Transcript

Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Hormone Hub. It is your host here, Kylie Pinwill, and unless you have been blissfully hiding under a rock lately, [00:01:00] if you have any interest whatsoever in diets, weight loss, health, blah, blah, blah, chances are you’ve heard there’s a new weight loss drug on the market, all over social media, and it’s being touted as the next big weight loss solution.

But if you know the old saying, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Today we’re looking at the weight loss wonder drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy. I’m thinking that’s how you pronounce it. So we’re gonna have a look at the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. So we’re talking about the semaglutide range of pharmaceuticals, which include, you know, Ozempic and the recently released Wegovy.

So these are drugs that are injected once a week into the stomach, into your thigh, into your arm. And they were initially developed for those with type two diabetes. And the whole idea of it is to help stimulate the insulin action in the pancreas, [00:02:00] which then helps aid blood glucose control. Now, a significant weight loss was an unexpected benefit, so as users sort of experienced a reduction in appetite, you know, thanks to the effect of the semaglutide, you know, it mimics the role of leptin, which is a hormone that tells our body when we’ve had enough to eat. So, you know, All of a sudden people were like, oh my gosh, losing weight on it. And indeed for people who regularly experience sort of an insatiable hunger and generally due to hormonal issues such as insulin resistance, you know, so when you’ve got those high insulin levels, it can drive that desire for, for sweet foods, for carb foods. So you’re sort of stuck in that perpetual cycle. So a drug like a Ozempic can be really powerful and, you know, significantly help you reduce your appetite, get those cravings under control and therefore, you know, reduce your calories [00:03:00] and support weight loss. Now, this is all in theory and you know, it does work for some people, but it’s assuming that the users actually do reduce their calorie intake in accordance with that reduction in appetite.

And you know, as we know, that’s not always the reality. So especially, you know, if you’ve got a long history of emotional eating, binge eating, you know, and you’ve been stuck in that diet cycle for a while, you know it’s not so cut and dry. And this is where the benefits start to become, you know, a little less shiny.

So, like I said, if it’s too good to be true, it likely is. And today I’m gonna have a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly side effects of, you know, drugs like Ozempic. So we do have appetite loss. So definitely that reduction in appetite is what kicks off that weight loss, like I just said. And you know, [00:04:00] I also wanna baster common perception.

So using Ozempic, you know, it doesn’t decrease or doesn’t increase, rather, your fat metabolism. And it doesn’t necessarily result in weight loss unless you have a hormonal issue such as insulin resistance. Or you are all dramatically at the same time, dramatically reducing your calorie intake. So even if you’re taking, it at a higher dose, if you continue to eat more than you need, if you continue to eat, you know, too high proportion of processed carbohydrate rich sort of foods, You know, and you’re not looking after what you’re eating, you’re not, are you moving your body and exercising?

You know, you are not going to see that continual sustained weight loss, no matter how much you know of this drug you take. So, you know, it should be sort of regarded as a tool to, you know, support your appetite, support your insulin response. [00:05:00] And you know, still look at that, you know, that nutrition side, that diet, exercise, lifestyle, you know, so it’s not a free for all, so you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight.

So the thing is, for every person who goes on this, you know, the, what they’re, they’re not telling you on social media is for every, you know, Person who goes on it and you know, actually achieves a significant weight loss over sort of a period of six to 12 months. There’s gonna be two people who haven’t succeeded.

And this is generally because, you know, they’re still making poor food choices, you know, and they’re, they’re not I guess being compliant with, with how it’s meant to work. So, you know, a few kilos might be lost initially, as you know, you’re eating less food thanks to, you know, the general feeling of nausea that can be associated with these drugs and it’s quite common.

 But also too, you know, we kind of get into that mindset that we found the magic [00:06:00] pill. So that way, you know, the extra treats, the eating out in restaurants, you know, too many wines along with, you know, not moving your body means the weight loss is going to slow down. And, you know, I hear it, time and time again.

You know, it doesn’t matter which diet, it doesn’t matter which drug or you know, what happens. Oh, it worked really well for the first two weeks and then it stopped. And you know, this is generally why. So if we think of these, you know, semaglutide drugs, they’re meant to be an add-on, you know, as to support your insulin, you know, uh, sensitivity and also, to control your appetite.

