Ozempic (semaglutide) and other GLP1 agonist drugs (Wegovy, Mounjaro, Rybelsus) continue to be a hot topic in pharmacy. If you have taken these types of medications, are currently using them, or are considering discussing them with your prescriber, there are a few things that you should keep in mind.

1) Before starting a drug, ensure that you have exhausted all non-drug measures

Prescription medications like semaglutide can have dramatic benefits, but these also can be accompanied by high costs and sometimes side effects. In general, non-drug measures are often less expensive and don’t have side effects. For the conditions that semaglutide is used to treat, namely obesity and diabetes, there are significant improvements that can be seen from making dietary changes and improving your exercise routine. An improved diet and more exercise are low cost measures that can help you control your blood sugars, lose unwanted weight, and the benefits don’t end there. If these measures prove not to be enough to manage a condition, they are still great habits that should be maintained after a drug treatment is started.
Before considering whether the latest hot drug is right for you, ask yourself if you have truly done all that you can with diet and lifestyle changes to lead you towards your health goal.

2) Have a plan when you start the medication

Starting a medication with a plan to handle certain variables is more likely to lead to a successful outcome with the medication. Before taking your first pill or injecting your first dose, make sure you have discussed the following questions with your pharmacist:
If you have been prescribed a dose which is scheduled to increase in 4 weeks, what should you do if you experience nausea (a common side effect) in the first 3 weeks?
Is there a timeline or a set goal (target weight or target hemoglobin A1C percentage) that will determine how long you are going to use the medication for? How long will you take the medication if you fail to reach the target? If you have prescription drug insurance to help cover the cost of the medication, is there a limit to this insurance coverage?
Having discussions with your pharmacist before starting a medication like semaglutide will ensure that you are set up for success.

3) Don’t lose sight of the real goal

You use a GLP1 agonist drug like Ozempic and are meeting your targets for blood sugar control without bothersome side effects. Everything must be perfect right? Not so fast.
Remember that a target blood sugar is just a marker (or a predictor) of health, but is not health itself. Health can be defined as the complete state of physical and mental well being. Perhaps you are achieving your weight loss goals by missing out on family meals and feeling isolated. Perhaps your weight loss is accompanied by a loss of energy which makes your weekly game of pickle ball harder to get through. Or maybe your reduced intake of calories is still made up of mostly empty calories, while the calories that you’ve been able to reduce have come at the cost of less lean protein and other nutrient dense foods.
These situations may look like success through the narrow lens of the target metric, but keep in mind that “health” has many aspects for every person.
If you are in Brandon or surrounding area, check out Living Simply Kitchen for help with adding nutritious meals to your week.