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Topics: Health, Reddit, Social Media, Ozempic
Ellie Kemp
A Wegovy user who would eat until they were 'nauseous' was left amazed by an unexpected side effect of the drug.
Injectable medications to assist with weight loss have boomed in popularity, with roughly 16 million US adults estimated to have tried them.
While Ozempic - prescribed only to manage diabetes - has essentially become the Jet2 Holidays of the injectable weight-loss world, a wave of newer medications has since been approved specifically to help people manage their weight.
Wegovy, which gained the FDA's sign-off in 2021, is one of them.
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Containing semaglutide - the same active ingredient as Ozempic - it helps people to regulate their appetite and reduces the possible risk of weight-related illnesses.
Diabetes UK explains that Wegovy mimics the action of gut hormone GLP-1, which is released after eating and 'slows down how quickly food is digested.'
This means it can help users stay full for longer, which can lead to weight loss. People usually start out on the lowest dose, gradually increasing it every four weeks to limit side effects.
The typical schedule begins with 0.25 mg, moving to 0.5 mg, then 1 mg, then 1.7 mg until graduating to 2.4 mg, which is the long-term maintenance dose.
Now, one Wegovy user who's been on the medication for only a week has shared an unexpected side effect of the drug - but they say they're 'even happier' about it than the actual weight loss itself.
Taking to the r/Wegovy community on Reddit, they were curious to see if they were the only ones experiencing the revelation.
"I used to eat and eat until it made me nauseous," they said. "I still had an appetite, but I would stop because I couldn't keep any more down.
"Weight loss advice always said 'stop eating when you feel full' but I honestly could never understand what that was supposed to feel like."
They shared that since Wegovy, they've been able to eat and get satisfaction and fullness 'without binging until I'm nauseous.'
"Maybe it sounds dumb, but I've genuinely never felt this before," they admitted. "I can't believe this is how normal people live."
Giving a real-life example, they explained how they made chocolate cake two days ago, and usually the entire thing would've been long gone.
"But I've only had one slice, and I honestly feel satisfied," they shared. "I'm just so happy I can finally have a normal relationship with food. I'm even happier about this than the weight loss itself."
Of course, everyone's experience is different, but for some, the medication has been life-changing.
Other social media users could relate, as one person responded: "I am in the exact same boat. I had the same epiphany, and it blows my mind."
"For years I thought 'full' meant that gross, overly stuffed feeling after I'd eaten way past comfort," a second said. "It was the only cue I knew. Once I started paying attention to my satiety cues, it felt like learning a new language."
A third shared: "I am five days in and I am now able to leave stuff on my plate because I simply am satisfied and don’t feel the need to eat anymore.
"Before I would clear my plate past the point of feeling full because I couldn’t stop."
However, others revealed that the feeling of 'fullness' only began to kick in on higher doses. Meanwhile, some people say the so-called ‘food noise’ - those constant thoughts about eating - doesn’t disappear on Wegovy, but becomes noticeably quieter.