Wegovi medicine is a revolution in the treatment of obesity…. Information you must know before using it

Wegovi’s weight-loss drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at the end of last week, describing the move as a “game changer”.

The drug, Wegovy, is used as a treatment to control weight loss, as it is injected weekly under the skin and is manufactured by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
Although this is the first FDA-approved weight-loss drug since 2014, it’s not exactly a new drug.

The same drug, also called semaglutide, has been used for years in the United States and elsewhere as an anti-diabetic drug. However, recent studies have shown that the drug, at a different and higher dosage, also acts as a powerful and effective appetite suppressant.

According to the Hebrew “Walla” website, the discovery of the long-term effects of the drug did not begin in one day, and the pharmaceutical companies that produced the smaglutide drug noted that while treating diabetic patients, patients lost weight.

The drug was usually administered to diabetic patients via moderate 3-4kg drops, leading the researchers to question whether the active ingredient could be used in higher doses. These drugs have been tested in large studies, and in addition to weight loss they have been found to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease.

In a study published earlier this year involving nearly 2,000 obese adults from 16 different countries, researchers reported that long-term treatment with the drug resulted in an average weight loss of about 15 percent in the group. Some of the participants even lost more weight, with more than 30 percent of the group losing more than 20 percent of their body weight – results that scientists describe as staggering.
How does Wegovi work?

“The Wigovy syringe given once a week works on several levels,” explains Dr. Alex Gorstein, an expert in endocrinology and diabetes at the Endocrinology Institute at Beilinson Hospital near Tel Aviv.

He added, “The first level is by increasing the secretion of insulin and suppressing appetite by affecting the satiety center. The second is to delay the passage of food through the stomach (this is important for diabetics). In addition, the drug has an anti-inflammatory effect. Nothing yet, but there are many drugs from the same family marketed under different names that we’ve been using for diabetes for a few years now.”
Who Can Medication Wegovee?

“Patients with a BMI greater than 30% or patients with a BMI greater than 27% and suffering from comorbidities such as fatty liver, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.”
Who can not use the drug?

Dr. Gorstein explains: “The drug may not be suitable for everyone. It is forbidden for patients with a previous history of pancreatitis, for patients with rare thyroid cancer or a related genetic syndrome, and for people who have problems with pancreatitis. If you have a chronic stomachache, we tend to be careful too.”
How much time do we need to see results?

“Results come quickly, within 10-12 weeks. The decrease in appetite occurs faster and within a month or two a person begins to lose weight.

Gorstein says that if a patient has not lost five percent of their weight after 3 months they should stop using the drug because it actually shows it isn’t right for them.
Do Wegove injections have side effects?

Most side effects are in the digestive system, and include symptoms such as nausea, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea or constipation. That is why we start with a small dose of the drug and increase the dose according to tolerance and side effects.

Side effects of the drug are common, and between 25-50 percent of patients experience them. These are mostly temporary symptoms that improve over time, and less than 10 percent stop treatment due to side effects.
What happens if you stop using it?

“This medication does not replace lifestyle changes such as eating a balanced diet and exercising,” Gorsain stresses.

“Once the treatment is stopped and no real changes are made – the weight comes back. The medicine does not solve the cause of obesity. Obesity is a disease when you stop treatment and do not change your lifestyle, the weight will rise again.”