread unintended effects of taking the remedy. In addition to the severity of the much less widespread unintended effects.
This text gives you an outline of Wegovy and summarize what it’s essential to find out about Wegovy’s unintended effects.
What’s Wegovy?
Wegovy is the model title for Novo Nordisk’s model of the drug semaglutide specifically for weight reduction.
The Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised Wegovy in June 2021 for people who find themselves overweight or who’re obese and have a minimum of one weight-related situation.
It has the identical lively ingredient as different medication you could have heard of, like Ozempic.
Wegovy helps folks scale back the quantity of meals they eat by lowering their urge for food and by slowing down the digestive course of.
It helps you’re feeling full for longer by delaying the emptying of meals out of your abdomen into your small gut.
It additionally stimulates the pancreas to launch insulin and decelerate your liver’s manufacturing of glucagon. These adjustments are likely to lower insulin resistance and decrease general blood sugar ranges.
Wegovy is available in 5 totally different sizes of auto-injector pens with pre-measured doses starting from 0.25 milligrams (mg) as much as 2.4 mg.
In case you’re new to Wegovy, you’ll probably be prescribed a low dose, and your physician will step by step improve it over time.
Injections of Wegovy are designed to be taken solely as soon as per week and must be taken on a constant day of the week.
What are the unintended effects of Wegovy?
Many individuals who take Wegovy will expertise gentle to average unintended effects and signs.
The commonest unintended effects are:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Abdomen ache
- Constipation
- Heartburn
- Gasoline or bloat
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Runny nostril, sore throat, or congestion.
Nausea is the most typical aspect impact that you have to be ready to expertise—a minimum of briefly.
Most of those signs will not be critical, and lots of will fade over time as your physique turns into acclimated to the remedy.
Nevertheless, it’s all the time a good suggestion to inform your physician or medical supplier about any unintended effects you expertise.
They may help with any signs which can be bothering you.
What are the extra critical unintended effects of Wegovy?
There are additionally uncommon however extra critical unintended effects and issues that you have to be conscious of:
- Thyroid tumors, together with most cancers
- Pancreatitis
- Modifications in imaginative and prescient
- Kidney issues
- Psychological adjustments or melancholy
- Severe allergic reactions
- Hypoglycemia
Some folks may even expertise hypoglycemia (low blood sugar ranges), particularly in the event that they take insulin on the similar time.
It’s vital to pay attention to the signs of low blood sugar and know act to right it.
Low blood sugar could be harmful if untreated, so be looking out for the next:
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Confusion
- Sudden adjustments in your temper or notion
- Shakiness
- A quick heartbeat
- Any of the opposite signs of hypoglycemia
Your physician ought to talk about all of the potential unintended effects, from widespread to critical, and may reply the questions you’ve gotten concerning the remedy and its potential dangers and advantages.
In case you consider you might be having any of the intense unintended effects of Wegovy, it’s vital to cease taking it and get medical consideration immediately.
Do most individuals who take Wegovy expertise unintended effects?
In case you are experiencing unintended effects like nausea whereas taking Wegovy, you’re not alone.
Some unintended effects, notably gastrointestinal unintended effects, are quite common. A big proportion of people that take Wegovy do expertise a minimum of a number of the gastrointestinal unintended effects.
About 44% of individuals on a most dose expertise nausea, whereas about 30% expertise diarrhea, and about 25% expertise vomiting.
Round 10% of members in medical trials of the lively ingredient in Wegovy (semaglutide) determined to cease taking the drug as a consequence of unintended effects like nausea.
In whole, 71.4% of medical trial members skilled some sort of unintended effects whereas taking semaglutide.
How can I scale back the unintended effects of Wegovy?
As a result of a big proportion of individuals taking Wegovy will expertise a number of the widespread unintended effects of the remedy, the drug producer has printed a useful checklist of the way to cut back the widespread unintended effects.
These suggestions embody:
- Briefly change your eating regimen to emphasise bland, low-fat meals like crackers, toast, or rice.
- Eat meals that include water. Novo Nordisk recommends meals like soups and gelatin.
- Keep away from mendacity down quickly after consuming a meal.
- Get contemporary air in case you’re feeling like you’ve gotten an upset abdomen.
- Eat extra slowly.
