What is Semaglutide Injection?

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Semaglutide is an FDA-approved medication that functions by mimicking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone the body naturally produces. When GLP-1 is released, it targets various receptors in the body to help stimulate insulin release, suppressing glucagon, slowing gastric emptying, and increasing feelings of fullness.

  • Semaglutide reduces overall body fat; and suppresses the appetite
  • FDA-approved medication
  • In clinical studies, patients showed an average loss of 35lbs or 15% of body weight combined with diet and exercise.
  • GLP-1 medications act on the brain to modulate your appetite and reduce hunger, which can help you lose weight.
  • GLP-1 medications also bind to receptors on stomach cells, slowing stomach emptying, which makes you feel full longer.
  • Blood sugar lowering effects without any increase in hypoglycemia.
  • This medication reduces body weight, lipids, blood pressure, inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction.
  • Semaglutide can be combined with a low-carb/low-calorie dietary plan.
  • Can be taken by subcutaneous injectable or sublingual troche.
  • Typical dose is 0.25mg to 2.4mg once per week injectable.

What are the benefits of Semaglutide Injections?

Before After
  • Help lower blood sugar levels
  • Promotes weight loss by reducing cravings and appetite
  • Reduces the risk of cardiovascular events
  • Improves insulin resistance
  • Lower A1C levels
  • It helps decrease the need for other diabetes medication

Since being approved for weight loss almost two years ago, Semaglutide has been hailed as a “game-changer”

Lana Rodriguez, 37, started taking semaglutide as a weekly injection in September 2022 after years of binge eating and weight cycling.

By January 2023, she had lost 30 pounds and was happy in her body so has since transitioned to one shot every two weeks with the hope of maintaining her weight.

Rodriguez, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, told Insider that the biggest pros of the medication have been:

  • No longer needing to control her portion sizes
  • Killing the “food noise” inside her head

“It’s the best thing that’s happened to me, ” she said.

Before After 2

Nika steward has lost 104 pounds and no longer obsesses over food.

20 years ago, Danika (AKA Nika) Steward, 39, had gastric bypass surgery and lost 100 pounds, but over the years since, she gained it all back and, after her third child, about 70 pounds more. She started taking semaglutide in June 2022 and lost 104 pounds in the first nine months of treatment, Steward, who lives in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, told Insider. “It ended up being wildly successful and making me feel better than I ever did even after having gastric bypass surgery,” Steward said. The biggest change for Steward — and one that didn’t occur with the gastric bypass — has been the “food noise” in her brain turning off. The main pros of semaglutide for Steward are:

  • Weight loss
  • Feeling healthier overall
  • No longer obsessing over food
Before After 4
Before After 3

Nika steward had mild constipation and nausea.

Steward’s worst side effect has been constipation, which happened each time she upped her dose, as well as mild bouts of nausea.

The biggest cons of the drug for her are:

  • Mild constipation
  • The cost and her reliance on health insurance

Semaglutide is currently covered by the insurance Steward’s husband has through his work, and she knows her access is in the hands of insurance providers.

Ashley dunham’s blood work improved after she lost 70 pounds in 5.5 months.

Ashley Dunham, from St John’s, Florida, lost 70 pounds in 5.5 months on compounded semaglutide and said she would recommend it to everybody. Dunham, 32, started taking semaglutide in August 2022 and gradually started noticing changes over the first couple of months. The biggest pros of the medication for Dunham are:

  • The weight loss
  • Improved blood work

“My blood work is great across the board, ” Dunham said, who’s pleased that her blood glucose and cholesterol levels have improved.

Before After 6
Before After 5

Dunham struggled with nausea.

Dunham experienced a range of side-effects including nausea, migraines, and constipation, she said. The biggest cons of semaglutide for her are:

  • Nausea
  • Hyper-fixating on foods
  • Receiving some backlash for taking the medication

The nausea was “awful,” Dunham said: “Not unmanageable, but not fun.” By “hyper-fixating” on foods, Dunham means that if she feels she wants, say, McDonald’s French fries, she’s not satisfied and doesn’t want to eat anything else until she’s got them, she said. Dunham wishes there was less focus on already slim celebrities allegedly taking semaglutide for vanity and more on how the drug can improve the health of people who real

Rodriguez experienced side effects such as a dry mouth, tasting bitterness, nausea, headaches, and constipation.

The symptoms were mostly manageable, but the two biggest cons for her were:

  • Constipation
  • The cost

Rodriguez pays $200 per shot. She said this is expensive, but she feels safe in the knowledge that she gets her medication from an in- person doctor who is there to answer any questions, unl

Before After 7
Before After 8

MARY FRANCES MCCULLAR SAID SEMAGLUTIDE MADE WEIGHT LOSS EASY AFTER YEARS OF STRUGGLING.

Mary Frances McCullar, 49, started taking a compounded version of semaglutide on January 4 2023 and lost 21 pounds in the first 10 weeks.

Unlike many people drawn to semaglutide, McCullar didn’t have “food chatter” or binge-eating tendencies, but even after tracking her macros and working with a trainer, she was still struggling.

Semaglutide showed her she could lose weight. The biggest pros for McCullar are:

  • It gives you the confidence that you can lose weight
  • It makes weight loss easy

Staci rice lost 62 pounds in eight months and is enjoying being healthier and more active.

Staci Rice, 40, started taking semaglutide on May 4 2022 after trying “every diet around,” she said.

Rice, who lives in Gray, Georgia, lost 62 pounds and in January 2023, moved her focus to maintenance and started injecting semaglutide every 10 days instead of weekly, she said.

The biggest pros of the medication for her are:

  • Feeling healthier
  • The inflammation in her knee disappearing

These two things together means she can run around after her kids and exercise more, which boosts her health further. “Semaglutide has changed my life and I hope it’s around forever,” Rice said. “It’s been a miracle for me.”

Side effects

  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Dry Lips
  • Constipation
  • Stomach Pain
  • Fever/Chill

Contraindication

  • Thyroid cancer
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Pancreatic