SEMAGLUTIDE GLP-1

Healthcare providers have access to a new, exciting obesity treatment: Semaglutide.

What is Semaglutide, also known as "The Skinny Shot"?

Semaglutide, also known as "The Skinny Shot", is a new weight loss treatment for individuals who are overweight or obese. It is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug that is delivered through a weekly subcutaneous injection, and it is now offered at Tri Valley Medical Weight Control.

How Semaglutide Works

Semaglutide helps you lose weight by affecting areas of the brain that regulate appetite. When you aren’t fighting food cravings all the time, it becomes easier to make healthier food choices. It also slows stomach digestion, which helps you feel fuller longer.

A New, Yet Not New Drug

Although semaglutide is newly approved to help people lose weight, it is not a new drug as it is used to help people with type 2 diabetes better manage their blood sugar levels.

Semaglutide Injections - an Affordable Weight Loss Solution

One of the challenges that have existed with semaglutide is the cost, sometimes to the tune of $1,400 per month or more. Fortunately, this drug is now more affordable at roughly a quarter of the cost, which means you don’t have to break the bank to lose weight.

A “Game Changer” in Chronic Weight Management

Media outlets have called semaglutide a “game changer” in the battle against excess weight and research has confirmed its positive effects. For example, a 2021 study involving 803 people reported that the mean weight loss after 20 weeks was 10.6%!

How effective is semaglutide for weight loss?

People taking semaglutide have been able to lose as much as 20% of their starting body weight. For comparison, this is almost the amount of weight that is lost after having bariatric surgery. Plus, semaglutide can be taken long-term safely, which cannot be said for other weight loss medications.

Semaglutide Has Other Benefits as Well

On top of semaglutide being a highly effective weight management drug, it offers other benefits too. For instance, it may offer protection from a variety of chronic health conditions, some of which include cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes.

Semaglutide for Type 2 Diabetes

Before semaglutide was approved for people who are overweight and obese, it was approved as a type 2 diabetes treatment. When combined with diet and exercise, semaglutide can help people better control their blood sugar. It may even reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues (heart disease and high blood pressure), inflammation, high blood sugar, and obesity.

A Stand-Alone or Combination Treatment

While semaglutide is clinically proven to dramatically help with weight loss, this medication can be combined with other treatments for even greater effects. For example, you can take semaglutide with phentermine for better appetite control and lasting weight loss.

Semaglutide Benefits

Here are just some of the benefits of using semaglutide for chronic weight management:

• It isn’t habit forming, which means that it’s nonaddictive
• It isn’t a stimulant, so it won’t leave you feeling jittery
• It is typically well tolerated, meaning minimal side effects (if any)
• It is both safe and effective, providing the best of both worlds
• It suppresses your appetite, leading to fewer food cravings
• It slows the speed with which the stomach digests food, helping you feel fuller longer
• It helps you achieve weight loss at a faster rate.

SEMAGLUTIDE: The Basics

Previously, semaglutide was a treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes. Now it is available for individuals who want help with weight loss.

Semaglutide as a Weight Loss Treatment

The first chronic weight management drug to be approved since 2014, semaglutide injections help you lose weight by mimicking hormones that you already have in your body, ultimately reducing your appetite and your food cravings.

Tri Valley’s Weight Loss Management Philosophy

At Tri Valley, we look at overweight and obesity like other chronic health conditions, such as having high blood pressure or cholesterol. Therefore, the best treatment approach includes both medications and healthy lifestyle changes. This removes judgment from the process and, instead, involves treatment that utilizes a medical approach.

SEMAGLUTIDE: A BREAKTHROUGH Weight Loss Solution

With new obesity treatments often comes skepticism, and rightfully so.

Miracle Obesity Cures Have a History of Poor Results

We’ve all seen the ads for a “miracle obesity cure” that promises to help you lose weight once and for all. The problem is that most of the time, these “cures” don’t work. Then a new drug like semaglutide is discovered, providing an obesity treatment option that provides promising results.

Offering Patients with Diabetes Better Weight Loss

Semaglutide can be prescribed as a type 2 diabetes treatment, often at a dosage of 1m per day. When compared to other diabetes medications, it is among the best for losing weight, unlike many diabetes medicines that lead to weight gain.

Semaglutide Offers Long-Lasting Effects

The human body naturally produces the GLP-1 hormone when there is food in the stomach, reducing appetite while lowering blood sugars at the same time. Semaglutide is in a class of medications that mimic this hormone. However, its effects last longer—we’re talking weeks versus minutes.

Research Supports Semaglutide for Weight Loss

One study involved individuals who were obese (which was defined as having a body mass index or BMI of 30 or higher). Some received 2.4 mg of semaglutide each week. The rest of the group received a placebo or a sham version of the drug.

After 68 weeks, the group receiving actual semaglutide lost roughly 15% of their starting weight. For someone weighing 250 pounds, this would equate to a weight loss of around 37 pounds. The group getting the “fake” drug only lost 2.4%. This suggests that a medical weight loss program can help enhance your results.

Reach Your Weight Loss Goals with Semaglutide Injections

How does a weekly semaglutide injection translate into achieving your weight loss goals? When combined with healthy lifestyle changes:

• Your appetite will decrease, making it easier to eat less
• Your food will take longer to digest, making you feel fuller longer
• Your body fat levels and HbA1c levels will decrease

Semaglutide can also be used to help treat polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS.

SEMAGLUTIDE: a prescription weight loss medication

If you want or need to lose weight, semaglutide is available at Tri Valley Medical Weight Control.

