The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug Trulicity for treating type 2 diabetes. This branded medication can help reduce your risk of developing certain cardiovascular conditions, such as heart disease, and lower your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes.
Trulicity comes in the form of a liquid solution contained in a single-dose, prefilled injection pen. To take Trulicity, you need to give yourself an injection of the drug under your skin in your thigh, abdomen, or upper arm.
Trulicity is not a drug approved for weight loss, and doctors do not typically recommend it for losing weight. This is because Trulicity does not generally cause a significant reduction in your body weight. However, taking Trulicity combined with a nutritious diet and physical activity may induce weight loss.
Trulicity and weight loss
Trulicity is a type of medication called a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It’s the branded form of dulaglutide.
It’s used for type 2 diabetes, lowering your blood glucose levels. Lowering your blood sugar can lead to hypoglycemia. When you have low blood sugar, your body starts burning your fat reserves, and this may lead to weight loss.
The effect of the GLP-1 receptor agonists can also lead to significant weight loss when combined with glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) therapy, another diabetes treatment.
Another reason why people taking Trulicity may lose weight is that this medication can cause loss of appetite as a side effect. This may help reduce the amount of food they eat throughout the day, leading to a reduction in calorie intake.
However, the weight loss people may experience can vary between individuals. This is because Trulicity is not a medication designed for weight loss but for diabetes and glycemic control. Researchers found that people taking the strongest dosage of Trulicity, 4.5 milligrams (mg) per 0.5 milliliters (mL), only managed to lose about 10 pounds (4.6 kilograms) over 36 weeks.
You take Trulicity once per week, and it comes in different strengths. These include:
- 0.75 mg/0.5 mL solution
- 1.5 mg/0.5 mL solution
- 3 mg/0.5 mL solution
- 4.5 mg/0.5 mL solution
Doctors can recommend the most appropriate dosage you should take based on your health conditions. You should always follow the doctor’s recommendation, as taking more Trulicity than advised can cause serious side effects, including overdose.
Note that Trulicity availability may be limited, so you can speak with a doctor about this when they prescribe it.
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Healthy weight loss strategies
If you are aiming to lose weight, there are several more health-promoting strategies you can try instead of incorrectly taking diabetes medications such as Trulicity. Generally, reducing your calorie intake, remaining physically active, and eating a nutritious diet can help you lose weight sustainably.
If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight, it’s important that you consider consulting a doctor or a registered dietitian to find out the most effective and safest approach based on your physical condition and your weight loss goal.
Eating a nutritious and balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats, can help reduce your daily calorie intake. To induce weight loss, experts usually suggest eating about 500 calories less than what you burn during the day.
You may want to try increasing your fiber intake, as this can promote a feeling of long lasting fullness after you eat a meal. Including proteins can also help you feel full for longer while keeping your calorie intake low.
Staying physically active, such as exercising regularly, combined with reducing your calorie intake, also plays a significant role in losing weight.
Physical activity not only helps keep your body in good health and prevents the onset of several health conditions, such as heart disease, but it also allows you to burn some extra calories, increasing your daily caloric deficit and boosting weight loss.
Other medications
Trulicity is not the only medication available for managing blood glucose levels and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. Other alternatives to Trulicity may include:
Another medication that is commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes is metformin (Riomet). This is a different type of medication called a biguanide. It’s taken as an oral tablet.
While semaglutide, similar to Trulicity, only requires one weekly injection, you need to take two doses of lixisenatide and liraglutide each day.
Ozempic has similar effects to Trulicity. While both medications are not FDA approved for weight loss, some people may still use them for this purpose under the guidance of a healthcare professional. A 2018 study found that semaglutide may be more effective in managing type 2 diabetes when compared to dulaglutide.
Summary
Trulicity (dulaglutide) is a brand-name prescription for managing blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. This drug is not FDA approved for weight loss, but it can induce weight loss due to its effects on blood sugar levels and appetite.
If you are trying to lose weight, there are several lifestyle changes you can make that may help you lose weight in a more health-supportive way. This includes staying physically active, like exercising regularly, limiting consuming foods containing refined carbohydrates and added sugars, and limiting your calorie intake.
If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight, it’s important that you consider speaking with a healthcare professional. They can recommend the most appropriate dietary plan and physical activity routine you should follow that may provide you with the best results.
Download the free Optum Perks Discount Card to save up to 80% on many prescription medications. Plus, you can now get them delivered to your home in as little as 3 days. Search for your medication here.