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Semaglutide Treatment for Weight Loss in Non-Diabetics: Everything You Need to Know

Semaglutide is a medication for managing type 2 diabetes as it stimulates the pancreas for insulin secretion to stabilize high blood sugar levels. Aside from this, it's also been discovered to be a reliable interventional treatment for weight management, alongside lifestyle intervention. Obese patients without diabetes can benefit from this treatment, especially when a simple diet and physical activity may not always be enough for weight reduction.

So what should you know about semaglutide for weight loss in non-diabetics? Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, can be used safely for chronic weight management alongside lifestyle change in non-diabetic obese patients. It's earned an approval for weight reduction and has produced positive results in several clinical trials. This medication suppresses the appetite, as it regulates the blood sugar level with insulin secretion.

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Can You Take Semaglutide If You’re Not A Diabetic?

Yes, you can take semaglutide medications even if you're not suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus. With a lifestyle change involving a healthy diet and physical activity, this drug can help reduce obesity and lead to a greater weight loss.

It was approved as a drug for weight loss, so you can expect it to have already gone through several controlled trials. You must consult your doctor about semaglutide medications should you consider having the treatment. This will help you have a more guided and comprehensive weight reduction program that's safe and tailor-fitted for your successful treatment.

Semaglutide in Non-Diabetics for Weight Loss

Even patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus can benefit from semaglutide and take it as a weight loss medication. This indication has already been proven to produce positive results in several clinical trials. This medication has resulted in significant weight loss from the baseline body weight with lifestyle intervention. If you're thinking of taking this medication for diabetic patients, you might want to learn more about how it works and its types.

How Semaglutide Works

Semaglutide is initially a drug for regulating the blood sugar level of diabetic patients. It's a GLP-1 receptor agonist stabilizing blood sugar level by stimulating insulin secretion. Insulin is a vital peptide hormone produced by the pancreas that allows the cells to transform glucose into energy. Diabetic patients don't create enough insulin, so they tend to have high sugar levels -- this effect manifests in several bodily processes.

Because of this method of action by semaglutide medications, overweight or obese patients may also benefit from taking the medication as a weight loss drug. Semaglutide is a medication for chronic weight management, alongside lifestyle intervention, as it helps suppress the appetite.

For diabetic patients, not having enough insulin keeps the glucose they consume from getting converted into energy, making them hungrier. Semaglutide stimulates the production of the peptides that enhance the metabolism and increase energy.

Non-diabetic patients who take these medications can have their appetite suppressed and avoid weight gain. But semaglutide drugs must only be taken as metabolism support -- you must still consult your doctor to prepare the right nutrition and fitness plan for you. If you're a patient suffering from obesity, you might want to have more examinations to rule out other underlying medical conditions.

Semaglutide Medications for Weight Loss

Asian woman consults her male doctor with regards to using semaglutide injection

Semaglutide is also a safe and reliable treatment option to lose weight for non-diabetics. But this once-weekly drug must be taken alongside a drastic lifestyle change that follows a healthy diet and physical activity. It also comes in 2 forms: oral semaglutide and injectable semaglutide.

1. Semaglutide Pen Injector for Weight Loss

Semaglutide usually comes in a fluid packaged in a pen-like syringe and injected under the skin. A 2.4 mg once-weekly dose of subcutaneous semaglutide Wegovy is approved as a weight loss drug for obese or overweight patients suffering from at least one chronic health condition, like high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

This is suitable even for patients without diabetes. Like any other type of semaglutide, this medication must be taken with a complete lifestyle change, like having a healthy diet and physical activity.

Subcutaneous semaglutide medications for reducing body weight are recommended for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg/m2 or more. Obese patients with a 30 kg/m2 or greater BMI can also have this treatment for weight loss, even if they're suffering from a chronic health condition.

2. Oral Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Non-Diabetics

Oral semaglutide is also available for non-diabetic patients seeking reliable weight loss medication. These types of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines are given once daily instead of once-weekly doses with subcutaneous semaglutide.

Oral semaglutide produces similar results with pen injectable treatments, but a clinical trial reports that it's sometimes better than injectable semaglutide with basal insulin. Oral semaglutide must be taken at least 30 minutes before you consume food, drink, or any other medicines. You must swallow the medicine whole and avoid chewing or breaking it. Your dose will depend on your doctor's prescription.

What Research Says About Semaglutide Once-Weekly for Weight Loss

The practice of using semaglutide as a medication for chronic weight management has started because of the many controlled trials that have shown the drug's efficacy for reducing body weight among obese and overweight patients.

Because of these clinical studies, patients now have more interventional support for attaining a healthier and more stable weight, alongside a lifestyle change. You can learn more about semaglutide for weight loss in non-diabetics by knowing how most of the studies went.

