Ozempic made headlines about the success of recipients in losing weight and improving blood sugar control, including a doctor who wrote it for his patients and then used it to lose 12 kilograms. So how does this drug work? What is the expected weight loss when used? Does it have caveats?
Insider met with a doctor who said he prescribed ozimbek to patients, noting that he also lost 25 pounds (about 11.5 kilograms) by taking it himself.
What is Ozempic?
According to Drugs, Ozimbek is the trade name for a drug whose scientific name is semaglutide.
What is Ozimbek used for?
Uzimbek is used for:
- Improve blood sugar levels in adults with type II diabetes.
- Reduce the risk of major cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke, heart attack or death, for adults with type II diabetes who also have heart disease.
The use of "Uzimbek" should coincide with a balanced diet, as well as exercise.
How does Uzimbek work?
Ozimbek belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists, which work by binding to GLP-1 receptors that stimulate insulin secretion from the pancreas when you need insulin.
It also helps reduce the amount of sugar secreted by the liver, slows the exit of food from the stomach, and the combination of these effects helps reduce levels of cumulative sugar (A1C) and blood sugar, and may also help reduce appetite.
Cautions of using Uzimbek
You should not use Ozimpic if you have:
- Allergy to semaglutide or any other components in this medicine.
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2.
- A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma.
In animal studies, this drug has caused thyroid tumors or thyroid cancer. It's not known if these effects will occur in those who use it, so ask your doctor about your risk.
Can pregnant woman eat ozimbek?
The answer is no. Stop using this medicine at least two months before planning a pregnancy, and ask your doctor about a safer medication to use during this time. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, as is gaining the right weight even if you are overweight, losing weight during pregnancy can harm the unborn baby.
How is ozimbek given?
Uzimbek is given in a subcutaneous injection once a week, at any time of the day, with or without food. Use the syringe on the same day every week.
The Ozimpic injection pen contains more than one dose. After first use, store the needle-removed pen in the refrigerator or at room temperature, and keep it away from heat and light. Discard the pen 56 days after first use, or if less than 0.25 mg appears in the dosage counter.
Ozimbek dosage
After consulting your doctor, start using Ozimbek with a 0.25 mg injection under the skin once weekly for 4 weeks. A dose of 0.25 mg is intended for starting treatment, which is ineffective for blood sugar control.
After 4 weeks of a dose of 0.25 mg, increase the dose to 0.5 mg once weekly.
If supplemental blood sugar control is needed, at least 4 weeks after the 0.5 mg medication amount, it can be increased to 1 mg once weekly.
If blood sugar control is needed at least 4 weeks after a 1 mg dose, the dose can be increased to 2 mg once weekly. The maximum recommended dose is 2 mg once weekly.
Side effects of ozimbek
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction, such as:
- Itching.
- Dizziness.
- Rapid heartbeat.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat.
Ozimbek can cause other serious side effects, so contact your doctor right away if you have any of the following:
- Changes in vision.
- Unusual mood changes.
- Thoughts on harming yourself.
- Heart palpitations or fluttering in the chest.
- Swelling or lump in your neck.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Hoarse voice.
- Feeling of shortness of breath.
- Severe pain in your upper stomach that spreads to your back.
- Nausea with or without vomiting.
- Pain in the upper part of the stomach.
- Fever.
- Clay-colored feces.
- Jaundice.
Is Ozembic an approved weight loss drug?
Although ozimbek leads to weight loss, it has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss.
Author Alyssa Northrop says in a report published in Forbes magazine that although Osimbek is not officially a weight-loss drug, research suggests that those who take it may lose an amount of weight while taking the drug.
In contrast, the active ingredient in ozimpic, known as semaglutide, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in higher doses to treat individuals with obesity and other weight-related medical problems under the name Wegovy.
Is insulin the same as ozembek?
Ozimbek and insulin are not one and the same, but ozimbek helps your pancreas produce more insulin when your blood sugar is high.
Dr. Lydia Alexander in California says that unlike insulin, ozimbek rarely causes low blood sugar.
While Ozimbek has not been specifically classified as a weight-loss drug, studies sponsored by Osimpic's manufacturer Novo Nordisk suggest that those taking semaglutide, the compound active in ozimpic, may lose weight.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved semmaglutide for weight loss in 2021 under the brand name Wegovy.
However, Wegovi provides a higher dose of semaglutide compared to ozimpic.
Wegovi contains 2.4 mg of semaglutide, compared to 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg of semaglutide in Osimbek.
Özimbek operates through two main mechanisms:
- It affects the hunger centers of the brain (specifically, in the hypothalamus), reducing hunger, appetite and cravings.
- Slows down the rate of gastric emptying, effectively prolonging satiety.
How much can you expect to lose with the use of Ozimbek?
In one large clinical trial sponsored by Novo Nordisk, 1961,2 overweight or obese adults who had no diabetes were given 4.68 mg of cymaglutide or placebo once a week for 14 weeks, along with lifestyle intervention, and those who took cymaglutide lost 9.2% of their body weight, compared to 4.<>% of those who took a placebo.
It is important to note that the dose of semaglutide used in this study was higher than that given by Ozimbek.
In summary, Ozimbek is FDA-approved for diabetes only, not a weight-loss drug, according to Dr. Christopher McGowan.
Do you maintain your weight after using Ozimbek?
While taking semaglutide may help you lose weight, most people will regain a lot of that weight if they stop using it. Studies show that turning off Uzimbek altogether will likely regain most of the lost weight within several months, notes Dr. Rekha Kumar, chief medical officer of the Evidence-Based Weight Care Program, an endocrinologist at an academic medical center in New York City.
Is it recommended to use Uzimpic for weight loss?
Dr. McGowen advises people with type II diabetes, especially those who are overweight or obese, to consult their doctor to see if Ozimbek is right to help them control their blood sugar and lose weight.
"For the basic treatment of obesity, Wegovi is also an excellent option for any patient experiencing weight loss through diet and exercise only, has a BMI of 30 and above (or 27 and above with obesity-related comorbidities), and is willing to use an injection once a week in the long term."
The use of Uzimbek for short-term "quick cosmetic" weight loss is not recommended by Dr. McGowan. Although this has received considerable media attention, Ozimbek and related GLP-1 medications are not designed to be used in this way, and can lead to potential adverse events, and eventually the weight lost will be restored.
In addition, anyone with contraindications such as a history of myeloid thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine tumors, or a history of pancreatitis should not use Ozimbek.