Introduction
So you’ve decided to take Ozempic or Wegovy. You have a green light from your healthcare provider to start taking the drug and you already have a prescription. Seeing so many famous people using the semaglutide brands has also been encouraging. You’ve got the likes of British personality Sharon Osbourne and SpaceX/Tesla mogul Elon Musk singing their praises for the medication.
Just like any drug, its efficacy will depend on its proper dosage, administration, and storage.
You might be wondering to yourself, “When is the best time to inject semaglutide?” Is it better to inject it in the morning or at night? Do you need to inject it with meals? How often should you take it? We cover all these questions and more in this article.
Understanding semaglutide
You may already know all about Ozempic and Wegovy, but it’s worth revisiting what they are and how they work. What is its active ingredient semaglutide?
Semaglutide belongs to a drug class called GLP-1 receptor agonists. It mimics GLP-1, a gut hormone that triggers insulin release, lowering blood sugar. It also slows gastric emptying, keeping you fuller for longer. As a result, people using Ozempic or Wegovy often experience weight loss.
At the same time, semaglutide also delays gastric emptying, or the process when food exits the stomach and enters the small intestine. This causes you to feel fuller for longer and not crave food as much. As a result, people taking Ozempic and Wegovy lose weight.
Oral vs. subcutaneous semaglutide
You may be familiar with Ozempic and Wegovy and how they come in injectable dosing pens. Since you inject them under the skin, they fall under the classification of subcutaneous semaglutide.
There’s another semaglutide brand, Rybelsus, which, in contrast, comes in tablet form and you take orally. Just like Ozempic, it’s FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes.
Eligibility
Although Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus are FDA-approved to be safe, not everyone can just take semaglutide. You first need to meet certain diagnostic criteria.
With Ozempic and Rybelsus, you need to have type 2 diabetes. In some cases, your healthcare provider may prescribe these if you have heart disease. This is because these have additional approval for reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems. They may at times also be prescribed for those dealing with insulin resistance.
Wegovy is for those with a BMI of 27+ with a related condition or a BMI of 30+.
Safety and efficacy
Semaglutide brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus have FDA approval. As such, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they’re safe and effective. The following are highlights from the research that proves semaglutide’s safety, efficacy, and tolerability.
In the STEP 5 trial, participants lost 15% of body weight over two years versus 2.6% with a placebo. Participants taking semaglutide also had greater reductions in their waistline—by 14.4 centimeters or 5.7 inches, to be exact—as well as in their systolic blood pressure, by 5.7 mmHg. Participants in the semaglutide group also experienced better diastolic blood pressure, blood sugar levels, total cholesterol, and triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood).
A December 2022 study, meanwhile, found that participants taking semaglutide lost more body fat than body mass, ate less food due to a decrease in appetite, had better control of eating, and had fewer food cravings, especially for fatty foods.
Side effects of semaglutide
Before you take semaglutide, it’s important to know what potential side effects that you may experience, especially during the first few weeks or months of semaglutide use. Thankfully, its most common side effects are generally mild and are easily managed. The more serious ones, on the other hand, are rare.
While semaglutide is effective, it may cause side effects, particularly in the early stages. Knowing these helps you prepare:
Common side effects
Gastrointestinal reactions account for 10 percent or more of semaglutide’s side effects. These include:
- Nausea (44%)
- Diarrhea (30%)
- Vomiting (24%)
- Constipation (24%)
- Abdominal pain (20%)
These side effects are generally mild and manageable with your doctor’s help.
Rare but serious side effects
Other common side effects of semaglutide which occur in 1 to 10 percent of cases include indigestion, belching, gassiness, gastroenteritis, or gastritis. Gastroenteritis is short-term infection and inflammation of the digestive system, while gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining.
It’s worth noting that these common side effects of semaglutide are mild and can be managed with the help of your healthcare provider. Semaglutide’s more serious adverse effects, meanwhile, are rare.
Best time to inject semaglutide
As mentioned, the proper dosage, administration, and storage are key to ensuring and maintaining the efficacy of semaglutide. You may be nervous or squeamish during the first few weeks of needing to inject yourself with semaglutide, but if you follow the instructions, there shouldn’t be any problem.
For optimal results, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Inject Ozempic or Wegovy once a week, regardless of meal timing. Administer it on the same day each week. You can switch the injection day, but wait at least 48 hours between doses.
