Semaglutide injections Geneva, IL - Renew Medical Clinic

Semaglutide is an injectable medication used to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It can also be used for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight. Semaglutide helps lower blood sugar and A1C levels, promotes weight loss, and improves cardiovascular health. When taking regularly as prescribed, semaglutide is very effective. However, like most medications, it does come with some side effects. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover everything you need to know about using semaglutide injections as part of your diabetes or weight loss treatment plan.

What is Semaglutide?

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It mimics the effects of GLP-1, a hormone made in the gut that stimulates the release of insulin when blood glucose levels are high.

Specifically, semaglutide:

• Stimulates the pancreas to secrete more insulin when blood sugar is high
• Reduces glucagon secretion when blood sugar is low
• Slows stomach emptying so food moves more gradually into the small intestine
• Decreases appetite signals to the brain

As a result of these effects, semaglutide lowers and stabilizes blood glucose levels, promotes weight loss through reduced calorie intake, and improves cardiovascular risk factors.

The semaglutide molecule is similar to the human GLP-1 hormone but has been altered to allow once-weekly dosing. It stays in the body longer, providing round-the-clock blood sugar control between doses.

Semaglutide was approved by the FDA in 2017 under the brand name Ozempic and in 2021 under the name Wegovy for chronic weight management. Generic forms of semaglutide are now available as well.

How Do Semaglutide Injections Work?

Semaglutide injections work by mimicking the effects of GLP-1. This hormone helps regulate blood sugar and appetite.

Here's a quick overview of how semaglutide works in the body:

• Injected under skin with prefilled pen device
• Absorbed slowly into the bloodstream
• Binds to GLP-1 receptors on pancreas and other organs
• Stimulates β cells in pancreas to release insulin
• Suppresses α cell glucagon secretion
• Delays gastric emptying from stomach to small intestine
• Acts on appetite control centers in the brain
• Reduces food intake and promotes weight loss

The combination of increasing insulin, decreasing glucagon, slowing digestion, and reducing appetite results in better blood sugar control and weight reduction.

Semaglutide helps rebalance the hormone system to favor lower blood glucose. The effects build up over several weeks of continued use, providing sustainable, long-term improvements in HbA1c and body weight.

Benefits of Semaglutide Injections

Semaglutide injections offer a number of advantages in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity:

• Lowers A1C - Reduces average blood sugar levels by 1-2%
• Promotes weight loss - Leads to average reductions of 10-15% of body weight
• Single weekly dose - One shot under skin per week improves compliance
• Cardiovascular benefits - Shown to reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and death
• Well-tolerated - Gradual dose increase minimizes side effects
• Convenient administration - Pre-filled disposable pen for self-injection

In clinical trials, semaglutide has demonstrated superior blood sugar lowering and weight loss compared to other GLP-1 receptor agonists and diabetes medications.

The ability to administer a once-weekly injection improves adherence over daily or twice-daily injections. This leads to better and more sustainable treatment outcomes.

Who is a Candidate for Semaglutide?

Semaglutide may be an appropriate treatment option for adults with the following conditions:

• Type 2 diabetes - For patients not meeting target A1C on other oral or injectable diabetes medications
• Obesity/overweight - For chronically overweight patients, often in combination with nutritional counseling
• Prediabetes - May help prevent progression to type 2 diabetes
• Cardiovascular disease - Shown to reduce risk of cardiovascular events

Talk to your doctor about whether adding semaglutide can help you better manage elevated blood sugar levels or excess weight associated with medical conditions.

Semaglutide can be used alone or added to other glucose-lowering medications like metformin. It may also be combined with anti-obesity treatments such as phentermine.

What are the Side Effects of Semaglutide?

The most common side effects of semaglutide injections are gastrointestinal in nature due to the slowing of stomach emptying. These usually resolve within a few weeks of starting treatment.

Possible semaglutide side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Decreased appetite
• Constipation
• Stomach pain

These effects are usually mild. Beginning semaglutide at a low dose of 0.25 mg weekly and gradually increasing the dosage over 4-5 weeks allows the body to adjust and minimizes adverse effects.

