Diabetes Drugs for Weight Loss in Dallas, Little Elm & Frisco, TX
Diabetes is a common condition that affects many people in the world. In the year 2021, over 537 million adults were estimated to be living with diabetes. It is predicted that the number will rise to 643 million people by 2030 and up to 783 million people by 2045. Some diabetes drugs can impact a person’s body weight either positively or negatively. These drugs could either make you add weight or lose weight, depending on the type of drugs. However, there are some diabetes drugs that don’t cause any changes to a person’s body weight.
Diabetes occurs when the body can’t make or use insulin. The body’s blood sugar (glucose) level increases without insulin. Extensive increase in blood sugar leads to diabetes.
Why do diabetes drugs cause weight changes?
Diabetes drugs can cause weight changes by affecting how blood sugar (glucose) is used by your body. Insulin helps your body turn glucose from the food you eat into energy for your cells to make use of. As glucose or blood sugar is converted into energy, the level of sugar in your blood reduces.
However, when your blood sugar level is too high, insulin tells your liver to turn the blood sugar into fat, leading to weight gain over time.
Taking certain diabetes drugs can either help you lose weight or add weight. For the purpose of this article, we are going to focus on diabetes drugs that can help you lose weight.
How do diabetes drugs help you lose weight?
How Do Diabetes Drugs Help You Lose Weight
Most people with diabetes experience weight gain. Most of them are either obese or overweight. Certain diabetes drugs can facilitate weight loss. These drugs work by increasing insulin production in the body. The increased production of insulin increases the ability of the body to convert blood sugar into energy for cell usage.
Less blood sugar means that there’s less glucose to be turned into fat. Increased energy for the cells in your body means increased metabolism and energy levels to perform exercise and burn fat. All of which helps to facilitate weight loss.
These diabetes drugs also facilitate weight loss by suppressing appetite and making you feel full for a longer period of time. It reduces your appetite for food. Hence, you don’t have the appetite to eat food. You eat little and feel full for a longer period of time. This leads to weight loss over time.
Diabetes Drugs That Can Help You Lose Weight
Below are diabetes drugs that can help you lose weight.
Semaglutide
Semaglutide (Wegovy) is an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is a prescription drug that is approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide can also be used as a weight loss drug in patients with type 2 diabetes.
It is approved by the FDA for weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes. Though it is not approved by the FDA for weight loss in people without type 2 diabetes, it can be prescribed off-label as a weight management drug for people without type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide was originally used as a drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes due to its ability to lower blood sugar. However, it was discovered that it can also facilitate weight loss. Hence, it can be used as a weight loss drug for people with type 2 diabetes as well as people without type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide works by increasing insulin production in the body, which takes up excess sugar in the blood, thereby reducing the sugar levels in the blood.
It also facilitates weight loss by suppressing appetite and boosting satisfaction. It suppresses hunger and appetite for food. It makes you feel full for a long period of time by reducing the rate at which food leaves your stomach. Feeling full for a longer period of time makes you not eat frequently, thereby causing you to lose weight over time. Semaglutide also helps your body use stored fat as energy, thus promoting weight loss.
Semaglutide can be used by adults with a body mass index (BMI) that is more than or equal to 30 mg/kg². It can also be used by adults with a BMI of 27 mg/kg² who have any weight-related medical condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or type 2 diabetes.
Semaglutide is a solution that is administered as a shot underneath the skin of the upper arm, stomach, or thigh. It should be taken once every week for weight management unless otherwise advised by your doctor. Semaglutide should be used in combination with a low-calorie diet and regular exercise.
With the use of semaglutide, you can lose 10 to 15% of your total body weight or 8 -10 pounds within the first month.
Tirzepatide
Tirzepatide is another prescription drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but can also be used as a weight loss drug in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Tirzepatide works in a similar manner as semaglutide. It increases the levels of insulin in your body, which helps to reduce your blood sugar levels. It increases the production of insulin hormone from your pancreas, which helps facilitate the transfer of blood sugar into your cells to be used as energy. It helps lower your blood sugar levels, thereby reducing the accumulation of fat. Less blood sugar means that there’s less glucose to be turned into fat.
