I found out that I was heading towards Type 2 back in 2016. I was first put on Metformin which made little difference, especially in my post-meal readings. My A1C continued to climb and I found out that I was over 8 which scared me quite bad. My endo added Jardiance, which helped quite a bit, but still wasn’t bringing my numbers down where I’d like them to be. A few months ago, we decided to add Ozempic. It’s been a mixed blessing of sorts.
I started with the .25 dose, once weekly, for the first month. Immediately, I had waves of naseau, mild diarreha and occasional cramping. About 3 days in, I ate a carb-heavy meal one evening and spent the next two days with incredibly bad diarreha, cramps, and a general feeling that I had an intestinal virus. No vomiting though. Immediately, I noticed my numbers were improving dramatically. Many times, falling below 100 post-meal which I had not see in years. I also, pretty rapidly, lost 15 pounds and have maintained that weight loss. I gained 95 lbs over 10 years and truly believe this is where the Type 2 started. My hope is major weight loss will reverse or put it into remission.
Last week, I upped the dosage to the .5 weekly and have experienced all of the above symptoms over again. It’s really tough to have near constant diarreha and other GI issues. If not for the dramatic blood sugar results, I would have long tossed this into the trash. Along with the Metformin and Jardiance, things are changing for the positive but I don’t know how long I can handle the GI issues.
I’d love to hear others experience with this medication.
I used ozempic for about six months before telling my doctor I couldn’t stand it anymore. I would have one or two days a week of severe vomiting plus the nausea for a couple of more days. I couldn’t leave the house because it seemed I was sick all the time. I am currently taking the lowest dose of janumet and following the GI diet. My latest A1C was 6.3, a real win.
Have you considered trying a different medication? Trulicity being another one? They also mentioned not eating fried food. Changing to a different medication might be your best option. Nancy50
Thanks for posting your experience James. It makes you wonder if the weight loss is from all the nausea and lack of food or the drug itself??? I don’t lose weight easily, even without much food. Metformin helps with that. I want to try Ozempic and have a sample but am so afraid of feeling bad. With the once a week, those symptoms aren’t gonna go away quickly! But, they say it’s supposed to be less than the daily drugs like Victoza. I hope you get used to it and it works well for you. Good luck.
I just started ozempic, and after 2 doses I am having no adverse affects… my doctor started me on .5 dose… my numbers have been great , I was also put on xigduo
I’ve been taking Ozempic (instead of Victoza) since September, including the 3-month run-up. Sometimes all right, sometimes (when I sin with carbohydrates) with gastrointestinal symptoms too disgusting to discuss.
When talking to my endo a few weeks ago, I found myself talking like the Woody Guthrie song:
“They thought that they could hold out, but they didn’t know how long.”
I am tidx65yrs and struggle with good control. I have been researching meds, decided to try Ozempic. I really appreciate hearing from you which gives me a lot of insight. Good luck to you!
Karen
I’ve been taking Ozempic every week since late August. I started out at .25 for 4 weeks. I experienced very mild nausea. Then I moved to .50 and have been there every since. Now I experience extreme GI issues. I’ve been able to eliminate my morning insulin but I’m leery of leaving the house. Thanks to the pandemic, I’m home more now. I’m not sure how I would handle this otherwise. I’m considering stopping but will wait until my next endo appointment to decide.
I take trulicity,have had no issues. Sorry you are having issues. Does what you eat make any difference? I can’t eat anything with fat in it with the metformin, or I get sick. Hope things improve. Nancy50
Oh my god where do I begin. Ozempic almost killed me. I was on metformin then since it wasn’t working making me sick I was put on Bydureon BCise which worked wonders. A1C was near normal, then my endocrinologist decided he didn’t like that it went from 8.0 to 7.0 and put me on ozempic full dosage right away. I was throwing up, I couldn’t eat, poop, pee after first shot and my numbers were 600 plus which never happened before. I told him it was making me sick he said no your fine and continue after so many dosages it landed me in the hospital as I couldn’t move because it was doing so much damage to my body. Blood work showed I was almost in multiple organ failure and I almost needed multiple surgeries to live but I removed myself off of it. I ended up 1 surgery to remove gallbladder that was severely diseased. I had to have so many IVs and other medicine to get me to pee and poop again. After 5 months I was able to fully use the bathroom without assistance and eat without feeling sick. I cried I felt scared to take any medicine because took a year to get sugar back down and feel normal again. I now work take my Bydureon and exercise and my sugars and a1c now semi normal but ozempic almost killed me.
