Ozempic for Weight Loss: Does It Really Work?

Key Takeaways

Ozempic is not FDA-approved as a weight loss medication. However, Wegovy, which contains the same active ingredient (semaglutide), is approved for weight loss.
Research suggests taking semaglutide made patients more likely to lose at least 5% of their body weight compared to placebo.
Some doctors use Ozempic off-label for chronic weight management because it lowers blood sugar and delays gastric emptying, making you feel full, reducing appetite, and decreasing food intake.

Ozempic (generic drug: semaglutide) is a once-weekly injectable prescription drug that is used to treat diabetes. In addition to controlling blood sugar levels, it can also cause modest amounts of weight loss.

Recently, Ozempic for weight loss has gotten a lot of attention from celebrities and social media influencers, but does it really work? Find out if Ozempic really works as a weight loss medication.

Is it worth taking Ozempic for weight loss?

It may be worth taking Ozempic for weight loss if you have type 2 diabetes mellitus. If you don’t have diabetes and want to take Ozempic for weight loss, it is likely that the risks of taking this medication outweigh the benefits. Continue reading on to learn more about the risks of taking Ozempic for weight loss.

Talk with your health care provider about taking one of the newer weight loss medications, such as Wegovy (semaglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide), or Zepbound (tirzepatide).

These other medications are FDA-approved weight loss medications. Insurance coverage is more likely for Wegovy rather than Ozempic for weight loss, as it is an FDA-approved use for Wegovy. Learn more about Wegovy uses and side effects at our blog.

If you are prescribed Ozempic as an off-label treatment for weight loss without having a type-2 diabetes diagnosis, insurance coverage may be challenging.

Is Ozempic approved for weight loss?

Ozempic is not an FDA-approved weight loss drug. It is a diabetes medication used to control high blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. However, some doctors use Ozempic off-label for chronic weight management.

Off-label use is an extremely common practice. In fact, one out of five are prescribed for off-label uses in the United States.

Who can take Ozempic for weight loss?

Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss are not for normal-weight patients. While Ozempic is prescribed as an off-label treatment for weight loss, Wegovy is an FDA-approved weight loss medication for obese or overweight people who also meet certain criteria, as mentioned below.

You may be eligible for Wegovy if you are an adult who has not been able to lose weight with consistent diet and exercise and have:

A body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m² or higher.
A body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg/m² or higher and obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.

Wegovy is also approved for chronic weight management in children aged 12 and older who have an initial BMI in the 95^thpercentile or greater for their age and sex.

These criteria and approved usage are specifically meant for Wegovy to treat overweight and obese adults and children ages 12 and above.

While Ozempic and Wegovy contain the same active ingredient (semaglutide), Ozempic is not approved for chronic weight management.

Ozempic is an FDA-approved treatment for type-2 diabetes in adults and should not be used in anyone under 18 years old.

Wegovy contains a larger dose of the active ingredient semaglutide than Ozempic. Learn more about how prescription weight loss medications work by checking out our blog.

How much weight can you lose in a month with Ozempic?

Research suggests you can expect to lose about 15% of your baseline weight on Wegovy after 68 weeks based on the clinical trial’s findings.

In a large clinical trial sponsored by Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, participants included adults without diabetes who are obese (BMI of 30 or greater) or overweight (BMI of 27 or greater) who also have one or more weight-related health comorbidities.

In this double-blind trial, participants were randomly assigned to either receive semaglutide or the matching placebo. The treatment group was given 2.4 mg of semaglutide for 68 weeks.

Participants in both groups have to make lifestyle changes like a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

The placebo group received an inactive medication. People who took semaglutide lost 14.9% of their body weight compared to less than 2.6% in those who took the placebo.

Those who received Wegovy lost roughly 35 lbs (15.9 kg) compared to the 6 lbs (2.7 kg) weight loss in the placebo group.

The clinical trial includes the 68-week treatment and lifestyle interventions followed by a 7-week period without receiving semaglutide or placebo or lifestyle interventions.

Weight loss of just 5-10% can result in improved cardiometabolic health and a lower risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Keep in mind that the dose of semaglutide used in this study (2.4 mg) was higher than the dose contained in Ozempic (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg), which is intended for daily administration to manage blood glucose in adults with type-2 diabetes.

