SEMAGLUTIDE INFORMATION SHEET

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Semaglutide is used for weight loss in specific patients, and also to lower blood sugar levels, and to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke in certain patients. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 agonist that works by increasing insulin release, lowering the amount of glucagon released, delaying gastric emptying, and reducing appetite.

Semaglutide injections (Ozempic and Wegovy) are given as subcutaneous injections once a week.

Semaglutide works to lower high blood sugar by increasing the amount of insulin that is released, lowering the amount of glucagon released, and by delaying gastric emptying. Semaglutide also controls appetite and so helps you reduce the amount of food that you want to eat.  Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist

Common Semaglutide side effects may include low blood sugar (in people with type 2 diabetes), upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, stomach flu symptoms, headache, dizziness, tiredness.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives, itching, dizziness, fast heartbeats, difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

call your doctor at once if you have:

• vision changes;
• unusual mood changes, thoughts about hurting yourself;
• pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest;
• a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;
• signs of a thyroid tumor - swelling or a lump in your neck,      trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, feeling short of breath;
• symptoms of pancreatitis - severe pain in your upper stomach      spreading to your back, nausea with or without vomiting, fast heart rate;
• gallbladder problems - upper stomach pain, fever,      clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• low blood sugar - headache, hunger,      weakness, sweating, confusion, irritability, dizziness, fast heart rate,      or feeling jittery;
• kidney problems - swelling, urinating less, feeling tired or      short of breath; or
• stomach flu symptoms - stomach cramps, vomiting, loss of appetite,      diarrhea (may be watery or bloody).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. 

Call your doctor at once if you have signs of a thyroid tumor, such as swelling or a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, or shortness of breath.

You should not use Semaglutide if you have multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (tumors in your glands), or a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer.

You should not use Semaglutide if you are allergic to it, or if you have:

• multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (tumors in your glands);
• a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma      (a type of thyroid cancer); or
• diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

• a stomach or intestinal disorder;
• pancreatitis;
• kidney disease; or
• eye problems caused by diabetes (retinopathy).

Men and women should stop using Semaglutide at least 2 months before you plan to get pregnant. Ask your doctor for a safer medicine to use during this time. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, as is gaining the right amount of weight. Even if you are overweight, losing weight during pregnancy could harm the unborn baby.

Semaglutide is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

 Semaglutide is injected under the skin, usually once per week at any time of the day, with or without food. Use an injection on the same day each week.

Read and follow all instructions you have been given. Ask your doctor or provider if you need help.

Prepare an injection only when you are ready to give it. 

Your healthcare provider will show you where to inject Semaglutide or she may inject the dose for you. Do not inject into the same place two times in a row.

If you choose a different weekly injection day, start your new schedule after at least 2 days have passed since the last injection you gave.

Do not use different brands of Semaglutide at the same time.

• Start Semaglutide with a 0.25 mg subcutaneous injection      (injection under the skin) once weekly for 4 weeks. The 0.25 mg dosage is      intended for treatment initiation and is not effective for glycemic      control.
• After 4 weeks on the 0.25 mg dosage, increase the dosage to      0.5 mg once weekly.
• If additional weight loss is needed after at least 4 weeks on      the 0.5 mg dosage, the dosage may be increased to 1 mg once weekly.
• ​If additional weight loss is desired at least 4 weeks on the      1 mg dosage, the dosage may be increased to 1.7 mg once weekly. The      maximum recommended dosage is 2.4mg once weekly.
• Administer Semaglutide once weekly, on the same day each      week, at any time of the day, with or without meals.
• The day of weekly administration can be changed, if necessary,      as long as the time between two doses is at least 2 days (>48 hours).
• If a dose is missed, administer Semaglutide as soon as      possible within 5 days after the missed dose. If more than 5 days have      passed, skip the missed dose and administer the next dose on the regularly      scheduled day. In each case, patients can then resume their regular      once-weekly dosing schedule.

Semaglutide can slow your digestion, and it may take longer for your body to absorb any medicines you take by mouth.

Tell your doctor about all your other medicines, especially insulin or other diabetes medicines, such as dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, Byetta, Trulicity, Victoza, and others.

Other drugs may affect Semaglutide, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use.

You will lose weight with Semaglutide because you will eat less, and feel fuller when you do eat. Semaglutide does this by targeting an area in the brain (called GLP-1 receptors) that help to regulate your appetite and how much you eat. It closely mimics a natural hormone in the body called incretin, which is made primarily in our digestive tract.

Semaglutide is used as a long-term weight loss treatment in addition to a healthy diet and exercise to help promote weight loss. Semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) are also approved to help protect the heart in patients with heart disease.

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and occupies the GLP-1 receptor in the brain that regulates appetite.

It should not be used with other Semaglutide-containing products (such as Ozempic, Rybelsus) or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines.

GLP-1 works by helping people to lose weight in 3 ways:

• It targets the brain centers that regulate appetite,      especially after eating, which may help you eat less.
• It slows down how quickly the stomach empties, which makes      you feel fuller for longer.
• Semaglutide treatment is recommended for long-term use if      it’s effective for you. With continued use, Semaglutide has been shown in      studies to help people lose weight and keep it off for over one year.

You may see some weight loss in the 4 weeks of Semaglutide treatment, but the full effect can take several months. After 68 weeks, adults lost about 35 lbs (15.9 kg) in studies, on average.

Your team will slowly increase your dose when you start treatment to help lessen stomach side effects like nausea and diarrhea. It typically takes about 17 weeks to reach your final maintenance dose of Semaglutide.

What is the cost of the Semaglutide Injections?

At Medical Spa of Plano, we have worked hard to keep the cost of the injections as low as possible. As the dosage increases, so does the cost to us. 

Months 1-4

Semaglutide Only: $349 per month

Semaglutide with Lipoden: $349 + $100 per month

Lipoden Only: $125 per month

Month 5 and beyond

Semaglutide Only: $449 per month

Semaglutide with Lipoden: $449 + $100 per month

Lipoden Only: $125 per month