What is Wegovy?

Wegovy and its Alternatives Over the Counter

The stigmatization of weight is prevalent everywhere in the media, school, workplace, and even at home amongst family members.

The desire to be slim and trim is on a high rise like never before. However, on the contrary, the worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.

With regard to the rise of obesity and the need of the hour to help reduce this problem, the FDA (FOOD and DRUG ADMINISTRATION) has recently approved of the weight loss drug WEGOVY.

What is WEGOVY?

Wegovy is an injection prescribed for weight loss in adults and teenagers alike. Wegovy is actually a brand name for semaglutide, a GLP-1 analogue. It was manufactured by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company.

Guidelines to prescribe Wegovy were issued by NICE (NATIONAL INSTITUE FOR HEALTH and CLINICAL EXCELLENCE).

Following are the guidelines issued by NICE:

• Semaglutide, Wegovy is recommended to use alongside a strict and verified diet plan.
• People with a BMI (BODY MASS INDEX) of 30kg/m2 and more will be prescribed of the drug.
• An individual with at least one weight-related co-occurring condition will be eligible for the drug prescription with a referral to a specialist weight management service.
• Weight-related comorbidities such as hypertension, prediabetes or type-2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular diseases will be recommended to use Wegony as an option for weight management.

Thus, with these recommendations and guidelines by NICE, more than 35,000 people are expected to be accessible to WEGOVY. But in order to increase the percentage of people getting this access, the Department of Health has announced a two-year pilot to tackle obesity.

What Is a Two-Year Pilot?

The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) announced that a two-year pilot backed by up to 40m pounds to make the weight loss and obesity control drugs accessible to patients even outside the ambit of hospital settings.

WEGOVY And Weight Loss, How Does It Work?

It is approved that WEGOVY is used for a long-term weight loss by regulating your body’s appetite, and it also regulates the consumption of calorie intake.

Wegovy, however, is recommended to use with regular exercise and diet plans.

Hence, Wegovy should be incorporated into your life along with a healthy lifestyle for better results. The active and healthy lifestyle choice is essential while you’re on a Wegovy prescription because its safety and usage are not completely known.

Wegovy is used as a factor to mimic the action of a gut hormone called GLP-1. The gut hormone is released after eating and is the hormone that slows down the movement of food in your gut; therefore, it makes you stay full for a more extended period.

However, like any weight loss journey, it is evident that you regain weight when you stop taking WEGOVY. Hence, it is so important to continue to changes in your diet plan and inculcate the regular habit of incorporating physical activities in your daily life.

How to use Wegovy:

1. Wegovy is injected under the skin. Preferably the skin of your stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm.
2. Wegovy is used one time a week.
3. You can take Wegovy with or without food.
4. The Wegovy pen is for one-time use only.
5. You will hear two clicks while using the Wegovy pen. The first click is when the injection has started, and the second click is when the injection is ongoing.
6. Do not remove the Wegovy pen from your skin for full dosage before the yellow bar in the pen window stops moving.
7. Do not push or touch the needle cover to avoid needle stick injury.
8. Put the Wegovy pen away from children and visually impaired persons.

WEGOVY AND UK (UNITED KINGDOM)

The rush and the need to provide revolutionary weight loss drugs to the obese section of the population has reached the UK.

The UK government proposed a two-year pilot program that will allow NOVO Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy to be made accessible to overweight people even before the launch of the treatment in the UK.

This two-year pilot program’s primary goal is to lift the waiting burden and reduce the waiting time of the drug mimicking the action of the gut hormone GLP-1.

However, the uncertainty in the availability of WEGOVY is of deep concern. NOVO NORDISK has stated the struggle to meet the demands of their weight loss drug. The problem of meeting the demands of WEGOVY is due to the issues in the manufacturing of the drug.

The clinical trials have shown that using Wegovy, diet plan modifications, and daily exercise can help patients lose about 15 per cent of their total body weight in a year.

What Are Some of The Possible Side Effects Of WEGOVY?

Wegovy contains Semaglutide; therefore, it should not be used with another drug with the same ingredient.

Here are some of the possible health side effects of using Wegovy:

1. Inflammation of pancreatitis: If you experience severe pain in your stomach area, especially in the abdomen area of your body, then you need to make sure to contact your doctor immediately.
2. Allergic Reaction: Stop using Wegovy if you get any allergic symptoms like swelling of the face, tongue, eyes, lips or throat. In some allergy cases, you will experience breathing problems, severe itch and rashes, dizziness, and fainting.
3. Increased heartbeat: If you experience your heart racing and your chest pounding lasting for several minutes, then you need to stop taking Wegovy and inform your doctor immediately.
4. Patients with type-2 diabetes: Vision change and the risk of low blood sugar level are two side effects of Wegovy.
5. Mental state: Changes in your mood, thoughts, or feelings should not be overlooked. Immediately call the healthcare number and seek help without wasting time.
6. Risk of thyroid cancer: The risk of thyroid tumors or thyroid cancer has been seen in the rodent studies for Wegovy. It is not sure if it is the same with humans, but it comes with a boxed descriptive warning.
7. Gallbladder: While gallbladder diseases are not as common with Wegovy, they can be dangerous. It was found that adolescents have a higher risk of gallbladder stones when treated with Wegovy than adults who get the same treatment.