They’re not a replacement for, you know, a healthy diet and lifestyle. Okay. So you know, and it does in this instance come down to calories. So for the drugs to work well, your baseline calorie needs to be much lower. So your hormone levels, so that insulin hormone [00:07:00] levels can reduce over time. So if you continue to eat, you know, emotionally eat, binge eat, so you’re eating for reasons other than hunger.

You know, the drugs can’t do their work. And of course like any drug, there are some people for who, you know, like they just don’t work at all. But you know, the plus side for the right person, Ozempic, and you know, the similar drugs can be life-changing because they’re directly targeting that underlying hormonal dysfunction.

 They’re targeting your pancreas to produce more insulin. And, you know, significantly reduce your sort of, you know, appetite as well. So, you know, there are definitely people who’ve reported feeling, you know, free of that sort of obsessive loop of, you know, all things food and eating so they can actually make lifestyle changes and successfully lose weight.

So, you know, there’s always, uh, you know, the shiny stars for who, who this will work for. 

[00:08:00] This Hormone Hub episode is sponsored by the Well Balanced Woman. If you’ve been on a hormonal rollercoaster, feeling bloated, your digestion isn’t the best. And you know, you’re sick and tired of feeling lethargic with your weight creeping up then this is the right program for you. I’m right there with you across the 12 weeks to hold your hand and I’ll give you a loving kick up the bum, if you need it. 

The well-balanced woman is your personalized four phase program created to help you regain your energy, balance your hormones and fire up your metabolism so you get the results you’re after. The link with all the details is on our show notes or over at kyliepinwill.com/wellbalancedwoman. 

Kylie: And now we’ll get into the, the not so you know, where things go a bit sideways. So of course the drug only works while you are taking it. So it’s gonna manage your insulin resistance, but it’s not gonna cure it.[00:09:00] 

So even when the drugs work to support your weight loss, like I said, they should be considered just a tool to kickstart you and get you started, but not the entire solution. So of course, you know, once you stop taking the drugs, unless you then maintain that lower calorie, lower carbohydrate diet, you know, long-term maintain exercise, you know, there’s a chance just like any other diet, that you’re gonna gain back what you’ve lost and you know, likely put on even more weight.

So before you run off and get yourself a script for it, make sure that you are ready to get your diet and lifestyle in order for good. Otherwise, this is just gonna be another failed diet. That was too good to be true. Okay, so another downside is it costs money. It’s not free. So if you do have type two diabetes currently in Australia, it is covered by the PBS, but it’s not [00:10:00] covered currently as a weight loss drug.

So for a weekly injection, you are looking at about $150 a month. Okay. So, it’s an investment and again, you know, is this something that you can continue forever? No. Is it something that you wanna be on forever? No. So how much are you prepared to invest in it to get those, those results.

 Now with other side effects. So, you know, we already sort of mentioned nausea and there are a, you know, as more people take the drug, obviously there’s more people, you know, more side effects and more people presenting with side effects. So, and it’s also good to kind of keep in the back of your mind, there’s no long-term studies on people using this. Okay. Not even rats. Okay. So it hasn’t been around for a huge amount of time. It’s been on the marketplace for use in type two diabetics for, you know, quite a few years. But again, [00:11:00] we don’t know. You can’t stay on it for five, 10 years. Alright. Right. So yeah, so common side effects are diarrhea, nausea, bloating. And then there’s other additional side effects including blurred vision, kidney failure, gallstones. There’s been reports of thyroid and pancreatic tumors, you know, which lead to cancer. Yeah, so it’s, it’s just good to know, you know, that, or be aware before you jump in that there are side effects from superficial side effects to, you know, pretty serious. 

So blurred vision, you know, when I sort of looked into the, the data, so it was mostly diabetic patients who are most likely to experience blurred vision while they were taking ozempic. And this was sort of largely due to high blood sugar levels, which can actually damage your retina. So, you know, they did go on to say that vision changes in, you know, people who were [00:12:00] using the drug for weight loss were uncommon.

