Weight Loss Strategies
Many people are looking to lose weight or struggle with chronic weight management. Proper weight management has many health benefits and should always be done properly. Weight loss comes down to solving an equation. Calories burned need to be more than calories consumed. Proper diet and exercise are the best way to maintain both a healthy weight but also provide overall physical benefits. A good support system is also a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. For some people, despite their best efforts, they are unable to achieve target weight goals on their own. For some people, medication may be helpful.
What are GLP1s?
GLP1 medications (Glucagon Like Peptide 1 agonists). Without getting too deep, these medications work in basically 4 ways.
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Increase insulin release from your pancreas
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Inhibit glucagon release
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Suppress appetite
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Slow gastric emptying
The two most popular GLP1s used to assist in weight loss are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide.
Semaglutide has been used in helping patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar for many years. It is marketed by Novo Nordisk as an injection as the drug Ozempic® and as an oral tablet as Rybelsus®. The FDA recently added an additional indication to the drug, allowing it to help patients battling chronic weight management. This is the same injectable drug but marketed by Novo Nordisk as Wegovy®.
Tirzapetide has similar indications as semaglutide. It is marketed by Eli Lilly as an injection. Monjouro® is the trade name for treating diabetes. Zepbound® is the trade name for treating obesity.
What are my compounded options?
Sublingual
At Summers Pharmacy we have formulated a compounded liquid sublingual (under the tongue) form of the drug. Same drug, different formulation. A compound is when a pharmacy takes an available form of a drug and changes the dosage form or strength to customize the final product for the patient. Our formulation contains either semaglutide or tirzpetide. The same active ingredients as in the products manufactured by Novo Nordisk and Eli LIlly. This compound is made “in house” at our compounding pharmacy by our pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
Injectable
We have been asked for many months to offer an injectable form of semaglutide and tirzepatide. Unlike the liquid form, an injection must be made in a sterile environment. Until recently, we have been unable to offer this solution. Recently we partnered with a 503B pharmacy to be able to provide this solution to our patients. A 503B pharmacy is a pharmacy that compounds in large volumes and is inspected and approved by the FDA. We needed to make sure the product we are offering our patients is one that we could trust, so you could trust it. Each batch received comes with a Certificate of Analysis showing the chemical composition of the active ingredient. It also comes with potency and sterility testing from an independent lab. This shows that what you are prescribed is what you are injecting. Safety and accuracy are critical to us. We want you to know where your medication comes from and to be ensured that there are no surprises.
What Are the Side Effects?
The most common side effects include gastrointestinal related symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. These side effects may be more common after initiation and during dose escalation. Extreme sensitivity reactions such as rash, trouble breathing, swelling of the mouth, face, or throat should be reported to your prescriber immediately. Low blood sugar can occur and is marked by signs of dizziness, headache, feeling sleepy or weak, shaking, fast heartbeat, confusion, hunger, change in eyesight, or sweating. Discontinuing the use of the medication may be necessary should these reactions occur. Always consult your prescriber or pharmacist before stopping any medication.
How Do I Get a Compounded Medication?
All compounded medications are available by prescription only from your physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant. You can ask your healthcare provider to send a prescription to our pharmacy. If your healthcare provider asks for more information please contact us and we will gladly send over our order form.
Disclaimers
By FDA definition, no compounded medication has been tested for safety or efficacy. At Summers Compounding, high quality and safety are our priority. We adhere to stringent industry guidelines and compounding best practices. However, we are not a drug manufacturer and have different industry standards.
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