If you’re currently trying Ozempic or Wegovy, you need to know that the potential to make life quite boring and miserable is one of the unwelcoming side effects of these drugs. The medication might alter the way food tastes. Moreover, it can even impact your capacity to derive pleasure from activities you actually like.

This side effect has the potential to damage the relationship you build over time with food, especially in the long term. Experts also say that you should consider the long-term impact before deciding on any medication as a weight-loss tool. Semaglutide, which is a type 2 diabetes treatment sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, has been making headlines because of its increasing popularity as a weight-loss treatment.

As celebrities and many people online say the drug helped them lose weight fast, the medication has been wildly criticized for its side effects. The latest side effect to gain traction is the statement that taking Ozempic or Wegovy might end up making your life super boring by changing your relationship with food.

That was an explanation offered by Professor Jens Juul Holst, a scientist who helped create drugs like Ozempic. His statement adds to another report shared online by Ozempic users that the drug alters the way our favorite food tastes. It can also strip people of their wishes and desires to eat. If you’re generally someone who enjoys eating, this side effect might turn out to be quite problematic.

Side effects

Dr. Daniel Maselli, a renowned obesity medicine specialist and gastroenterologist from “True You Weight Loss,”  explained that semaglutide has proven to be quite effective and safe for weight loss. Moreover, it has been a more than welcomed therapy for many patients dealing with obesity who have experienced frustration with the lack of sustained effectiveness of diet and exercise.

But he adds that all medications might affect people in a different way. Moreover, he said that therapeutic effects generally take place along a wide spectrum. Semaglutide is really no exception. At one extreme, we have a rather minimal effect on appetite, and on the other extreme, we have patients who have developed such an overregulated appetite that they could lose both the drive to eat and pleasure from eating at the same time.

Luckily, the doctor added that most patients find themselves in the middle of such a spectrum. He still agrees that for those with an over-regulated appetite, life can easily become miserable, especially considering the role food and mealtime have in our social fabric.

Ozempic and Wegovy can ultimately change your relationship with food and affect your mental health and social engagement.

The risks that come along with this treatment have mainly focused on medical outcomes. For example, gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, fatigue, injection site reactions, and pancreatitis. “There has been definitely less focus on psychosocial outcomes,” he explained.

But it’s also quite reasonable to assume that, for patients who experience overregulation of appetite, a certain loss of enjoyment around food might turn out to be quite depressing, isolating, and extremely counter-productive to the health-conscious mindset that determined them to seek this type of treatment in the first place.

Even more, the highly palatable foods, such as the ones we tend to enjoy the most, are the ones affected the most. Maselli also added that these medications have a certain “dampening effect on hunger itself,”  but first and foremost, a “more nuanced modification in alerting food preferences.” in fact, it seems that semaglutide decreases the preference for high-fat and non-sweet foods while also reducing cravings for savory foods.

Even if it’s highly advised to enjoy these kinds of foods only in moderation, whether for weight management or overall health, a life totally devoid of them might make you miserable and also damage your relationship with food in the long term.

How Ozempic and Wegovy might affect your life in unexpected ways

It’s quite clear that Ozempic plays an immense role in curbing the appetite. It also contributes to feelings of fullness. But other reports show that Ozempic might not only remove the pleasure you get from food but from other types of activities, too.

Notably, drinking alcohol, smoking, online shopping, and nail-biting are also included.”Because of the ongoing impact of such medications on the brain’s reward centers, their effects aren’t limited to food,” as Dr. Michelle Pearlman, a Florida physician nutrition specialist and co-founder of Prime Institute, explained.

These medications mainly target the central nervous system. They can easily assist in improving impulse control. This might also influence the cravings and desires associated with other addictions, such as those related to alcohol, drugs, and even some activities that offer comfort and pleasure to individuals.

For instance, if you find activities such as online shopping and drinking alcohol addictive, then curbing such impulses could be a welcomed side effect of Ozempic. But if they are simply activities you enjoy every now and then, you might find life without them less pleasurable.

Lifestyle changes are needed for long-term success.

The long-term effects of Ozempic as a weight loss aid have to be considered, too. There are certain concerns that, as soon as you stop Ozempic, you could potentially regain all the weight you have lost, especially if you haven’t created a sustainable food and exercise plan that would further support your weight management endeavors.

Moreover, no matter how you decide to lose weight, you need to prioritize a lifestyle change. Medication alone won’t be able to solve all these challenges (especially the ones associated with obesity and weight gain). As the medication might somehow make it easier to consume less, you still have to put in the effort to establish a proper foundation for long-term optimal results.

Establishing sustainable food habits

Losing weight and trying to keep it off in the long term is a bit more complex than just taking a drug like Ozempic that works just at a physical level. The healthiest way to do it also involves adopting a healthier lifestyle, focusing on long-term behavioral change, and shifting your mindset around food.

If you are on a weight-loss journey, how can you properly promote weight loss without certain medications like Ozempic? You can take the initiative and educate yourself about nutrition. Exploring the benefits of incorporating whole foods and plant-based options into your diet is the way to do it.

Eat when you’re hungry, and try to stop eating when you feel satisfied. Also, try to pay attention to the act of eating and savor all the flavors while also minimizing distractions. If you do that, you can prevent overeating and mindless snacking, which is why weight gain is back “on the table,”  besides other unwanted effects like bloating and gas.

Even if there are certain benefits to taking drugs like Ozempic, especially for people who deal with obesity, it’s quite clear that these medications aren’t the right choice for everybody. There’s also more to food than weight management.

People eat not only for survival and overall health but also for pleasure. For many, sharing food and socializing is probably one of the greatest pleasures in life, and savoring the occasional indulgence shouldn’t be completely forbidden. But, like anything else in life, moderation is key.

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