Rybelsus and other GLP-1 drugs change how hungry you feel and how full you feel, which can change how much food you eat and lead to weight loss.
Weight control can be complicated, but one of the most important things is how many calories you eat. Calories are a measure of the amount of energy your body needs to work. When you eat more calories than your body needs, the extra calories can be stored as fat tissue, which can be used as a backup source of energy. If you don't eat enough calories, your body has to break down your fat tissue to get to the calories you've saved. This makes you lose weight.
One important job of the hormone GLP-1 is to slow the rate at which the stomach empties. GLP-1 slows down the digestive system, so food stays in your stomach longer. Due to the slower rate of carbohydrate metabolism, this helps people with diabetes better control their blood sugar. It can also control your appetite by making you feel fuller for longer after a meal, so Rybelsus use may lead to a calorie loss.
Rybelsus may also help people lose weight by making it easier to control their blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance and weight gain go hand in hand. When your blood sugar is too high and can't get into your cells, your body will often store it as fat tissue.
Can Rybelsus be used for weight loss in non-diabetic patients?
Some people who take rybelsus 3 mg weight loss because of how it affects their metabolism, but the FDA has not approved it for weight loss. Even though people who take it lose weight, it is not called a weight loss drug.
Rybelsus may help people who don't have diabetes lose weight, but this is not an allowed use of the drug. Since Rybelsus is a prescription drug, your doctor may not give it to you for weight loss if you are not diabetic.
Rybelsus may not help you keep the weight off for good. Researchers have found that the medicine can help overweight people drop weight while they are taking it, but they often gain a lot of weight back when they stop taking it.
How long does it take for Rybelsus to start working?
About two to three months can pass before Rybelsus starts to work.
Rybelsus is often given at a lower amount (3 mg) for 30 days so that the patient can get used to it. Your doctor may raise the dose to 7 or 14 mg, based on how much is needed to control your blood sugar.
Rybelsus and other medications for weight loss
Rybelsus and other GLP-1 medications on the market, such as Ozempic, work in the same way to help reduce blood sugar. Other diabetes medicines, like Januvia and Metformin, can also help control blood sugar, but they do so in different ways.
Other medicines can also cause weight loss by accident, while others have less or none at all. If your doctor prescribes, you can visit website for coupons or other savings options.
Rybelsus side effects
Patients taking Rybelsus may experience side effects, even those who use it as intended. Some of the more common side effects of Rybelsus include symptoms of gastrointestinal distress such as:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Decreased appetite
These side effects are more likely to happen when you first start taking Rybelsus or if your doctor decides to increase your dose.
People who use Rybelsus to lose weight may also have other unwanted side effects. For example, since it is used to control and lower blood sugar, some people may have too low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).
The people who make Rybelsus warn that using it could lead to very bad side effects, such as thyroid growth and cancer. They also say that Rybelsus shouldn't be used if you or someone in your family has a history of medullary thyroid cancer or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
Final word
Rybelsus is a daily medicine for people with type 2 diabetes that can help some of them lose weight. But the FDA hasn't cleared Rybelsus for weight loss, so your doctor might not give you a prescription if you aren't a good candidate. Also, using Rybelsus for something it wasn't meant for can be dangerous because it changes your hormones and blood sugar.
Research also shows that Rybelsus may only lose weight temporarily. It's important to know that using a drug for something other than what it was made for can cause bad side effects that could be dangerous.
