What is Ozempic?
Find out what Ozempic is and how it works
Ozempic is a medication developed for patients with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is based on the drug Semaglutide. The medication is only used for patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes and is not approved for the treatment of overweight as the primary indication.
Who needs Ozempic?
If you have type 2 diabetes, it means that your body has either completely or partially stopped producing insulin. In many cases, you can control elevated blood sugar with diet, weight loss, and exercise, but if these measures are not sufficient to keep blood sugar within the normal range, it may be necessary to supplement with medication. Ozempic is a drug that increases the secretion of insulin from the pancreas and reduces the release of glucose from the liver. It is only used for patients with type 2 diabetes.
How does Ozempic work?
Ozempic is based on the drug Semaglutide. Semaglutide works by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1, which lowers blood sugar and suppresses appetite. GLP-1 is secreted from the gut but only works for a relatively short time after a meal. Semaglutide has the same effect as GLP-1 but is much more stable and works for much longer than the natural hormone. Semaglutide is also more stable than the drug Liraglutide, which is found in Victoza and Saxenda.
How do I take Ozempic?
Ozempic is taken as a weekly injection. It has a significantly higher half-life than Liraglutide, which makes it effective in the body for a longer time. Therefore, you only need to dose once a week instead of daily, as with Liraglutide-based drugs.
The difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Read about the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the article about Victoza.
Get answers to typical questions about Ozempic
Ozempic is a prescription medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It contains the active ingredient Semaglutide, which helps regulate blood sugar by mimicking the effects of the natural hormone GLP-1. Ozempic is used to improve blood sugar control in combination with diet and exercise.
Ozempic is intended for patients with type 2 diabetes who need additional help controlling their blood sugar levels. It is for those who have not achieved sufficient results through lifestyle changes such as dietary adjustments, weight loss, and regular exercise. Typically, one must have tried another type 2 diabetes medication before Ozempic is either added or prescribed as an alternative.
Ozempic works by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone that is naturally released in the body after meals and helps regulate blood sugar. It increases the release of insulin when blood sugar is high, reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and prolongs the feeling of fullness, which can help reduce food intake.
Ozempic is administered as an injection once a week. Due to the medication’s long half-life, it does not need to be taken more than once a week, making the treatment more convenient compared to daily injections required by other diabetes medications.
Ozempic differs from other diabetes medications, such as Liraglutide-based drugs (Victoza and Saxenda), by having a longer half-life, meaning it remains active in the body for a longer time. This means it only needs to be taken once a week, which can be beneficial for the patient’s quality of life and adherence to treatment.
As with all medications, there can be side effects when taking Ozempic. The most common side effects include stomach issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. It is important to talk to your doctor about potential side effects and how best to manage them.
Ozempic is primarily approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but treatment with it has shown that patients may experience weight loss as a side effect. Ozempic is not approved for weight loss treatment in Denmark, but since overweight is often part of the disease picture in type 2 diabetes, Ozempic can be a good treatment choice for many.