Interviewed expert: Li Wenhui, deputy chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Global Times Health Client Reporter Li Danni
Semeglutide, originally a hypoglycemic drug for the treatment of adult type 2 diabetes, has now become a "lifesaver" for people who lose weight. "You can lose five pounds with one injection" and "eat and drink normally for a month, lose 12 pounds after injection" and other netizens shared, which made many weight loss people flock to it.
The reporter opened a social platform and found that there were indeed many netizens who shared "semeglutide can lose weight", basically young women, and the sharing results were roughly divided into three positions: "effective", "ineffective" and "side effects". For example, Ningxia netizens said that they simply lost weight and lost about 12 pounds after using a dose; Zhejiang netizens said that they hit a total of 6 times, although they lost 25 pounds, but they basically couldn't eat every day, even if they ate, they would vomit, their faces became sallow, and they hung salt water for two days, warning everyone not to try it easily; Guangdong netizens said that three injections have been given, but the second and third injections have not been thin.
Li Wenhui, deputy chief physician of the Department of Endocrinology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, introduced to the "Global Times Health Client" reporter that semeglutide is useful for people who have difficulty losing weight due to insulin resistance, and patients can suppress appetite and delay gastrointestinal emptying time after injection, so that people do not want to eat and do not feel hungry, so as to achieve the purpose of weight loss. For sugar friends, after injecting semeglutide, it can not only reduce blood sugar, weight loss, but also reduce blood pressure, blood lipids, and even reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. But the use of the drug to lose weight is only a temporary solution, may be the first two or three months of weight loss fast, the worse the effect, the relevant data in the United States shows that the general validity period does not exceed one year, many people often appear weight rebound in the second half of the year.
Li Wenhui said that the public has high expectations for the weight loss effect of semeglutide, and there are indeed many "weight loss people" in the outpatient clinic to prescribe drugs. However, the drug has not been approved for weight loss indications in China, and at present, the hospital only prescribes to diabetic patients, and the management is very strict, sometimes even with the consent of the deputy chief physician or above or the diabetes expert group. Because even diabetic patients, if they are weak and old, their bodies may not be able to withstand the drug.
Since the hospital is difficult to open, how did netizens get the drug? The reporter searched for "semeglutide" on a shopping platform and found that there were multiple pharmacies selling the drug, with the highest monthly sales volume of more than 6,000 sticks, and the price ranged from 600 yuan ~ 1200 yuan per stick. The reporter randomly clicked on an Internet pharmacy and found that as long as personal information was entered and "type 2 diabetes" was checked, doctors from Internet hospitals would issue "electronic prescriptions". This means that you can buy online without providing proof of prescription. Some netizens also obtained the drug through overseas purchasing and medical beauty institutions.
Li Wenhui reminded that for the general population, it must not be regarded as a "miracle medicine for weight loss". There are many causes of obesity, and it is best to find out the cause first and treat it symptomatically. If it is not secondary obesity, you can lose weight through regular lifestyle intervention to "control your mouth and open your legs". If the weight loss effect is not obvious, you can follow the doctor's advice, but still maintain a healthy lifestyle, otherwise the effect is limited, and it will rebound immediately after stopping the drug. People who do not belong to overweight people, but simply pursue "thin and beautiful", and cannot use the drug privately. Blindly purchasing semeglutide will consume unnecessary medical resources, and individual hospitals will even have a short-term "supply cut" situation, resulting in diabetic patients who need useful drugs to wait for a period of time to get the medicine. Moreover, pharmacy prices may increase compared to hospitals, and may not necessarily be reimbursed, increasing the cost of treatment.
Experts emphasize that although the safety of the drug is high and will not cause hypoglycemia, ordinary people will have similar "hypoglycemia" reactions, such as fatigue, weakness, irritability, etc., and may also appear constipation, increasing the risk of gallstones. Therefore, the use of diet injections and diet pills is not a long-term solution, and it is difficult to maintain even if it is reduced for a while. The most important thing is to achieve successful weight loss through good living habits and healthy exercise. ▲
Responsible editor: Jia Nan
Editor-in-chief: Ding Wenjun