Semaglutide

GLP-1, injection, oral

Semaglutide mimics a gut hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). When you eat, GLP-1 slows digestion and helps you feel full. It also:

Balances blood sugar

Regulates insulin

Reduces appetite

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Everything you need to know about
Semaglutide

What is

Semaglutide

Benefits How it works How to use it

What is
Semaglutide
?

Semaglutide mimics a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). When blood sugar levels are high after a meal, it helps the pancreas release the right amount of insulin and slows how quickly the food moves through the digestive system.

Semaglutide is available as an injection and a pill. Currently, there is no generic version of semaglutide approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Various brand names of semaglutide are FDA-approved for chronic weight management, type 2 diabetes, and/or reducing major heart events in adults with cardiovascular disease.

Benefits of
Semaglutide

Expected weight loss depends on the dosage. In one study, people who took 2.4 mg of semaglutide every week for 68 weeks lost an average of 14.9% of their total weight. (Safe weight loss is one to two pounds per week.)

Semaglutide improves heart health by lowering blood sugar and helping people lose excess weight. Multiple clinical trials funded by Novo Nordisk show semaglutide can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease. Another study showed semaglutide has similar benefits in adults with obesity who do not have type 2 diabetes.

It’s significant to note that some patients have reported reduced cravings and “food noise” while using semaglutide for weight loss.

How does
Semaglutide
work?

When you eat, the food stimulates your gut to release the GLP-1 hormone. GLP-1 helps lower blood glucose (blood sugar) by triggering insulin release. Insulin helps blood glucose enter your body’s cells for later energy use.

In some people, the gut doesn't make enough natural GLP-1, or the brain isn't sensitive to it.

Semaglutide is a synthetic GLP-1 RA (receptor agonist). A drug that works as an agonist activates the same cell receptors as the body’s natural hormones. So, semaglutide works in the gut like the body’s natural GLP-1. Because semaglutide slows digestion, it helps curb hunger and signal fullness to the brain. As a result, some people with obesity have lost weight while taking it.

Because semaglutide supports a process the body isn’t doing well on its own, it may require long-term use.

It’s important to note that semaglutide doesn’t work for everyone. There are many biological reasons why people struggle to lose weight. Found’s clinicians, trained in obesity medicine, can help patients identify the root cause of their weight gain and personalize a prescription to target it. All prescriptions are up to a medical provider’s discretion.

More on personalized treatment with Found

How to use it

There are different prescribing guides for the different brand names of semaglutide. Follow your care provider’s instructions and read the pharmaceutical packaging.

Rybelsus®, a semaglutide pill, is typically taken once a day. Store it at room temperature.

Ozempic® and Wegovy® are injections, typically taken once a week. Novo Nordisk recommends injecting the medicine under the skin in your upper arm, upper thigh, or stomach. Store injectable semaglutide in a refrigerator.

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Dosing

Dosing depends on your specific prescribed medication and your care provider’s instructions. Please also read the pharmaceutical packaging.

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Side effects

Rapid or significant weight loss can lead to too much muscle loss. It’s important to start a strength training program and exercise regularly to protect your muscles while taking semaglutide.

Tell your health care provider if you have severe stomach problems that won’t go away, including abdominal bloating or pain, acid reflux, a feeling of fullness after eating just a few bites of food, nausea, and vomiting, including vomiting undigested food eaten a few hours earlier. These may be symptoms of gastroparesis (stomach paralysis).

Use effective birth control while taking this medication. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant, do not take semaglutide.

Semaglutide isn’t appropriate for those with insulin-dependent diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. So, if that’s you, semaglutide isn’t the right fit.

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Black Box Warning

Although rare, semaglutide caused thyroid C-cell tumors in animal studies. All brand names of semaglutide have a “black box” warning of the risk of these tumors. If you have trouble swallowing, develop hoarseness, or feel swelling or a lump in your neck, contact your health care provider immediately.

The FDA also warns not to take Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus if you have a personal or family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 or medullary thyroid cancer.

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Precautions

Rapid or significant weight loss can lead to too much muscle loss. It’s important to start a strength training program and exercise regularly to protect your muscles while taking semaglutide.

Use effective birth control while taking this medication. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant, do not take semaglutide.

Semaglutide isn’t appropriate for those with insulin-dependent diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. So, if that’s you, semaglutide isn’t the right fit.

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Interactions

Some drugs can also interact with semaglutide, including:

Insulin
Sulfonylureas (when combined, these can cause blood sugar levels to drop dangerously low)
Some birth control pills
Other GLP-1 or GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist medications such as liraglutide, dulaglutide, or tirzepatide

You should not drink alcohol while taking this drug because it can lower blood sugar. Combining alcohol with semaglutide may cause blood sugars to fall too fast, leading to fainting and dizziness.

about
found

Found is an online weight loss program offering personalized care for every member. Some of the nation’s top obesity medicine specialists helped design our program. Our approach is based on science, and we’re committed to clinical excellence.

Members get access to: Clinicians trained in obesity medicine 1:1 health coaching Self-paced lifestyle change program designed by doctors, psychologists, and behavioral scientists Exclusive in-app community.

Found’s comprehensive program is designed to work with your body—so you can achieve lasting results and enjoy better health.

Alternative medications

Depending on your health history, weight history, and MetabolicPrint^TM assessment, your Found health care provider may consider other alternatives to help you lose weight. Some are FDA-approved for weight loss. Others are used off-label and have strong clinical evidence supporting their use for weight loss.

Unfortunately, there are no generic versions of Ozempic currently on the market.
However, your health care provider might consider alternatives such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Saxenda, all of which are GLP-1 medications but not all are FDA-approved for weight loss specifically.

Semaglutide