Semaglutide Is Only Available by Prescription

The only way to access semaglutide is by prescription. This prescription can be obtained at Tri Valley, from one of our licensed medical providers. If you qualify for a semaglutide prescription, you can often start this medication on the same day you receive the prescription, and at an affordable rate.

What are the Side Effects of Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is typically well tolerated. However, some people do experience side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. You might also have some irritation where the semaglutide was injected. It’s always advised that you talk with a healthcare provider before starting a semaglutide treatment regimen.

Avoid Alcohol When Taking Semaglutide

Alcohol does not mix well with a lot of drugs, and this holds true with semaglutide. Additionally, individuals who are allergic to semaglutide should not use this drug.

Semaglutide Offers a Long-Term Solution vs. Being a Short-Term Gimmick

Unlike fad diets and other weight loss gimmicks, semaglutide is a prescription medication that is taken for longer periods (months versus weeks). That makes it a better option for people with a strong commitment to their weight loss.

What If I Only Have a Little Weight to Lose?

Typically, semaglutide is an option for people who have a higher amount of weight to lose, which they do over a long period with weekly semaglutide injections. However, someone who has less weight to lose may also be a good candidate for this drug as long as they meet the medical and body mass index requirements.

When Compared to Other Medications, Semaglutide Provides the “Largest Weight Loss”

One way to tell whether a weight loss treatment works is to look at the science. And the science supporting the effectiveness of semaglutide for weight loss is nothing less than impressive. In a 2021 review of the drug, the authors state, in part, that “Semaglutide has demonstrated the largest weight loss of any obesity medication to date,” citing its ability to reduce initial weight by roughly 15% at 68 weeks.

Semaglutide Superior for Weight Loss

Some research implies that semaglutide is superior to liraglutide, another GLP-1 receptor agonist, when it comes to losing weight. One theory is that it impacts more of the brain that controls hunger. It also stimulates metabolic activity and stops the body from reducing energy expenditure, thereby leading to longer-term weight loss effects.

Semaglutide has an “established SAFETY profile”

A 2021 review of whether semaglutide is safe found “no unexpected safety issues,” citing that this drug has an “established safety profile.”

Semaglutide for People with Type 2 Diabetes

In a 2020 study involving people with type 2 diabetes, after 78 weeks of taking this drug, participants had reduced their body weight and lowered their HbA1c levels significantly more than those who didn’t receive this drug.

A Safe Cardiovascular Weight Loss Treatment

This study also reported that oral semaglutide was well tolerated and demonstrated cardiovascular safety for people with a high risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as for those with a confirmed diagnosis.

How Semaglutide Affects the Body

As a GLP-1 agonist, semaglutide causes the pancreas to increase its production of insulin. When insulin levels are higher, digestion is slowed, causing the stomach to take longer to empty.

Longer Digestion Leads to Greater Appetite Suppression

When there is food in the stomach, this organ tells the brain that you’re full. And it sends this message even if you eat smaller meals than you typically would. By producing more insulin naturally, you’re provided with effective appetite suppression.

A Nonsurgical Weight Loss Option

If you’re looking for a weight loss solution that doesn’t involve surgery, semaglutide is one such option. It is also an option to stimulants that leave you feeling jittery, increasing your energy naturally through its support of healthier blood sugar levels.

Benefits for People Without Diabetes

Even if you don’t have type 2 diabetes or have a low risk of this disease, semaglutide can contribute to healthier blood sugar levels. This can help improve your health overall while improving your ability to lose weight.

As Semaglutide Demand Rises, Find a Reputable Supplier

Semaglutide’s powerful ability to promote weight loss has made this a high-demand drug that is prone to shortages and supply chain issues. This can lead unscrupulous characters to offer lower-quality versions of semaglutide that are potentially unsafe. Choosing a reputable supplier avoids this concern. For instance, we obtain our semaglutide from a compounding pharmacy.

Tri Valley Medical Weight Control

Tri Valley offers a combination semaglutide-B12 weight loss solution. This provides the ability to lose weight using multiple methods at the same time, creating a synergistic effect without having to deprive yourself of food or spend hours at the gym.

Semaglutide Weight Loss Injection Dosage and Options

The initial starting dose of a semaglutide injection is 0.25 mg, provided via local injection. This dosage can be increased if needed, up to a maximum of 2 mg. Although, dosage amounts can vary based on your situation and health status. We also offer the option to pair semaglutide with phentermine, providing enhanced results.

Semaglutide Dosage Can Be Adjusted

For safety reasons, it’s always important to follow the dosing schedule as prescribed. This schedule generally involves starting at a lower dosage. Then, as your body adjusts, the amount of the drug is increased slowly until you achieve the dosage needed to achieve the desired effects.

Semaglutide is prescribed on a titration schedule. As your body adjusts to the medication, you will slowly increase the amount over several weeks to months until you have slowly and safely worked up to a weekly maintenance dose.

Keep Watch for Unintended Side Effects

When semaglutide dosage is increased, it can sometimes lead to unwanted side effects. Some to watch for include:

• Feeling excessively full
• Experiencing dizziness or lightheadedness
• Continual feelings of lethargy
• Gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea or diarrhea

Talk to Your Doctor If You Have Negative Side Effects

If you experience any side effects when taking semaglutide, let your healthcare provider know. They can adjust your dosage amount to reduce these effects while still enabling you to lose weight in a safe, effective manner. Sometimes, this involves reducing the amount you take to a previously well-tolerated dosage to give your body time to fully adjust.