Metformin and ozempic are oftentimes used for controlling type 2 diabetes and weight loss. This blog will examine the similarities, differences, benefits and risks of both. 

Metformin is a drug used to help lower your blood glucose levels and to help your body restore its response to insulin. It does this by reducing the amount of glucose that gets released from the liver which helps your body absorb more glucose in the blood. This results in lowered blood sugar and increases your sensitivity to insulin. 

Doctors might prescribe metformin for weight loss too, which has been shown to help lose modest amounts of weight. It helps with weight loss by altering our hormones associated with hunger. Ghrelin is a hormone that sends signals from your stomach to your brain when you get hungry, it tells the brain, “I need to eat!” When ghrelin is reduced, it makes you feel a little less hungry. This effect is little in metformin, which is why metformin is mainly used for type 2 diabetes instead of weight loss. 

With any drugs, especially ones that you can’t get over the counter can have side effects. Common metformin symptoms include abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, fast breathing, fever or chills. Long term, it can be detrimental to the amount of vitamin B-12 in your body, causing a deficiency. B-12 deficiency can be very serious, because it plays an important role in cognitive function. If you have to take metformin long-term, be sure to get your B-12 levels checked out and keep this in mind. 

Now.. What most of you might’ve been waiting for, let's talk about Ozempic. 

Lately, Ozempic has been the new craze. It’s being talked about all over social media, by many different celebrities and influencers. But, is what they say true? Is it really a game-changing weight loss solution? 

Unlike Metformin, Ozempic is a semaglutide injection, acting as a GLP-1 receptor agonist. What this does is helps the pancreas make more insulin, therefore lowering blood sugar. Since Ozempic mimics the hormone GLP-1, this hormone plays a role in inducing satiety, helping you to feel full after eating and overall works to suppress your appetite, resulting in you eating less. Ozempic has been used as a treatment option for type 2 diabetes but is also being used to help people lose weight due to this mechanism. 

Ozempic can work well to lose weight if need be. It sounds like a great, simple option for weight loss but there's a lot more to it.. Ozempic has been shown to have many side effects that can even turn into chronic conditions. Some of the short term side effects include diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation, fatigue, dizziness, and more. Ozempic helps to reduce your cravings for food, making you less likely to overeat. The problem with this is, it is not a promising long term solution! Once you come off Ozempic, your cravings and hunger will be back, resulting in weight gain that you just lost, potentially with the addition of side effects so at that point, is it even worth it? Research has found that two thirds of people will gain the weight back once they’re off Ozempic. This is probably due to the cravings, hunger and appetite levels that have increased back to how they were before.

Long term effects of taking this drug can be more serious, common effects include  gastroparesis, chest pains, pancreatitis, hypoglycemia, gallbladder disease, and chest pains. If Ozempic has a small chance of it working to keep weight off long term, with all these side effects.. You’re probably wondering, is there a more promising option?

Yes there is! The most effective way to lose weight while keeping the weight off is, to commit to a healthier lifestyle by engaging in exercise and eating nourishing, nutritious foods. It’s not a quick fix but more often than not, quick fixes do not work. With the help of nutrition experts at Live Nourished Today, we help you manage your weight by using a sustainable approach that actually makes you enjoy life too!