The most common side effects are feeling sick (queasy) and diarrhea. Other side effects include feeling tired or mildly dizzy and constipation. All of these side effects typically reduce over time. If at any time you develop severe stomach pain with sickness (nausea and vomiting), seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Our experience is that around 5% of our patients simply cannot tolerate semaglutide at any dose, mainly due to the GI side effect such as nausea.
A concern with any weight loss program, including programs that use semaglutide is loss of muscle mass. In order to maximize fat loss, while minimizing muscle loss, you will have to get adequate protein and incorporate exercise that focuses on muscle maintenance. You’ll work with your health coach and provider to insure that you retain muscle while you are on the medication.
While GLP-1 medications have a long history of safety, there are some concerns that you should be aware of. In particular, there is a rare cancer called medullary thyroid cancer that has been linked to GLP 1 medications. Again, this is rare, however, if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, semaglutide would not be right for you.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.
