I take Osempic it has been a big help. Mainly because it controls my dawn phenomenal. Was having morning reading over 180 now usually 100-125. Even though bedtime sugars were 100 or less.

Many use it, it is now the most popularly prescribed Tier 2 diabetes medication on the market (Metformin is first)

I work with a Diabetes education group and have listened to/talked with the Pharmacist that gives the "med lecture part" dozens of times

Ozempic belongs to a relative new class of drugs called GLP-1 Agonists - so named after the hormone in our bodies that tell the pancreas to release insulin. The job of this drug class is to keep it turned on "a little longer" than it normally would be naturally to give a little extra help in dealing with blood sugar.

It also effects the hormone that tells our brain "I'm getting full" which is how it helps with a bit of weight loss (10 pounds on average)

The early drugs in the class were only approved in 2005 so they are "new drugs". Ozempic can be thought of as a second generation and came on the market in September 2017 and works a little better than the early offerings.

That is potentially positive and negative

Positive in that it has been improved but negative in that nobody has used it for longer than 5 years so there is zero data on long term side effects (if any - totally unknown)

The initial side effects are common to just about every drug - GI issues (upset stomach, heartburn, diarrhea) but there is also a "black box warning" because of a link to Thyroid Cancer which is why the commercials contain the warning about not taking it if you have a family history.

It's a drug and a foreign substance that doesn't belong in our bodies like every other drug we may take. But it is a top rated drug for the treatment of Type 2. We "know" that uncontrolled Type 2 will kill you (and hurts plenty before you die) so that must be weighed against any potential side effects of the drug.

You need to trust that your Doc has evaluated your total health and has made the recommendation you take it based on the guidelines. However, your questions/concerns should be discussed with your doctor and they should be able to answer "why".

It is an injection so there could also be irritation at the injection site.

There is an oral option - Rybelsus was approved in 2019 - same drug but somewhat less effective - injectables always work better (get more of the drug in your system) then a pill which gets partially destroyed by the digestive system.

A few (5 to 10%) have enough negative reactions that they have to discontinue use (normal for just about every med)

If you tolerate it (after the initial month after starting or increasing the dose) then it works well - comparative studies show it works better than most of the other options and it could lead to some weight loss

Just started it myself 6 weeks ago. Have a good friend, who has had T2 for 15 years recommend it. She has been on it over a year and says her levels have been the best since she has been on it. Still waiting for mine to level out, but it's only been six weeks... so wait and see. My aunt takes Metforman and has stomach upset a lot. I already have a bad stomach, so that's why I went to the Ozempic. Haven't had any bad symptoms so far.

I am currently taking Ozempic and I haven't had any issues except some localized bruising. The Metforman symptoms were worse in my experience.

I used it for about 6 months then I got really big stomach aches.
Stomach aches went away 2 weeks after I stopped using it.