Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRecommended Ozempic DosagesDosage AdjustmentsWhat Happens If I Take Too Much?What Should I Do If I Miss a Dose?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Recommended Ozempic Dosages
Dosage Adjustments
What Happens If I Take Too Much?
What Should I Do If I Miss a Dose?
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a brand-name injectable medication that belongs to a group of drugs calledglucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. It is commonly used to managetype 2 diabetes.
For administration, Ozempic comes in prefilled pens that allow you to inject the medication under your skin. The recommended starting dose is 0.25 milligrams (mg) once weekly. This low dose will help your body get used to the medication. After four weeks, the dose is typically increased to 0.5 mg once weekly, which is the maintenance dosage.
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Ozempic comes as a liquid that youinject under your skin. Healthcare providers typically prescribe a low starting dose. Then, they gradually increase the dosage based on how your body responds to Ozempic.
The recommended starting dose of Ozempic is 0.25 mg injected under the skin once every four weeks. This dose is not enough to effectively manage your blood sugar levels. It’s used to help your body get used to digestion-related side effects, such as nausea and stomach pain while starting Ozempic. After this time, these side effects are likely to subside.
After four weeks, your healthcare provider will increase your dosage to 0.5 mg once per week. This is the recommended maintenance dose.
How to Use Ozempic
Ozempic comes in prefilled pens to inject the medication under your skin:
If you have more questions about using your Ozempic pen, talk with your pharmacist or other healthcare provider.
How Does Ozempic Work?
Dosage Forms and Strengths
Ozempic is available as three different prefilled pens. Each strength is color-coded as follows:
Each red pen can deliver four 0.25 mg starting doses and two 0.5 mg maintenance doses. Your healthcare provider will likely prescribe this strength as your first pen.
The red pen can also deliver four 0.5 mg doses, so you may use this pen for your maintenance dose.
Each blue pen delivers four 1 mg doses, and the yellow pen contains four 2 mg doses. Your healthcare provider may prescribe either of these pens if your dosage needs to be increased.
The table below summarizes the dosages and strengths of each Ozempic pen.
Total Pen StrengthDose Per InjectionDoses Per Pen2 mg of semaglutide per 3 milliliters (mL) of liquid (2 mg/3 mL or 0.68 mg/mL)0.25 mg or 0.5 mgFour 0.25 mg starting doses and two 0.5 mg maintenance doses or Four 0.5 mg doses4 mg/ 3 mL or 1.34 mg/mL1 mgFour 1 mg doses8 mg/3 mL or 2.68 mg/mL2 mgFour 2 mg dosesDosage AdjustmentsBefore you begin Ozempic treatment, your healthcare provider will likely discusshealthy blood sugar levelgoals with you.They’ll check your blood sugar levels four weeks after beginning your 0.5 mg maintenance dose.They may also recommend regularly monitoring your blood sugar level at home. You’ll do this using aglucometeror acontinuous glucose monitoringdevice.If Ozempic is not effectively lowering your blood sugar, your healthcare provider may increase your dosage to 1 mg once per week.If, after four more weeks, your blood sugar levels are still too high, they may further increase your dosage to 2 mg once per week,The maximum dose of Ozempic is 2 mg per week.Dosage Adjustments for Other Medications for DiabetesYour healthcare provider may prescribe Ozempic with other medications to help manage your blood sugar levels, such as Glucotrol XL (glipizide) orinsulin.Ozempic helps to lower your blood sugar levels. Taking this medication with other drugs that also lower your blood sugar may increase your risk forhypoglycemia(very low blood sugar level).If you take Ozempic with insulin or other drugs for diabetes, your healthcare provider may reduce the dosage of your insulin or other diabetes medications to lower your risk of hypoglycemia.Wegovy vs. Ozempic: How Are They Different?What Happens If I Take Too Much?It’s important to use Ozempic exactly as your healthcare provider recommends. Ozempic is a long-acting medication that stays in your body for over a week.Using too much Ozempic can lead to serious side effects, such as hypoglycemia.Symptoms of hypoglycemia can include:DizzinessSweatingShakingHungerConfusionNervousnessHypoglycemia symptoms may be mild at first. However, if it’s left untreated, hypoglycemia may result in more serious complications, includingcomaand even death.If you think you’ve used too much Ozempic, contact your healthcare provider right away. If it’s an emergency, call 911.If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, eat or drink 15 grams of carbohydrates, which can quickly raise your blood sugar. Examples include:Glucose tabletsFruit juiceNon-diet sodaSugary candyHoneyIf your hypoglycemia symptoms are severe enough to require help from someone else to recover, have them seek emergency medical attention immediately.Your healthcare provider may prescribe aglucagon injection penfor you to use in case of a hypoglycemia emergency. Glucagon is a hormone that helps quickly raise your blood sugar level.Because Ozempic stays in your system for a long time, your provider may monitor you closely for signs of hypoglycemia for a few weeks after using too much Ozempic.What Should I Do If I Miss a Dose?It’s important to use Ozempic regularly as your healthcare provider recommends.It can take at least four weeks for Ozempic to reach steady levels in your body.Missing a dose of Ozempic may prevent the medication from working as well as it should. This may lead to anincrease in your blood sugar level.If you miss a dose of Ozempic, inject the missed dose as soon as you remember within five days of missing your dose. If it’s been longer than five days since you missed your dose, skip the missed dose. Then, inject the next dose on the regularly scheduled day.Afterward, you can continue with your regular once-per-week schedule. Do not inject two doses together to make up for a missed dose.SummaryOzempic comes in prefilled pens to inject the medication under your skin. Each pen is color-coded based on the strength of Ozempic it contains.Dosing starts at 0.25 mg per week. This low dose is intended to help get your body used to the medication. After four weeks, the dose is typically increased to a maintenance dosage of 0.5 mg once per week.Your healthcare provider will monitor your blood sugar levels during your Ozempic treatment. If Ozempic does not effectively lower your blood sugar, they may increase your dosage gradually every four weeks to a maximum of 2 mg once per week.If you have questions about using your Ozempic pen, talk with your pharmacist or other healthcare provider.
