*photo courtesy of Caroline Ruda via Shutterstock
You can’t fail to have heard the hullabaloo about the latest generation of weight loss drugs in recent months. But beyond the immediate headlines in terms of tackling diabetes and obesity, there’s been a growing noise about the potential benefits for osteoarthritis sufferers too.
Increasingly, patients are asking surgeons whether they should take semaglutide (marketed under the Wegovy and Ozempic brand names) for their osteoarthritis. So what’s the answer, and can a weight loss drug like Wegovy really make a difference?
Let’s break things down, stage by stage.
Is losing weight a good idea if you have arthritis?
In the UK, health providers set body mass index (BMI) limits for patients planning hip or knee replacement surgery. As we explore in this post, the limits vary by area and provider, but effectively it’s all about managing risk.
Lose weight and you lower your BMI. Lower your BMI and you avoid or lessen the increased surgical risk that comes from obesity.
If you are overweight and have osteoarthritis, it’s worth losing weight even if joint replacement surgery isn’t on your radar. Maintaining a healthy BMI brings with it lots of benefits. For arthritis sufferers, it helps to reduce the load placed on arthritic joints. That can reduce pain and slow the rate of your arthritis’ progression.
Do weight loss drugs like Wegovy work?
According to gov.uk, users “can achieve up to a 15% reduction in body weight after one year”.
Do weight loss drugs like Wegovy reduce arthritis pain?
There is evidence to suggest that taking semaglutide weight loss drugs reduces osteoarthritis pain quite significantly. You might expect this to be the case with a drug that lowers weight (and therefore reduces the load on arthritic joints) but it seems that’s not all that’s happening. Semaglutide may also have an anti-inflammatory effect which further helps to alleviate pain.
Are there risks in taking weight loss drugs?
Yes. There are risks associated with every drug, and that’s certainly true of semaglutide. Sickness, diarrhoea and heartburn seem to be the most common side effects but some more serious side effects have been reported.
Studies are ongoing into the effects of long-term use.
Should you take weight loss drugs for your osteoarthritis?
There are two elements to this. The first is whether the drug would be right for you, and that should be a discussion you have at first instance with your GP. You shouldn’t attempt to use weight loss drugs without medical guidance and supervision.
The second part of the equation is accessing semaglutide. The drug is available to some patients on the NHS, but to date this has been specifically for weight loss patients rather than those suffering osteoarthritis pain.
Wegovy is available privately but it’s not available over the counter. You’d need a prescription for it and that takes you back to your GP.
Osteoarthritis, joint replacement, weight loss drugs and you
As a Gloucestershire knee surgeon, I spend my life talking to patients about risk. In its simplest terms, the right time for a hip or knee replacement is the point at which the risks of surgery (which are small but not insignificant) outweigh the risks of not having surgery.
BMI limits are in place because a high BMI can make the risk of surgery significant. It’s here that semaglutide has the potential to make the biggest positive impact, but the decision to use it should be one you make with your GP.
Then, if you’d still like to explore your joint replacement options, please get in touch or call 01242 246549
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