I lost 30 pounds on Ozempic, ending years of binge eating [Beuzz]

“I find comfort in food,” the 37-year-old real estate worker told Insider.

But Rodriguez, of Colorado Springs, battled binge eating for seven years, which caused him to gain and lose weight on several occasions.

After a particularly bad binge in September 2022, she wondered if semaglutide, a trendy new weight-loss drug her friend had told her about a month before, might help her.

Known under the brand names Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss, semaglutide is usually given as a weekly injection and works by suppressing appetite. Originally it was a medicine for diabetes, but it was Approved by the FDA to treat obesity in 2021.

Rodriguez did some research, contacted a doctor, and “never looked back.”

“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said.

Rodriguez started taking semaglutide as a weekly injection in September 2022. By January 2023, she had lost 30 pounds and was happy in her body, so she has since moved to a bi-weekly injection in hopes of maintain his weight.

Rodriguez no longer eats for comfort

During her first week of taking the drug, Rodriguez felt anxious and nauseous and was always hungry, but that subsided when she stopped taking a vitamin B12 supplement that she was using at the same time. time. There is no proof that vitamin B12 supplements interact with semaglutide.

Soon after, she was eating leftover mac and cheese and noticed that it stopped tasting good after four or five bites.

“It tasted like rubber” and it was “the weirdest feeling ever,” she said, adding that the semaglutide made everything taste different.

She also doesn’t crave the things she used to do, like Sprite or alcohol. And while she used to eat her own meals and finish those of her children, she is now “full and happy” after eating half of her own.

Rodriguez no longer looks forward to food like she used to, which is both a blessing and a curse, she said. She doesn’t have the excitement, stress or guilt associated with eating. Going out to eat is now more about socializing than food, she said.

“The best thing this drug has done is cut the emotional attachment to food,” she said.

Semaglutide side effects included constipation, nausea, and headache

Side effects of semaglutide include bloating, nausea, and stomach cramps. In Rodriguez’s case, she has a dry mouth and tastes bitterness after each injection.

For the first month, Rodriguez had nausea, headaches and constipation, so she started taking a probiotic to help her have a bowel movement. THE FDA approved a weekly dose of 2.4 mg of semaglutide, but you start at a much lower dose and gradually increase over the months. When Rodriguez increased the dose too quickly, she was “sick as a dog” and was throwing up every day, but then went down briefly and was fine, she said.

Drinking a protein shake in the morning helps relieve nausea, Rodriguez said.

She noticed she had less appetite a day or two after taking the weekly shot, she said.

Her hunger returns as the drugs wear off

Semaglutide has been “incredible” for Rodriguez. She is afraid that her hunger will return and notices it when the medicine wears off towards the end of each twice-weekly injection.

“I don’t like that feeling, I don’t miss that feeling,” she said.

Rodriguez pays $200 per hit. She admits it’s expensive, but feels safe knowing she gets her medication from an in-person doctor who is there to answer any questions, unlike her friends who ordered the medication online for less. don’t have that, she said.

Rodriguez hopes to gradually reduce the frequency of her doses, down to once every three weeks, then hopefully four, provided she can maintain her weight. She’s waiting to see, however, how she feels and if her comfort food cravings return.

“I’m in a much better place and would love to do whatever it takes to stay here,” Rodriguez said.