Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable drug that may assist individuals with kind 2 diabetes handle their blood sugar ranges, decrease HbA1c, and drop a few pounds.
Regardless of why you’ve been prescribed Ozempic, it’s important to grasp the locations on the physique which might be protected and efficient for Ozempic injections and the precise option to put together for and administer an injection.
This text will clarify all the things you might want to learn about the place and the best way to inject Ozempic.
Get to know your Ozempic pen, prescription, and dose
Ozempic is available in an injector pen (which can be referred to as a “medicine pen” or just a “pen”).
Injector pens are thought of simpler to make use of than syringes, they usually enable for easy and exact dosing of injectable medicine.
An Ozempic pen is roughly six inches lengthy with a pen cap on one finish and a small plunger button on the opposite finish.
If you happen to take off the pen cap and take a look at the ahead half of the pen, you will note the pen tip and a transparent medicine chamber proper behind it. Proper behind that, you’ll see a label with medicine info, and behind that, you’ll see the rotating dose choice dial, which is true in entrance of the plunger button.
If that is the primary time you’re an Ozempic pen proper out of the field, it in all probability is not going to but have a pen needle.
A pen needle will have to be appropriately inserted earlier than the pen can administer a dose. In line with the American Diabetes Affiliation, most manufacturers of pen needles will match most manufacturers of pens – although they do differ in needle size and gauge.
Pen needles are typically – however not all the time – bundled along with pens, but when your pen doesn’t come bundled with needles, it is best to obtain a prescription for pen needles similtaneously you get your Ozempic prescription.
In case your pen comes bundled with pen needles, they may probably be NovoFine Plus needles. These are small, narrow-gauge needles designed particularly for this model of pen.
Taking a look at your Ozempic pen, you’ll discover that the rotating dose selector dial measures out the dose in milligrams (mg). Turning the dose selector clockwise improve the dose that the pen is “primed” to provide you.
If you happen to flip the dial various “clicks”, a dose quantity in mg will rotate into view on the dose selector.
What does a dose appear like?
The dose in mg that your physician prescribes to you’ll correspond to the mg you will have to dial in in your pen.
All Ozempic pens are designed to have a number of doses in them – which means {that a} single pen ought to have sufficient medicine to final a number of weeks – typically at the very least one month.
Though the pens might look comparable, there are three completely different dose-sized Ozempic pens:
- An Ozempic pen designed to provide a number of units of 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg doses designed for dose escalation, notably initially of therapy
- An Ozempic pen designed to provide a number of units of 1 mg doses
- An Ozempic pen designed to provide a number of units of two mg doses
The packaging and the pen ought to each be clearly labeled with the dose possibility(s) in mg obtainable via that pen.
It’s essential to be sure that the Ozempic pen you’ve and the dose that your physician prescribed match.
By no means take extra Ozempic than you’re prescribed by your physician. If you happen to overdose on Ozempic, you might expertise vital adversarial negative effects.
Learn extra: Ozempic Dosage Information: How A lot Ought to You Take?
The place is the perfect place on my physique to inject Ozempic?
To make sure that Ozempic is efficient, it’s important to know the place to take it.
Ozempic is designed to be administered proper beneath the pores and skin (subcutaneously) by injection. Medicine injected subcutaneously do finest once they’re injected into components of your physique with some fatty tissue.
Injections into lean or largely muscular components of your physique aren’t advisable, as they are usually painful, might bleed greater than regular, and may trigger the drug to be much less efficient.
Ozempic ought to by no means be injected right into a vein or artery.
In line with the drug’s producer, the three finest locations in your physique to inject Ozempic are the entrance of your thighs, your stomach, and your higher arms – notably the backs of your higher arms.
The way to inject Ozempic
Ozempic – within the quantity prescribed by your physician – needs to be injected beneath the pores and skin into fatty tissue as soon as every week, on the identical day every week.
The steps to comply with for injecting Ozempic are outlined beneath.
Put together your Ozempic pen
Get your Ozempic pen and an alcohol swab prepared.
Uncap your Ozempic pen and put a pen needle in your pen.
If it’s the primary time you’re utilizing this Ozempic pen, the producer recommends that you just take a look at the circulate of the pen.
Take a look at the circulate by turning the dose selector clockwise – normally only one or two clicks – till you see a picture of two dots and a line, which symbolize a needle with two drops of liquid popping out.
Maintain the pen with the needle pointing upright into the air and use your thumb to depress the plunger button on the again of the pen. This may press a small quantity of liquid out via the needle and can reset the dose selector dial again to 0.