Who Is Eligible for Wegovy in The UK?

In the UK, according to the 2019 Health Survey for England, over 12 million adults were estimated to be living with obesity.

This resulted in the dire need of the Government and the Health Department of the UK to come up with a major revolution to help the population debunk the problem of obesity and the rise of other health hazards due to obesity.

In the UK, the NICE approved the usage and the eligibility of Semaglutide (WEGOVY) for adults with a Body Mass Index of more than 30 and one or more health-related issues due to being over-weight of the body.

The goal of making this revolutionary weight loss drug in the UK is to tackle with the rise of obesity in the country leading to many other severe health problems such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

The goal of the UK government is to facilitate the mass population to live healthier and longer lives.

What Is the Cost of WEGOVY In The UK?

Since WEGOVY is a prescribed based medication, the first step to buying wegovy in the UK is by talking to your doctor.

Before buying Wegovy, you should know that it is expensive without proper health insurance.

And like any other weight loss drug, for a long-term effect on your weight loss, while using WEGOVY, you need to use it along with a proper diet plan and exercise and a regular check-up with your doctor.

As mentioned earlier, since Wegovy is a prescribed medicine, the cost of it will depend on the cost of doctor consultation, the medicine/drug, and any following extra need while on the Wegovy medication process.

In 28 days of treatment, the Wegovy injection is usually 199 pounds weekly. The payment for consultation and other needs like needles, sharps bins and other additional support that the healthcare team provides are included in this cost.

In this way, you can calculate one week of treatment but dividing 199 by 4 since you will receive four pens of the WEGOVY injection in your 28 days of treatment. The total of one-week treatment will result in about 49.75 pounds per injection.

WEGOVY Over-The-Counter Alternatives:

Tackling weight loss is not an easy challenge for an individual. Wegovy is a weight loss drug prescribed for people who are suffering from obesity.

Here are some over the counter alternative supplements other than WEGOVY. Some of them are PhenQ, TRIM, Capsiplex.

• PhenQ: PhenQ is considered the market favorite Wegovy alternative. This is a natural supplement with key ingredients that help boost metabolism and reduces hunger, and at the same time, it gives energy throughout the day.
• TRIM: Trim is a weight loss formula by Capsiplex, another popular Wegovy alternative. The company mainly developed this formula to cater to the needs of the women crowd who are eager to lose body weight without losing the muscle mass. TRIM helps control metabolism and tames food cravings while still maintaining muscle mass and helps in toning the muscle. The toning of muscle will help boost workout and increases the calories burnt.

The Difference Between All-Natural Based Alternatives Over Wegovy (Prescription Drugs):

As discussed above, there is a working of magic in our weight loss journey using both drugs and supplements. However, you see that there are differences that come along with all-natural-based alternatives and Wegovy.

Here are some major differences:

1. Wegovy is a prescription drug that you cannot use without consulting a doctor. While of the other hand, all-natural-based supplements are directly bought on official websites.
2. Medication-based is more expensive than natural supplements.
3. Wegovy is a prescription drug with side effects, while on the other hand, the counter all-natural alternatives are free from side effects due to the herbal ingredients.
4. Wegovy can harm and speed damage other organs while, on the other hand, these all-natural supplements alleviate symptoms related to obesity like hypertension and high cholesterol levels.
5. All-natural-based supplements do not come with potential health risks like Wegovy.

The Bottomline: Wegovy Over the Counter Alternatives:

It would help if you did thorough research before choosing your supplements.

A doctor consultation is a must if you have any health concerns.

As you read in this article, natural ingredients will always be better than chemical-based ingredients in prescription drugs.

Incorporating prescription drugs along with diet and exercise is undoubtedly effective in your weight loss journey, but adding natural ingredients to your diet plan and exercise sounds so much better as they do not come with side effects.

Natural-based supplements are not limited only to helping you lose excess body fats, but they also give you energy and nutrients to the body.

Wegovy does not give you energy besides facilitating the loss of weight.

What Are Some of The Limitations Of WEGOVY?

Some of the limitations of Wegovy:

1. It is not known if the usage of wegovy with other weight loss and weight management products.
2. Wegovy should not be used with another GLP-1 receptor agonist.
3. Wegovy usage is not recommended with other drugs containing the same active drug.
4. Wegovy does not give you the energy.

Before choosing your choice of drug or supplement to help you in your weight loss journey or if you want to recommend a friend or a family. You should know that these medications and supplements are not a quick fix to treat obesity.

Wegovy, as we have discussed as the main topic of discussion, is supposed to take the long term. As you know, once you stop taking the medication, you might quickly regain much of your lost weight.

Therefore, note that obesity is along chronic progressive disease. Therefore, take Wegovy for as long as it helps you treat obesity but with thorough research and the facilitation of a professional healthcare provider and doctors.