GLP-1 drugs such as Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), Dulaglutide (Trulicity), and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) have made headlines for type 2 diabetes, but type 1 diabetes patients (T1D) also take these medications. No, these drugs are not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for T1D, but many people are still getting full approval from their doctors and removing them from the blame.
The benefits of GLP-1 drugs for T1D are currently very obvious, but many clinicians are still reluctant to make this drug therapy more accessible to this population.
We’ll explain in detail why people with T1D use GLP-1 drugs and why they continue to call them “game changers.”
Benefits of GLP-1 drugs for type 1 diabetes
Here are some reasons why GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can have a major impact on T1D health and blood glucose control.
- Weight loss: Obesity is very common in T1D. In fact, 62% of adults with T1D are overweight or obese. Managing your weight with T1D is not easy. This is because they are being injected with insulin, a hormone that accumulates excess glucose as body fat.
- Hormonal Health: With type 1 diabetes, your body is also not properly regulating the production of five other hormones that control appetite, liver glucose production, satiety, insulin sensitivity and more! GLP-1 drugs can help your body compensate for misproduction of other hormones.
- Insulin sensitivity: Many people with T1D have a hard time maintaining insulin sensitivity. This means you need more and more insulin to do the same job. This makes it difficult to reach or maintain A1C goals. In fact, some clinicians have also diagnosed T1D patients with T2D due to overlapping insulin resistance and weight struggles. GLP-1 can significantly reduce the body’s daily insulin needs, making it easier to manage blood sugar levels.
The GLP-1 drugs are not approved for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, and some clinicians are nervous about them as they increase the risk of hypoglycemia. However, many people with T1D have argued the exact opposite. They believe that drugs like Ozempic reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, as they allow you to take less insulin.
Hypoglycemia is a legitimate risk, and reducing the insulin dose is important to start GLP-1 medications with T1D. If GLP-1 increases insulin sensitivity, it may be necessary to reduce insulin doses and ratios very quickly, if possible, with the cooperation of healthcare providers.
Experience in our community
I’ve heard of it last year Many T1D people who use GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. Every time I talk about Ozempic on Instagram, I hear from more and more Type 1 from Type 1, who are grateful for these medications.
Immediate impact after just two weeks
Alexis has lived with T1D for over 40 years and was diagnosed in just 18 months! She started taking Wegovy just two weeks ago, but her impact on T1D was both important and immediate.
“My average blood sugar level decreases from 165 mg/dL to 140 mg/dL. I also had some lows, but I have to change my basal insulin dose, especially in the evening.”
Wegovy is another form of semaglutide, the same drug as Ozempic, but is prescribed by people for weight loss rather than diabetes. As Alexis’s BMI is over 27 years old, her doctors knew that her insurance would likely approve Wegovy for weight loss. With the Novo Nordisk coupon, Alexis reduced Copay from $200 a month to $25 a month.
“My insurance company said they wouldn’t prescribe Ozempic for type 1 diabetes because it wouldn’t work with T1D,” laughed Alexis. “When my doctor prescribed Wegovy to lose weight, they said yes.”
Alexis has tried to lose weight without much success in the past, probably due to great insulin resistance.
“My healthcare team said that there’s too much insulin on board, which makes it very difficult to lose weight,” Alexis said. “I’ve never been full after eating, and I rocked a very sticky height every afternoon.
These “highly sticky” are gone thanks to Wegovy.
“We don’t have a stubborn afternoon high. We’ve already lost five pounds in two weeks,” Alexis said. “I also feel very satisfied after eating. At Wegovi, you can eat and fill up the regular amount of food, and you can have a small snack between meals to satisfy yourself.”
The only side effects she experienced were mild nausea on a fasting morning and whether it was too long between meals.
“My blood sugar level was very easy to manage… I was very impressed.”
Why nurse practitioners with T1D chose Mounjaro
Chris Salknurse practitioner Diabetes experts have also lived in T1D for over 37 years. Today he also prescribes GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Mounjaro to patients with T1D.
“Mounjaro was a great medicine for me. I initially reduced the basal rate, but within a month it became clear that I had to make some serious adjustments with every insulin dose because I was much more sensitive.”
Chris feels the most powerful aspect of the drug for people with T1D. That’s how you can block the liver’s sugar overproduction.
“The main effect of the drug that is very attractive to me is the overproduction of glucose from the liver. Personally, I notice the biggest benefit of the night. I’ve started to eat less and lose weight.
Chris points to other benefits of these drugs that can reach beyond diabetes and weight management.
“Now we are learning more about the benefits of cardiovascular and kidney protection, and there are also benefits of dementia risk and sleep apnea on the neurological aspects.
For people with T1D, he firmly believes that the dosage should start low and be titrated very slowly, and that it is rare to reach the full “therapeutic” dosage that can be given to T2D or obese people.
“Because Type 1 is taking insulin, you will definitely carry out the risk of hypoglycemia with these drugs, but you must be really, really careful to increase the dosage of these drugs too quickly or slowly. Type 1 will give the patient the best dose. Hydration!”
Chris also mentioned the plateau effect.
“I’ve seen patients experiencing plateaus in effect about a year later,” Chris said. “This is expected, but I won’t continue to increase their doses. It will stay comfortable and help to encourage other lifestyle habits and maintain profits. With Type 1, I don’t think you should keep pushing the dose.”
Teenagers using Ozempic
“My daughter uses pumps, inhaled insulin and ozempic,” explained Kelly of T1D’s 15-year-old daughter. “We want her to have to manage all the tools, but one day it’s still really difficult.”
“We’ve reached this point in our early teens and despite a very healthy diet and a very active lifestyle, we have plenty of insulin resistance that causes significant weight gain.”
