How Do You Stop Feeling Sick on Wegovy?

Wegovy is a weight-loss medication that can help suppress your appetite, making it easier to manage your weight. 

While it can be very effective, for some people, the side effects that come along with Wegovy can make it challenging to stay on the medication and meet their nutrition goals. 

Read on to learn about the most common side effects of Wegovy and how to stop feeling sick on this medication. 

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How Do You Stop Feeling Sick On Wegovy?

Wegovy is a once-weekly injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist medication.

Also known as semaglutide, Wegovy can be prescribed to people over 12 years old for weight management. 

It’s common for people to experience side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and headaches, especially when first starting Wegovy. 

While these symptoms tend to improve with time, they can be uncomfortable to deal with. 

Fortunately, you can take steps to manage these symptoms by making changes to your food choices, meal timing, and lifestyle. 

General guidelines to improve Wegovy symptoms include:

• Eating slowly.
• Stopping eating when full. 
• Eating small, frequent meals. 
• Avoiding large meals before bed. 
• Reducing high-fat and sugary foods. 

Common Wegovy Side Effects

Part of how Wegovy works is by delaying stomach emptying, which can suppress your appetite and make it easier to lose weight.

However, because of this slower digestion process, you may experience several gastrointestinal symptoms. 

The most common side effects of Wegovy, meaning they occur in more than 5% of patients, include digestive symptoms such as: 

• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Constipation.
• Abdominal pain.
• Gas and bloating. 
• Acid reflux.

Other common Wegovy side effects include dizziness, headache, sore throat, and fatigue. 

Nausea

Nausea is the most common side effect of Wegovy, reported by 44% of adults taking the medication in clinical trials. 

Why It Happens

It’s not fully understood why nausea occurs with Wegovy, but it’s thought to be related to delayed gastric emptying.

However, nausea has also been reported on an empty stomach. 

You may experience severe nausea along with vomiting and low blood sugar levels if you take more than your prescribed dose of Wegovy.

Make sure you double-check your dose every time, and seek emergency care if you take too much of the medication.

How To Manage It

You can reduce nausea by eating bland, crunchy foods like crackers or apple slices 30 minutes after your weekly injection.

Mint or ginger tea can also be helpful. 

Focus on eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day.

Try separating liquids from meals by at least 30 minutes before and after if nausea persists. 

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Stomach Discomfort

An upset stomach can be another symptom of Wegovy, with 20% of people taking this medication experiencing abdominal pain.

This includes upper and lower abdominal pain, tenderness, and discomfort. 

Why It Happens

Delayed gastric emptying can contribute to abdominal pain and stomach fullness. 

Severe abdominal pain may be a sign of acute pancreatitis, a possible complication of taking Wegovy.

Gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining, occurs in 4% of patients on Wegovy. This can also result in stomach pain.

How To Manage It

To minimize stomach discomfort, focus on your fullness cues, which may be different on Wegovy.

Try to stop eating right when satisfied. 

High-fiber or high-fat foods may worsen an upset stomach by slowing digestion further. 

If you have signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis (vomiting and persisting abdominal pain that radiates to your back), contact your doctor right away.

Heartburn

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or chronic acid reflux, occurs in 5% of people on Wegovy, compared to 3% with the placebo. 

Why It Happens

Like many of the symptoms related to Wegovy, acid reflux may occur due to slower stomach emptying. 

How To Manage It

You can manage acid reflux through diet and lifestyle modifications, though sometimes medication is necessary. 

Experiment with the following interventions: 

• Avoid eating 3 hours before bedtime.
• Elevate the head of the bed while sleeping. 
• Limit individual food triggers, which may include chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods, citrus, and carbonated beverages. 
• Focus on small, frequent meals. 

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Constipation

Constipation is fairly common, affecting 24% of people on Wegovy. 

Why It Happens

Constipation may occur due to the slowing of digestion that occurs with Wegovy.

Additionally, some people experience early satiety on Wegovy and drink less water as a result, which can exacerbate constipation.

How To Manage It

There are three main strategies for managing constipation:

1. Increase fiber intake by eating more legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
2. Increase physical activity.
3. Ensure adequate hydration. 

Talk to your doctor about taking a stool softener if the constipation persists. Your doctor may also recommend a temporary dose reduction of Wegovy if constipation worsens. 

Diarrhea

Diarrhea is the second most common side effect after nausea, impacting 30% of patients taking Wegovy.

