Exploring the Future of Weight Loss: A Deep Dive into Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro

Have you heard of it yet? The new weight loss injections are Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro. What’s the difference? Which one is best for me?

Let us break down the popular new injections that can help kickstart your weight loss journey. Having options in your choices is excellent, but when you need to know the difference between them, how can you choose appropriately? Even though these medications

can be used to help with other medical issues, they are best known for the helpful medication that helps you lose weight. Even though these medications all have different names and VERY similar purposes, they have differences, too.

Some similarities include all sub-q injections, which can be injected into a fatty area in your body and under the skin. They need to be injected once a week, usually the same day a week, for maximum results. The dosage of this medication can be increased throughout the duration of use. Side effects are typically the same with all of them, including GI problems.

Wegovy:

Wegovy is usually prescribed for people who are obese or overweight with no non-specific comorbidities. Since this medication was explicitly prescribed for weight loss, it does have a higher dose of Semaglutide than the other injections. Side effects include many gastrointestinal problems, just like the other medications as well. Nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea are very mild symptoms that are rare to cause an issue. According to the FDA, in their trial with Wegovy, individuals lose 6.2% of their initial body weight when starting.

Ozempic:

This specific one is the most common and popular injection because it is covered by insurance ( using the diagnosis: diabetic ) Typically Ozempic is prescribed for people that are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it is not approved for weight loss. According to the FDA, Ozempic has a smaller dose of Semaglutide than the other compared injections. Just like the other versions of this drug, it does cause some gastrointestinal issues, which are nausea, vomiting, cramping, constipation, and diarrhea.

Mounjaro:

Like the others, Mounjaro is also used for diabetics but was specifically prescribed for weight loss in obese patients. Unlike the others, this medication is not covered by insurance because although it might help your diabetes, this cannot be your only diagnosis. This drug is very effective compared to the others but the least popular due to the insurance issue. According to the FDA, this medication was very effective for diabetes compared to other diabetic medications. Side effects include your typical GI symptoms like all the others.

References:

FDA Approves New Drug Treatment for Chronic Weight Management, First Since 2014. (2021, June 4). FDA. Retrieved August 22, 2023, from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-new-drug-treatme nt-chronic-weight-management-first-2014

FDA Approves Novel, Dual-Targeted Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes. (2022, May 13). FDA.

Retrieved August 22, 2023, from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-dual-targete d-treatment-type-2-diabetes