For many grandparents, looking after grandchildren is one of the best parts of the week, and for some families it is also essential childcare. It is also physical work: lifting a toddler in and out of a car seat, getting down on the floor and back up, carrying a sleeping child upstairs, pushing a stroller uphill, and keeping up with a four-year-old at the park.<\/p>\n
Many people start Ozempic or another GLP-1 partly so they can do more of exactly this. To make sure the medication helps rather than leaves you tired or unsteady, a few things matter more than usual.<\/p>\n
The prescribing information for Wegovy, which contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic, at a higher dose, includes a section on older adults.<\/p>\n
It notes that no overall difference in effectiveness was observed between people aged 65 and older and younger adults.<\/p>\n
It also notes that in the cardiovascular outcomes trial, patients aged 75 and older reported more hip and pelvis fractures on the medication than on placebo, and that patients in that age group reported more serious adverse reactions overall than younger adults.<\/p>\n
Not every grandparent is 75, and a finding in a trial population is not a prediction about any one person. But it is a good reason to take two things seriously whatever your age: protecting your strength, and avoiding falls. Both matter a great deal when you are carrying a small child.<\/p>\n
When people lose weight, some of what they lose is muscle. For a grandparent, muscle is what gets you up off the floor, carries a toddler, and catches you if you trip.<\/p>\n
Eat protein at every meal,<\/strong> even when your appetite is small. Start each meal with the protein portion.<\/p>\n Do some strength work.<\/strong> Simple exercises such as sit-to-stand from a chair, wall push-ups, step-ups, and carrying shopping bags all build the strength you use with grandchildren. A physical therapist or trainer experienced with older adults can tailor a plan.<\/p>\n Practice getting up from the floor.<\/strong> It sounds simple, but it is a skill that fades if you do not use it, and with small children you will be doing it often.<\/p>\n Track strength, not only weight.<\/strong> If carrying a car seat or climbing stairs is getting harder rather than easier, tell your provider. Our guide on tracking your progress on semaglutide or tirzepatide<\/a> covers measures beyond the scale.<\/p>\n Several common effects of these medications can make falls more likely if you are not careful.<\/p>\n Dizziness.<\/strong> In the Wegovy trials, dizziness was reported more often on the medication than on placebo. Eating less and drinking less water add to it.<\/p>\n Lightheadedness on standing.<\/strong> Getting up quickly from the floor, or from a low chair after sitting with a baby, is when many people feel it. Stand up slowly, and pause before you walk.<\/p>\n Fatigue.<\/strong> Being tired makes you less steady and slower to react.<\/p>\n Practical steps:<\/strong> keep floors clear of toys where you walk, use the handrail on stairs, especially when carrying a child, wear supportive shoes rather than slippers, and put a car seat down to buckle it rather than carrying it at arm’s length.<\/p>\n Days with grandchildren are full, and it is easy to look after everyone’s lunch but your own. On an appetite-suppressing medication, many grandparents find they have eaten almost nothing by the time the parents arrive.<\/p>\n Eat a proper breakfast before they arrive.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sit down for a real lunch with them.<\/strong> Children eat better with company, and so will you.<\/p>\n Avoid grazing on kids’ snacks.<\/strong> Crackers, fruit pouches, and cookies are easy to pick at all day. They crowd out real meals and leave you short of protein.<\/p>\n Keep your own snacks<\/strong> in the kitchen, ones you tolerate and that have some protein.<\/p>\n Drink water through the day.<\/strong> Keep a bottle where you can see it.<\/p>\n If nausea is affecting what you can manage, our guide on what to eat after your Ozempic injection<\/a> covers foods that tend to sit well.<\/p>\n Watch for fatigue that does not lift, feeling cold, hair shedding, dizziness when you stand, losing strength, or losing weight faster than you and your provider intended. Any of these is worth raising with your provider rather than pushing through, especially when you are responsible for small children.<\/p>\n Side effects are usually worst in the day or two after an injection and after a dose increase. If you look after grandchildren on fixed days, ask your provider whether your injection day could be moved so the hardest days fall when you are not on duty. Ask your provider to schedule dose increases with your childcare days in mind, too. Our guide on the Ozempic starting dose<\/a> covers why each new step tends to bring stronger side effects for a while.<\/p>\n Consider this scenario: a 68-year-old on Ozempic looks after two grandchildren every Tuesday and Wednesday, and injects on Monday. They skip breakfast, pick at the children’s crackers all day, and drink little water. On a Wednesday afternoon they stand up quickly after kneeling on the floor, feel lightheaded, and nearly fall while holding the baby. Moving the injection day, eating breakfast and a proper lunch with protein, keeping water in sight, and standing up slowly would have addressed most of what went wrong.<\/p>\n It is worth telling your adult children that you are on a medication that can sometimes cause tiredness or dizziness, especially early on or after a dose change. You do not need to share details. But it helps everyone if there is a plan for a day when you are not feeling well, such as a backup sitter or a quieter day at home.<\/p>\n Many grandparents take other medications, including for diabetes, blood pressure, or heart conditions. Make sure your provider knows everything you take, because some combinations, particularly with medicines that lower blood sugar or blood pressure, can make dizziness more likely. Our guide on getting the most out of your GLP-1 treatment<\/a> covers how to work with your provider on the whole picture.<\/p>\n Protect your strength with protein at every meal and simple strength exercises, and practice getting up from the floor. Reduce fall risk by standing up slowly, keeping floors clear, using handrails, and wearing proper shoes. Eat breakfast and a real lunch on childcare days, avoid grazing on kids’ snacks, and keep water in sight. Watch for signs you are not eating enough. Plan injection days and dose increases around your childcare schedule, tell the parents, and make sure your provider knows every medication you take.<\/p>\nAvoid falls<\/h2>\n
Eat, even on busy days<\/h2>\n
Signs you may not be eating enough<\/h2>\n
Plan your dose around your childcare days<\/h2>\n
Talk to the parents<\/h2>\n
Other medications<\/h2>\n
The short version<\/h2>\n