Originally approved to help with excess weight and obesity, Wegovy and Ozempic, have become synonymous with weight loss fads. Here's what you need to know.

Wegovy is a once-weekly injection approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat obesity in people 12 and over. But it’s not a miracle drug, so knowing what to eat on Wegovy is important.

Semaglutide, the underlying drug marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy, works by mimicking a hormone that triggers the body to feel full. When the drug interacts with a receptor in the stomach, patients feel full sooner and for a longer period of time after eating. The drug does not cause weight loss directly – instead, it makes you want to eat less.

In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic for treatment of Type 2 diabetes, which is what it was designed for. It’s a weekly injection that helps lower blood sugar by spurring the pancreas to make more insulin.