The celebrity secret to weight loss, the reason the Kardashians lose weight so quickly, the "red carpet" weight loss medication... What is Semaglutide?
It's Dr. Sherri here. I don't fall for the media hype of weight loss gimmicks, but I am often asked about them and usually always disappointed in my research. Twenty years ago, when I was in naturopathic medical school, I was confident weight loss would be an easy condition to work with. Eat this, not that. Exercise more, eat less. Get calories in less than calories out — easy.
Fast forward — after years of clinical experience and I have a different perspective. Weight loss, like anything else in nutrition and medicine, is very individualized.
What has been immensely frustrating over the years is the weight that creeps as we age — often compounded for many as we hit the menopausal transition period. This is when all of the things that have worked before seem to no longer work. Imbalanced hormones and insulin resistance are at the core of this type of weight gain.
What Is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide (brand names Ozempic or Wegovy) is an injectable peptide — a building block of protein — that has been FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes since 2017 and more recently for weight loss without a diabetes diagnosis.
While injecting yourself with anything on a weekly basis is clearly not natural, this medication is an analog to a hormone we all produce in the gut called GLP-1. This peptide hormone regulates energy use in the body and how we store fat. It limits glucose spikes after meals and reduces appetite by slowing gastric emptying and creating a feeling of satiety.
This is not a stimulant — we don't have a risk of lowering glucose too much. We have a natural process in the body that is happening on a regular basis, and we are encouraging this process. To me, it is similar to bolstering other hormones in the body, like using bio-identical replacements for thyroid, adrenal, or sex hormones.
Beyond Weight Loss
The bigger implication for this medication is disease prevention. Semaglutide can help prevent many diseases of aging associated with insulin resistance and increased body fat — lowering inflammation, improving vascular integrity, decreasing liver fat accumulation, and reducing symptoms like poor circulation, brain fog, and sugar cravings.
Think about all the benefits we get from fasting — and yet longer fasts are very difficult for most people. Semaglutide can break the cycle of eating and enhance the cellular benefits of fasting.
Another tremendous benefit is in the emerging research for managing alcohol consumption. With Semaglutide, our 5pm moderate drinkers find they simply don't want alcohol at all.
Cost & Availability
The compounding pharmacy option
Insurance only covers Semaglutide with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Ironic — we have a way to reduce the incidence of diabetes by helping with weight loss and it is not covered.
We can get this medication through a compounding pharmacy — the same medication found in Ozempic and Wegovy, without the fancy pen. It must be drawn up in a syringe but the cost is far more accessible: $350/month for the lower dose, $450/month for the higher dose vs. $1,600/month out of pocket for the brand name.
Side Effects & Who Should Not Use It
Semaglutide is not without side effects — nausea, constipation, and fatigue can occur for the first day or two after injection. Some people have no symptoms at all. We start low and slowly increase the dose. So far, we have not had anyone stop due to side effects.
We do not offer this for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, pancreatitis, type 1 diabetes, or patients already on glucose-lowering medications. We need to see basic labs within 6 months of starting.
Reach out if you want to learn more — email Team@RemedyCharleston.com and the front desk will forward clinical questions to me. If you are not yet a patient here, schedule a free 15-minute call to discuss whether this might be a good fit.