In addition, Novo Nordisk notes that semaglutide is best taken along with a balanced diet and exercise. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use semaglutide injection exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Dosage and Administration
Your doctor will typically start you off on a low dose, gradually increasing this until you reach a maintenance dose. This is to help your body get adjusted to semaglutide.
Ozempic comes in 0.5 mg, 1 mg, and 2 mg doses, while Wegovy comes in five various dose strengths. The different doses, from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg, come in different colored pens.
Both semaglutide brands Ozempic and Wegovy can be injected subcutaneously in three different areas: your abdomen, thigh, or upper arm. For the abdomen, inject it two inches from the bellybutton. For the thigh, choose the front and avoid the inner thigh. Meanwhile, for the upper arm, inject it between the shoulder and the elbow.
Make sure that you are not injecting into a muscle or vein. It is best to use a different injection site with every injection. However, if you want to use the same injection site, pick a different spot in that area.
Injecting Ozempic and Wegovy
The correct step-by-step preparation and administration of Ozempic and Wegovy are essential to injecting semaglutide at the right time. Based on an instructional video guide, patients should follow four general steps when taking the Ozempic or Wegovy: Prep-Check-Select-Inject.
PREP
- Check the Ozempic pen.
- Make sure that the label on the pen matches the medicine that you were prescribed to take. Also, check and that the liquid in the pen is not cloudy. The liquid solution should be clear.
- Attach the needle. Pull off the paper tab, push it, and turn it until it is on tight. Pull off the outer cap and then the inner cap. Always use a new needle for each injection. This will reduce the risk of contamination, infection, leakage of Ozempic, and blocked needles. Also, never your semaglutide pen with others or reuse the needles.
CHECK
- Check the flow.
- Turn the dose selector to the flow check symbol.
- Next, press and hold the dose button until the dose counter shows “0”. “0” must line up with the dose pointer. A drop of Ozempic will appear at the needle tip. If no drop appears, repeat this flow check up to six times. If there is still no drop, change the needle and repeat this one more time. Do not use the pen if you still don’t see a drop of semaglutide.
SELECT
- Dial the dose. Turn the dose selector until the dose your doctor prescribed appears on the dose counter. Alternate between different injection sites each time.
- Choose your injection site. Clean the chosen area with an alcohol wipe and let it dry.
- Pinch the sanitized area gently.
- Make sure you can see the dose counter first. Insert the needle into the skin at a 90-degree angle, and press. Hold the dose button until you hear a click and the dose counter shows zero. Count to six slowly before pulling back the pen to ensure you’ve administered the full dose.
- Carefully remove the needle and dispose of it. You can use an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container or heavy-duty plastic household container right away after use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I miss a dose?
If you miss a dose of Ozempic, don’t worry. Just take the missed dose immediately within five days after the day of the missed dose. If it has been more than five days already, just skip the missed dose. Proceed with taking your next dose on its regular scheduled day.
Meanwhile, if you miss a dose of Wegovy and the next dose is more than two days away, take it ASAP.
If the next dose is scheduled less than two days away, skip the missed dose and take the next dose of Wegovy as scheduled. If you miss a dose for more than two weeks, use it on the next scheduled day of the dose. You may also want to consult your doctor about restarting the treatment.
Can you inject semaglutide wrong? What if you inject it in a muscle or vein?
There are serious consequences if you inject Ozempic or Wegovy into a muscle or intravenously. You would be putting yourself at risk for allergic reactions, erratic blood sugar levels, infection, or even organ damage. The damaged organs would be the liver or kidneys. Make sure to rotate the injection sites. If you want to inject in the same area, space out the shots so they’re not close to each other.
How should you store semaglutide?
New unused Ozempic and Wegovy pens must be stored in a refrigerator 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit or between 2-8 degrees Celsius.
After the first use, store your Ozempic pen at room temperature between 59-86 degrees Fahrenheit. You may also keep it refrigerated between 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conclusion
Ozempic and Wegovy are two of the most popular weight-loss drugs in the market. Proper dosage, administration, and storage of semaglutide are key to maintaining its efficacy.
The best time to inject semaglutide is according to the dosage schedule prescribed by your healthcare provider. You will typically start off on a low dose, gradually going up to a higher dose as your body adjusts to the use of the drug.
Glossary of terms:
- GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a gut-based hormone involved in the secretion of insulin to lower blood sugar levels typically elevated after meals.
- GLP-1 Ra: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. It mimics the actions of GLP-1.
