MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Semaglutide is a medicine that can be used to help people with excess weight or who have obesity to lose weight. In order to understand how semaglutide works in weight loss, it’s important to understand what GLP-1 is. GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-one, is a protein made in several areas of your body, including your brainstem and intestines. When you eat, your digestive tract breaks down food into nutrients. One of them is a sugar called glucose. The wall of your digestive tract absorbs the glucose, then releases it into your bloodstream. The glucose in your digestive tract triggers it to release GLP-1. GLP-1 slows the movement of food out of your stomach. Your brainstem can also release GLP-1. It may be caused by stress or eating a large meal. This GLP-1 acts on hunger areas of your brain, such as the hypothalamus, to make you feel less hungry. Semaglutide medicines are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists. They act like the GLP-1 that your body makes. For example, GLP-1 agonists help slow the movement of food out of your stomach. Since this increases the feeling of fullness, it can help you eat less. Semaglutide may also act on the hunger areas of your brain to decrease your appetite. To help you reach your weight loss goal, your healthcare practitioner may create a treatment plan that includes eating a diet lower in calories and fat and getting more exercise. Semaglutide for weight loss is a liquid injection that comes in a pre-filled pen. It’s injected into your abdomen, thigh, or upper arm once a week on the same day. Carefully follow the instructions for injecting semaglutide. You will likely start on a lower dose of semaglutide for a few weeks. After that, your healthcare practitioner may increase your dose over time. Semaglutide’s more common side effects are mild to moderate stomach and bowel problems, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Some side effects may be more serious. If you have any of these symptoms, contact your healthcare practitioner: fast heartbeat; problems breathing or swallowing; swelling of your legs, ankles, or feet; lower urine output; stomach pain that can spread to your back; yellowed skin or eyes; fever; confusion or drowsiness; anxiety, irritability, or other mood changes; vision changes, including blurred vision; feeling faint, dizzy, shaky, or jittery; slurred speech; or a rash, itching, or swelling of your face, mouth, or throat. To find out more about semaglutide for weight loss, talk to your healthcare practitioner.