Wow @Miinion , so sorry to hear about that terrible experience and so glad you are better now!
I have had an amazing experience on ozempic. I have lost 22 pounds in 6 weeks. I went up from 0.25mg in first 4 weeks to 0.5mg because my hunger was coming back strong. I have had nausea and constipation but I found I had to eliminate beef, pork, eggs and carbs. If I eat too much protein (any protein) I get nauseaus, and if I eat beef or pork I feel sick for a full 24 hours (chicken and fish are fine!). If I eat too many carbs I get diarrhea. I also drink a huge amount of water every day to keep me regular.
I eat tons of farmstand veggies and fruits and dairy and this regimen is magic. For dairy I eat mostly fermented – yogurt, lebneh, goat’s milk feta and mozzarella but also have milk in my coffee. Sometimes I have whole grains but mostly none. No carbs and no sugar and just did 14 days with no alcohol either.
I am never hungry. I will say I was ALWAYS hungry before this. I was ALWAYS thinking about food before this. Now I feel so free! With a travel baseball son, it is hard to hit the road and not know where my next meal comes from. We hit the road this summer during the 6 weeks of my weightloss and we covered 3k+ miles going from baseball tournament to baseball tournament staying in hotels and not having a kitchen. I found I could just carry a bag of shelled pistachios and could literally sit through my son scarfing pizza next to me in the car and not feel hungry or stressed over food. I buy the grab and go pre-made salads from walmart or whatever grocery store and it was so easy and quick! They are not perfect as some of the dressings have sugar but so be it! I found I could eat when I wanted to rather than becoming a hangry monster and eating whatever is in front of me. Bonus – it is a little lonely but the walmart pre-made salads even come with a fork! It really helps to know there is food that will agree with you every 5 miles or wherever there is a grocery store.
It’s been just magic. As long as I drink a ton of water every day and eat lots of fiber in fruits and veggies, I go #2 every other day (wish it were every day but it’s all moving so not too bad). I do wish I didn’t have to go #1 so often it is a chore to drink this much water, I am trying to do the ounces formula where you drink half your weight in ounces of water daily so if you are 200 pounds you drink 100 ounces each day. It works.
I have done every diet and exercise regimen and was always struggling against MASSIVE hunger. No hunger now, just a peaceful meal here and there. My energy is way up and I am starting to exercise more after being so heavy I didn’t want to move. Now I am back at home with a kitchen I keep lots of berries and peaches on hand as they satisfy the sugar cravings.
Hi, 2 days ago I took my first Ozempic injection @ .25. So far, I have not experienced a single side effect - including no change to my appetite. I am wondering how long it was after your 1st injection @ .25 did you notice your appetite had decreased? I eat very healthily, always have done, and usually don’t have any lunch, so my appetite was never big to begin with. I would welcome any reduction in appetite, just so I can see some weight loss. I cannot find an answer to my question anywhere. I keep reading that people have a reduction in their appetite, but they never say how long that took to kick in???
Welcome to the group. I do not take this medication so I can’t answer your question.I take Trulicity and it is slow to act,but numbers are excellent. Welcome again. Nancy50
I am sorry for this late reply. It usually takes a few weeks into the .5 to feel any reduction in appetite. I didn’t have anything at all at the . 25 dose. I guess by now, you’ve found that out. How is it going???
I am on Week 5 of Ozempic at a dose of .25. I have experienced mild nausea and cramping but nothing bad enough that I would consider quitting. I have lost 7 pounds and my BS this morning was 113–the lowest reading I’ve seen in years. I rarely want anything sweet and am no longer constantly hunting something to eat. This must be how “normal” people feel.
