They’re just taking the same medication and using it at lower doses for weight loss instead of diabetes control.
And frankly, as a fat diabetic, I strongly suspect it’s doing the exact same thing in both cases, and the reason it works for diabetics is that it helps them lose weight.
It’s definitely on my list to discuss with my endocrinologist.
Couple things:
Injectable Semaglutide was first FDA approved in 2017 as Ozempic. Wegovy is also injectable Semaglutide. The key difference is the approved dose: Ozempic is 1.0mg, Wegovy is 2.4mg. The FDA approval is also very important for future insurance remibursement.
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 RA. These medications stimulate a receptor in your body which results in three main effects: 1 - Slowing down gastric emptying so food stays in your stomach for longer (this is thought to be why there is sometimes nausea when starting the medication) 2 - Making you feel full by working on your central nervous system 3 - Managing glucose control (which is why it's used for people with diabetes too)
[1] gives you a great summary of the field up to now and how it works.
[1] https://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/02/15/gl...