Weight Management

Weight management at Élan Med Spa means meeting with caring providers that understand the importance of Evidence Based Medicine to provide you the tools to look and feel better than ever. All clients will meet with providers trained in the use of semiglutide to determine if this medication is safe and appropriate for them.

What is semiglutide?

While the injectable drug semigluitid was approved as an ‘anti-obesity’ drug in 2021 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it had been used as a diabetes medication for over a decade. Functionally, it mimics the hormone released in the gut in response to eating, GLP-1.

GLP-1 prompts the body to produce more insulin, which reduces blood sugar. At higher amounts GLP-1 makes you feel full by interacting with the part of the brain that suppresses the appetite. When used with diet and exercise, it can cause significant weight loss.

Over the years there have been medications that help suppress appetite and achieve weight loss, but semaglutide performs the task on a new level.

In 2018 a study of almost 2,000 obese adults compared the treatment group using semaglutide plus a diet and exercise program with the placebo group that made the same lifestyle changes without semaglutide. The results showed that after 68 weeks, half of the participants in the treatment group lost 15% of their body weight, and nearly a third lost 20%. The placebo group that only participated in lifestyle changes lost about 2.4% of their weight.

It is important to note that while several additional studies have reproduced these results, they have also shown that participants generally regain the weight back when they stop taking semaglutide.

What are the side effects of semaglutide injections?

Typically the side effects are mild and may include:

• Frequent; nausea, vomting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation.
• Serious; pancreatitis, diabetic retinopathy complications, hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, hypersensitivity.
• While gastrointestinal issues are the most common concern, many are able to reduce the side effects by beginning on a lower dose and if necessary slowly increasing the amount they take.

To learn more about semaglutide and other weight loss medications, reach out to your primary care physician.

Avoid semaglutide if you have:

• History of medullary thyroid cancer
• History of gallbladder disease
• History of pancreatitis
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2)

If you’re considering semaglutide for weight loss, schedule an appointment with one of Elan Med Spa’s Weight Management Experts to discuss your personal and family medical to guide you in the best treatment for your condition.