Before you begin Ozempic treatment, your healthcare provider will likely discusshealthy blood sugar levelgoals with you.
They’ll check your blood sugar levels four weeks after beginning your 0.5 mg maintenance dose.They may also recommend regularly monitoring your blood sugar level at home. You’ll do this using aglucometeror acontinuous glucose monitoringdevice.
If Ozempic is not effectively lowering your blood sugar, your healthcare provider may increase your dosage to 1 mg once per week.
If, after four more weeks, your blood sugar levels are still too high, they may further increase your dosage to 2 mg once per week,
The maximum dose of Ozempic is 2 mg per week.
Dosage Adjustments for Other Medications for Diabetes
Your healthcare provider may prescribe Ozempic with other medications to help manage your blood sugar levels, such as Glucotrol XL (glipizide) orinsulin.
Ozempic helps to lower your blood sugar levels. Taking this medication with other drugs that also lower your blood sugar may increase your risk forhypoglycemia(very low blood sugar level).
If you take Ozempic with insulin or other drugs for diabetes, your healthcare provider may reduce the dosage of your insulin or other diabetes medications to lower your risk of hypoglycemia.
Wegovy vs. Ozempic: How Are They Different?
It’s important to use Ozempic exactly as your healthcare provider recommends. Ozempic is a long-acting medication that stays in your body for over a week.
Using too much Ozempic can lead to serious side effects, such as hypoglycemia.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia can include:
Hypoglycemia symptoms may be mild at first. However, if it’s left untreated, hypoglycemia may result in more serious complications, includingcomaand even death.
If you think you’ve used too much Ozempic, contact your healthcare provider right away. If it’s an emergency, call 911.
If you have symptoms of hypoglycemia, eat or drink 15 grams of carbohydrates, which can quickly raise your blood sugar. Examples include:
If your hypoglycemia symptoms are severe enough to require help from someone else to recover, have them seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe aglucagon injection penfor you to use in case of a hypoglycemia emergency. Glucagon is a hormone that helps quickly raise your blood sugar level.
Because Ozempic stays in your system for a long time, your provider may monitor you closely for signs of hypoglycemia for a few weeks after using too much Ozempic.
It’s important to use Ozempic regularly as your healthcare provider recommends.
It can take at least four weeks for Ozempic to reach steady levels in your body.Missing a dose of Ozempic may prevent the medication from working as well as it should. This may lead to anincrease in your blood sugar level.
If you miss a dose of Ozempic, inject the missed dose as soon as you remember within five days of missing your dose. If it’s been longer than five days since you missed your dose, skip the missed dose. Then, inject the next dose on the regularly scheduled day.
Afterward, you can continue with your regular once-per-week schedule. Do not inject two doses together to make up for a missed dose.
Summary
Ozempic comes in prefilled pens to inject the medication under your skin. Each pen is color-coded based on the strength of Ozempic it contains.
Dosing starts at 0.25 mg per week. This low dose is intended to help get your body used to the medication. After four weeks, the dose is typically increased to a maintenance dosage of 0.5 mg once per week.
Your healthcare provider will monitor your blood sugar levels during your Ozempic treatment. If Ozempic does not effectively lower your blood sugar, they may increase your dosage gradually every four weeks to a maximum of 2 mg once per week.
If you have questions about using your Ozempic pen, talk with your pharmacist or other healthcare provider.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health. DailyMed.Label: Ozempic- semaglutide injection, solution.Food and Drug Administration.Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information.Centers for Disease Control and prevention.Manage blood sugar.PDR.Semaglutide.Hall S, Isaacs D, Clements JN.Pharmacokinetics and clinical implications of semaglutide: a new glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonist.Clin Pharmacokinet2018;57:1529-1538. doi:10.1007/s40262-018-0668-zMedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat hypoglycemia.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health. DailyMed.Label: Ozempic- semaglutide injection, solution.Food and Drug Administration.Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information.Centers for Disease Control and prevention.Manage blood sugar.PDR.Semaglutide.Hall S, Isaacs D, Clements JN.Pharmacokinetics and clinical implications of semaglutide: a new glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonist.Clin Pharmacokinet2018;57:1529-1538. doi:10.1007/s40262-018-0668-zMedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat hypoglycemia.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institutes of Health. DailyMed.Label: Ozempic- semaglutide injection, solution.Food and Drug Administration.Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information.Centers for Disease Control and prevention.Manage blood sugar.PDR.Semaglutide.Hall S, Isaacs D, Clements JN.Pharmacokinetics and clinical implications of semaglutide: a new glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonist.Clin Pharmacokinet2018;57:1529-1538. doi:10.1007/s40262-018-0668-zMedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.Center for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat hypoglycemia.
National Institutes of Health. DailyMed.Label: Ozempic- semaglutide injection, solution.
Food and Drug Administration.Ozempic (semaglutide) prescribing information.
Centers for Disease Control and prevention.Manage blood sugar.
PDR.Semaglutide.
Hall S, Isaacs D, Clements JN.Pharmacokinetics and clinical implications of semaglutide: a new glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonist.Clin Pharmacokinet2018;57:1529-1538. doi:10.1007/s40262-018-0668-z
MedlinePlus.Hypoglycemia.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat hypoglycemia.
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