Why we don’t use Semaglutide Drugs?

In this blog post I want to briefly explain why we don’t offer semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) drugs in our offices. These drugs have recently gained popularity as weight loss aids, mainly due to their use by certain celebrities. Our office could have easily pivoted and started offering these drugs as well, so why didn’t we? Here are five reasons.

Effectiveness

The main reason that we don’t offer these drugs in our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky offices is that we believe that they do not solve the problem that we aim to solve. Specifically, they do not lead to long term weight loss (unless you remain on the drug for life). Everything we have read from physicians and drug reps suggest that these drugs can lead to a reduction in weight but once they are discontinued the most likely outcome is that all of the weight is regained (and possibly more). We are not in the business of quick fix, vanity, weight loss. We are in the business of helping our clients live new, healthier, lives. In our opinion, if we were to offer these drugs we would undercut this mission. Instead, we focus on using natural products that can be discontinued in time without the risk of regaining weight. We also incorporate sustainable eating and all encompassing support/accountability.

Slow Results

The second reason that we don’t offer semaglutide drugs is simply that their results are not quick enough, in our opinion. In our office we are proud to state that our clients often lose between .5-1 lbs. per day over the first month. Obviously, true weight loss results vary person to person but, based on our in office observations, these are the averages. Taking semaglutide drugs simply can not touch this level of results. The difference (again, in our opinion) is that if you want to lose weight predictably, quickly and for life you need to have a full plan incorporating dietary modifications support and products.

Fat loss vs. weight loss

Semaglutide drugs can help with weight loss. We want our clients to lose fat tissue. When you strictly focus on weight loss you can become dehydrated or lose muscle mass. This looks great on the scale but can lead to things like nutritional deficiencies, saggy skin, etc. When you specifically target fat loss (which is obviously what everyone wants) you can minimize these. Losing fat also makes weight maintenance easier.

Side Effects

Recently lawsuits have been filed against a number of the manufacturers of these drugs citing “stomach paralysis”. I have written extensively in other posts about this so here I won’t rehash everything I previously wrote here. The bottom line is that when you take a powerful drug like these there are going to be side effects. We certainly do not believe that the benefits outweigh these side-effects.

Cost

Finally, we will talk about cost. I won’t bore you with tons of details but let’s just say, “these drugs aren’t cheap!” At the end of the day, semaglutide drugs are basically appetite suppressants. If you are paying several hundred dollars per month for these drugs, and need to take them for life, this can quickly add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Again, these drugs simply act to suppress your appetite. We can’t justify someone paying the price of a new car for an appetite suppressant when there are better (in our opinion), quicker, safer and cheaper ways to do the same thing.