It may also not be appropriate for people with certain gastrointestinal conditions, a history of pancreatitis, or those who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Semaglutide is administered as a weekly subcutaneous injection. Your medication will include specific instructions, but it’s essential to follow your healthcare provider’s detailed guidance for both dosage and injection technique. GLP-1s are an effective option for weight loss because it helps curb appetite and promotes feelings of fullness. Combined with healthy eating and exercise, it leads to significant weight loss, making it a reliable choice for managing weight. Common side effects may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation.
You can discuss with your healthcare provider switching to other FDA-approved affordable alternatives to semaglutide for weight reduction, such as phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia), orlistat (Xenical), and naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave). Although compounded semaglutide has several benefits, it is not approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for chronic weight management and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Compounded semaglutide is used as an alternative during drug shortages, which has been very common for weight loss medications.
To Mike Isles, head of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies in Europe, stronger safeguards are needed to protect patients when they buy meds online. He wants all online pharmacies globally to have a common domain name, ensuring they are vetted and legit. “So if it’s an online pharmacy in Germany, it’s .apotheke; if it’s in Spain, Portugal or Italy its .farmacia and for France its .pharmacie etc,” he said. In Europe, Wegovy and Ozempic are only available on prescription. While Ozempic has been available since 2018 for diabetes, weight loss drug Wegovy has only launched in Denmark, Norway, Germany and the U.K. Soaring demand for a drug touted by online influencers to help lose weight, but whose supplies in Europe are restricted, has caused a surge in fake and potentially dangerous concoctions of the injection, putting lives at risk.
Overall, most clients receive their medication within 1 week from when they speak to the provider. Self-administer the semaglutide injections once a week at home. Wegovy is used as an injection under the skin (subcutaneous injection) and not into a vein or muscle.
It is in many ways the perfect crime with high rewards and low risk/penalties,” she said highlighting there are longer jail sentences for selling heroin than dangerous fake drugs. More than 100,000 new domain names were registered online containing terms like “COVID,” “corona” and “virus,” in March 2020 alone, with criminal gangs exploiting the public health emergency. Today, they’re exploiting an online frenzy for semaglutide and, often, young people feeling pressured to look thin. Influencers on TikTok, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, jumped on the news. It ignited a frenzy of online sellers, offering cheaper counterfeit versions of the drug, reselling prescribed medication or offering raw ingredients to mix at home. Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor.
The Spanish Health and Medicines Agency (AEMPS), has authorised the sale of Wegovy (semaglutide) for sale in Spain. A bump at the injection site means the medication was injected just under the skin instead into the fat tissue. You want to pinch on an area of fat, ensure the needle is inserted all the way, and keep the needle injected for a few seconds before pulling it out, so all the medication has been absorbed properly. To prevent bumps, scar tissue, or irritation, rotate injection sites.
Research by POLITICO found numerous online sites in Europe offering «semaglutide» for sale at prices from around €100 to several hundred euros for a week’s supply. One site, based in the U.K., even shows users how to mix two ingredients together to purportedly make the drug. The most common side effects with Ozempic (which may affect more than 1 in 10 semaglutide dose for weight loss people) include problems with the digestive system, such as diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea (feeling sick). These are mild or moderate in severity and of short duration. Serious worsening of diabetic retinopathy (damage to the retina, the light sensitive membrane at the back of the eye) is common (it may affect up to 1 in 10 people).
That’s still not bad, considering you get 90 days of unlimited messaging with your provider, help with getting your insurance to authorize any prescribed medication, plus nutrition and exercise guidance. The most common side effects of Zepbound include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdominal) pain, indigestion, injection site reactions, feeling tired, allergic reactions, belching, hair loss, and heartburn. Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or doesn’t go away. Additional common side effects in children are fever and gastroenteritis. Medicare Extra Help (Part D) program is designed for individuals with low or limited incomes and resources to pay for Medicare Drug coverage.