Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) treatment that’s generally prescribed for individuals with sort 2 diabetes to assist handle blood glucose (sugar) and A1c ranges and to handle insulin resistance.
Whereas permitted for sort 2 diabetes, Ozempic has additionally seen off-label use in sort 1 diabetes circumstances to handle related points, akin to insulin resistance.
This off-label software has contributed to its rising recognition amongst a broader vary of individuals with diabetes, though such use shouldn’t be formally permitted by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA).
Listening to concerning the lived expertise of somebody taking this treatment remains to be fairly uncommon.
Stevie Prepare dinner, a authorized assistant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has lived with diabetes for the previous 23 years. Recognized with sort 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.
Stevie sat down with us to share their story.
Desk of Contents
How did you get began taking Ozempic?
Prepare dinner was desirous about exploring Ozempic for managing insulin resistance — a situation the place the physique requires extra insulin to take care of 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 sort 1 diabetes develop a degree of insulin resistance much like that seen in sort 2 diabetes, particularly after managing the situation for a few years.
Ozempic and different GLP-1 drugs 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 kinds of diabetes, which may complicate administration of the illness.
Learn extra about this treatment in: Every part You Have to Know About Ozempic.
This deficiency is why drugs like Ozempic could 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 major barrier for individuals with diabetes, particularly these with sort 1 diabetes, in accessing drugs like Ozempic. This hesitancy stems from the truth that Ozempic is formally permitted by the FDA just for managing blood sugar ranges in individuals with sort 2 diabetes.
Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of motion of Ozempic — the way in which it impacts insulin secretion and blood glucose ranges — is comparable in each kinds of diabetes.
Because of this, many docs take into account prescribing the treatment “off-label” (with out FDA approval). That is significantly frequent for individuals with sort 1 diabetes who’re coping with insulin resistance and protracted excessive blood sugar ranges.
Analysis is ongoing to guage the effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for treating sort 1 diabetes, with the hope that these research will result in FDA approval for this use. Such approval would simplify entry to those drugs for everybody with diabetes.
Prepare dinner recounts, “My physician wasn’t too eager on prescribing it at first, however agreed we must always attempt it for insulin resistance and gave me a 3-month prescription to start out. That was 15 months in the past.”
Did you expertise any uncomfortable side effects? Do you continue to?
Ozempic could cause quite a lot of opposed uncomfortable side effects, particularly when first beginning the treatment. Prepare dinner skilled a few of these results, noting, “I had plenty of nausea and vomiting for the primary three to 4 weeks, however that has since dissipated.”
It’s common for individuals to expertise uncomfortable side effects initially after they start taking the drug. These uncomfortable side effects of Ozempic can embrace:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Decreased urge for food
- Low blood sugar (particularly in case you additionally take insulin)
Sometimes, because the physique adjusts to the treatment, these uncomfortable side effects usually subside on their very own. Nonetheless, it’s necessary to pay attention to uncommon however severe uncomfortable side effects, akin to extreme gastrointestinal issues, and talk about any persistent or worsening signs together with your healthcare supplier.
Study extra about potential uncomfortable side effects in: Ozempic Aspect Results: What You Have to 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 additionally in curbing blood sugar spikes.
Prepare dinner shares their expertise: “I don’t expertise vicious excessive blood sugars as usually 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 opposed uncomfortable side effects from Ozempic, they had been pleasantly stunned by how efficient it’s for managing their blood sugar ranges.
Regardless of a nationwide scarcity of the treatment in the US, Prepare dinner studies that they didn’t encounter any difficulties acquiring Ozempic in Canada. They plan on taking the treatment for the foreseeable future.
Is the treatment reasonably priced for you?
One of many more difficult features of managing diabetes with drugs like Ozempic is their value. Prepare dinner notes that with out insurance coverage, the treatment could be unaffordable. In the US, for instance, the listing worth is $935.77 monthly.
They are saying, “I’ve a fantastic advantages plan by means of my employer, however at first they’d not cowl Ozempic as a result of I’m a kind 1 diabetic. My physician offered a observe, which they nonetheless denied. I then spoke to my insurer straight and defined the state of affairs, and so they permitted it beneath my protection.”
Navigating the advanced prior-authorization course of to safe vital drugs could be irritating. Thankfully, by means of persistent negotiation and clear communication, Prepare dinner efficiently secured protection for his or her Ozempic prescription.
Do you’ve gotten any suggestions or recommendation for individuals trying to take Ozempic?
Prepare dinner presents a vital piece of recommendation:
“If value protection is a matter for you, I like to recommend being pushy about it together with your insurer. If you’re a long-time sort 1 diabetic and expertise insulin resistance, advocate for your self! Inform your physician you assume it’s value making an attempt, and observe your uncomfortable side effects and advantages totally to your physician’s evaluate.
Be constant together with your injections. And don’t let anybody let you know that you just’re ‘simply taking it to drop pounds.’ Individuals don’t need to hear that it may very well be useful, they simply assume we’re being useless. Self-advocacy could be difficult, however it was value it for me!”
Remaining ideas
Navigating the complexities of diabetes administration requires extra than simply following a prescribed medical routine.
Prepare dinner’s expertise with Ozempic underscores the necessary function of self-advocacy and personalised care in managing persistent circumstances like diabetes. Regardless of the hurdles, Prepare dinner’s persistence in overcoming doctor hesitancy and insurance coverage boundaries 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 sort 1 diabetes, there may be hope for extra individuals to entry this efficient drugs.