What Is Semaglutide?
Known by its brand name, Wegovy, Semaglutide is a medication classified as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. This medication mimics a hormone in your body, GLP-1. This peptide therapy stimulates insulin production, sending signals to your brain telling you that you are full, slowing gastric emptying. While there are many weight loss pills, weight loss supplements and weight loss medications on the market, Semaglutide weight loss injections have shown to be the safest and most consistent.
We previously explained how Semaglutide acts as a cleaning service within our body. As with all professional services, doing your due diligence beforehand is crucial. Using this analogy, a consultation would be scheduled with the tentative crew to come assess your house to confirm whether their services would be able to meet your needs. It is the same with Semaglutide! Before starting anyone on Semaglutide, you want to ensure that their body will be equipped to handle the medication well. This is why we require all our patients to have bloodwork done within the last 3 months before beginning them on Semaglutide weight loss injections.
Is Bloodwork Required to Start Semaglutide?
We can’t speak for every office but, here at Oviedo Med Spa, reviewing recent bloodwork is a requirement before we begin any patient on Semaglutide. Our patients can either bring a copy with them to their consultation or they are able to schedule bloodwork using our negotiated rates at a local lab. Once bloodwork has been received, it is then reviewed by one of our Board-Certified Physicians to ensure that the patient is a good fit to begin weight loss injections at our clinic.
There are a few factors that our physicians look for to determine whether a patient will be a good candidate for Semaglutide. When we think of weight loss calculations, often the first thing that comes to mind is a patient’s BMI. While BMI can certainly be a factor, it is not the ONLY factor.
During consultations with prospective patients, our physicians will discuss their current lifestyle, diet, family history, medical complications, and goals/expectations going forward. If bloodwork is available, our physicians will review the required markers for our Semaglutide program. If bloodwork is still needed, our physicians can send over a prescription to our local laboratory using our discounted rate. Following the patient’s laboratory appointment, results will typically be received by our office and reviewed by our physicians within 3 business days. Once our physicians have reviewed the bloodwork, the patient will be contacted to discuss whether they are a good candidate for Semaglutide.
Why Is Bloodwork Important Before Beginning Semaglutide?
The bloodwork is an important step in ensuring patients are a safe fit for Semaglutide, as this medication works by “revving up” certain parts of your body. Just like a car, we need to ensure the engine can handle the higher revs before we hit the gas. This includes checking your major organs, like kidneys and liver, by confirming their markers in your blood are within the normal ranges. We check these to ensure that your body can safely process the medication. Confirming that these major markers are within normal range prevent unnecessary risks for potential complications. A great example of this is looking at the pancreas and thyroid function due to the potentially serious, albeit relatively rare, side effects causing pancreatitis or thyroid disorders. By checking these levels before starting the medication, we can better assess a patient’s likelihood of risks in the future.
In addition, we look for baseline levels regarding your metabolic and cholesterol panels as well as your blood counts. This medication not only causes you to lose weight, but also improves your body’s sugar metabolism! These baseline measurements are a great way to objectively monitor your body’s response to the medication, allowing us to even track the non-scale victories! As we’ve mentioned before, the first rule of any good doctor is “do no harm,” which is why we use these blood tests to predict potential harms.
Looking for a Semaglutide Weight Loss Clinic Near You?
If you’re located in Central Florida and are looking for a Semaglutide weight loss clinic, we would love to serve you here at Oviedo Med Spa! Consultations with one of our Board-Certified Physicians can be scheduled by clicking Book Now.
Semaglutide Before & After Transformations