Rare but serious side effects that should prompt immediate medical care include:

• Severe stomach pain with or without nausea/vomiting
• Gallbladder problems - cholelithiasis, cholecystitis
• Kidney dysfunction - acute decline in eGFR
• Pancreatitis
• Severe hypoglycemia - in patients also taking sulfonylurea or insulin

In general though, semaglutide is very well tolerated, especially when appropriately initiated at a low dose with gradual up-titration.

Semaglutide Injection Protocol

Here is an overview of the standard medical protocol for initiating and adjusting semaglutide injections:

1. Start at 0.25 mg once weekly - Self-inject for 4 weeks to reduce gastrointestinal side effects
2. Increase to 0.5 mg once weekly - If well tolerated, increase at start of week 5
3. Maintain 0.5 mg dose for approximately 4 weeks if needed for tolerability
4. Progress to 1 mg once weekly - This is standard maintenance dosage
5. Consider 2 mg once weekly - For additional A1C and weight reduction

• Initial dose escalation - Done slowly over 3-6 weeks to improve tolerance
• Re-escalation if doses are missed - Follow same schedule if 1 or more weeks are skipped
• How supplied - 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg prefilled pen injectors

Follow up with your healthcare provider within 2-4 weeks of starting semaglutide and notify them if intolerable side effects develop.

Routine bloodwork to monitor kidney function, electrolytes, blood counts, vitamin B12 levels, and thyroid function is recommended every 6-12 months.

Why Timely Semaglutide Treatment Matters

It is important to consider treatment with medications like semaglutide in a timely manner for several reasons:

• Prevents progression of type 2 diabetes - Lowers A1C to reduce risk of diabetic complications
• Normalizes body weight - Reverses obesity, major risk factor for many diseases
• Reduces cardiovascular risk - Shown to decrease heart disease, stroke risk by 26%
• Stops disease acceleration - Intervening early halts worsening of obesity and diabetes
• Improves quality of life - Better health translates to improved productivity and wellbeing
• Saves healthcare costs - Averting hospitalizations and managing complications

In both diabetes and excess weight, delaying intervention leads to worse health outcomes and higher medical expenditures down the road.

Semaglutide provides robust A1C and weight reduction unattainable through lifestyle measures alone for many patients. Utilizing this medication early on helps normalize blood sugar and weight before complications can develop.

The Renew Medical Clinic Advantage

Here at Renew Medical Clinic in Geneva, Illinois, we provide cutting edge, evidence-based care for hormone-related conditions. With respect to semaglutide injections, we offer several advantages over standard medical practices:

• Precision hormone testing - We accurately diagnose insulin resistance, metabolic disease risk
• Personalized treatment plans - Medications, nutrition and exercise tailored to your unique physiology
• Regular progress assessments - Continual feedback guides evolving care for optimal outcomes
• Lifestyle coaching - Behavior change support empowers long-term success
• Compassionate care - We appreciate the daily challenges of living with obesity and diabetes

At Renew Medical Clinic, your health is at the center of all assessment and treatment decisions. We empower each patient with education and tools for self-management success outside the clinic walls. Semaglutide is an exciting new therapy that can play an integral role in correcting hormone imbalance and reducing disease progression.

Conclusion

Semaglutide injections can be an effective treatment option for managing type 2 diabetes, obesity, prediabetes, and cardiovascular disease. By mimicking the effects of the GLP-1 hormone, semaglutide helps regulate blood sugar levels, promote weight loss, and improve overall cardiovascular health.

At Renew Medical Clinic in Geneva, Illinois, we offer personalized treatment plans that incorporate semaglutide injections along with lifestyle coaching, regular progress assessments, and compassionate care. Our goal is to empower patients with the knowledge and support they need to achieve lasting positive changes in their health.

If you're interested in exploring semaglutide as a potential treatment option, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our experienced healthcare team. Together, we can develop a comprehensive plan tailored to your unique needs and goals.