Why you could tolerate a weight loss drug better than another

The prescriptions of drugs on Glucagon type peptide-1 receptors (Mounjaro and other Peptide-1 receptors (GLP-1) have soaked in recent years. But even if drugs are used for similar purposes, people often have very different reactions.

Gastrointestinal problems, especially nausea, are common in people who take GLP-1 medication. However, sometimes the side effects of shooting (the active ingredient of Zepbound and Mounjaro) or semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) can force people to leave medication or lead them to try a different medication.

There is not many data on the subject, but a study in 2024 of Truveta researchers revealed that, over a period of five years, around 11% of GLP-1 drug addicts went from one medication to another.

And the cases of recent celebrities have highlighted the question.

In a March video published on her Instagram, actress Amy Schumer spoke of the way she went from semaglutide to shooting and now has better results.

“I tried Wegovy, and I said to myself, I couldn’t manage it. I don’t know if they have changed the formula, whatever. Mounjaro was great, “she said. “I have a very good experience with that.”

Previously, in a January episode of the Siriusxm show by Howard Stern, Schumer shared that when she was on Ozempic three years ago, she was “bed” and “vomiting”.

So why, in the case of Schumer, has the semaglutide caused unmanageable side effects, when the shooting did not do it?

According to obesity experts, people can react differently to GLP-1, and how your body reacts can depend on the drug itself and various factors, including age, sex and food.

Here is what you need to know about the side effects of semaglutide and shooting, why drugs do not always trigger the same reactions and how to minimize undesirable effects while you are on a GLP-1 medication.

Sumaglutide and shooting have a lot in common. The two are agonist drugs of GLP-1 receptors that act on GLP-1 receptors in the brain, pancreas and gastrointestinal routes, which in turn control blood sugar levels, slow emptying of the stomach and reduce hunger and food desires.

Tirzepatid and semaglutide also share a certain number of side effects – Nausea, acid reflux or indigestion, constipation and complete loss of appetite (beyond the planned effect) are the most common, declared Rekha Kumar, MD, endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, Health.

Beyond these, the labels for Zepbound, Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy warn all users of a possible diarrhea, vomiting and stomach pain.

But there are slight variations beyond these side effects, especially for the weight loss versions of these drugs.

While Wegovy or Zepbound users are both warned of fatigue, possible burns and stomach burns, Zepbounds could also cause reactions from the injection site, allergic reactions or hair loss, and Wegovy could cause headache, dizzy, bloating, low gastrics, gas and nose flowing or poorly.

In general, however, these side effects are quite similar. And for the two drugs, the symptoms tend to improve over time as people get used to it, added Jorge Moreno, MD, an internal medicine and obesity medicine at Yale Medicine.

In addition, Morgan Stewart, Pharmd, associate professor clinical of pharmacy at the University of Texas in Austin, said Health that these side effects often depend on the dose. This means that people take shooting or semaglutide, side effects are “more likely to occur in higher doses,” she said.

Although they are similar, shooting and semaglutide are formulated differently. While semaglutide is only a GLP-1 agonist, shooting is a double action medication, which means that it is both a GLP-1 agonist and a receiver of the insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) dependent on glucose.

GIP is a hormone mainly responsible for the drop in blood sugar. Thus, shooting, which acts on GLP-1 and GIP receptors, is able to further reduce blood sugar, cause weight loss and improve lipid levels. This could be the reason why Zepbound and Mounjaro were demonstrated to outdo Wegovy and Ozempic in terms of weight loss services, Stewart said.

This could also be a potential explanation to explain why some people tolerate drugs differently. In her practice, Stewart said that she had noticed that “the shooting sometimes causes more side effects than semaglutide because it works on two hormones instead of one.”

But Kumar saw the opposite. She said it was often easier to space out the doses of shooting and increasing them more gradually over time, so she noticed that the shooting is less likely to cause gastrointestinal problems in her patients compared to the semaglutide.

Moreno said Health That he has treated many people who have experienced intense side effects with semaglutide that have decreased considerably when they went to shooting. However, “I also had the opposite, where people better tolerate the semaglutide,” he said.

For the moment, this type of anecdotal evidence is all that exists – there is little research putting the side effects of shooting and semaglutide on a large scale.

The tolerance of shooting or semaglutide may just be limited to each individual – people can have different tolerances to the types of drugs and doses depending on their age, genetics and sex, Kumar said.

The lifestyle can also change things. Your activity levels, the drugs you take and your diet can affect your risk of undergoing GLP-1 side effects, Kumar said.

The same goes for your starting dose. “If the starting dose is too high or increased too quickly, side effects like nausea are more likely,” said Stewart.

So, if you have fewer side effects after the passage from Ozempic to Mounjaro, for example, it could be because your body manages the formulation better. Or it could be because your doctor has started lowering the dose, or you eat well now and do the exercise more consistently.

Whatever the drug GLP-1 you take, there are a few steps that you can follow to reduce your chances of developing side effects.

On the one hand, start at a low dose and gradually increase over time, Stewart has recommended.

Eating smaller meals and limiting the consumption of fried food, desserts and meat rich in fat such as steak can also be incredibly useful for some people, added Moreno, because these foods can exacerbate negative gastrointestinal side effects.

Anti-nausea or over-the-counter constipation or constipation drugs can also be a good way to relieve some of these problems.

It is also important to remain hydrated – Kumar has said that people often forget to drink water when their appetite is deleted. “I saw such a bad dehydration that people land in the [emergency room] With kidney failure, “she said.

If you continue to feel hard or uncomfortable side effects day after day, it is better to speak to your doctor, especially if the GLP-1 side effects interfere with your ability to operate.

In these situations, Kumar said that she generally advised patients to stop taking their GLP-1 to see if the side effects disappear. From there, she will ask for a detailed account of her patient’s diet to see if certain foods or drinks could have triggered the wrong reaction. According to these responses, she will ask the patient a lower dose of the drug with some behavioral changes, or she will change her medicines.

In the end, each person – and the body – is unique, said Moreno, and obesity doctors should adapt the treatment plan to the needs of each patient.

“Obesity treatment is not a unique approach,” he said.