Ozempic For Type 2 Diabetes Management

Ozempic has become one of the most talked-about medications of the 21st century. It’s famous for lowering blood sugar, promoting weight loss, and guarding against heart conditions.

However, Ozempic isn’t for everyone.

In this article, we’ll explore how Ozempic can help you manage type 2 diabetes, whether it’s right for you, and everything you need to know before taking this drug.

Ozempic is a popular type 2 diabetes medication manufactured by Novo Nordisk. It’s an injectable medication containing the active ingredient semaglutide, which helps you control your blood sugar levels.

What sets Ozempic apart from other diabetes medications is that it also lowers your risk of major cardiovascular events. This means it helps protect against heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.

This is a huge benefit for people with diabetes as they’re much more susceptible to heart-related conditions than non-diabetics.

Over the last few years, Ozempic’s popularity soared even higher because of its weight-loss effects, which is an off-label use .

Ozempic, or the active ingredient semaglutide, falls into a class of drugs called incretin mimetics . This means it mimics natural hormones in your body called incretin hormones.

These hormones are responsible for many things in your body, including your sense of satiety, blood sugar levels, and more.

Ozempic also slows down your gastric emptying  rate, which is how fast food leaves your stomach and goes to your intestines. The longer food stays in your stomach, the fuller you feel.

When you feel satiated or full, you’ll be less tempted to overeat or snack between meals, which helps you lose weight. Eating less also improves your blood glucose levels because the less you eat, the less sugar you’ll be introducing to your body, and the better your control will be.

Ozempic also helps lower your blood sugar levels using three unique mechanisms:

• Less Glucose: Ozempic keeps your liver from producing too much glucose, which would normally increase your blood sugar level. 

• More Insulin: Ozempic stimulates your pancreas to produce more insulin to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

• Less Glucagon: Ozempic keeps your body from producing too much  glucagon , which is a hormone that increases your blood sugar levels. 

In 2017, Ozempic became the first FDA-approved semaglutide drug  for adults with type 2 diabetes. Since then, millions of people with diabetes have used it to control their blood sugar levels. It’s especially useful for long-term blood sugar control because it lowers your HbA1c levels .

Your HbA1c represents your average blood sugar levels over the past three months. It’s an estimate of how well your blood sugar levels have been under control.

According to a 30-week-long study , Ozempic can significantly lower the average A1c levels of people with diabetes when taken with insulin and metformin. In fact, it works almost six times better than when you take insulin and metformin alone.

Another study tested Ozempic’s ability to lower blood sugar levels compared to other diabetes medications such as Trulicity, Bydureon, Januvia, and Lantus.

The goal was to see which medication could best lower the A1c of participants to below 7%, which is the healthy target range. Ozempic proved to be superior to all four medications, beating each by at least 10% every time.

More specifically, Ozempic was almost twice as effective as Januvia, the oral antidiabetic medication. Only 40% of those taking Januvia reached their ideal blood sugar levels, while 73% of those taking Ozempic did.

There are two other popular drugs that contain the active ingredient semaglutide:

• Wegovy: Another semaglutide brand, but unlike Ozempic, Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss, regardless of whether or not you have diabetes.  It comes in different concentrations  and has a different dosing regimen than Ozempic.

• Rybelsus: Another semaglutide drug, but unlike Ozempic and Wegovy, Rybelsus comes in the form of tablets, not injectables. Rybelsus is FDA-approved and can help you lower your blood glucose levels when coupled with proper diet and exercise. 

Millions of people have used Ozempic for weight loss , even though the FDA hasn’t officially approved its use for weight management.

However, since Wegovy is FDA-approved for weight loss and Ozempic contains a smaller amount of the same active ingredient, it just made sense to use Ozempic for the same purpose.

Since about 80% of people with diabetes also suffer from obesity , Ozempic can be an excellent choice for managing both conditions. It allows you to tackle both health problems with just one drug instead of fighting each battle separately.

With Ozempic, you should notice improvements in your blood sugar right away but it could take some time before you shed a few pounds.

How fast you can lose weight with Ozempic  depends on many factors, but you should generally see results within about eight weeks.

There are only three reasons why you might start Ozempic:

• To lower your A1c levels

• To protect against major coronary events such as heart attack or stroke, especially if you have a heart disease

• For chronic weight management

However, in all three cases, you’ll need a prescription from a healthcare provider to buy Ozempic, unlike OTC (over-the-counter) medicines.