“I wanted to avoid the risk of those body image and eating disorders that come with her taking insulin, which is necessary solely to correct the highs and bolus for a meal. And the more you need the insulin you need, the more difficult it becomes to manage.”
Ozempic has significantly reduced your insulin needs and now it’s easier to manage your blood sugar levels, making it safer and easier.
“We have really great endocrinologists who have been very supportive of a newer approach to T1D management,” said Kelly, including loops and inhaled insulin.
It was easy to get Ozempic as the endocrinologist clearly recorded her insulin resistance and communicated it well with the details of the prescription.
“She started with a very low dose, with just 10 clicks, which is not as bad as the starting dose of 0.25 (milligram) MG,” explained Kelly. “We are also looking for extra coaching to work with Integrated Diabetes Services to use it.”
Kelly’s daughter received her first injection in mid-March. Her insulin needs fell by about 20% almost immediately and have continued to decline ever since. Now she only takes about 50% of the same amount of insulin as before.
“We had to quickly reduce our insulin dose due to the low levels,” Kelly explained. “As things evolve, there’s a need to recognize that you’ll quickly adjust your insulin dose, and the day right after her menstrual cycle begins can be tricky because she’s so sensitive to insulin, but having less overall insulin means everything is easy to manage.”
Kelly believes that he helped the T1D online community learn about the challenges of insulin, weight management and insulin resistance.
“You don’t learn about this from the doctor, but when we come and try these things, I’m grateful that our ending is so supportive,” Kelly said. “Whatever you can do to make life a little more normal and manageable. All of this comes with the privilege and resources to be educated about these things and pay for these things in addition to the usual diabetes management tools.”
Finally losing weight
“I took Ozempic for several years,” says Melissa, who was diagnosed with T1D almost 25 years ago. “It was like a miraculous treatment for me!”
For Melissa, Ozempic eliminated the extreme fluctuations in her blood sugar levels and the sense of constant hunger.
She struggled to manage her weight just by dieting and exercising. With invincible insulin resistance, everything felt impossible. In fact, the scale was unshakable.
“I finally managed to lose weight for Ozempic,” she recalls. “In the past, despite eating really well, tracking calories and exercising regularly, I was always steadily. Acquired Weight. “
Unfortunately, Melissa had to leave Ozempic while planning her pregnancy. Because it has not been studied for the safety of growing fetus.
“I hadn’t been able to get pregnant before. I regained my weight as I did before, along with my blood sugar fluctuations.”
Feeling annoyed and defeated, Melissa wants to go back to Ozempic, but knowing her intention to get pregnant is in the way for now.
My experience
I started taking Ozempic about a year and a half ago. When I lost my insurance coverage, I had to put it out for a few months – and it really made me feel grateful for how much it is doing for me.
Today I am taking a small dose of 0.25 mg, as prescribed by my doctor. I tried going up to 0.5 mg, but I just experienced stomach pains that I don’t experience with low doses. I don’t use ozempic for weight loss so that small dose seems to be enough!
One caveat makes everything about T1D easier. If you eat a slow digestion diet before going to bed, you tend to need a bolus in the middle of the night to prevent spikes.
Otherwise, that small dose of ozempic stays at range, maintains weight, becomes bored when eating, and makes it easier to suppress excess sugar from the liver. I also have a significantly less low value while taking Ozempic, especially to reduce overall insulin needs for diet.
By combining small amounts of ozenpic with my daily habits mainly about eating whole food, I make life in T1D very easy.
Other T1DS Shares: Ozempic and T1D comments from Instagram
Every time I post about Ozempic on Instagram, I receive dozens of comments from other T1Ds taking Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), or Dulaglutide (Trululicity). Most of these comments are sparkling reviews on how easily these drugs managed blood sugar levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and lost weight.
These comments have been edited slightly for spelling and clarity.
“My time at Ozempic is 94-96%! I had three lows in 6 months!” – Lorin
“Ozenpic was the best for diabetes management and weight. I used to feel like I was always fighting the brick walls.” – Jessica
“I’m on the 4th day of the lowest dose of Mounjaro and I love it. My till went from 75% to 90-95%. On the second day (nausea), there were some side effects, but other than that, it’s amazing. – Christina
“My need for Humanlog is not present. The Lantus dose has been reduced by half. I was in the titration process and had no side effects.” – Dan (Lada)
“I’m T1D and I’m trulicity for about a year and it’s doing amazing things for my blood sugar! I haven’t had it for two weeks because I’m short on it. I’m using more insulin. – Liza
“It really creates such a world of difference!” – Maya
“I’ve been in Munjaro for two weeks now. I love how good the sugar range was at the lowest dose! I use an omnipod so I had to set all the basal rates much lower, which is great!” – Heiji
“It’s a great medicine. Sometimes you feel like you’re curing type 1 diabetes (because it’s much easier to manage).” – Dana
“I’ve been doing this for almost a month. I have a low of 500 on the day after the shot! This part is difficult, but I love the suppression of my appetite, and all my clothes feel much better. My frozen shoulders seem to work very well. – Natalie
“It was so helpful, and I used to take 130 units a day via a tandem pump. Now I’m taking 30-35 units on the pump. I’ve lost 55 pounds and I’m keeping it. – Nikki
“I loved it, but my insurance doesn’t cover it anymore. I definitely saw an improvement in my sugar.” – Elle
“I tried it, but I was not given any advice on managing insulin doses, so I was hooked and it was very difficult to get up from time to time.” – Jules
“Ozempic is amazing for blood glucose control. I feel that T1D is now easy to manage.” – Erika
“I’m in Mounjaro. That’s such a game changer.” – Fernanda
“My first endocrinologist didn’t put me on Ozempic, but then my new end continued. It was amazing for my blood sugar level as a T1D person.” – Grace
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