Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription drug that’s used in people with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is given as an injection under your skin.

Ozempic can be prescribed for adults with type 2 diabetes to:

• lower certain risks in people who also have heart disease, including heart attack and stroke

• help manage blood sugar levels, along with lifestyle improvements in diet and exercise

To learn more about Ozempic’s approved uses, see “What is Ozempic used for?” below.

Doctors may also prescribe Ozempic off-label for weight loss or weight management. (With off-label use, a drug that’s approved for certain conditions is prescribed for another purpose.) However, the drug is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose.

Ozempic basics

Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.) It belongs to a class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.

Ozempic is a brand-name medication that’s not currently available in generic form.

How does Ozempic work?

Ozempic works in several ways to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The drug also lowers heart-related risks in people with both diabetes and heart disease.

The drug does this by:

• Increasing the amount of insulin your body makes after a meal so that your blood sugar levels won’t get too high. Insulin is a hormone that lowers your blood sugar levels.

• Slowing the movement of food through your stomach to prevent a big increase in your blood sugar levels.

• Lowering the amount of sugar released into your bloodstream.

Your doctor or a pharmacist can provide details about how Ozempic works in the body.

Mild side effects

Here’s a short list of some of the mild side effects that have been reported with Ozempic. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist or read Ozempic’s prescribing information.

Mild side effects of Ozempic can include:

• constipation

• diarrhea

• nausea

• abdominal pain

• vomiting

Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects from Ozempic can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from Ozempic, call your doctor right away. But if you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number.

Serious side effects can include:

• nausea*

• pancreatitis* (inflammation in your pancreas)

• boxed warning: risk of thyroid tumors or thyroid cancer*

• diabetic retinopathy (damage to your eyes that’s caused by diabetes)

• hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)

• gallbladder disease (which can include gallstones and inflammation of your gallbladder)

• allergic reaction*

* For more information about this side effect, see the “Side effect focus” section below.

Side effect focus

Learn more about some of the side effects Ozempic may cause.

Doctors typically won’t prescribe Ozempic if you’ve had pancreatitis in the past.

What might help

If needed, your doctor can order tests to check if you have pancreatitis. They’ll stop your Ozempic treatment if necessary and discuss changes to your treatment plan. Some people may have an allergic reaction to Ozempic. Symptoms of a mild allergic reaction can include:

What is Ozempic’s dosage?

Your doctor will recommend the dosage of Ozempic that’s right for you. Below are commonly used dosages, but always take the dosage your doctor prescribes.

Form and strengths

Ozempic comes as a liquid solution inside prefilled, disposable pens. The following table shows which strengths Ozempic pens come in. The strengths are written as milligrams of semaglutide (Ozempic’s active drug) per milliliter of solution (mg/mL).

StrengthDose given per injection2 mg/1.5 mL (this may also be written as 1.34 mg/mL)0.25 mg or 0.5 mg2 mg/3 mL (0.68 mg/mL)0.25 mg or 0.5 mg4 mg/3 mL (1.34 mg/mL)1 mg8 mg/3 mL (2.68 mg/mL)2 mg

Recommended dosages

You’ll inject Ozempic once each week. You should use the medication on the same day each week. And try to inject it at about the same time on each of those days.

Your doctor may start you on a low dose of Ozempic for the first 4 weeks of treatment. This way, they can see how well Ozempic is working for you. After this, your doctor will likely increase your dose. Your adjusted dose will depend on your blood sugar levels and other factors.

Each Ozempic pen holds several doses of the drug. Your doctor or pharmacist will explain when you need to throw away each pen and start using a new one.

For more information about Ozempic’s dosage, see this article.

What are their side effects?

Ozempic and Saxenda have some of the same side effects. These include diarrhea, nausea, kidney damage, fatigue (low energy), pancreatitis, and gallbladder disease.

Ozempic and Saxenda can also cause serious side effects, and they both have a boxed warningTrusted Source about a possible risk of thyroid cancer. (A boxed warning is the most serious warning for a drug.)

Talk with your doctor if you have more questions about Ozempic and Saxenda.

How effective are they?

Both Ozempic and Saxenda have been found effective for their approved uses. You can see the prescribing information for Ozempic and Saxenda for details about how each drug performed in studies. You can also talk with your doctor or a pharmacist to learn more about how they compare.

Ozempic vs. Victoza

Ozempic and Victoza are both approved to:

• help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes

• lower risk of serious cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) problems in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Victoza can also be used to help manage blood sugar levels in children ages 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes.

For more information on how Ozempic and Victoza compare, see this detailed article. You can also talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Ozempic vs. Wegovy

Ozempic and Wegovy have the same active ingredient,* semaglutide. But these drugs have different approved uses. Ozempic is approved to:

• help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes

• lower risk of serious cardiovascular (heart or blood vessel) problems in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease

Wegovy is approved for long-term weight management, along with lifestyle improvements in diet and exercise.

Doctors might prescribe Ozempic off-label for weight loss. (With off-label use, a drug that’s approved for certain conditions is prescribed for another purpose.) However, the drug is not approved by the FDA for this purpose.

As long as you use Ozempic as your doctor prescribes, it should be safe to use for weight loss. However, the drug is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose.

The amount of weight you might lose during Ozempic treatment depends on a variety of factors, including how long you use Ozempic and what your diet and exercise routine is like. It also depends on how your body responds to the drug.