I started ozempic last night

[HermioneWeasley]

Going to log my experience here as a journal and also to help others if interested.

having gone hungry to lose 5lbs earlier this year and then stalled because I’m always hungry, I put 4lbs back on. Being v pear shaped I never have a belly, but now it sticks out and digs in and clothes are uncomfortable. Doing more exercise makes no difference. It is clear that will power simply doesn’t work for me.

I took my first dose (0.25mg) last night. Woke up around 2.30 with pain at the injection site which passed. Was v thirsty so gulped water which just seemed to sit there. A couple of small burps. Got back to sleep. Weirdly vivid dreams. This morning, not particularly hungry first thing.

Great Post. How long does a pen last you?

@Parsley1234 I started off on Saxenda for a few weeks,but started reacting locally to the injections, so I then switched to Ozempic.
What would you like to know?

@Cantonet just the comparison between the two are they the same just one weekly one daily ? Thank you

@Cantonet I'm interested in differences between saxenda and ozempic too, I stopped taking saxenda because I just wasn't getting any 'output' iykwim

4 weeks

Saxenda made me feel mildly ill all the time & I had a permanent sore throat, plus a coated tongue. I feel much better on Ozempic. I lost 6 kg on Saxenda & went up to 3 mg towards the end. Then I stalled. It's taken me a month of Ozempic to get moving again, as I've realised any alcohol prevents me from losing weight. To be fair I don't feel like drinking wine as often. I started on the 0.5 dose as I read a clinical research paper stating that if you're on 3 mg Sax. It's best to move onto the 0.5 mg dose initially. My BMI is now 33 & was 36 so my aim is to initially get to under 30. I've lost another 1.3 kg ( slow!) & will start the 1 mg dose next Friday.

Incidentally the 1 mg Ozempic dose is much lower than the higher doses in the states . There Wegovy goes up to 3 mgs I think. Thereby being more effective & causing a greater amount of weight loss. I'm not sure what doses of Wegovy will be authorised in the UK shortly.

Saxenda is once daily injections. The actual medicine is Liraglutide which doesn’t last as long in your body so needs to be taken daily. It is licensed in the UK for weight loss.

Ozempic is weekly injections. The actual medicine is Semaglutide. It is currently licensed to treat type 2 diabetes in the UK but is sold off licence for weight loss obesity. There are some studies indicating the Semaglutide may be more effective for weight loss than Liraglutide and there is supposed to be a licensed version for weight loss due out soon in the UK called Wegovy but this will be at a higher dose than Ozempic currently is.

Both drugs (liraglutide and semaglutide) act in the same way. They mimic the effects of a natural hormone called GLP-1(Glucagon Like Peptide-1), which stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, reduces appetite and also slows the movement of food in the intestines. Like all drugs, Semaglutide and and Liraglutide have side effects, including some very serious (though thankfully rare ) side effects (see links) particularly Liraglutide so please do read into our and make sure you’re comfortable with the risks before using.

Personally, Saxenda/Liraglutide did not work for me and I didn’t lose much weight on it. I also got very tired of the daily injections quickly. However, there is a long standing thread on here about Saxenda where others seem to be having much more success.

Saxenda was shown to be successful at contributing to a 5% loss of weight in clinical trials whereas Ozempic was over 10% & hence considered more effective ultimately. But I believe Ozempic takes longer to work initially. Sometimes several weeks.
I've just checked, apparently the max. dose of Wegovy is 2.4 mg in the states.

Thank you for that info.@intemperantfatty I didn't answer the question asked at all did I ? 😂
End of a long week...

@Cantonet thanks

Thank you both so much for answering me I think I’ll give it a go

Can you get this on the NHS?

Is it 0.25 for 4 weeks then 0.5 after? At what point would you go on the 1g?

@loverofpants it's 0.25 for a month, 0.5 for the second month & then 1 mg. Wh n Wegovy comes out next year it may be possible to go up to a higher dose than 1 if necessary.

@SuspiciousBanana I think maybe if you have diabetes & are severely overweight. Plus you've jumped thru' several weight loss hoops & are maybe waiting for weight loss surgery. It's area dependent & increasingly hard to get unfortunately.

@Intemperatefatty sounds like you’ve had great success.

out of interest, what do you eat now in contrast to what you ate before?

To be honest I don’t actually think about food much now which in itself is a complete change from what I was like before. I just eat when I’m hungry now and often go for hours before realising I need to eat something! I typically have a cup of tea or coffee in the morning followed by some soup or bagel for lunch (tried to a eat jacket potato for lunch the other day and managed a couple of fork fulls, I just didn’t want it!). Dinner is whatever the kids fancy, yesterday I made a noodle stir fry with prawns and had possibly half a cereal bowl full? I could easily have just had a slice of toast (and sometimes do!) My husband says I eat like a bird and eating out is wasted on me now as I just pick at things.

It’s completely cured my sweet tooth. No desire for sweet things whatsoever. In the early days, I’d try to squeeze in something sweet after a meal because that was what I was used to. My body would just reject it so now I just don’t bother. I don’t miss it.

It’s been very liberating not being a slave to my belly and worrying about whether or not to eat.

I've been prescribed 0.25 for 4 weeks then 0.5 for 4 weeks and then the 1g. However I have had such a good response to the 0.25 that I am planning to stay at that level until I need to increase. This is partly to manage any theoretical reactions and partly because ozempic is out of stock all over Australia and I've got enough to do 16 weeks at 0.25. By that stage it should be back in stock.

@LovelaceBiggWither that's interesting, how would you know you need to move up? Start feeling hungry again?

How long did it take for them to confirm eligibility / prescribe / ship / receive? I placed my order yesterday at 2pm (I wish I saw your £50 offer before) and still no answer. I know I am terribly impatient, but this gives me so much hope and I want it like yesterday.

I've lost 3st 9lb on Ozempic.

Didn't get to my target weight but close enough. Am now working to maintain it while weaning very very slowly off.

Main side effects were reflux, and at higher doses constipation. Very rapidly learned what food to avoid - anything fatty and especially chocolate.

Totally agree - is this how normal weight people feel all the time? Even my DH has lost weight as I totally transformed my cooking to be low fat, wholegrains only for carbs and he wasn't even taking it.

Yes I will base it on returning hunger. I think. My fear is that I will race through these two pens, lose lots and then be unable to get more and regain everything. My GP said she'd just prescribe saxenda or trulicity but you can't get those either!

@Prettybutdumb i think I was approved the next day and the stuff arrived a couple of days later. I know the feeling 9f just wanting to get started once you’ve made the decision!

Hi everyone,
Great to hear how you're all getting - hope you don't mind if I join!?
I was on saxenda earlier in the year but had little success on it . Didn't really feel any effects so the small amount of weight I lost was down to my own dieting rather than the sax.
Thinking of giving ozempic a try now.
Does the pen work like the saxenda pen so has clicks and you can actually adjust the dose regardless what dose pen you buy?
Thanks!