1. How much weight am I likely to lose?
A 15% reduction in starting weight after 12 months was seen in a major research study of people who increased physical activity (150 minutes of walking a week), reduced their food intake by 500kCal a day and who took Wegovy for a year [1].
It is unlikely that you will achieve this amount of weight loss with Wegovy alone, which is why the 12-month SemaPen programme is so important.
Remember, 15% weight loss was the average outcome, but some people in the trials lost more than this, and others will have lost less.
[1] https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
2. What happens when Wegovy is stopped?
Weight regain is common.
Clinical studies show that if Wegovy is taken for 12 months and then stopped, a year later people had regained 2/3 of the weight they’d lost on the treatment [2].
The implication of this is that because obesity is a chronic condition, Wegovy will need to be taken long-term, just like any other treatment for chronic conditions like arthritis.
We will discuss cost-effective solutions to continue on Wegovy and minimise weight regain with you towards the end of you SemaPen programme.
3. Can you take Wegovy for 2 years?
Yes.
NICE have recommended that semaglutide (Wegovy) is taken for up to two years.
Clinical trials have shown that most weight is lost in the first year, but continuing on Wegovy prevents significant weight regain [3].
[3] Garvey TW et al (2022) “Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial” Nature Medicine (28)
4. I’ve heard Wegovy doesn’t work as well if you have diabetes – is that right?
Unfortunately, that’s correct.
The major clinical trial proving the value semaglutide [1] did not include any patients with diabetes.
A second study just looking at how the drug worked in those with diabetes still showed good weight loss, but less than that seen in patients without diabetes (10% body weight loss at a year compared with 15% respectively) [4].
[4] Davies M et al (2021) “Semaglutide 2.4mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2)” The Lancet (397)
5. How does Wegovy make you lose weight?
Wegovy (semaglutide) is almost (94%) identical to GLP1, a natural hormone that is released by the body after eating.
GLP1 is one of several hormones that regulate food intake and appetite – the body’s way of stopping us putting on too much weight.
In today’s fast-food, less physically active environment, it’s easy to see how this natural defence against obesity can be overwhelmed.
By mimicking the effect of GLP1, Wegovy targets a specific region in the brain responsible for appetite control, reducing feelings of hunger. It also slows stomach emptying which makes you feel full for longer, because you actually are full! Furthermore, Wegovy has beneficial effects on blood sugar and insulin levels which also help control the desire to eat.
So it’s no surprise that people taking Wegovy find it much easier to decrease their calorie intake by reducing portion size and eating less often.