Is Medication Right for You? A Closer Look at GLP-1s
The struggles of maintaining a healthy weight are familiar to almost everyone. In fact, according to the National Institute of Diabetes, 30% of Americans are considered overweight and 42% are obese.
This means that just about 3 out of 4 Americans struggle with their weight.
By now you are sure to have seen the explosion in popularity of GLP-1 weight loss medications like Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy.
These medications, originally developed to treat diabetes, were quickly found to be extremely effective appetite suppressants, with patients losing an average of 10-15% of their body weight. Because of how effective they are, GLP-1s were approved for weight loss in 2023 by the FDA.
So, with all this buzz about GLP-1s, you might find yourself wondering, are these medications right for me?
We’re here to give you an in-depth look at these medications and hopefully give you a better idea of whether you are a candidate for using GLP-1s to help you finally reach your goal weight.
What Are GLP-1s?
GLP-1 medications, or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are a drug that mimics the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone secreted by your intestines during digestion.
Imagine you have just eaten a meal. The carbohydrates in that meal are broken down into simple sugars that are absorbed by your intestine, triggering the release of GLP-1.
The GLP-1 released by your intestine then triggers your pancreas to release insulin, which latches onto the glucose and carries it to your cells. Your body uses these sugars for energy.
People with diabetes don’t produce enough insulin, or their body doesn’t properly use the insulin, causing a build up of sugar in the blood stream which can be dangerous and even fatal.
GLP-1s were developed to help people with diabetes to get their bodies to produce the proper amount of insulin.
A side effect of GLP-1s is that they slow digestion and stomach emptying, as well as interact with your brain to reduce hunger, both of which increase satiety and keep you feeling fuller longer.
They are so effective at controlling hunger, in fact, that doctors began to prescribe them off-label to treat obesity, and they were approved in 2023 by the FDA for this purpose.
Potential Side Effects
The same way that GLP-1s slow digestion can also produce some side effects, particularly when a patient first begins to take them, with symptoms generally lessening within the first 6 weeks.
These side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and acid reflux. Side effects can be managed by eating smaller meals more frequently, avoiding foods that are high in fat and oil, drinking plenty of water, and consuming enough fiber and protein.
For a full breakdown on managing your side effects, take a look at this post!
More serious side effects can include pancreatitis, gastroparesis, bowel obstruction, or gallstones. Because of the potential side effects, use of these medications should be monitored by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Who Should Consider Medication?
GLP-1s are overall a very safe and effective drug when it comes to weight loss and weight management.
If you are someone who has struggled with your weight, tried many different diet and exercise plans, and has just not managed to lose the weight or keep it off, GLP-1s may be a great tool to help you reach your goals.
GLP-1s are for people who are considered medically overweight or obese, meaning a BMI higher than 25. They are also for people who struggle with weight-related health conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
For many of us, lifestyle interventions are simply not enough to get to a healthy weight and maintain it. There is no shame in using every tool available to you to take control over your health.
The only way to truly decide if GLP-1s are right for you is to speak to a medical professional who specializes in weight loss. That’s why if you are interested in learning more, you should first schedule a consultation to discuss your health history and goals.
People with a family history of thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, or kidney disease are not good candidates for GLP-1 weight loss treatments, and these medications should not be taken by people who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Finally, consider your mental health and emotional readiness to embark on a weight loss journey. There is a lot of emotion tied up in our weight, and if you have a history of disordered eating, GLP-1s may not be right for you.
Medication as a Tool, Not a Solution
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when starting GLP-1s, is that these medications are a tool, not a solution to managing your weight.
No matter how you lose weight, you will need to focus on sustainable, long-term life style interventions in order to keep that weight off.
What these medications do is make it easier to build and form new habits, but it’s still up to you to be consistent with implementing them.
This means monitoring your caloric intake and nutrition, making sure to stay within a calorie deficit. There is no secret to weight loss, at the end of the day it is simply a matter of consuming fewer calories than you burn.
