If you're a senior, it's important to try to maintain a healthy weight. It reduces your chance of developing heart disease, and it's also easier on your joints. Unfortunately, losing weight can be tough for seniors. It may be difficult to be as physically active as you'd like, so you'll need to restrict your calories in order to achieve your weight goals. One way that you can help reach your goal is to get a semaglutide prescription, which can help you adhere better to a healthy diet. To learn more about this medication and how it can help seniors lose excess pounds, read on.

How Does Semaglutide Work?

Semaglutide is a type of prescription medication called a GLP-1 agonist. They have the same action as a hormone called GLP-1, which your body produces naturally. One of the effects of GLP-1 is to stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin, which helps keep your blood sugar low. This is why these medications are commonly prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes.

GLP-1 agonists have more effects than that, however. They also decrease your appetite and slow down how quickly your stomach empties after a meal. These effects make semaglutide a useful medication to help lose weight. When you're taking it, it's easier to stick to a diet because it suppresses your appetite.

Semaglutide is available in two forms. One is a tablet that you take with food. The other is an automatic injector that looks like a pen. You simply press the injector up against the skin on your upper arm, thigh, or lower abdomen and depress the button to inject your dose. The tablet form needs to be taken every day, but you only need to take the injection form once a week.

Can Semaglutide Help Seniors Lose Weight?

Semaglutide is safe for seniors to use, making it a great option if you've been slowly putting on weight as you get older and are having trouble losing it. Your metabolism slows down as you get older, and it can be difficult to compensate for it by exercising if you have stiff or painful joints. Cheating on your diet can set your progress back a lot further compared to a young adult. Semaglutide can help you lose weight by allowing you to eat less food without feeling hungry and making it easier to resist high-calorie temptations. 

Your doctor will start you on a low dose of the medication and slowly increase the dosage until your appetite is suppressed. You may feel side effects when your dosage is increased. Since semaglutide causes your pancreas to release more insulin, you may experience symptoms of low blood sugar like brain fog and fatigue. You may also experience gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea.

You can reduce the risk that you'll experience symptoms of low blood sugar by eating small meals frequently throughout the day, which will keep your blood sugar levels steady. This can help relieve the gastrointestinal side effects as well — they're often caused by your stomach getting too full, as it will empty much slower while you're on the medication.

If you're having trouble losing weight and would like some help, speak with a doctor about a semaglutide prescription. With its ability to help you stick to a diet without cheating, it's a great way for seniors who struggle to lose weight to safely shed excess pounds.

Contact your doctor for more information about semaglutide.