Individuals who’ve taken Wegovy and different related drugs additionally advocate breaking meals up into smaller snack-size parts and consuming all through the day—fairly than consuming so many energy round mealtime.
Report any unintended effects you could be experiencing to your physician and ask them for steering as to how finest to handle these signs.
Your physician or medical care crew will be capable to assist make suggestions that take your well being historical past and targets under consideration.
This additionally could embody briefly lowering your dose of Wegovy earlier than bringing it again up once more later.
How lengthy does it take for the unintended effects of Wegovy to cease?
The widespread unintended effects of Wegovy are likely to ease inside just a few days to every week.
Any signs lasting longer than every week must be reported to your physician, even in case you suppose they’re minor.
A part of the rationale that your physician will begin you on a decrease dose of Wegovy and work your means up over time is to assist your physique acclimate.
This helps to stop unintended effects like nausea from getting too unhealthy.
In case you’re discovering the unintended effects of bigger doses are too tough to handle, your physician might be able to briefly scale back your weekly dose earlier than making an attempt the bigger dose once more later.
This helps many individuals to grow to be accustomed to the remedy with out all of the unintended effects.
In case you cease taking Wegovy altogether, most unintended effects cease inside every week or two. The remedy is sort of completely eradicated out of your physique inside a couple of month.
Nevertheless, although most individuals do expertise some unintended effects like nausea, particularly when first beginning to use the remedy, these signs have a tendency to ease up over time.
Does Wegovy trigger temper swings?
Although proven to be uncommon in medical trials, Wegovy and different semaglutide medication may cause temper swings.
In line with the Mayo Clinic, Wegovy “could trigger some folks to be agitated, irritable, or show different irregular behaviors. It could additionally trigger some folks to have suicidal ideas and tendencies or to grow to be extra depressed.”
It’s not widespread, however in case you expertise any adjustments in your temper or psychological state, it’s vital to inform your physician instantly.
Does anybody acquire weight on Wegovy?
Whereas folks lose, on common, about 16% of their physique weight after a yr on Wegovy, that’s to not say that everybody loses weight.
Trial information printed in 2022 confirmed that simply over 20% of individuals don’t lose 5% or extra of their physique weight when taking semaglutide medication like Wegovy.
Anecdotal reviews point out that an excellent smaller share of individuals will proceed gaining weight when on the drug.
Although, it’s sufficiently unusual sufficient to to not be listed as an antagonistic impact in any of the medical trials printed thus far.
Nevertheless, weight reduction after stopping therapy with Wegovy is quite common.
Does Wegovy trigger hair loss?
Wegovy itself doesn’t trigger hair loss, however 3% of people that participated in a single medical trial did expertise hair loss whereas taking the drug.
It’s hypothesized that hair loss was a part of the physique’s stress response to speedy weight reduction.
A small share of people that have weight reduction surgical procedures will expertise hair loss as a aspect impact.
As a result of each Wegovy and bariatric (weight reduction) surgical procedures may cause speedy weight reduction, hair loss can happen in a small variety of circumstances.
Is Wegovy linked to thyroid tumors or most cancers?
The FDA’s approval for Wegovy carries a warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.
Because of this, folks with both a private or household historical past of thyroid tumors, particularly medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and sufferers with A number of Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome sort 2 (MEN 2) will not be presupposed to take Wegovy or different drugs containing semaglutide.
As described by the FDA, the priority round thyroid tumors relies on the outcomes of dosing related drugs in rodents.
When dosed with a clinically related quantity of the remedy, some rats and mice developed thyroid tumors—together with some which had been cancerous.
Nevertheless, it’s not but identified if this danger applies to people, as not one of the human trial members developed these tumors.
It’s vital to know what the signs of thyroid tumors are and to debate any related well being historical past along with your physician and care crew.
What are the signs of taking an excessive amount of Wegovy?
It’s best to by no means take extra Wegovy than you’re prescribed.
Contact your physician or a poison management middle immediately in case you by accident take an excessive amount of Wegovy.
An overdose of Wegovy or different semaglutide remedy could trigger extreme nausea, persistent vomiting, and dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), amongst different signs.
As a result of Wegovy stays in your system for a very long time, you could have to be monitored in a medical setting to make sure you’re staying hydrated and that your blood sugar ranges are in a protected vary.
