The search for an effective and safe weight loss treatment can be never-ending.  The newest obesity medications are still making waves since 2021, and they are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide. Both are safe and effective treatments for weight loss.

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide belongs to a class of medications called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1 RA’s.  It mimics the GLP-1 hormone released in the gut in response to eating.

One role of GLP-1 is to prompt the body to produce more insulin, which reduces blood sugar, also known as glucose.  For this reason, semaglutide has been used for the past 15 years to treat Type 2 diabetes.  In higher amounts, the GLP-1 interacts with the parts of the brain that suppress appetite and cravings and signals you to feel full.  When used in conjunction with diet and exercise it can cause significant weight loss, reduced risk of diabetes and heart disease in people who are obese or overweight.

How effective is Semaglutide for weight loss?

In the past, there have been many anti-obesity medications that help suppress appetite and achieve weight loss, but semaglutide performs on a new level.

In an early study using 2000 obese adults which compared people using semaglutide plus diet and exercise against people using the same diet and exercise program with semaglutide, the results were as follows:
After 68 weeks, half of the participants using semaglutide lost 15% of their body weight, and nearly a third lost 20%.  The participants that only used diet and exercise only lost about 2.4% of their body weight.

The fundamental of weight loss and obesity management will always be lifestyle changes which include changes in diet and exercise. The medication we use to help you achieve your goals are tools to be used along with diet and exercise.  The goal is to educate people to learn how to eat to keep weight off once the medication is stopped.

Side Effects

Semaglutide side effects are generally mild – especially when compared to the complications associated with being overweight and obese.

The medication is started in low doses to help your body adjust to the medication, which helps prevent these side effects from occurring, and it is titrated up as tolerated.

Dizziness, Fatigue, Gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation or gassiness, headache, nausea, or vomiting are some of the side effects you may experience. They are usually mild and decline over time as your body adjusts.

What is Tirzepatide?

Tirzepatide is used for weight loss and type 2 diabetes.  Tirzepatide is a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist and works for weight loss by decreasing your appetite and slowing the movement of food from your stomach into the small intestine, which may make you feel fuller more quickly and for a longer period of time.  It also decreases blood sugar levels by increasing insulin production and lowering the amount of sugar the liver makes.

Tirzepatide is a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, so it works by activating both GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone receptors.  GLP-1 helps control appetite and calorie intake and GIP is thought to contribute to regulate food intake as well.
Recent studies show that Tirzepatide may be somewhat more effective for weight loss than Semaglutide due to the additional GIP peptide, but both are very effective for weight loss, provided diet and exercise programs are used in conjunction.

Side effects of Tirzepatide are similar to those of Semaglutide, and both are once-weekly injections.

Criteria for weight loss medications:

BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

BMI of 30 kg/m2 or greater

These medications should be avoided if :
History of medullary thyroid cancer
History of gallbladder disease
History of pancreatitis
Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2)