How Do GLP-1 Weight Loss Injections Work?

Everywhere you look, people are talking about GLP-1s. But how exactly do they work?

GLP is an abbreviation for a type of hormone called glucagon-like peptide whose job in the body is to help to regulate appetite, digestion and blood sugar levels. GLP1s work by mimicking the effect of this hormone.

The specific jobs that GLP has in the body are to:

• trigger insulin release, which is another hormone that lowers the amount of glucose (sugar) in your blood
• block glucagon secretion, which is a hormone that raises blood sugar
• slow digestion, so it slows the amount of sugar going into your bloodstream from the food you eat
• act on areas of the brain that help you feel full.

So GLP-1 agonists, treatments that mimic the action of the natural hormone, work in all these above different ways to cut down on the way sugar is being used in your body and converted into fat and also your perception of how full you feel. All of which helps you to control your appetite and lose weight.

Some GLP1s, like for example Mounjaro®, work on a second hormone called GIP or glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide hormone too. Mounjaro® works on the GIP hormone, which reduces blood sugar levels by encouraging the pancreas to release insulin. Because of this dual mechanism, Mounjaro® typically produces more weight loss at standard doses than other popular GLP1, Wegovy®

As well as lowering blood sugar levels and reducing weight, studies show that GLP-1 agonists may have other potential benefits, like:

• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving lipid disorders
• Improving fatty liver disease
• Reducing your risk of heart disease and kidney disease
• Delaying the progression of diabetes-related nephropathy

It’s important not to rely solely on your GLP1 to lose the weight you want to. You’re much more likely to be successful in achieving your weight loss goals by adopting long-term healthy habits such as calorie-controlled, balanced diets and maintaining physical activity too.

How Do You Take GLP1s?

Most GLP1s come as a once-weekly injection that you give yourself via a specially designed pre-filled injection pen. You give the injections subcutaneously, under the skin of the stomach, thigh, or upper arm, rotating the location each time to avoid a potential skin reaction. It’s important to use your GLP1 once a week on the same day. The medicine is stored in an easy-to-use injection pen that you keep in the fridge.

• You can use your pen at any time of the day, with or without meals.
• To help you remember when to use your GLP1, you may wish to tick the day of the week when you inject your first dose on the box that your pen comes in or mark it on a calendar.
• If necessary, you can change the day of your weekly injection, as long as it’s been at least 3 days since your last injection.
• After selecting a new dosing day, continue with once-a-week dosing on that new day.

Some popular GLP1 treatments are now also available as a tablet too, for example Wegovy®. This allows you to choose the format that fits best with your lifestyle.

The Wegovy® once-daily tablet contains the same active ingredient as the Wegovy® pen injection; the GLP-1 analogue semaglutide, so it works the same way as the injection form of Wegovy®.

When you wake up, just take your daily Wegovy® pill with a sip of water (up to 120 mL). It’s important that you take it on an empty stomach after a fasting period of at least 8 hours. Swallow it whole – don’t split, crush, dissolve or chew the Wegovy® pill as this might affect how well you absorb it.1

You can start eating, drinking, and taking other oral medication 30 minutes after taking the Wegovy® pill. Waiting at least 30 minutes makes sure that you absorb your Wegovy® pill properly.1

Potential Side Effects with GLP1s

All medicines come with potential side effects, which are mild and likely to reduce or disappear after a few weeks of starting treatment. The most common side effects of weight loss injections or GLP-1s are gastrointestinal effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and constipation. Buying GLP-1 injections without a prescription from illegal suppliers, increases the risk of receiving counterfeit products which could be dangerous to your health.

Wegovy® Side Effects

What are the side effects of the weight loss injections Wegovy®?

(Very common) More than 1 in 10 people taking Wegovy® experience:

• Headache
• Feeling Weak or Tired
• Nausea (Feeling Sick)
• Vomiting (Being Sick)
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach Pain2

Mounjaro® Side Effects

What are the side effects of the weight loss injections Mounjaro®?

(Very common) More than 1 in 10 people taking Mounjaro® experience:

• Feeling sick (Nausea)
• Being sick (Vomiting) – This Usually Goes Away Over Time
• Stomach Pain
• Diarrhoea
• Constipation3

Where Can You Access GLP1s?

It’s important to access your GLP1 from a reputable source, so that a clinician can review your medical history and check that a GLP1 is right for you. At SlimEase, our clinical experience as an independent pharmacist means we can make losing weight easer for you.

We offer a unique SlimEase guarantee for reassurance. Our guarantee means you can rely on pharmacy grade, ethical products bought directly from our manufacturers. This gives you the peace of mind that SlimEase is working with tried and trusted suppliers that are medically approved and ethically sound.

Alongside this, you can rely on clinical advice from GPHC registered pharmacists. So you can feel confident in our high-quality products as well as access medical advice you can trust.

Contact Slimease

Ready to choose the GLP-1 that’s right for you? You can find expert independent advice by speaking to a pharmacist at SlimEase. Call us on 01932 393965 (during standard opening hours) or click here to email the team.