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.
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This low dose will help your body get used to the medication.
Getty Images /Bloomberg/ Contributor
Recommended Ozempic Dosages
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.
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.
Dosage Forms and Strengths
Ozempic is available as three different prefilled pens.
Your healthcare provider will likely prescribe this strength as your first pen.
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.
You’ll do this using aglucometeror acontinuous glucose monitoringdevice.
Ozempic helps to lower your blood sugar levels.
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:
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.
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a glucagon injection pen for you to use in case of a hypoglycemia emergency.
Glucagon is a hormone that helps quickly raise your blood sugar level.
What Should I Do If I Miss a Dose?
It’s important to use Ozempic regularly as your healthcare provider recommends.
This may lead to anincrease in your blood sugar level.
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’ve got the option to 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 you have questions about using your Ozempic pen, talk with your pharmacist or other healthcare provider.
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.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.How to treat hypoglycemia.
