Regardless of its reputation, listening to in regards to the lived expertise of somebody taking Ozempic continues to be fairly uncommon.
Stevie Prepare dinner, a authorized assistant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has lived with diabetes for the previous 23 years. Identified with kind 1 diabetes on the age of 10, they’ve been utilizing Ozempic for the previous 15 months for diabetes administration, along with insulin pump remedy.
Prepare dinner sat down with us to share their story.
Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) treatment that’s generally prescribed for individuals with kind 2 diabetes to assist handle blood glucose (sugar) and A1c ranges and to handle insulin resistance.
Whereas authorized for kind 2 diabetes, Ozempic has additionally seen off-label use in kind 1 diabetes instances to handle comparable points, reminiscent of insulin resistance.
This off-label utility has contributed to its rising reputation amongst a broader vary of individuals with diabetes, though such use is just not formally authorized by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA).
How did you get began taking Ozempic?
Prepare dinner was considering exploring Ozempic for managing insulin resistance — a situation the place the physique requires extra insulin to keep up regular blood sugar ranges — and consulted their pharmacist, who believed it may very well be useful. Inspired by this, Prepare dinner remarks,
“So I approached my physician to start the dialogue.”
Many individuals with kind 1 diabetes develop a stage of insulin resistance much like that seen in kind 2 diabetes, particularly after managing the situation for a few years.
Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicines mimic the motion of hormones which might be naturally concerned in regulating starvation, emotions of fullness, insulin sensitivity, blood sugar ranges, and abdomen emptying. These hormones are sometimes poor in individuals with each forms of diabetes, which may complicate administration of the illness.
Learn extra about this treatment in: The whole lot You Must Know About Ozempic.
This deficiency is why medicines like Ozempic might be helpful. They assist deal with insulin resistance and enhance blood sugar and A1c ranges (a measure of glucose management over the earlier 2 to three months).
Study extra about blood sugar ranges and A1c in: Blood Sugar Chart: Blood Sugar and A1c Targets.
Why did your physician need you to take Ozempic?
Overcoming doctor hesitancy is a big barrier for individuals with diabetes, particularly these with kind 1 diabetes, in accessing medicines like Ozempic. This hesitancy stems from the truth that Ozempic is formally authorized by the FDA just for managing blood sugar ranges in individuals with kind 2 diabetes.
Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of motion of Ozempic — the best way it impacts insulin secretion and blood glucose ranges — is comparable in each forms of diabetes.
In consequence, many medical doctors think about prescribing the treatment “off-label” (with out FDA approval). That is significantly frequent for individuals with kind 1 diabetes who’re coping with insulin resistance and chronic excessive blood sugar ranges.
Analysis is ongoing to judge the effectiveness of GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic for treating kind 1 diabetes, with the hope that these research will result in FDA approval for this use. Such approval would simplify entry to those medicines for everybody with diabetes.
Prepare dinner recounts,
“My physician wasn’t too eager on prescribing it at first, however agreed we should always strive it for insulin resistance and gave me a 3-month prescription to begin. That was 15 months in the past.”
Did you expertise any unintended effects? Do you continue to?
Ozempic could cause quite a lot of hostile unintended effects, particularly when first beginning the treatment. Prepare dinner skilled a few of these results, noting,
“I had numerous nausea and vomiting for the primary three to 4 weeks, however that has since dissipated.”
It’s common for individuals to expertise unintended effects initially after they start taking the drug. These unintended effects of Ozempic can embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Decreased urge for food
- Low blood sugar (particularly should you additionally take insulin)
Sometimes, because the physique adjusts to the treatment, these unintended effects typically subside on their very own. Nonetheless, it’s vital to concentrate on uncommon however severe unintended effects, reminiscent of extreme gastrointestinal issues, and talk about any persistent or worsening signs together with your healthcare supplier.
Study extra about potential unintended effects in: Ozempic Facet Results: What You Must Know.
Has your diabetes administration improved since taking Ozempic?
Ozempic has been efficient for Prepare dinner in not solely decreasing blood sugar and A1c ranges but in addition in curbing blood sugar spikes.
Prepare dinner shares their expertise:
“I don’t expertise vicious excessive blood sugars as typically now, and after I do, they’re much less ‘sticky’ — they don’t keep excessive for as lengthy, and the crash down isn’t as extreme.”
Thanks to those enhancements, they’ve continued utilizing Ozempic for over 15 months, demonstrating the treatment’s long-term effectiveness in enhancing each blood sugar ranges and general diabetes administration.
Did something shock you about taking Ozempic?
Whereas Prepare dinner anticipated some hostile unintended effects from Ozempic, they had been pleasantly shocked by how efficient it’s for managing their blood sugar ranges.
Regardless of a nationwide scarcity of the treatment in the USA, Prepare dinner reviews that they didn’t encounter any difficulties acquiring Ozempic in Canada. They plan on taking the treatment for the foreseeable future.
Is the treatment inexpensive for you?
One of many more difficult features of managing diabetes with medicines like Ozempic is their price. Prepare dinner notes that with out insurance coverage, the treatment can be unaffordable. In the USA, for instance, the listing value is $935.77 per 30 days.
They are saying,
“I’ve an important advantages plan by way of my employer, however at first they’d not cowl Ozempic as a result of I’m a sort 1 diabetic. My physician offered a word, which they nonetheless denied. I then spoke to my insurer instantly and defined the state of affairs, they usually authorized it beneath my protection.”
Navigating the advanced prior-authorization course of to safe obligatory medicines might be irritating. Luckily, by way of persistent negotiation and clear communication, Prepare dinner efficiently secured protection for his or her Ozempic prescription.
Do you may have any ideas or recommendation for individuals seeking to take Ozempic?
Prepare dinner affords a vital piece of recommendation:
“If price protection is a matter for you, I like to recommend being pushy about it together with your insurer. If you’re a long-time kind 1 diabetic and expertise insulin resistance, advocate for your self! Inform your physician you suppose it’s price making an attempt, and word your unintended effects and advantages completely on your physician’s evaluation.
Be constant together with your injections. And don’t let anybody inform you that you simply’re ‘simply taking it to drop a few pounds.’ Folks don’t need to hear that it may very well be useful, they only suppose we’re being useless. Self-advocacy might be difficult, but it surely was price it for me!”
Last ideas
Navigating the complexities of diabetes administration requires extra than simply following a prescribed medical routine.
Prepare dinner’s expertise with Ozempic underscores the vital position of self-advocacy and personalised care in managing power situations like diabetes. Regardless of the hurdles, Prepare dinner’s persistence in overcoming doctor hesitancy and insurance coverage limitations highlights the significance of advocating for your self within the healthcare system.
Prepare dinner’s journey additionally highlights the evolving panorama of diabetes remedy. With the off-label use of the drug in individuals with kind 1 diabetes, there may be hope for extra individuals to entry this efficient drugs.