1. Person Without Diabetes Takes Semaglutide

Clinical trials involve having volunteer patients take semaglutide. A clinical trial from the New England Journal of Medicine posted online in 2021 by John P.H. Wilding, D.M. et al,
has discovered the efficacy of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide by having the volunteers take the blood glucose regulator medications and placebo.

Another clinical trial by Domenica M. Rubino, MD, and colleagues, posted in 2022 at the JAMA Network, has compared the effects of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide with daily liraglutide on obese and overweight patients without diabetes mellitus.

a. Design and Participants

To prove the efficacy of semaglutide medications for weight loss, controlled trials must be held. The study by John P.H. Wilding, D.M. and colleagues had 1961 adults without diabetes with a BMI of 30 or more and assigned them randomly at a 2:1 ratio, where they will undergo 68 weeks of treatment with subcutaneous semaglutide or placebo with lifestyle change.

The controlled trial by Domenica M. Rubino, MD, and their colleagues held a randomized trial at 19 sites in the United States involving 338 participants. These participants have a BMI of 27 or greater or 30 or more, with weight-related comorbidities but without diabetes.

At a ratio of 3:1:3:1, they are given subcutaneous semaglutide or matching placebo and liraglutide or matching placebo for 68 weeks. These are the variables in controlled trials that will give you scientific evidence of the efficacy of semaglutide medications for weight loss in non-diabetics.

b. Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Non-Diabetics Dosage

The dosage of semaglutide given to the participants in the study by John P.H. Wilding, D.M., and colleagues are 2.4 mg. The controlled trial by Domenica M. Rubino, MD and colleagues also involved a dose of 2.4 mg semaglutide and 3 mg liraglutide.

2. Significant Weight Loss in Obese Patients

The clinical trial by John P.H. Wilding, D.M. and colleagues has produced results where obese patients have significant weight loss from taking semaglutide. They experienced a −14.9% mean change in body weight, while the placebo group only had −2.4%, having an estimated difference of −12.4 percentage points. The semaglutide group experienced a change in body weight of −15.3 kg, while the placebo group had −2.6 kg.

The participants who had subcutaneous semaglutide experienced improvements in their cardiometabolic risk factors and an increase in physical functioning from baseline than those who received a placebo.

The clinical trial by Domenica M. Rubino, MD, and colleagues had similar results where there has been a change in body weight with a mean of -15.8% in the semaglutide group, while the liraglutide group had a mean of -6.4%.

What to Expect from Semaglutide Treatment for Weight Loss

Clinical trials have already demonstrated the efficacy of semaglutide treatments in weight reduction for obese and overweight patients without diabetes. You may know what to expect from your semaglutide treatment for weight loss by learning about the ideal candidates and treatment plan.

Ideal Candidates

Semaglutide medications are reliable drugs for helping patients reduce weight as it suppresses their appetite by observing a healthy diet and regular exercise. Patients who can take this weight loss drug are:

  • Adults with 30 or higher BMI
  • Adults with a BMI of 27 and chronic medical conditions affecting their health, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other diseases.

Patients who are not suitable for this treatment are those with or with a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), a rare type of thyroid cancer, and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding also aren't suitable candidates. Taking semaglutide medications comes with a warning for patients with:

  • Gallbladder conditions
  • Pancreatitis
  • Low blood sugar or hypoglycemia
  • Kidney disease
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Increased heart rate
  • Depression, suicidal ideations, and other mood disturbances

Consult a specialist to know if you're a suitable candidate for semaglutide medications. They'll do extensive examinations and interviews to rule out chronic medical conditions and determine if this weight loss drug is safe for you.

Treatment Plan

Patients must take this medication alongside a lifestyle change involving a healthy diet and regular exercise. Subcutaneous semaglutide is injected with a pen under the skin of the abdomen, upper arm, or thighs once a week. Most patients receive a dose of 2.4 mg, but your doctor might start you on a low dose before gradually increasing to a higher dose to reduce side effects.

Schedule a Consultation at Dr. V Medical Aesthetics to Learn More About Semaglutide Treatment for Weight Loss

Dr. V

Semaglutide, initially an anti-diabetes medication, is a safe and reliable treatment option for weight loss in obese or overweight patients, even if they don't have type 2 diabetes mellitus. But its use must come with strict coordination with your specialist to set your weight management solutions for success.

Dr. V Medical Aesthetics is one of the most trusted medical spa and wellness clinics in Pensacola, Florida. With the help of our board-certified professionals, patients experience a comprehensive approach to weight management with semaglutide medications. You may learn more about our programs by scheduling a consultation today.

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