Equally important to nutrition is getting regular exercise. Building muscle helps your body to be strong and prevent disease, increases your metabolism, and helps you to burn more calories in a day.
Finally, you need to be doing the mental work, breaking old patterns and creating new ones, while maintaining a loving kindness to yourself for the changes you are making.
Without these three actions, your medication may work in the short term, but you will be disappointed to find that you struggle to maintain weight loss long-term, after tapering off or stopping medication altogether.
Other Benefits of GLP-1s
Weight loss isn’t the only benefit of GLP-1s. The medications have been found to have a variety of health benefits.
Cardiovascular health: Research shows that, GLP-1s can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by as much as 18% and reduce cardiac related mortality by 20%.
Lower blood pressure: GLP-1 medications have been shown to lower a patient’s blood pressure, especially in those with hypertension.
Insulin control: As its primary use might suggest, GLP-1s stimulate insulin secretion and suppress glucagon, lowering blood sugar levels, especially in diabetic patients.
Slow or reverse kidney disease: Research suggests GLP-1s may help protect kidney function and slow the progression of kidney disease in individuals with diabetes, reducing kidney related events by as much as 24%.
Improved liver function: GLP-1 medications could improve liver function and reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Reduce total cholesterol: GLP-1 medications have been shown to stimulate production of good cholesterol (HDL), lower bad cholesterol (LDL), and even stimulate the removal of LDL from the bloodstream.
Addiction recovery: There is growing evidence that GLP-1s could be a valuable tool in addiction recovery helping many people to quit substances ranging from cigarettes to opioids.
Slowing of Alzheimer’s symptoms: New research shows that GLP-1 medications could have a significant impact on the progression of Alzheimer’s. Researchers saw symptoms progression slow by as much as 18% and brain shrinkage reduced by up to 50% in patients on GLP-1s.
Questions to Ask Yourself
If you have been curious about starting GLP-1 medications and are ready to take the next step, start by asking yourself a few questions.
First, what are your weight loss goals? You should have clearly defined goals when beginning any weight loss plan. Take stock of your current weight and measurements, and set some realistic goals that you can track and reach.
Second, do you have a weight loss plan? Like we said before, GLP-1s are a tool to help you reach your goals, but you still need to have a plan to get there. What are your calorie, nutrition, and exercise plans?
Third, are you ready to make long-term lifestyle changes? You can start any weight loss plan, and even have positive results, but if you aren’t ready to commit to the lifestyle changes it takes to maintain a healthy weight, you’ll likely end up back where you started.
Finally, do you have underlying health issues that might interfere with your weight loss? Maybe these are related to the limitations we discussed earlier, or they might be conditions or disabilities that make it hard to prepare food or exercise.
Even if this is true for you, weight loss can be possible if you are prepared and armed with a plan.
How to Get Started Safely
To help you answer these questions and more schedule a consultation with our resident nurse practitioner to discuss your health history and see if you are a good candidate for GLP-1s.
You will need a valid form of identification, a recent blood pressure, and basic health history and goals. From there, you will participate in a virtual visit with a nurse practitioner to go over all of the relevant information.
If you are a good candidate, you will be prescribed the right medication for you as well as given a personalized plan to meet your goals.
Throughout your journey, you will have access to ongoing support from your practitioner as well as monthly progress reports designed for us to continue to give you up-to-date support and advice.
Start Losing Weight Today!
3 out of 4 Americans struggles with their weight, so if you are someone who has tried it all and seen no results, you aren’t alone.
There are many environmental factors that have contributed to the rise in obesity and the struggles many people face to maintain a healthy weight.
That doesn’t mean that all hope is lost! In fact, new medications have made it easier than ever for people to implement the necessary lifestyle changes to take back their health.
Weight loss medications like GLP-1s are safe and effective for most people. If you are ready to take the next step, reach out or schedule a free consultation with our licensed practitioner and see if GLP-1s can help you.