The 2.4-mg dose of semaglutide is available in the FDA-approved weight loss drug Wegovy.

How fast does Ozempic work for weight loss?

A clinical trial investigated the effects of Ozempic in adults with diabetes who are on basal insulin with or without metformin over a 30-week period.

Participants in this trial received either Ozempic 0.5 mg, Ozempic 1 mg, or placebo. At week 30, below is the mean change from the baseline body weight:

1.2 kg for the placebo group
3.5 kg for the Ozempic 0.5 mg group
6 kg for the Ozempic 1 mg group

Even though Ozempic is not approved for chronic weight management, if you have diabetes and are not successful in losing excess weight by lifestyle intervention alone, you should talk to your doctor about the potential benefits of Ozempic.

Ozempic may be a good option to help optimize your blood sugar with the potential benefit of weight loss.

If you don’t have diabetes, using Ozempic as a means for fast weight loss is not recommended.

Just like other medications, Ozempic carries certain risks that make it unsuitable for certain people. Not to mention, regaining weight is a possibility after stopping Ozempic.

If weight loss is your main objective, Wegovy is a better option compared to Ozempic.

It can take a few weeks to start seeing weight loss on Wegovy. Peak weight loss effects may not occur for several months because health care providers increase the dose of weight loss drugs gradually to reduce gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Regardless of which type of chronic weight management is recommended, a healthy diet, exercise, and abundant physical activity are the keys to long-lasting weight loss while improving overall health.

Semaglutide for weight loss, sold under the brand name Wegovy, is dosed as follows:

Weeks 1-4: 0.25 mg once weekly injection.
Weeks 5-8: 0.5 mg each week.
Weeks 9-12: 1 mg each week.
Weeks 13-16: 1.7 mg each week.
Weeks 17 onwards: Maintenance on 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg each week.

What is the downside of taking Ozempic to lose weight?

While some boutique weight loss practices are using the diabetes medication Ozempic off-label for weight loss, Ozempic is not an FDA-approved weight loss medication.

It contains 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg of the active drug semaglutide. The maintenance doses of semaglutide that promote weight loss are 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg each week. Therefore, you may be better off taking Wegovy, which contains semaglutide at higher doses and is FDA-approved for weight loss.

Another downside of taking Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss is that it is a GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide 1) receptor agonist.

GLP-1 receptor agonists can increase the risk of thyroid tumors. They are not recommended for people who have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or an endocrine system condition known as multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 (MEN 2).

These drugs can also increase the risk of pancreatitis, kidney injury, gallbladder problems, diabetic retinopathy complications, and low blood sugar.

The weight lost on Ozempic is often regained when you stop taking this prescription medication.

You should work with a physician, nutrition specialist, and your other healthcare providers to develop a long-term plan, including lifestyle changes, rather than relying on chronic medications.

Lastly, you need to take Ozempic by injection. The same active drug that is in Ozempic (semaglutide) is available in pill form under the brand name Rybelsus.

Is Ozempic a weight loss drug?

Ozempic is not an FDA-approved weight loss drug. It is a diabetes medication. It is used to control high blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic lowers blood sugar by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1 that causes the pancreas to secrete more insulin. It also delays gastric emptying, making you feel full, reducing appetite, and decreasing food intake.

Some doctors use Ozempic off-label for chronic weight management. This may be beneficial for individuals with uncontrolled type-2 diabetes who aren’t able to lose excess weight with just diets and exercises.

Note that both Ozempic (a diabetes drug) and Wegovy (a weight loss medicine) contain the active ingredient semaglutide.

Wegovy contains a higher dose of semaglutide and is used to treat obesity in adults and children 12 years of age and older. Wegovy was developed specifically for weight loss.

What are some Ozempic alternatives for weight loss?

Excess weight can increase your risk of serious medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease.

If you are not successful in losing weight with diet and exercise and want to take an obesity medicine to help with weight loss, talk with your healthcare provider about Ozempic alternatives.

FDA-approved prescription drugs for weight loss include:

Semaglutide (Wegovy)
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)

Remember, Wegovy or Ozempic is not a miracle drug. Weight loss drugs work best when used with a healthy diet and exercise program. If Wegovy or Ozempic don’t work, talk with your doctor about other treatment options, such as bariatric surgery.

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