Ozempic isn’t for everyone. For some people, it’s absolutely contraindicated. For others, you might need to speak to your doctor first to avoid some serious side effects.

You should avoid using Ozempic completely if:

• You or a family member has a history of certain types of endocrine or thyroid cancer such as MTC  (medullary thyroid carcinoma) or MEN 2  (multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2)

• You are allergic to semaglutide or any other ingredient in Ozempic

Before taking Ozempic, you should consult your healthcare provider if you:

• Have had any kind of problem with your kidneys or pancreas, such as kidney disease or pancreatitis

• Have stomach or intestinal problems

• Have a history of diabetic retinopathy or other eye problems

• Are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant (Ozempic should be stopped at least two months before you become pregnant)

• Are breastfeeding or plan on breastfeeding since it’s not known whether Ozempic can pass through your breast milk

Ozempic comes in the form of a prefilled multi-dose pen for subcutaneous injection. There are three kinds of Ozempic pens with different doses:

• Red-label pens: 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg doses

• Blue-label pens: 1 mg doses 

• Yellow-label pens: 2 mg doses

Regardless of which dose or pen you use, Ozempic is usually injected into the thigh, abdominal area, or upper arm. It’s taken once a week, ideally on the same day and as close to the same time as possible. You can take Ozempic with or without food.

Ozempic is usually taken in small increasing doses over several weeks. Your doctor will likely start you on 0.25 mg of Ozempic weekly for four weeks and then up the dose to 0.5 mg weekly.

If your blood sugar levels are still erratic after four weeks, this could mean you need additional glycemic control. Your doctor might increase your dose again to 1 mg weekly. If your blood glucose still hasn’t improved in another four weeks, your dose might increase to 2 mg weekly.

The maximum allowed dose for Ozempic is 2 mg per week, so if you don’t notice improvements at that point, your doctor will likely prescribe a different medication.

If you miss a dose of Ozempic, you can take your missed dose as long as it’s within five days of the missed dose date. If it’s been more than five days, skip that dose and take the next normally scheduled dose.

Never take two doses of Ozempic within 48 hours of each other because this can cause severe hypoglycemia .

You should always keep unopened Ozempic pens in the fridge. After opening them, you can safely store the pens at room temperature or in the fridge.

However, Ozempic pens are only good for up to 56 days from the day of opening. After that, you should dispose of the pen even if it is refrigerated.

Make sure to never freeze your Ozempic pens, even when traveling, or use pens that were previously frozen.

Although generally considered safe, there are a few Ozempic side effects  you should be aware of.

• Nausea and vomiting

• Diarrhea or constipation

• Upper stomach (abdominal) pain

These side effects usually occur when you first start taking the drug and when you increase your dose of Ozempic. However, they tend to fade away with time as your body gets used to the active ingredient.

If you experience severe abdominal pain that radiates into your back, it could be a sign of pancreatitis, which means inflammation of the pancreas. This could be because Ozempic stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin, causing it to overwork or become inflamed.

Talk to your doctor right away if the pain persists.

Contact your doctor if you notice blurred vision or any disturbances or changes in your vision.

This happens because Ozempic can cause rapid drops in your blood sugar levels, which can harm the blood vessels of your eyes .

Almost any antidiabetes medication can cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. However, since Ozempic is usually prescribed along with metformin, insulin therapy , or other antidiabetic drugs, your chances of hypoglycemia are even greater.

Make sure to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly and keep an eye out for signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, such as:

• Lightheadedness and confusion

• Shakiness and feeling jittery

• Weakness and lethargy

• Blurred vision

• Hunger

• Slurred speech

• Sweating

You can easily become dehydrated when using Ozempic because of the nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. This can lead to kidney problems and even kidney failure in people with pre-existing kidney problems.

Make sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration when taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes.

In some very rare cases, you might be allergic to Ozempic. You should stop using it right away if you notice any signs or symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as:

• Swelling, especially in the face, lips, tongue, or throat

• Trouble breathing or swallowing

• Severe rash or hives

• Extremely fast heartbeats

• Fainting

Some people taking Ozempic for type 2 diabetes have experienced gall bladder problems. They noticed symptoms like upper stomach pain, fever, jaundice (yellow-colored skin or eyes), and clay-colored stools.

Talk to your doctor right away if you experience any of these symptoms.

Ozempic is an excellent choice for people with diabetes who want to lower their blood sugar while shedding a few extra pounds.

It might have a few unpleasant side effects, but if it makes your diabetes management easier, it’s definitely worth it.