Can Ozempic Replace Bariatric Surgery?

In some circles and on social media, Ozempic is being touted as a ‘miracle’ weight loss medication and as a safer and more effective alternative to weight loss surgery. Some people on sites like Instagram and TikTok are saying that it’s affordable, that it has no side effects, and that it can help you lose weight without any accompanying lifestyle modifications. Because of this, many patients come to us considering Ozempic vs bariatric surgery for treating obesity.

Unfortunately, most of these claims are overblown or outright false. Ozempic is not a replacement for weight loss surgery. Let’s walk through different parts of this claim together.

Ozempic vs Bariatric Surgery

Short-Term Weight Loss

After weight loss surgery, you will start to lose weight almost immediately. It’s important to note that weight loss varies by procedure and is different for every single patient, based on factors such as your body before surgery, and your diet and exercise after surgery. However, by three months after surgery, most of our duodenal switch patients lose an average of 30 percent of their excess body weight. For a typical patient, that might mean 50 pounds or even more.

By contrast, studies show that Ozempic does not produce substantial weight loss in the short-term. One study found that patients suffering from class 3 obesity (BMI >40) experienced an average weight loss of just 5.3% of their body weight after 3 months on Ozempic, or about 16 pounds.

Long-Term Weight Loss

Ozempic is not substantially more effective at inducing long-term weight loss than it is at inducing short-term weight loss. Part of this is because Ozempic is not designed as a weight loss medication and is also not approved for weight loss by the FDA. It is a medication to help control type 2 diabetes, and weight loss is a secondary component.

One study looked at the long-term efficacy of Ozempic for weight loss and found that results were very modest. The study looked at patients who paired Ozempic with lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise, as compared to a control group who still underwent the lifestyle interventions but were given a placebo in place of Ozempic. The study found that by week 68 (over a year into the treatment), patients who took Ozempic had only lost 12.5% more of their bodyweight than the placebo group, or about 28 pounds.

By contrast, our weight loss surgery patients often lose almost all of their excess weight within a year. Most of our patients lose 65-100% of their excess weight within the first year and keep it off. Duodenal switch surgery is considered the gold standard weight loss surgery due to its safety and efficacy, and most of our duodenal switch patients lose 80-100% of their weight loss within the first 9 months (36 weeks). Imagine how that would feel.

Complications

Ozempic is being touted in some circles as a ‘miracle’ weight loss medication with no side effects. Unfortunately, this is far from true. A study published in the JAMA Network found that almost half of patients reported at least one adverse effect. The most common adverse effects were nausea and vomiting (36.6% of patients), diarrhea (8.6%) and fatigue (6.3%). 

11.5% of patients were told to either reduce their dose, avoid increasing their dose (a gradually increasing dose is what doctors otherwise recommended in the study), or to stop taking Ozempic altogether due to the severity of their side effects.

By contrast, weight loss surgery is widely recognized to be very safe. At a certified ASMBS comprehensive MBSAQIP center like the BMCC, weight loss surgery is as safe as any minor outpatient surgery such as gallbladder surgery. In fact, for many of our patients, weight loss surgery is an outpatient surgery, and they leave the hospital the same day as their surgery. Complications are rare and generally minor. Our double-board-certified bariatric surgeon personally commits to not leaving the operating room until every surgery is done as well as humanly possible. In the rare case that complications do emerge, our team is dedicated to working with patients every step of the way to get them resolved.

Cost

Ozempic is being described in some circles as an affordable alternative to weight loss surgery, but this is misleading. The average out-of-pocket cost for Ozempic is around $1,300 per month, and fewer insurances are covering Ozempic. For many patients, the cost of using Ozempic for a year can therefore be over $15,000 ($1,300/month x 12 months).

In an effort to lower costs, some compounding pharmaceutical companies are mixing Ozempic with untested peptides in order to get around patents. This can lead to lower costs; but it is important to stress the potential dangers of this method. The novel combinations of peptides have not been tested for safety or efficacy in clinical trials. In other words, there may be serious side effects to these untested combinations that no-one knows about.

If you’re considering Ozempic vs bariatric surgery, please be aware of the substantial costs and dangers associated with using Ozempic in a way that it is not designed or approved for.

Commonly-Touted Benefits of Ozempic

Ozempic is often touted as a replacement for weight loss surgery for two reasons.

First, unlike surgery, taking Ozempic does not require any anatomical rearrangement. This can make some patients feel that it is safer and less invasive. However, the opposite is true. While Ozempic is less invasive, the prevalence of adverse effects mean that it is not safer. A qualified bariatric surgeon working at a certified AMBCS comprehensive MBSAQIP center will typically have a complication rate of less than 5%, which is far lower than the 48.6% side effect rate found for Ozempic in one study.

Ozempic is also being described as a weight loss medication that doesn’t need to be paired with diet and exercise. Unfortunately, this is not true. Even the modest weight loss that Ozempic produced in the studies cited above was only achieved in the context of intensive lifestyle modification.

Can I Combine Ozempic With Bariatric Surgery?

Whether or not Ozempic is safe to use in conjunction with weight loss surgery has not been studied.  Some patients have used Ozempic for diabetic treatment both before and after surgery, but if patients begin to experience adverse effects from this medication they should stop the medication immediately and consult their prescribing provider.

Taking the Next Step On Your Weight Loss Journey

At the BMCC, we care for every patient and believe that you deserve to achieve long-term health and weight loss in a safe and durable way. We also understand that when you suffer from obesity, you can start looking for any way to lose weight, and that Ozempic can sound tempting when it’s described on sites like Instagram and TikTok.

However, the reality is very different. Because we care for you, we want you to know that there are much better weight loss choices than Ozempic. There are other safer and more effective ways to lose weight, including weight loss surgery. 

If you would like to learn more about your weight loss surgery options, please feel free to browse around the site or give our friendly office staff a call. Many of our patients say that surgery was the best decision they ever made.

“We were no longer prisoners in our own bodies, we were no longer handicapped by our weight, we were living and moving and feeling better then we had felt in so many years.”–Lisa and Chris Chesrown, duodenal switch surgery patients.

If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Contact our Denver office today.