Starting Ozempic for diabetes- Any tips and advice welcome

[Dozymoo42]

My doctor has started me on ozempic in order to reduce my blood sugars, does anyone have any tips and advice? Just waiting to collect my prescription and am a little nervous!

been looking over the threads but most people seem to be on mounjaro or wegovey and I am not sure if there are differences in things that can be eaten or supplements that are suggested to be taken etc

Ozempic is exactly the same drug molecule as Wegovy. They’re sold under different names for different indications.

What dose are you starting at?

0.25 as I am taking my regular diabetic meds also , they said if I’m ok on that dose I can ring them and they will up it at that point. She said they will do it slowly to try and minimise side affects etc

It’s a shame your doctor didn’t advise on those things when they prescribed to you. @MissConductUSis right that Ozempic and Wegovy are the exact same medication, although the doses might be different.

The general advice for dieting applies, just eat a healthy balanced diet and not too few calories compared to your TDEE. If you are finding you have very little appetite I would concentrate on protein and fibre over carbs but still try to eat some unrefined carbs if you can.

That’s the right approach. Just be prepared for the loss of appetite and possibly a bit of nausea.

They are quite vague when they prescribe it just says try to eat /drink even though you might not feel like it etc.
i think asking on this board will be helpful as people have experiences to share 😊

Thank you both 😊

I started two weeks ago for rising blood sugar. I felt a bit nauseous a couple of times, but nothing too bad. My appetite comes and goes. I have an appointment with the nurse after the 4th injection and I presume a blood test in 3 months.

I sometimes get acid reflux since I’ve been taking Ozempic, so have something on hand for that and don’t eat close to bedtime. Keep an eye on your blood glucose if you’re loosing weight as I found I had more lows and had to adjust other meds.

Thank you @MrsBeltaneyeah I need to have my
bloods done in 3 months I have my fingers crossed 🤞 that this works for me!

thank you @BlackAmericanoNoSugar I will bear this in mind! 😊

Hey @Dozymoo42 I’m newly diagnosed T2DM and have been on Ozempic for about 10 weeks now.
My stats: Started at 70kg, now down to 61.5kg. Doctor prescribed 3 pens: start on .25mg for 4 weeks then up to .5mg, review in 3 months. We discussed metformin but I chose not to start it.

Haven’t moved off .25mg yet because the weight is falling off — though I do wonder if it’s still a bit sub-therapeutic for my blood sugars. My afternoon fatigue, which was my primary symptom leading to investigation and diagnosis, has only improved a bit so far.

Side effects:
• Week 1: Morning-sickness style nausea that passed quickly.
• Almost complete loss of appetite and food noise.
• Mild burping but nothing sulphury. No reflux.
• No constipation or diarrhoea

I’m mostly just eating what I feel like. My baseline diet was already pretty protein-heavy and carb-light. I know I still don’t drink enough water though!

Hang in there — the first week or so felt a bit weird but it settled for me. And I’m happy to make my own choices about not upping the dose just yet. My GP is easy to access if I change my mind and want a chat about the plan.

Thank you so much @FrogInASock that’s so helpful!
glad to hear it’s helping you 😊

Probably slightly different but it may help...I take MJ and insulin it controls my sugar levels great but at first it was a shock. It kwpt sending me into hypos. You will probably notice as time goes on you will need less diabetic medication - do you take tablets? I have lost over 7 stone since Jan 25 and that in itself works wonders for your blood sugar. Always have a snack in your bag or glucose tablets really monitor your blood sugar if you don't have a stick glucose monitor get one. You will do fab and it will be amazing for you! Good luck!

Probably slightly different but it may help...I take MJ and insulin it controls my sugar levels great but at first it was a shock. It kwpt sending me into hypos. You will probably notice as time goes on you will need less diabetic medication - do you take tablets? I have lost over 7 stone since Jan 25 and that in itself works wonders for your blood sugar. Always have a snack in your bag or glucose tablets really monitor your blood sugar if you don't have a stick glucose monitor get one. You will do fab and it will be amazing for you! Good luck!

Did your GP explain why s/he has prescribed Ozempic rather than MJ?

I'm on MJ for diabetes and it's worked brilliantly. I had a long session with my GP who explained all the pros and cons and then, once my prescription was issued, I had to have a 30 minute appointment with the surgery Diabetes Nurse who went through what I should be doing and who also oversaw my first injection.

I found making sure I ate enough was an issue. I was overweight (BMI 27) but not obese. I have lost some weight and my BMI is now 21. But most importantly my blood sugars are back into the non diabetic range.

Good luck

ETA: I was never on insulin so didn't need to factor in hypos etc

@1989STAR I am currently on metformin , dapagilflozin and glicazide (ignore my terrible spelling🫣) They have mentioned that I can stop the Glicazide almost straight away if I want to prevent hypos but that I need to monitor and see how I go. That’s amazing progress since Jan! Really hoping that I can get my sugars under control in the same way.

@AnnaQuayRules they just said in our area they start you on Ozempic when it’s diabetes related and if you can’t tolerate that then they look at other injectables, if it was purely for weight loss they pop you on wegovey they said. This is why I posted as everyone else seems to be Munjaro so I wasn’t sure if there were differences with how you approach it. But thanks to advice from you lovely lot it seems it’s the same approach so I can relax now 😊