ALL about the popular weight loss injection

In need of weight loss, many people turn to medications without medical supervision, but this can put their health at risk. Here are all the details about a recently popular injection:

In recent years, the use of weight loss medications , such as semaglutide, has experienced exponential growth, driven primarily by celebrities and social media trends. While these drugs, developed originally to treat type 2 diabetes , can be effective as part of a comprehensive treatment for obesity, are not exempt from significant risks that must be taken into account .

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Dr. José Antonio Castañeda, a bariatric and metabolic surgeon with over 20 years of experience, explains how these drugs work: “Semaglutide acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which slows gastric emptying, generates satiety, and regulates appetite.” This allows the patient to progressively reduce their caloric intake, promoting weight loss. However, the specialist warns that Its effectiveness is conditioned on being accompanied by sustained changes in lifestyle. .

But "if it is not accompanied by sustained lifestyle changes (such as a balanced diet, physical activity, and ongoing clinical monitoring), there is a high risk of rebound when it is discontinued," he adds.

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Proof of this is the study published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism , which found that within a year of stopping treatment, participants regained approximately two-thirds of their lost weight. This equates to 67% regained within a year of ending therapy, even with continued nutritional intervention .

It is not an aesthetic tool

It is important to know that Not everyone is a candidate for the use of semaglutide and similar drugs . According to international clinical guidelines such as those of the FDA and the European Association for the Study of Obesity, it is indicated for people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 with some comorbidity, or greater than 30 without the need for another additional condition and can have an adjuvant role in the treatment of patients with obesity or overweight with comorbidities, so its use must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and cannot be indicated solely for aesthetic or short-term reasons .

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However, Castañeda warns that More and more people are turning to these medications without medical supervision. , influenced by what they see on TikTok or Instagram or because they want to look better for a vacation or an event, even without being ideal candidates for their consumption: “In consultations we increasingly see patients who use them without medical indication and, although they have had a decrease in appetite and weight, they have also experienced adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting or even pancreatitis, which, because they do not know how to manage them, cause them to abruptly stop taking the medication. In addition, many experience a strong weight gain.”

When accessing a tool of this type, it is necessary to know the most frequent side effects. Clinical studies have so far frequently found Nausea, vomiting, feeling of fullness, constipation, reactivation of colitis and, in more severe cases, pancreatitis or alterations in intestinal motility . There have also been reports fatigue, dizziness, and in rare cases, gastric paralysis .

On the other hand, the boom also comes with other associated risks, as there are recent warnings about the proliferation of counterfeit versions of Ozempic, one of the most popular commercial presentations, which do not guarantee quality, safety, or efficacy, representing a significant health risk .

A complex disease

For his part, the specialist points out that the use of medications is not a solution for everyone and that in cases of severe obesity or metabolic risk, bariatric surgery continues to have an advantage over other non-surgical treatments , since "patients can lose between 50% and 70% of their excess weight and maintain this loss for more than 10 years. In addition, surgery allows for the control of associated diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnea, which reduces the medical cost of treating these associated diseases."

We must remember that "obesity is a chronic and complex disease . Successful treatment depends on an individualized medical approach, so neither injections nor surgical alternatives should be considered universal or cosmetic solutions: they are tools, not shortcuts, and the judgment and follow-up of a team of complementary specialists should never be overlooked," Castañeda concludes.

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