High street pharmacies will soon offer an appetite suppressant.
Wegovy was recently approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), meaning thousands of obese people will be able to get it across the NHS.
Now, Superdrug says Wegovy is “coming soon” on its website, while ASDA Online Doctor says it will also be available “soon”.
Celebrities are said to use this controversial appetite suppressant drug to manage their weight. When asked how he stays slim and healthy, Twitter owner Elon Musk said his secret is fasting and Wegovy.
How does Wegovy work?
“There's a hormone that we all secrete and release called GLP-1. It's when you eat — it's released by the gut, it acts on the pancreas to release insulin, but it also acts on the brain, telling you You've already eaten some food and you shouldn't go on forever,” explains Dr Babak Ashrafi, Clinical Lead, Service Extension, Asda Online Doctor (onlinedoctor.asda.com/uk).
“So it curbs your appetite, [and] Drugs like Wegovy and Saxenda, which are GLP-1 analogs. They look and act like GLP-1 chemically, so it adds more of this hormone to your body, and it tells the brain that you're not hungry anymore, you're full. ”
Wegovy is self-administered by patients once a week via a single-dose pen injector. It is understood that pharmacies can sell four doses at a time, and the price has not yet been determined.
“It has a long half-life, which is why it's taken once a week—it stays in your system for a long time,” Ashrafi added. “The half-life is about seven days, and you increase your dose once a month — so for four weeks, you're taking the same dose. It's a gradual increase, partly because your body gets used to it, and then you decrease the amount you might be taking. There is therefore a risk of side effects.”
Who might benefit from Wegovy?
Nice has released draft guidelines for semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, recommending its use in adults with at least one weight-related medical condition and a body mass index (BMI) of at least 35. In some cases, a person with a BMI of 30 may be able to access the drug.
“These are the ones we really want to target and help them on their weight loss journey to improve their overall lifestyle goals and health,” Ashrafi said.
The timing of taking Wegovy varies from person to person, and Ashrafi said there is no time limit in the official licence.
“Our recommendation is that when you take it for six months, you should see significant weight loss. So if you haven't lost 5 to 10 percent of your body weight by then — most of the patients in the study have It does — then it probably isn't for you, you should probably stop using it, and we'll look at other options you might have.”
According to Nice, those who received the weekly injections lost an average of 12 percent of their body weight after 68 weeks.
What are the side effects?
Ashrafi said the side effects are “better” than many other weight loss drugs available.
“There are some gut-related side effects, because hormones do act on the gut as well,” he said. “These include nausea, heartburn, constipation, [but] They tend to get better with time and hydration.
“Many people who start taking these drugs find that as their appetite decreases, they also tend to decrease their fluid intake – so some people [of the side effects] related to this. ”
He also mentioned some other brain-related side effects, “mainly headaches and fatigue.
“It's possible to have low sugar symptoms because these drugs have been used to lower sugar — they're mainly diabetes drugs … so if you're eating very small amounts of food, then you might feel a little bit like you're low on sugar, but you This problem can be easily resolved.”
How can it be abused?
Drugs like Wegovy are “not a quick fix” for weight loss, Ashrafi stressed.
While it will soon be available in pharmacies, in the UK patients will have to go through a “rigorous check” before being prescribed the drug. If it becomes more accessible, there may be concerns that it will be abused by people who do not meet BMI criteria.
“We make sure people's BMI is at the right level, and we do that by asking for a photo and making sure their identity is checked,” Ashrafi said.
Questions about the medical history will be asked and the patient's GP will be informed.
“I think whoever wants to prescribe something like this to a patient needs to make sure they are linked to the NHS health records because they have the most data, they have the most information,” he said. “If for some reason a patient shouldn't be treated — medical condition or whatever — then we as providers need to be told.
“But beyond that, ongoing support is needed – because it's not a quick fix.”
He stressed that it only worked for people in the study who “dieted, reduced calorie intake, exercised, made other lifestyle choices and changes.”
It's not without side effects and other potential risks, so you only want to take it when you have to, Ashrafi says.
“If you do it as a short-term fix without having a high BMI, then you run the risk of gaining weight afterwards, and you run the risk of other harms that come from that – potential things like gallstone development and so on wait.
“There's also the risk of being abused – it's a psychological and spiritual change that can be harmful and negatively affect your psyche in that way.”
