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While there are no hard-and-fast rules about drinking alcohol while using Wegovy, combining the two could impact how well the injections work. Getting a clearer picture of how alcohol interacts with your weight loss treatment and the side effects it can cause means you’ll be making informed choices when it comes to having a drink.
With a clearer picture of how alcohol and Wegovy mix, you’ll know what to expect from the occasional indulgence, and whether or not doing so will hinder your weight loss goals.
Wegovy is an injectable weight loss treatment that works by mimicking a naturally made hormone (GLP-1) involved in blood sugar control and appetite. It’s a proven treatment for losing weight, but like all weight loss medications, works best as part of a holistic plan that includes increased activity and a reduced-calorie diet. This will also extend to what you drink — if you regularly consume alcohol, which often contains lots of calories, you’ll need to review where this fits into your weight loss plan and whether it affects your treatment with Wegovy.
What are the risks of drinking alcohol while taking Wegovy?
While the Wegovy patient information leaflet doesn’t warn against drinking alcohol alongside the medication, that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free.
The effects of drinking too much alcohol, such as nausea, dizziness, and vomiting, are very similar to common Wegovy side effects. This means that overdoing your alcohol intake could make these kinds of symptoms worse. Hangovers, which occur the day after drinking alcohol, tend to affect people to different extents. But they often involve physical changes, cognitive impairment, and negative mood.
Feeling jittery and unwell due to the effects of alcohol has the potential to impact your weight loss plan. While a few alcoholic drinks now and then won’t undo all your hard work, having them frequently could negate the effects of both Wegovy and your own efforts if doing so causes you to lose the motivation to lose weight.
Another risk of drinking alcohol while using Wegovy is the effect it has on your blood sugar. Alcoholic drinks like beer and cider often contain high amounts of sugar, which can initially raise your blood glucose levels. Once you’ve had a drink though, your blood sugar levels can drop as your liver breaks down the alcohol. One of the ways semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) works is by lowering your blood sugar. This means if you’re diabetic and using the injections to lose weight, drinking alcohol on Wegovy can increase your chances of developing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).
On paper, low blood sugar levels might seem like a good thing for weight loss. But blood sugar crashes can lead to overeating as you try to bring your blood glucose into balance. This effect is compounded if the food you reach for as a quick fix is unhealthy and calorie-dense, such as ultra-processed foods or snacks that are high in sugar, fat and salt.
How do alcohol and Wegovy interact?
Whether you’re using a treatment like Wegovy or not, cutting down on booze when you’re trying to lose weight is always recommended. This is because alcohol affects weight loss in several ways. Along with its impact on blood sugar and mood, alcohol can make you feel hungry and prevent your body from burning fat at the normal rate.
Like the side effects people get while using Wegovy, alcohol will affect people using it differently too. Some people may find that drinking alcohol doesn’t exacerbate their side effects, whereas others might find it makes them worse.
If you feel like alcohol doesn’t interact with your medication, it might be tempting to view alcohol in the same way you would other types of foods, such as snacks and junk food — as long as you don’t overdo the amount you have and factor in the calories, they can still be part of your diet. In other words, providing you maintain the required deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn) then some ‘empty’ calories can be factored into what you eat. There might be some truth to this — but this might be overlooking the secondary effects alcohol can have.
Alcohol is a relaxant, and is well known to reduce inhibition. With less self control, it might be easier to drink more than you initially intended to, and therefore consume more calories than you planned to. You could also be more prone to make unhealthy food choices while you’re under the influence. Studies on mice have shown that alcohol can turn on their ‘starvation mode’, increasing appetite and hunger. If you’ve already had excessive empty calories, overeating on top of them can add even more to your daily total.
Managing your alcohol consumption on Wegovy
While some people have found Wegovy suppressed their urge to drink alcohol, this could be a side effect only felt by certain people. There’s no guarantee the injections will reduce cravings, and it might just be a case of trial-and-error to see how the medication affects you.
If you’ve started using Wegovy, you should always speak to a clinician before you consume any alcohol. This is especially important if you’re taking other medications to manage a specific health condition, as alcohol can sometimes reduce the effectiveness of certain drugs.
As a general rule, you’ll always be advised to limit your alcohol intake if you’re trying to lose weight. That doesn’t mean you can’t have any; it might come down to finding your own personal balance, and what works for one person might not work for another.
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