Your Guide to Ozempic for Diabetes – What You Need to Know

What Types of Drug Interactions Can Happen?

Because Ozempic slows the movement of food through your body, the absorption of medicines that you take by mouth may be slowed. This means that the medicine that you take by mouth may take longer to work. Tell your health care provider if you feel that your other medicines are not working as well as they used to work.

Because Ozempic stimulates your body to make more insulin after you eat and prevents your liver from releasing stored sugar, your blood glucose level may get too low (hypoglycemia) if you also take certain medicines such as insulin or a medicine called a sulfonylurea. In one study, people who had an HbA1c of 8% or less reduced their insulin dose by 20% before starting Ozempic. Check your blood sugar and tell your health care provider if your level goes too low. Make sure that you have access to a sugar source, especially when you first start using the medicine and if your dose is increased.

How Can I Get Ozempic?

To get this medicine, you need a prescription from a health care provider. Only obtain Ozempic from a reputable pharmacy because counterfeit medicine is a problem. Check the image of real and counterfeit medicine, which can be found on a statement from the manufacturer. Call 800-727-6500 if you suspect that the medicine you have is counterfeit. 

How Do I Use Ozempic?

Ozempic is a liquid that is injected under the skin once a week on the same day each week. You can change the day of the week you use the medicine, but make sure that at least 2 days pass between doses. Choose a different place to inject yourself each time. You may use the skin around your stomach, thigh, or upper arm. 

The medicine comes in a prefilled injection device called a pen. You will need to attach a new needle to the pen each time before you inject yourself. Make sure that you do not inject the medicine into a blood vessel or muscle. You can ask your health care provider to show you how to use the pen before you use it for the first time. If you did not get a document called Instructions for Use, ask your pharmacist for a copy. Read this document before using the medicine for the first time and refer to it any time you have a question about how to use the medicine. 

How Can I Tell if Ozempic Is Working?

You can tell if Ozempic is working because your blood glucose levels and HbA1c will fall. In the studies, HbA1c lowering was noted as soon as the first month after starting Ozempic, but further reduction may occur in the next few months. Your health care provider may wait to check your HbA1c until you have been taking the medicine for 2 or 3 months. If you need further lowering of HbA1c, your health care provider may increase your dose or add or switch to another medicine for type 2 diabetes.

How Can I Prevent Side Effects or Tell if a Side Effect Is Happening?

Side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea occurred in more patients who received higher Ozempic doses. Talk with your health care provider about when you may need a higher dose. You may be able to use a lower dose if you are able to lower your blood sugar with food choices and exercise. Talk with your health care provider about choices you can make that may help improve your blood sugar levels. 

This medicine slows the movement of food through your stomach. If you have nausea or vomiting, try eating smaller meals slowly. You can also try avoiding foods that are fried, greasy, or sweet; eating bland, low-fat foods like crackers, toast, and rice; and avoiding lying down after eating. Try to stay well-hydrated by drinking plenty of clear liquids and eating foods that contain water like soups and gelatin.

Reports of side effects by patients are very important and are used to add information to the prescribing information that is used by people who prescribe medicine. For example, reports of a condition where your intestine cannot push food and waste out of your body (ileus) have been received. You don’t need to be certain that something you experienced was caused by a medicine. If you experience anything that you think may be caused by Ozempic, you can report it by calling 800-FDA-1088.

When Should I Stop Taking Ozempic?

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of this medicine. If you have nausea and vomiting with severe stomach pain that will not go away and may radiate to your back, stop Ozempic and call your health care provider right away. You may have a condition called pancreatitis. Make sure your health care provider knows if you develop this condition. Ozempic was not studied in people who had pancreatitis, and the medicine is not recommended to be continued for people who develop it. 

Talk with your health care provider if you want to become pregnant. This medicine should be stopped at least 2 months before you become pregnant. After your last dose, Ozempic takes about 5 weeks to leave the body.

Is There Any Cost Assistance Available?

If you have commercial or private insurance, check out the Ozempic savings card. If you have Medicare or no insurance, check out the Patient Assistance Program. You may pay nothing for Ozempic, but you must meet certain criteria. These criteria are found on the website. You can enroll for the program online. People who either have or are eligible for programs such as Medicaid, Low Income Subsidy, or Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits are not eligible.  

SOURCES:

American Diabetes Association: “Understanding A1C.”

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism: “Semaglutide added to basal insulin in type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 5): a randomized, controlled trial.”

Diabetes Care: “Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide versus exenatide ER in subjects with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 3): A 56-week, open-label, randomized clinical trial.”

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology: “Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide 2.0 mg versus 1.0 mg in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN FORTE): a double-blind, randomised, phase 3B trial.” 

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology: “Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide monotherapy versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 1): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multinational, multicentre phase 3a trial.” 

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology: “Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide versus once-daily insulin glargine as add-on to metformin (with or without sulfonylureas) in insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 4): a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, multicentre, multinational, phase 3a trial.”

Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology: “Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide versus once-daily sitagliptin as an add-on to metformin, thiazolidinediones, or both, in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 2): a 56-week, double-blind, phase 3a, randomised trial.”

New England Journal of Medicine: “Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.” 

Ozempic (Novo Nordisk) US Medication Guide, March 2022.

Ozempic (Novo Nordisk) US Prescribing Information, September 2023.