If a drop or two of liquid comes out of the needle on the prime, the circulate take a look at was a hit. If you happen to’re not profitable in getting liquid out, it is best to attempt the take a look at a number of extra instances – but when the issue persists, substitute the pen needle and check out once more.
As soon as the circulate take a look at is profitable and also you get a drop or two of liquid out of the pen, you’re prepared to start.
Recap your pen and seize an alcohol swab to prep your pores and skin.
Dial within the right dose of Ozempic
Rotate the dose selector dial clockwise till you’ve chosen the proper dose in milligrams (mg) that your physician prescribed.
Don’t fear if you happen to unintentionally flip the dial too many clicks, you may again it off by rotating the dial counter-clockwise till the little arrow on the precise of the window factors to the dose you’re about to take.
Discover a great place in your physique and put together the location for the shot
Selecting an space in your physique with extra fatty tissue, similar to your stomach, higher thighs, and higher arms are perfect. Nonetheless, keep away from injecting Ozempic into the identical spot every week to cut back scarring or different pores and skin reactions.
Put together the location in your pores and skin by rapidly rubbing it with the alcohol swab you beforehand ready.
Injecting Ozempic
Take away the pen cap and grasp the pen so you may see the dose selector and that your thumb can simply attain the plunger button.
Press the needle into your pores and skin on the web site you’ve chosen in the best way your physician has proven you.
The pen needs to be perpendicular to your physique, at a couple of 90-degree angle. The needle needs to be absolutely beneath the pores and skin and the flat plastic base of the pen needle might be gently pressed towards your pores and skin.
Depress the plunger button on the again of the pen, watching to be sure that the dose counter drops again all the way down to zero because the Ozempic is injected beneath the pores and skin.
Go away the needle injected for about six seconds to verify the total dose has been administered.
Take away the needle out of your pores and skin.
Take away the needle and re-cap the Ozempic pen
Take away the pen needle out of your pen and safely eliminate it in a sharps container.
Now that you just’re completed, substitute the Ozempic pen cap. The pen is now protected to be put away till the identical day subsequent week once you’ll once more take your prescribed dose of Ozempic.
Seeing a tiny quantity of blood is regular, and you may apply strain to the realm along with your alcohol swab if wanted.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
How do I do know if I injected Ozempic appropriately?
It’s all the time a good suggestion to do a circulate take a look at every time you begin utilizing a brand new pen to verify the pen and pen needle are working collectively appropriately.
As you inject your Ozempic dose, watch the dose selector window to verify it drops from the dose you’ve chosen again all the way down to the “zero” beginning place. Additionally, be sure to go away the pen needle inserted beneath your pores and skin for six seconds to verify the drugs is injected absolutely.
As long as you’ve injected the drugs into part of the physique with some fatty tissue (again of higher arms, stomach, thighs) and also you’ve adopted the steps to appropriately administer the drug, you’ve completed it appropriately.
When you have questions or fear that you might have completed one thing incorrectly, remember to discuss to your physician or pharmacist.
What’s the finest time of day to inject Ozempic?
There is no such thing as a clinically demonstrated finest time of day to take Ozempic. Slightly, an important factor is to pick out a day of the week and persistently take it on that very same day every week.
If you happen to determine to take Ozempic on a Wednesday, you may take it any time of day – however it is best to plan to take your weekly dose of Ozempic every Wednesday for so long as you utilize the medicine.
Due to this, many individuals determine to write down the day of the week they take the drug on a calendar or on the field that their Ozempic pen is available in. Telephone reminders are additionally useful to ensure you don’t miss a dose.
What do I do if I missed a dose of Ozempic?
If you happen to miss a dose of Ozempic, take it as quickly as attainable inside 5 days of your missed dose.
Nonetheless, if the dose of Ozempic you missed ought to have been taken 5 days or extra in the past, then you might want to skip that dose. On this circumstance, you’ll take Ozempic in your subsequent regularly-scheduled day.
Don’t fear about lacking one dose – a single missed dose is not going to considerably have an effect on your blood sugar ranges or insulin resistance.
What do I do if my Ozempic pen doesn’t have a needle?
Once you open a brand new Ozempic pen, it is not going to include a needle connected.
Injection pens of every kind want a needle as a way to work. Pen needles are designed for use one time after which discarded.
Pen needles normally come along with your Ozempic prescription and may simply be affixed by twisting them clockwise onto the highest of your pen.
