I was working out early this morning, watching television and a very lively commercial came on detailing the virtues of a fairly new oral medication for diabetes, Ozempic ®. The advertisement had a catchy tune, It’s Magic (free bottle of SeroPro for anyone that can name the band NO GOOGLING!!!).
The commercial touted the ability of the medication to reduce the hemoglobin A1C to below 7 AND help produce some weight loss as well. The medication reduces glucose by enhancing your own body’s release of insulin.
As required by the FDA, the commercial then proceeds to detail all of the potential side effects. I went to the Ozempic website and here is the list:
Ozempic® may cause serious side effects, including:
- inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Ozempic® and call your health care provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.
- changes in vision. Tell your health care provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Ozempic®.
- low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Your risk for getting low blood sugar may be higher if you use Ozempic® with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include: dizziness or lightheadedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, and feeling jittery.
- kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration.
- serious allergic reactions. Stop using Ozempic® and get medical help right away if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including itching, rash, or difficulty breathing.
The most common side effects of Ozempic® may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation.
Here is my list of serious side effects of effective weight loss for overweight/obese people that have diabetes:
Well, I truly cannot think of any serious side effects of effective weight control other than having to spend $$$ on new clothes.
My point: Diabetes is just one of the serious co-morbidities of poor weight control and the side effects of highly touted medications would make it seem that a MUCH BETTER approach is to get to the root cause…and for many, it is the weight issue. Why take Ozempic or any other medication(s) when the problem can, in most cases, be eliminated by losing weight?
Enjoy the song, but please focus on your weight control efforts, especially if you have diabetes or prediabetes. The results of weight control can be MAGIC.