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Fatigue, tiredness, or feelings of exhaustion are potential side effects of semaglutide and related weight loss medications.
Semaglutide can induce extreme tiredness because of the impact it has on metabolism, caloric intake, and energy levels. While the most common side effects of semaglutide have to do with gastrointestinal issues such as gas, bloating, nausea, or stomach pain – fatigue and lowered energy levels are also potential side effects of semaglutide and drugs in its class.
While it is true that semaglutide can make you feel tired, these effects are usually temporary and can be mitigated with lifestyle changes like eating a more protein-rich balanced diet and getting more exercise.
Several participants in the original semaglutide clinical trials experienced increased tiredness.
Healthcare providers are not exactly sure why taking semaglutide can cause extreme tiredness. However, most agree that the initial onset of fatigue is because as you start taking it, you will begin to eat considerably less. Reducing the amount of food you eat can lead to persistent exhaustion until your body adjusts to the lower caloric intake. The medication tends to affect blood glucose levels, which also impacts energy.
Like most semaglutide side effects, persistent exhaustion will probably ease over time as your body adjusts to its presence and as your healthcare provider adjusts your dose over time. However, even if your extreme tiredness persists, we have found several ways for our patients to reduce “semaglutide fatigue” and increase energy production, by making dietary changes, modifications in physical activity, and other lifestyle modifications designed to maintain your energy.
Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists. These types of medications provide significant weight loss by making your stomach feel full sooner and stay fuller longer. This class of weight loss drug not only helps you reduce your calorie intake but also increases the production of insulin, which speeds up your metabolism and helps you burn fat, which further enhances its ability to help you lose weight.
In clinical trials, participants on semaglutide lost around 16% of their body weight after about 16 months of taking the drug combined with diet and exercise. Maintaining a healthy diet while on this drug not only helps maximize weight loss but can also help you reduce feelings of tiredness and help maintain energy production.
While GLP-1s can be very effective for weight loss, they are not without their share of unwanted side effects. As we said, while taking this drug can influence feelings of exhaustion, the most common side effects reported in the clinical literature on this drug are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, other forms of stomach distress, headache, and, less often, fatigue.
Before we talk further about semaglutide and feelings of exhaustion, let’s first understand exactly what fatigue means. Fatigue is not the same thing as drowsiness. Being drowsy means you feel like you can’t stay awake or need to take a nap. On the other hand, fatigue or semaglutide-induced exhaustion feels like a general lack of energy or overall weariness or lethargy.
Unfortunately, experiences of fatigue or feelings of exhaustion are known unwanted side effects of this type of drug. However, they are still a good treatment option for weight loss in subjects with obesity. Most of our patients tell us that their semaglutide-induced exhaustion fades after the early stages of treatment. It is not unusual for people new to this class of weight loss medication to tell us it makes them feel tired. We tell them that this is a quite common experience and assure them that their initial feelings of tiredness will likely pass in a few weeks as their body adjusts to the presence of the drug. We also let them know that if, for some reason, the feeling does not abate after a month or so of subcutaneous weight loss injections, there are ways to manage the issue, primarily by eating a more balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and increasing your physical activity.
For most people, feeling tired on semaglutide therapy does not last long. Again, it should go away, and more normal energy levels return after your first few weeks as your body gets used to the drug and your reduced calorie intake. While tiredness is a well-documented side effect of weight-loss drugs in this class, there really is not a definitive biological or pharmacological basis as to why GLP-1s cause tiredness. Feeling tired from your weekly injections is usually just your body getting used to the drug’s effect on gastric emptying and to the reduced amount of food you are consuming. In most patients, it just takes some time for your body to adjust to the fewer calories. That is why the tiredness fades after a while – usually within the first four to six weeks of taking this drug.
But if it does not fade, fortunately, with a specific diet, exercise, and other techniques, we can show you how to combat semaglutide fatigue and get your energy levels back up to where you can enjoy every bit of your newfound body!
So, what happens if you’ve been taking this drug for a month or so, and you still feel tired and lethargic? Don’t panic, and don’t think you need to stop taking this life-changing medication. There are two critical ways to help stop semaglutide from making you tired.
The simplest way to combat tiredness is to fill the tank and eat enough calories each day. It is not just the amount of food but the type of food. Eating a balanced diet is key. In our practice, when anyone tells us they are tired or having any other weird side effects on semaglutide like hair loss or brittle nails, etc. — it has nothing to do with the drug but a lack of a balanced diet to provide adequate nutrition. Moreover, it is usually not eating enough of one particular important nutrient – protein. If you experience persistent fatigue while taking semaglutide, chances are you do not have enough protein in your diet. So, increase your intake of lean protein, such as skinless white meat chicken, tofu, eggs, and fish.
In addition to managing your diet and monitoring your blood sugar levels, incorporating regular exercise into your daily routine is crucial when taking semaglutide. Exercise not only helps to optimize the effects of semaglutide but also plays a significant role in combating extreme tiredness.
Here are some general tips to reduce bouts of extreme tiredness while on your weight loss journey with semaglutide:
Fatigue is not the only potential side effect of semaglutide. Other adverse effects include:
But, like semaglutide-induced exhaustion, these side effects usually fade after your first month or so on the medication or are easily managed.
Once again, if you are new to taking this drug and you find fatigue to be an issue — give it time. However, if the lethargy persists for more than eight to ten weeks, speak to your healthcare provider about modifying your treatment plan.
What it all comes down to is this: semaglutide can make you tired, but the effect is usually temporary. If it lasts longer than a month or so, you can maintain normal energy levels and still reach your health goals by eating right and a regular workout routine.
Now that you know more about the link between fatigue and semaglutide, why not Contact Us today to learn more about this life-changing weight loss medication?
