Ozempic® (semaglutide) Pill Frequently Asked Questions
Hearing about Ozempic® pill and want to know the facts? Find out below.
Considering Ozempic® pill
Ozempic® pill is used to lower blood sugar and A1C along with diet and exercise in adults with type 2 diabetes and to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as stroke, heart attack, or death, in adults who are also at high risk for these events.
There are a number of reasons that Ozempic® pill could be right for you if you are an adult who has type 2 diabetes.
Ozempic® pill lowers blood sugar and A1C along with diet and exercise
Ozempic® pill lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as stroke, heart attack, or death, in adults who are also at high risk for these events
Ozempic® pill may also help you lose weight
Ozempic® pill is not a weight-loss drug
Ask your health care professional if Ozempic® pill is right for you. Download a discussion guide to help get the conversation started.
Ozempic® pill, a GLP-1 pill, is a once-daily prescription medicine, used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar and A1C and to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes who are also at high risk for these events.
Taking Ozempic® pill
For Ozempic® pill to work as planned to lower blood sugar, store pills at room temperature and keep them in the closed bottle until you are ready to take one.
Sip
Sip
Take the pill when you wake up, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with a small sip of water (up to 4 ounces).
Take the pill when you wake up, first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with a small sip of water (up to 4 ounces).
Go
Go
Start your morning. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications.
Start your morning. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications.
If you miss a dose, the missed dose should be skipped, and the next dose should be taken the following day.
Additional considerations: Do not take Ozempic® pill with any other liquids besides water. Swallow whole. Do not split, crush, chew, or dissolve Ozempic® pill.
If you miss a dose, the missed dose should be skipped, and the next dose should be taken the following day.
Additional considerations: Do not take Ozempic® pill with any other liquids besides water. Swallow whole. Do not split, crush, chew, or dissolve Ozempic® pill.
No. Ozempic® pill should be taken on an empty stomach when you first wake up.
- Wait 30 minutes after taking Ozempic® pill before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications
Dosing and timing of your other medications may need to be adjusted
You should talk with your health care professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements
In order for Ozempic® pill to be properly absorbed into the body, the pill needs to rest on the stomach lining undisturbed for at least 30 minutes.
Ozempic® pill is safe and effective when used as indicated for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes to lower blood sugar, along with diet and exercise. Talk to your health care professional about Ozempic® pill.
See the Prescribing Information and Medication Guide. For medical advice about side effects, talk with your health care professional.
You should take Ozempic® pill exactly as prescribed by your health care professional. If you have any questions about your A1C and blood sugar goals, or changes to your treatment plan, talk with your health care professional. Never make changes to your treatment plan without consulting your health care professional first.
Ozempic® pill may not work as planned to lower blood sugar if it’s not taken as directed every day. Talk with your health care professional if you have any questions about taking Ozempic® pill.
When taken as directed, Ozempic® pill, along with diet and exercise, may help improve your blood sugar. However, it's important to know that A1C goals vary from person to person. Make sure to talk to your health care professional so you can find out what goal is right for you.
Also, keep in mind that you may experience some side effects while taking Ozempic® pill. Talk to your health care professional about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
The most common side effects of Ozempic® pill may include:
Nausea
Stomach (abdominal) pain
Diarrhea
Constipation
Vomiting
Decreased appetite
Talk to your health care professional about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Ozempic® pill.
Speak with your health care professional if you experience nausea or have any questions about side effects.
Here are some general nausea tips that may be helpful:
Eat bland, low-fat foods, like crackers, toast, and rice.
This diet isn’t meant to last more than a couple of days.
Eat foods that contain water, like soups and gelatin.
Avoid fried, greasy, or sweet foods.
Avoid lying down after you eat.
Go outdoors for fresh air.
Eat more slowly.
Drink cold water.
It is not known if Ozempic® pill will harm your unborn baby. Women should stop taking Ozempic® pill 2 months before they plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care professional about the best way to control your blood sugar if you plan to become pregnant or while you are pregnant.
Please contact your health care professional if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, while taking Ozempic® pill. Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with Ozempic® pill.
It is not known if Ozempic® pill passes into breast milk. Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with Ozempic® pill. You should talk to your health care professional about the best way to control your blood sugar while you are breastfeeding.
Please contact your health care professional if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Start
1.5mg
Days 1-30: The 1.5 mg starting dose helps your body get used to the medicine. This dose is not intended to lower blood sugar.
Start
1.5 mg
Days 1-30
The recommended starting dose is 1.5 mg. This dose is not intended to lower blood sugar.
Pills and bottles are not actual size.
Step
4 mg
Days 31-61
After 30 days, increase to 4 mg once daily to help lower your blood sugar.
Escalate to higher dose
9 mg
Day 61 or later
If more blood sugar control is needed, your health care professional may increase your dose to 9 mg once daily.
Pills and bottles are not actual size.
Start
1.5 mg
Days 1-30
The recommended starting dose is 1.5 mg. This dose is not intended to lower blood sugar.
Step
4 mg
Days 31-60
After 30 days, increase to 4 mg once daily to help lower your blood sugar.
Escalate to higher dose
9 mg
Day 61 or later
If more blood sugar control is needed, your health care professional may increase your dose to 9 mg once daily.
Storing the tablets in another container or changing their form before you are ready to take them can reduce how well Ozempic® pill works.
