Ozempic: Semaglutide, sold through the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy,

Semaglutide is making waves online for its potential to help people lose weight. Sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, this drug can supposedly help you shed over 10 per cent of body weight and counts Elon Musk among its users.

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for medication made from the drug semaglutide. Both are administered through injection and produced by the Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.

Ozempic has been used to treat type 2 diabetes for some years, while Wegovy is the new weight loss version of the drug coming to the UK. The difference between the two is that Wegovy has a higher concentration of semaglutide.

How does Ozempic work?

Semaglutide replicates a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) secreted by the gut after eating. It tells the pancreas to increase insulin, hence why semaglutide was designed to treat type 2 diabetes.

However, GLP-1 also sends signals to the brain that make us feel full. Semaglutide can thus be used to suppress appetite and alleviate some of the ill effects of dieting.

"When you lose weight through a diet, you then start to feel hungry, miserable, tired and all the rest of it," Dr Simon Cork, a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, told BBC Science Focus. "What semaglutide does is it prevents the biological response to weight loss."

Does semaglutide cause weight loss?

The drug helps people lose weight but doesn't directly cause weight loss. "Semaglutide will not cause you to lose weight, but what it will do is sustain weight loss that is achieved through diet and exercise," .

A large trial of 1,961 overweight or obese adults found that patients using semaglutide lost and average of 15.3 kg, or 33lbs, while those in a placebo group lost 2.6 kg on average. Both groups also received diet and lifestyle advice.

However, weight loss acquired with the assistance of semaglutide is not necessarily permanent. A follow-up trial found that one year after the withdrawal of semaglutide injections, participants had regained two-thirds of their lost weight. It's also not clear how effective the drug may be without the diet and exercise advice.

Semaglutide is usually injected

"Given the social gradient related to obesity, it might be that people with the most to benefit from the drug would not be able to afford it,'

Where are Ozempic and Wegovy available?

Available in US with a doctor's prescription.

What are the side effects of Semaglutide?

Semaglutide side effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. The US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus website also warns that a semaglutide injection might increase the risk of thyroid gland tumours, noting that the risks of taking the medication should be discussed with a doctor.

The New York Times reported that one extreme risk of taking Ozempic is that some people suffer such a loss in appetite that they can become malnourished. This highlights the importance of maintaining a good diet alongside the medication.

Will Ozempic become a mental health drug?

Reports have emerged that Ozempic may become a game-changing anti-anxiety drug with plenty of mental health benefits, including reducing addictive behaviours and improving a person's stress and depression.

GLP-1 is released naturally in the brain and can interact with reward pathways. By mimicking GLP-1, Ozempec may have a positive impact on cravings and mental health. Furthermore, weight loss can boost self-confidence, and the stigma associated with weight can result in someone shedding pounds to feel better.