Can you drink alcohol while using Semaglutide or other GLP-1 medications? Learn about the recommendations and potential concerns here.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the popular medications for weight loss or diabetes, including Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus.
These medications are meant to be used long-term to help regular blood sugar levels or help people lose weight. So, since this is long-term, do people need to reduce or avoid alcohol due to interactions or for the best results?
Below, we will cover the questions regarding alcohol use and semaglutide including if they have any interactions, and why you might want to cut back for the best results.
According to drugs.com, there is a moderate interaction between semaglutide medications and alcohol.
This interaction is thought to happen because alcohol can first increase your blood sugar levels, and then decrease them. If you are using semaglutide medications for diabetes, this may lead to either too high or too low blood sugar levels and worsen the condition.
If you are using semaglutide for weight loss only, there is an increased risk of your blood sugar going too low (hypoglycemia). This is because both semaglutide and alcohol can cause your blood sugar to decrease, so using them together might be too much.
However, if you are planning on only moderate drinking, you might be able to use these two together. Moderation is considered no more than one drink daily for women and two for men.
Before drinking while using semaglutide, talk to your doctor to see if they feel that low amounts of alcohol are ok for you.
One of the biggest worries with the combination of semaglutide and alcohol is the risk of blood sugar levels falling too low.
Other concerns include an increased risk of dehydration, blood sugar increases, and an increased risk of gastrointestinal upset like nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, or acid reflux.
In addition to the risk of blood sugar fluctuations, dehydration, and gastrointestinal upset, there may be other reasons to limit alcohol use when trying to control your diabetes or lose weight.
Alcoholic beverages can be full of sugar and empty calories. This is itself might make it harder to lose weight and hit your goals.
Also, some people may be more inclined to binge eat or make unhealthy food choices when they have had a few drinks. This might reduce the rate of weight loss and have a negative effect on diabetes management.
For these reasons, people using semaglutide medications may decide to cut out alcohol altogether, or at least be very moderate with how often and how much they imbibe.
Here at Strut Health, we offer compounded semaglutide medications online, including oral lozenges or injection formulations.
To get started, simply select the semaglutide product you are considering, and complete a free online questionnaire-based consultation in under 15 minutes. One of our U.S. doctors will review your information and issue a prescription, if appropriate. Then, your prescription order will be made at a U.S. compounding pharmacy. Your medication will then be shipped out to your front door with our free shipping.
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