High Dose Ozempic Superior at Dropping A1c & Body Weight
The injectable GLP-1 semaglutide (Ozempic) can now be dosed up to 2.0mg a week. This higher maximum dose provides greater reductions in body weight (6.9kgs vs 6.0kgs) and A1c (2.2 vs 1.9% ) when compared to 1.0 semaglutide dose. There was a comparable safety profile with both doses. However, more people experienced negative gastrointestinal side effects when receiving the higher dose (34% compared to 30.8%).
This is good news for people with type 2 diabetes who would like to benefit from both A1C and weight reduction. Plus, semaglutide lowers the risk of cardiovascular events.
Without insurance coverage, this medication costs about $1000 for a month’s supply. However, since semaglutide (Ozempic) is an established diabetes medication covered by many insurance plans, we are hopeful that people who would benefit from this therapy will have access to this higher dose.
The SUSTAIN FORTE trial lasted for 40-weeks and enrolled 961 patients with type 2 diabetes with an A1C of 8.0-10.0%. All patients in the trial initiated treatment with a 0.25 mg dose of semaglutide that was doubled every 4 weeks until the target dose was achieved.
In addition to reduction in A1C and body weight, the semaglutide 2.0 mg arm of the trial saw a greater proportion of patients achieve an A1C less than 7% (67.6% vs 57.5% [OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.21-2.13; P=.001]) or a body weight reduction greater than 5% (59.2% vs 51.3% [OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.08-1.84]) than the semaglutide 1.0 mg arm.
We have updated our Diabetes Medication PocketCard with this higher maximum dose or our website, CDCES Coach App, and printed PocketCards.
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Read More: What is a CDCES? First awarded in 1986, as Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) credential and in 2020 with a new name: Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) to more accurately reflect the specialty. CDCES has become a standard of excellence for the delivery of quality diabetes education. Those who hold this certification are known to possess comprehensive knowledge of and experience in diabetes prevention, management, and prediabetes. “Becoming a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) is one of the best professional and personal decisions I have ever made.” – Coach Beverly Thomassian, RN, MPH, CDCES, BC-ADM 
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Read More: 3 Reasons to Become a CDCES “The best part of becoming a CDCES is working with my colleagues and people living with diabetes. As diabetes educators, we hear compelling and beautiful life stories. I am astounded by the barriers they face and inspired by their adaptability, problem-solving skills, and resilience.” Reason 1: CDCES is a widely recognized certification by employers and health care professionals throughout the U.S. This credential demonstrates a specialized and in-depth knowledge in the prevention and treatment of individuals living with pre-diabetes and diabetes. Reason 2: Currently, 10% of people in the U.S. have diabetes and another 35% have pre-diabetes which means 45% of Americans are running around with elevated blood glucose levels. Given this epidemic, there will be plenty of future job opportunities. Reason 3: Having my CDCES along with my nursing degree, has opened many doors of opportunity; from working as an inpatient Diabetes Nurse Specialist in a hospital to working as a Manager of Diabetes Education in the outpatient setting to starting my own consulting company.
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