So that was more for, the diabetic patients. So pancreatitis and gallbladder. So this was, you know, people are sort of experiencing or showing up as, you know, having a severe abdominal pain, usually bad enough to go to a hospital. So, you know, and pancreatitis, which is a swelling of the pancreas, you know, and they have, you know, been seeing increased, you know, cancers and tumors on pancreas as well. And yeah, and they did get, thyroid tumors in the rats that they were doing the research on as well. So, you know, a little bit that they forgot to put in the, in the marketing. So yeah, to develop something like pancreatitis, it’s more common in people who actually already have a risk factor for pancreatitis.

So this would include, you know, prior history. It would include, you know, high triglycerides, Alcohol [00:13:00] intake and then other sort of, you know, any genetic predispositions. Gallbladder issues. This was a really interesting one. And you know, it’s also seen in other, you know, diets like really low calorie diets because what happens is when we lose weight, our liver processes, it breaks down our body fat. That fat then is sort of processed and broken down further by our gallbladder. And you know, one of the side effects, so gallstones sort of are coming from the body, failing to adapt quickly enough to that rapid weight loss.

So it’s almost like you are losing weight so fast your body can’t keep up with it. So your liver’s pumping out more bile, more cholesterol to break down that, that fat. And this leads to gallstones. And you know, like it’s also good to be aware, you know, this is a really common side effect of any kind of bariatric surgery as well. 

So then we’ve got our stomach and digestive [00:14:00] issues. So these are probably more common. So yeah, apparently you can stink up a storm on this stuff. So smelly side effects, like, uh, pretty potent belches, like rotten egg burps, unpredictable, exploding diarrhea in about 30% of users. So that’s a, a lovely one.

And you know, What comes, what follows that would be, you know, naturally a bit of anxiety, right? So where symptoms occur, you know, and you don’t know where the nearest toilet is, you know, or you start avoiding social situations, be, you know, just in case you have a little accident.

So, you know, we’ve got that gut brain connection. So emotional symptoms, you know, then worsen, you know, that anxiety around it can then worsen the gastro intestinal symptoms. And then, you know, you’ve got that vicious cycle. So another sort of fairly common sort of side effect is, Uh, malnutrition, which is interesting, but because you know [00:15:00] that sensation of feeling full is there, you know, a lot of people aren’t able to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, okay?

So nausea is common. And you know, it’s not because the drug is burning fat, it’s because you’re eating less. So it can kill your appetite, so you know, you are not getting the nutrients that you need for your body to function effectively. Okay, so this is where if you do sort of opt in for, you know, something like Ozempic or one of these drugs, it’s really important to get some, you know, nutritional advice. Because I don’t think that that’s being handed out with the script at all. 

Then, you know, some not so serious side effects are, you know, what they’re calling Ozempic face. So obviously if you are losing a lot of body weight, you know, quite quickly your uh, you know, your puffiness in your face and your fullness in your face is gonna go.

So a lot of [00:16:00] people are sort of reporting that they’re looking exhausted and old. Okay, so, It’s just good to know, you know, fingers, wrists, saggy knees, you know, all of the things. So people aren’t loving the side effects of that. So your body might look great, but you know, you might look like a, a wrinkly old woman as well.

Alright, so despite all of these side effects, these are drugs that are, you know, absolutely flying off the shelves. And doctors are declaring that it’s all generally safe and you know, when used by the right patients. So yeah, so just be aware there are, you know, it’s not a magic pill. There is no magic pill for weight loss, plain and simple.

So thinking that a weekly injection’s gonna shed weight without addressing what’s going in your mouth and moving your body and any other drivers. So you know, your stress hormones, any thyroid issues, inflammation in your body, you know, it’s [00:17:00] crazy to think that that’s gonna fix all of that. So, you know, I get it.

Shedding stubborn weight when it seems like you’re doing everything right is frustrating. But, you know, doing something that drastic, is it the right thing? So, you know, drugs aren’t always the answer, so just be aware of the side effects. Like I said, there’s positive in that.

It’s, you know, good insulin control, you know, appetite control provided it’s done well. If it’s not done well, you know, it can be disastrous. Alright, so I just wanted to give you the ins and outs and, uh, my thoughts on yeah, the wonder weight loss drugs. Okay, my loves. I hope you enjoy that episode and I will see you in the next one.