Why It Happens

More research is needed to understand why diarrhea occurs on Wegovy. It may occur due to an altered rate of digestion in the intestines. 

Wegovy may worsen Metformin-related diarrhea if you’re taking both medications. 

How To Manage It

You may need to adjust your food choices in the short term to help manage diarrhea as you start Wegovy.

You can slowly reintroduce your food triggers as the diarrhea improves and your body adjusts to the medication. 

Potential triggers may include: 

• High-fiber foods, such as beans and whole grains. 
• Dairy products. 
• Coffee. 
• Alcohol.
• Soda.
• Sugar alcohols, including sorbitol and xylitol. 

Focus on soft, bland, low-fiber foods, like chicken broth, rice, and fruit without the skin.

In cases of persistent diarrhea, your doctor may prescribe an antidiarrheal medication. 

Vomiting

Almost a quarter of people taking Wegovy experience vomiting.

Why It Happens

Similar to nausea, vomiting is thought to be related to delayed gastric emptying caused by Wegovy. 

How To Manage It

If you’re struggling with vomiting, try focusing on smaller, more frequent meals.

Prioritize your hydration throughout the day. 

Additionally, consider keeping track of the vomiting episodes and the foods you eat.

This can help you identify possible food triggers you may need to limit while your body adjusts to Wegovy.

Your doctor may prescribe an antiemetic medication for you.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend temporarily decreasing or pausing your Wegovy dose.

If you experience severe vomiting along with dizziness and fatigue, seek medical attention immediately. 

Fatigue

Though not a digestive symptom, fatigue can also occur while taking Wegovy.

11% of patients report experiencing fatigue on this medication. 

Why It Happens

It’s unclear why some people on Wegovy experience fatigue.

Several factors may contribute to fatigue, including low blood sugar reactions in people with diabetes, an unbalanced diet, inadequate calorie intake, and poor sleep. 

How To Manage It

You can take the following steps to help Wegovy-related fatigue:

• Practice proper sleep hygiene.
• Eat balanced meals at regular intervals. 
• Monitor blood sugar levels closely if you have diabetes.
• Manage stress levels. 
• Seek mental health care when needed.

Headaches

Headaches occur in 14% of people on Wegovy, though 10% of patients taking a placebo also experienced headaches.

Why It Happens

Some research suggests Wegovy may affect the vascular system, which can trigger headaches.

However, more studies are needed to understand this link.

How To Manage It

You can try the following headache management tips including: 

• Prioritizing sleep.
• Limiting caffeine intake. 
• Drinking enough water. 
• Not skipping meals.
• Keeping track of headache episodes to identify potential triggers.

Talk to your doctor if your headaches persist despite making these lifestyle changes. 

Serious Side Effects

Though rare, more serious side effects can occur with Wegovy. These include: 

• Acute pancreatitis. 
• Acute gallbladder disease.
• Hypoglycemia. 
• Acute kidney injury.
• Heart rate increases. 
• Anaphylactic reactions. 
• Suicidal behavior and ideation. 
• Diabetic retinopathy complications (in people with type 2 diabetes).

Seek medical attention immediately if you experience severe and persistent symptoms after starting Wegovy.

Animal studies on Wegovy show an increased risk of thyroid tumors, but this risk is unknown in humans.

People with a family or personal history of thyroid cancer should avoid taking Wegovy.

How Long Do Wegovy Side Effects Last?

Wegovy side effects tend to occur after starting the medication and while ramping up the dosage, a process that typically lasts 8-12 weeks.

In most cases, symptoms improve or resolve after reaching the maintenance dose.

Tips for Preventing Wegovy Side Effects

You can do several things to reduce your risk of experiencing symptoms while starting Wegovy. 

Get into the habit of eating balanced meals regularly throughout the day. Prioritize bland, easy-to-digest foods as you start the medication. 

Symptoms may temporarily spike each time you increase your dose of Wegovy.

It can help to talk with your doctor about a slower dose escalation if you’re concerned about side effects.  

Additionally, talk with your doctor in advance about your options for medical management of symptoms, such as an antiemetic for nausea and vomiting. 

Takeaway

Wegovy is a GLP-1 receptor agonist medication that can help with weight management.

Several gastrointestinal side effects are common with dose increases, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. 

You can modify your diet and lifestyle habits to help reduce symptoms.

Try eating small meals at regular intervals.

Limit high-fat and high-sugar foods, and in some cases, high-fiber foods.

Eat slowly and listen to your fullness signals. 

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