Tirzepatide also facilitates weight loss by reducing your appetite so that you feel less hungry. By making you feel less hungry, you don’t feel the need to eat frequently. It makes you feel less hungry by slowing down your rate of digestion. As your eating is drastically reduced, your calorie intake is also reduced. You will start to experience weight loss over time.
Tirzepatide is a solution that should be injected under the skin in areas like your thighs, upper arms, or stomach. You should have the injection once every week continuously until you achieve your weight loss goals. Tirzepatide should be used in combination with a low-calorie diet and exercise to ensure better weight loss results.
With the use of Tirzepatide, you can lose up to 20% of your total body weight or up to 15 pounds within the first month.
Metformin
Metformin is a prescription drug that is used to treat high blood sugar levels caused by type 2 diabetes. It is commonly prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes. It can also be used off-label as a weight management drug in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Metformin works by reducing the amount of sugar produced by your liver and also reduces the amount of sugar your body absorbs. It increases the effectiveness of insulin in your body, thereby reducing your blood sugar levels.
Metformin is available as a solution and as a tablet. Both the solution and tablet are taken orally.
Metformin is used in combination with low-calorie diets and exercise. It may also be taken in combination with other drugs as part of a combination therapy.
SGLT2 Inhibitors
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are diabetes drugs that can also cause weight loss. They work by removing glucose from the blood through urine. Less glucose in the blood means that there’s less glucose to be turned into fat, thereby facilitating weight loss.
SGLT2 inhibitors may cause weight loss of about 4 to 6 lbs in people taking them. Most people taking SGLT2 inhibitors start noticing weight loss after 6 weeks.
Examples of SGLT-2 inhibitors include Jardiance (empagliflozin), Farxiga (dapagliflozin), and Invokana (canagliflozin).
FAQs
How long does it take for diabetes medications to cause weight loss?
How long it takes for diabetes medications to cause weight loss may vary from person to person and depending on the specific drugs. Generally, most people start to experience weight loss within the first few months of using diabetes medications. Most people taking semaglutide injections every week can lose an average of about 15 pounds after three months.
A study showed that people taking Ozempic lost an average of 8 lbs after 30 weeks with a dosage of 0.5 mg per week. People lost around 13 to 15 lbs after 40 weeks at higher doses of 1 mg to 2 mg per week.
People taking Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lost between 15% and 20% of their body weight after 72 weeks of continuous usage.
How quickly do you lose weight with semaglutide injections?
The effect of semaglutide can differ from person to person, and how quickly you can lose weight varies. Semaglutide has shown rapid weight loss results in most patients. Most patients experience notable weight loss within a few weeks to a few months of taking semaglutide weekly. Data shows that semaglutide can result in body weight loss of 10-17% within the first few weeks of taking the medication.
Can semaglutide be given with metformin?
Semaglutide and metformin don’t have any interaction. Hence, they can be combined without any adverse effects. In fact, combining semaglutide and metformin can be very effective in managing blood sugar levels and can provide better weight loss results.
Is semaglutide suitable for you?
Semaglutide is a prescription drug that was primarily intended for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It was later found that it can cause weight loss. Hence, it was approved by the FDA as a weight loss medication for people with type 2 diabetes. However, it can also be used off-label as a weight loss medication in people without Type 2 diabetes.
If you are overweight or obese and haven’t experienced weight loss with diets and exercise, semaglutide may be suitable for you. If you have a huge appetite and your weight is as a result of eating excessively, then semaglutide may be suitable for you. It helps to suppress appetite by making you feel full for a longer period of time.
It is generally recommended to consult with your healthcare provider before using semaglutide or any other diabetes drugs.
Is tirzepatide or semaglutide more effective for weight loss?
Tirzepatide may be more effective in weight loss since it mimics both the GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists, while semaglutide mimics only the GLP-1 receptor agonist.
However, semaglutide (Wegovy) is approved by the FDA for weight loss management in patients with type 2 diabetes, while tirzepatide is only approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Tirzepatide can only be used off-label as a weight loss management drug.