- Store tablets in the closed Ozempic® pill bottle until you are ready to take one
- Do not use a pill organizer or other container to store Ozempic® pill
Store in a dry place away from moisture.
Ozempic® pill comes in a child-resistant bottle. Keep out of reach of children.
Bottles are not actual size.
Ozempic® pill comes in a child-resistant bottle with a blue cap. The bottle lists the name Ozempic® pill and the dose, which can be 1.5 mg, 4 mg, or 9 mg.
Bottles are not actual size.
Bottles are not actual size.
Active ingredient: semaglutide (pronounced sem-a-gloo-tide)
Inactive ingredients:
- Magnesium stearate (pronounced mag-nee-zee-uhm stee-uh-reyt)
- Microcrystalline cellulose (pronounced my-kroh-kris-tl-in sel-yuh-lohs)
- Povidone (pronounced po-vi-done)
- Salcaprozate sodium (pronounced sal-kap-roe-zate sow-dee-uhm), also known as SNAC
SNAC (salcaprozate sodium) is included in every Ozempic® pill. It allows the medicine to be taken by mouth once daily because it helps the medicine survive in the stomach long enough to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Technically, SNAC protects the medicine from acid and enzymes in the stomach. Without SNAC, almost none of the medicine would be absorbed from the pill so there would be no treatment effect.
Everyone has a different wake-up routine. Here's a tip to help you remember to take Ozempic® pill when you first wake up: Keep your Ozempic® pill bottle and a small glass of water on your nightstand.
When you wake up, take your medicine with no more than 4 ounces of water (do not take Ozempic® pill with any other liquids besides water), then wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking any other oral medications. After 30 minutes, you can eat, drink, or take other oral medications, vitamins, or supplements.
How Ozempic® pill works
In a 26-week study, the majority of people taking semaglutide tablets reached an A1C of less than 7%.a
While taking 7 mg of semaglutide tablets, average starting A1C: 8.0%
Nearly 7 out of 10 people taking the 7 mg dose of semaglutide tablets reached an A1C of <7% after 6 months
While taking 14 mg of semaglutide tablets, average starting A1C: 8.0%
Nearly 8 out of 10 people taking the 14 mg dose of semaglutide tablets reached an A1C of <7% after 6 months
aOzempic® pill 1.5 mg, 4 mg, and 9 mg is used along with diet and exercise to lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic® pill 1.5 mg, 4 mg, and 9 mg work similarly to semaglutide tablets 3 mg, 7 mg, and 14 mg, and have the same efficacy and safety as semaglutide tablets.
In a 26-week study of 703 adults with type 2 diabetes that compared semaglutide tablets 7 mg and 14 mg with a placebo in addition to diet and exercise, participants receiving placebo had a 0.3% reduction in A1C, with 31% achieving an A1C <7%.
Ozempic® pill is FDA approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events, such as stroke, heart attack, or death, in adults with type 2 diabetes who are also at high risk for these events.
Non-insulin Ozempic® pill works with your body’s own ability to lower blood sugar and A1C. Ozempic® pill helps your body release its own insulin. And it's designed to respond when your blood sugar rises.
Ozempic® pill works in 3 ways to lower blood sugar:
Helps your pancreas produce more insulin when your blood sugar is high
Helps prevent your liver from making and releasing too much sugar
Slows down food leaving your stomach
Savings & support
Look up your co-pay and see how much Ozempic® pill will cost you: Find out now.
Eligible patients with private or commercial coverage for Ozempic® pill may pay as little as $25 for any dose of Ozempic® pill for up to a 3-month prescription.a
Health care systems vary from country to country, which can result in different list prices. However, it's important to note that a drug's list price does not always reflect the actual out-of-pocket cost for a patient, which is determined based on specific insurance coverage and region.
In the US, uninsured or self-paying patients can save on Ozempic® pill. Click the button to explore offers.b
aPay as little as $25, subject to a maximum savings of $100/month. Eligibility and restrictions apply. Government beneficiaries excluded. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets of Ozempic® pill. Novo Nordisk reserves the right to modify or cancel this program at any time. See full terms at www.savingscardeligibility.com and NovoCarePharmacyTerms.com.
bEligibility and restrictions apply. Government beneficiaries excluded. See full terms at www.savingscardeligibility.com and NovoCarePharmacyTerms.com.
With the Ozempic® Savings Card, eligible patients with private or commercial coverage for Ozempic® pill may pay as little as $25 for a 1-month, 2-month, or 3-month supply for up to 48 months.a Uninsured or self-paying patients can also save on Ozempic®.b Click the button to explore savings offers.
aPay as little as $25, subject to a maximum savings of $100/month. Eligibility and restrictions apply. Government beneficiaries excluded. One month defined as 1 bottle of 30 tablets of Ozempic® pill. Novo Nordisk reserves the right to modify or cancel this program at any time. See full terms at www.savingscardeligibility.com and NovoCarePharmacyTerms.com.
bEligibility and restrictions apply. Government beneficiaries excluded. See full terms at www.savingscardeligibility.com and NovoCarePharmacyTerms.com.
With Ozempic® you get access to TexT2Connect—a free savings and support program. After signing up, you’ll get text support with reminders, inspiration, and resources to help you start and stay on Ozempic®.
Text BEGIN to 21848 to get started.a
aMessage and data rates may apply. Check with your mobile service provider. See Terms and Conditions of Use.
Stay connected
