Valley doctors discuss recent trend of weight loss drugs

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Social media has an abundance of weight loss videos, from the latest diet trends to the most popular fitness programs.

But for some like Amber Contino, nutritious foods and exercise aren't enough to reach their weight goal.

"I go to the gym four days a week with a trainer, and I've seen multiple nutritionists," she said. "I've tried all these diets, and nothing was really working."

Dr. Juan Chavez, with Optimal Medical Group in northwest Fresno, told her about semaglutide.

This is the main ingredient in Ozempic, an FDA-approved diabetes drug.

Doctors are also finding the ingredient is an effective way for those who aren't diabetic to lose weight.

"You can call it a 'wonder drug' that it's been very, very helpful for people - more so than the past other medications that have been around," Dr. Lucia Mireles-Chavez said. "But it's a medication, just like any other medication, that needs to be done carefully."

Dr. Lucia Mireles-Chavez and her husband, Dr. Chavez, specialize in obesity medicine.

They've helped dozens of people lose weight, such as Contino, with a 12-week program that includes semaglutide injections.

In the summer of 2022, Contino weighed 165 pounds.

"I felt like it took me about four months to really lose like the first 15 pounds, and then like that's when you're like, 'Oh my gosh, I actually feel better, look better.'"

She took the injections for eight months and stopped after getting back down to her pre-pregnancy weight -- around 125 pounds.

She now uses it once a month to maintain her weight.

According to Dr. Mireles-Chavez, it's important patients on semaglutide also practice healthier eating habits and stay active even after they stop the injections.

"That's why a lot of people will have yo-yo weight fluctuations because they don't implement the lifestyle," she said.

As more and more people turn to semaglutide to lose weight, health experts say it's not for everyone.

At Optimal Medical Group, interested patients are required to go through an in-depth consultation and body scan.

Those who qualify for Ozempic specifically will have a Body Mass Index, or BMI, higher than 30 and are pre-diabetic or diabetic.

Optimal Medical Group is one of several facilities in the Valley offering semaglutide.

Premium Urgent Care in Clovis also offers the medication following a consultation with a doctor.

For those who aren't a fan of injections, semaglutide also comes in a pill form that's taken under the tongue.

Mary Hudson specializes in dermatology and plastic surgery.

"As soon as you wake up, I tell them to just put on your tongue," she said. "It's literally within your bloodstream within just a few minutes. That's one thing nice about this versus the injection that you do once a week."

She and other health experts are pleased to see access to semaglutide increasing.

"Yes, it works amazing," Dr. Mireles-Chavez said. "It changes people's lives, but you cannot abuse it."

Contino says lifestyle changes are just as important, if not, more important than the medicine.

"It's one tiny piece to the bigger puzzle, I feel like," she said. "When people give it the backlash that it does get, I think it's kind of terrible. Because what's better than feeling good about yourself?"

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