If people have a choice between taking medication orally or having to inject it themselves, chances are most will opt to take the pills. Oral semaglutide may seem like an appealing and convenient option for losing weight, but the FDA has not yet approved it for weight loss.
That’s not the only drawback involved with oral semaglutide. There are several other reasons semaglutide injections remain preferable to the pill form, which is why Rejuvime Medical offers only injectable semaglutide. In this blog post, we will explore the differences between oral and injectable semaglutide and explain why the injectable form remains the preferred option.
Is Oral Semaglutide Effective?
Creating an obesity pill from an injectable isn’t as simple as packaging the same drugs in capsule form. One of the major drawbacks is how the body absorbs the medication. Because pills pass through the gastrointestinal tract before entering the bloodstream, they must be able to withstand a large degree of degradation. That means the results are potentially less predictable and less efficient compared to injections.
It also means you’ll need significantly higher doses of oral semaglutide to produce the same weight loss as lower-dose injections. This increases the treatment cost and requires patients to take the pills at least once a day, compared to weekly injections.
Other Potential Risks
Taking oral semaglutide has potential side effects, making it potentially risky for people with other medical conditions. It may interact adversely with other oral meds that need to be taken on the same schedule. For example, patients on thyroid medications may experience elevated thyroid from increased absorption in the gut. Those on bone-strengthening medications for osteoporosis could also face an increased risk of side effects.
Moreover, patients must take the pill on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes before eating or drinking, which can be cumbersome for some individuals.
The Difference: Why Injectable Semaglutide Is Preferred
Most medical professionals recommend injectable semaglutide for a number of reasons.
- Efficacy: Injectable semaglutide is more effective because it directly enters the bloodstream. That leads to stable and predictable drug levels.
- Convenience: The once-weekly administration of injectable semaglutide is actually more convenient in the long run. It reduces dosing frequency and the need to adhere to strict timing around meals, as required with the oral form. This convenience, in turn, results in better patient compliance and more consistent weight loss results.
- Proven results: Finally, and most importantly, injectable semaglutide has proven results. Clinical trials and real-world studies consistently show that injectable semaglutide improves patients’ weight loss outcomes. In head-to-head comparisons, patients injecting semaglutide experienced greater weight loss and improved metabolic outcomes compared to people taking the drug orally.
Even though many people are wary of injections, it’s important to remember that not all needles are equal. You inject semaglutide just below the skin’s surface. Compared to flu shots, which are jabbed into muscle, semaglutide injections cause minimal discomfort. You can learn how self-injections work in our related blog post.
Get More Information
If you’re interested in semaglutide for metabolic optimization and weight loss, you can call us at (225) 960-1580 or request a consultation using the online form. We offer a simple, 3-step process to start your weight loss journey.
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