Semaglutide (Ozempic) Beneficial Side Effects

Clients often tell me "I get side effects from all drugs" or "I am very sensitive to medications". BUT what would you say if I told you that sometimes you WANT to get side effects?

Side effects are strictly defined as unintended outcomes that result from taking a medication. However, side effects have two sides. Most commonly, we think of side effects as negative outcomes ("the dark side"). These negative side effects are properly termed adverse side effects. Common adverse side effects would be things like headache, nausea, diarrhea, rashes, etc.

But there is a "light side" to side effects. We call these beneficial side effects. Here a few examples of medications that have shown such beneficial side effects:

  • Viagra (sildenafil): while in development for treating high blood pressure, Viagra unexpectedly became a treatment for erectile dysfunction

  • Rogaine (minoxidil): First marketed as a high blood pressure medication, minoxidil has become a best-selling hair loss treatment

  • Latisse (bimatoprost): First marketed as a glaucoma medication, bimatoprost causes eyelashes to grow longer and thicker

Note: these are just a few examples, there are many others. 

However, there has never been a medication that has shown so many beneficial side effects as semaglutide.

What started out as a trickle of anecdotal reports has now turned into a flood of publications about the beneficial side effects of semaglutide. While some of these are undoubtedly the result of losing significant amounts of weight, others are either not entirely explained by weight loss or seem to be completely unrelated to weight loss.

It seems like every week that there is a new article about semaglutide's beneficial side effects. I can't keep up with them. Here is a sampling of some of them:

Proven beneficial side effects, wholly or partially explained by weight loss:

  • Reduction of heart attacks and stroke (more on this below)

  • A 19% lower death rate from any cause 

  • Reduction in LDL ("bad") cholesterol

  • Reduction in blood glucose

  • Reduction in triglycerides ("bad fats")

  • Reduction in blood pressure

  • Improvement in liver and kidney function

  • Reduction/elimination of fatty liver 

  • Improvement in sleep apnea

  • Significant reduction in obesity-related cancers ( gallbladder, pancreatic, liver, ovarian, esophageal, endometrial and endometrial cancer plus multiple myeloma)

  • Reduction in heart failure symptoms

  • Reduction in "food chatter"

  • Long-term improvement/reduction in gall bladder issues

Probably true, not explained by weight loss:

  • Reduction of addictive cravings for alcohol, opioids, cocaine, nicotine, cannabis and food

  • Reduction of compulsive behaviors (nail-biting, OCD symptoms)

Possibly true, not explained by weight loss:

  • May help prevent/treat neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)

  • Reduction in depressive and anxiety symptoms

I can simply state there is no single drug that shows such a plethora of benefits. To me, however, it is the reduction in heart attacks and strokes that is the most dramatic (and possibly the best argument for using semaglutide). This reduction is seen very early in the course of treatment and doesn't appear to be due to weight loss alone. We will have much more data in the future about this but the FDA has already allowed the manufacturer of Wegovy (again just one form of semaglutide) to specifically label the medication as able to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with cardiovascular disease who are either obese or overweight.

What does this all mean to you? If you are overweight and have any of the following:

  • Cardiovascular disease (prior heart attack, prior stroke, peripheral vascular disease)

  • High blood pressure

  • Elevated LDL-cholesterol or on a statin

  • Elevated triglycerides

  • Fatty liver

  • Sleep apnea

then you should be on semaglutide in my opinion. The data is just too good to ignore at this point.

If you have a loved one or friend who suffers from any of the above, then you should let them know. This medication is revolutionary.

I personally take semaglutide due to family history of cardiovascular disease and Parkinson's disease. I have no plans to go off of it anytime soon.