Let’s Talk Timing:
How Long Does Ozempic
Take to Work?

When it comes to losing weight most of us are impatient to see results.  We want our investment in ourselves and our bodies to pay off quickly.   As we know from our other blog posts, weight loss with GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, is different than traditional weight loss through dieting and exercise.  So today we’re asking the all important question: How long does Ozempic take to work for weight loss?

The Lowdown on Ozempic

Before we think about timing let’s refresh ourselves on how these medications work.  Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, mimic the action of a natural hormone (glucagon-like peptide) in the body, which leads to:

• Lowering of blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas and reducing glucose production in the liver. 
• Slowing down the movement of food through our intestines helping us to feel fuller for longer. 
• Increase in the amount of energy-burning brown fat in our bodies, which increases our basal metabolic rate.  This effectively increases the number of calories we burn when we’re doing nothing.  
• Enhancement of the signals in our brain that tell us we are full, meaning that we will want to stop eating sooner. 
• Reduction the signals in our brain that cause cravings. 

So we can see that Ozempic is working in a variety of different ways to maximise our weight loss and to get us on our weight loss journey quickly.  Let’s look at some of the factors involved. 

How Long Does Ozempic Take To Start Working?

Before we start it’s important to remember that everyone’s body is unique, and individual responses to medications like Ozempic can vary.  However, we all have GLP-1 receptors widespread in the body, so we know that activating them will have an effect:

 Short-Term Effects

Many people will start to notice the effects of Ozempic within the first few days of starting treatment.  As the medication starts to affect the receptors in your brain, you will likely notice that you are feeling fuller more quickly and your cravings for foods have lessened.  As you start to take in fewer calories than you need you will start using your fat stores for energy and as a result lose weight.  At the beginning of our weight loss journey we may also notice a diuretic effect i.e. your body will lose more water.  This can feel great, as losing water weight can tip the scales quickly, but remember that this isn’t fat loss so the number you see on the scales might fluctuate.  Don’t be disheartened!   Losing and gaining “water weight” is part of the weight loss process.  As long as we are feeling the effects of Ozempic and eating fewer calories than our bodies are burning, we will be losing weight. 

You might also experience some side effects during this time, e.g nausea, diarrhoea or constipation.  For most people these will last for a few days or possibly a few weeks and then subside.  The majority of us will find that taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro fits really well into our lives and starts to work quickly. 

Medium-Term Effects 

After a few weeks you should notice that your clothes are looser and you are steadily losing weight.  The best way to monitor this is by weighing yourself or measuring your waist once a week and keeping a note of the number.  Try not to weigh yourself too much. As we have already seen, water weight can cause fluctuations in the numbers you see on the scale and this is unlikely to be a true reflection of your progress.   For many, weighing themselves might be stressful and so it’s much more important to go by how your clothes feel and how you look in the mirror.  At Align we will help you to keep track of your progress and weight loss success, with regular check ins and support. 

Long-Term Effects

In the longer term we will experience the satisfaction of meeting our weight loss goals and maintaining our desired weight more easily than we have experienced before.  The benefits are so much more than our appearance however.  Long-term weight loss with Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can enhance our lives by:

• Stabilising our blood sugar and reducing our HbA1c – HbA1c is a measure of our average blood sugar control over the past three months. We can measure this with a blood test, and it is one of the key ways that we can diagnose diabetes.  An elevated HbA1c greater than 48 mmol/L indicates that we have diabetes.  However an HbA1c of 42-47 mmol/L is called pre-diabetes and indicates that we are at high risk of developing diabetes in the future.  Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications work to stimulate our insulin production in the pancreas and reduce our glucose production in the liver. This in turn stabilises our blood sugar and reduces our risk of diabetes.  
• Reducing cardiovascular risk – one of the key benefits of losing weight is that it can help to lower our blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation in the body.  All of these are positive effects which can lead to a healthier cardiovascular system and reduce our risk of heart attack and stroke. 
• Reducing our risk of cancer – the link between overweight and obesity and cancer is not yet fully understood but includes chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances that obesity drives and insulin resistance.  Losing weight and maintaining that weight loss reduces our risk of breast, endometrial (womb), bowel, oesophageal, pancreatic, liver and kidney cancer.  With one in two of us likely to get cancer at some point in our lives, reducing our risk with weight loss is a really powerful thing to do to take control of our health for the long term. 
• Improving our joint health and mobility – excess weight puts strain on our joints, especially our knees and the lower back.  Losing weight can help to reduce chronic joint pain if we already have it and reduce our risk of joint strain and wear in the future.  
• Improving our mental health and wellbeing – for many of us being overweight contributes to low mood and a poor self-image.  Losing weight can really help to boost self-esteem and confidence as well as reduce the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
• Increasing longevity –  research has shown that maintaining a healthy weight is associated with a longer life expectancy. 

Tips for Success: Maximising the Benefits of Ozempic

So now that we know about the short, medium and long-term benefits. Let’s think about how to maximise those benefits. 

Stay Consistent

Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are taken as once-weekly injections and it’s really important to take your medication consistently on the same day each week.  Why is this? In order to answer that we need to think about how long Ozempic stays in your system.  Let’s have a look at the science behind how our body handles the medication:

• Half-life is a concept used in pharmacology to describe the time it takes for the concentration of the medication in our bloodstreams to reduce to half its initial amount. For example, let’s say you take a medication with a half-life of 24 hours, after 24 hours, half of the original dose will remain in your system. After another 24 hours (totaling 48 hours), only a quarter of the original dose will remain, and so on.  Knowing the half-life of a medication helps us to understand how frequently we need to take it in order to maximise its benefits.  This is important as it helps us to understand how often you need to take a medication in order to maintain a consistent effective amount in our bodies. 
• The half-life of Ozempic and Wegovy (Semaglutide) and Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) injections is about one week, and this is why the medication is taken weekly.  Understanding this means that we can ensure that we are consistent with our dosing and take the medication on time. Delaying the dose will cause the concentration of medication in our bodies to fall and the effects will start to wear off.  It’s a good idea to set a reminder to take your medication each week so that you can keep on track.
• When we have reached our weight loss goals and are maintaining that weight, we may decide to stop taking Ozempic.  So how long does it stay in your system?  Using the concept of half-life we can calculate that it will take about 5-7 weeks for the medicine to be completely eliminated from your system.  This is an average and it can be affected by our metabolism, kidney function and other medications we are taking. 

Healthy Lifestyle Habits

As we have explored in other blog posts, we can maximise the benefits of Ozempic by pairing the medication with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other positive lifestyle changes such as reducing alcohol intake.  All of this can amplify Ozempic’s effects and improve your overall health and well-being.  Have a look at the journal entries for “Do you have to Exercise with Ozempic? A Comprehensive Guide” and “Can You Drink When Taking Wegovy?” 

Talk to us

We know that starting any new weight loss programme can feel daunting.  At Align we have experience and expertise in supporting you on your weight loss journey and we are committed to your success. If you want to chat about anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to us, we’re here for you every step of the way. 

Conclusion

As we can see Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro start working quickly to help us lose weight, but the benefits of weight loss are lasting and long term.  There’s never been a better time to start on your weight loss journey, and with Align you have everything you need to succeed.  So here’s to your health and wellbeing as you embark on your Ozempic adventure!