In recent years, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have become a potential drug for weight management. As a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC), I often see people who are having trouble managing their weight along with their mental health problems. As a result, I know that they are very effective at helping people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) lose weight and better control their blood sugar levels [1]. However, GLP-1 drugs can cause side effects, just like any other medicine. This blog post aims to give an overview of GLP-1 treatment, including how it can help people lose weight and what side effects they should be aware of.
Understanding Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Therapy
GLP-1 is an incretin hormone that is naturally made by L cells in the gut. It is very important for keeping blood sugar levels steady because it stops glucagon from being released after a meal and increases insulin release [2]. GLP-1 also makes you feel full and decreases your hunger, which helps you eat fewer calories and lose weight.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists to Help You Lose Weight
At least two weight-related health problems, like T2DM or dyslipidemia, must be present along with an obesity body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher, or an overweight BMI of 27 kg/m2 or higher [1]. Several GLP-1 receptor agonists have been cleared by the FDA to help adults with their weight. By binding to GLP-1 receptors, these drugs imitate the effects of natural GLP-1. This makes you feel full, lowers your hunger, and slows down the emptying of your stomach.
How GLP-1 therapy can Help you Lose Weight
Studies have shown that GLP-1 receptor agonists are very good at helping people control their weight. Clinical studies showed that people who took these medicines lost a lot more weight than people who took a placebo [1]. Besides these benefits, GLP-1 treatment may also have the following advantages:
Better control of blood sugar in people with T2DM
Lower blood pressure Higher risk factors for heart disease
Possible benefits for controlling your mood and emotions (not much research is published)
What Happens When You Take GLP-1?
Even though GLP-1 treatment can help you lose weight in a big way, it’s important to know about the possible side effects. Most side effects have to do with the digestive system (GI) and usually happen during the first few weeks or months of treatment. This is because the body gets used to the medicine [2]. Some of these GI side effects are:
- Sickness
- Spilling
- Having diarrhea
- Gas and bloating
- Pain in the abdomen
- Having gas
- Sometimes, medicines that contain GLP-1 can lead to more dangerous side effects, like
- Pancreatitis that is very rare
- Reactions caused by allergies
- GI troubles (like diarrhea and constipation) caused by cholecystokinin (CCK)
- Rocks in the gallbladder
Things to Think About When Choosing a Healthcare Provider to Support Your Weight Loss
We must take care of people who are on GLP-1 therapy. Some important things to think about are:
Choose the Right Patients: Before starting GLP-1 treatment, carefully check each patient for possible risks and why they shouldn’t be treated. This includes a full medical history, a physical check, and a look for any possible GI problems.
Teaching the Patient: Tell your patients about the possible side effects of GLP-1 medications and give them ways to deal with them, like making changes to their food and staying hydrated.
Closely watch patients during treatment, especially in the beginning, to check for side effects and make sure they take their medicine as prescribed.
Work together with other health care professionals, like primary care doctors and registered dietitians, to make sure that people on GLP-1 therapy get all the care they need.
In Conclusion
GLP-1 receptor agonists are useful for helping people who are overweight or obese and dealing with other health problems linked to their weight loss. However, knowing about possible side effects and communicating with your provider as you are being treated is very important. As PMHNP-BCs, we help patients have better outcomes by carefully choosing who should receive GLP-1 therapy, teaching and supporting them and working with other medical workers.
References
[1] American Diabetes Association. (2023). Standards of medical care in diabetes—2023. Diabetes Care, 46(Suppl 1), S1-S237. https://diabetes.org/newsroom/american-diabetes-association-2023-standards-care-diabetes-guide-for-prevention-diagnosis-treatment-people-living-with-diabetes
[2] Drucker, D. J., & Kaufman, F. R. (2016). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for type 2 diabetes mellitus. The New England Journal of Medicine, 375(24), 2381-2392.