Are you overweight and have tried lifestyle and diet changes to lose weight but with no success? Have you developed type 2 diabetes or other weight-related health conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or heart disease? If so, you and your doctor might want to discuss the possibility of the prescription drug Wegovy. Wegovy is a semaglutide drug that is injected once per week. It mimics a hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and food intake and may help those who are obese lose weight and manage weight-related health conditions. If you’re interested in learning more about Wegovy, you should talk to your healthcare provider about it.
Here is how to discuss a Wegovy prescription at your next doctor’s visit.
Talk About Your Wellness Goals
To help your doctor learn more about your health and if a Wegovy prescription is right for you, you first need to talk about your wellness goals. How much weight do you want to lose? What health conditions do you want to address? Are your goals achievable without Wegovy? Your goals may be different from your doctor’s goals for your overall health, so it’s important to have his conversation.
Go Over Lifestyle Changes
If you’ve not already gone over lifestyle changes with your doctor, it’s important that you do so before discussing a Wegovy prescription. If you’ve been talking to your doctor about losing weight for a long period of time, it’s likely that he or she has already advised you to change your diet, incorporate more exercise, and take other natural steps toward weight loss. However, if you have not had this conversation, your doctor will probably want you to explore these lifestyle changes before you discuss a Wegovy prescription.
Discuss Side Effects
There are some common and possible serious side effects associated with a Wegovy prescription and you need to be fully aware of them before you make a decision to use the drug. Common side effects include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, dizziness, headache, injection site irritations or itching, and abdominal pain. None of these should be serious and should go away after your body adjusts. However, more serious side effects like gallbladder problems, depression or suicidal thoughts, severe allergic reactions, thyroid tumors, worsening of diabetic retinopathy, and kidney problems are also possible. Your doctor can share the signs of the possible side effects with you so you can be aware and know when to reach out to a doctor if you experience them after taking Wegovy. Once you know the possible side effects, you can weigh the pros and cons of the drug before making a final decision.
Decide if a Wegovy Prescription is Right for You
While Wegovy can help people lose weight and manage weight-related health conditions, it’s not right for everyone. It’s important to discuss all the details of a Wegovy prescription with your healthcare provider so you can decide if the benefits outweigh the risks and so you can keep an eye out for possible serious side effects if you decide to use the drug.