Ozempic is a long-term medication that helps control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It works by increasing the amount of insulin in your body.
It can also help lower your risk of serious heart problems, such as a heart attack or stroke. It is used along with diet and exercise to manage blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Overdose symptoms
Overdose on ozempic can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and low blood sugar. If you think you have taken too much of this medication, call your doctor or local poison control center right away.
Ozempic comes as a prefilled disposable injection pen (containing several doses). Your doctor will show you how to inject it under the skin of your abdomen, upper arm, or thigh.
This drug is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, which means it works on the cells in your body to lower blood sugar levels. It’s used along with diet and exercise to improve your diabetes.
Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are some of the most common side effects of ozempic. These symptoms usually go away with time, but you should talk with your doctor if they don’t.
It’s also important to mention that this drug can increase the risk of thyroid tumors, which are cancerous lumps in your thyroid gland. This is why it has a boxed warning.
Diagnosis
An overdose on ozempic can cause severe hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is a serious condition that requires immediate medical attention.
An Ozempic overdose is usually caused by using too much of the medication. It can be hard to tell how much you have taken, so talk with your doctor about this.
The amount of ozempic you take depends on your weight and health goals. Your doctor may start you on a low dose and raise it over time to get the right dose for you.
Your doctor may also ask you to stop taking this medicine if you have thyroid tumors or cancer. This is because Ozempic can cause thyroid tumors and cancer in people who use it.
Other medications in the same drug class as ozempic, including liraglutide (Victoza), have been linked to thyroid cancer in people. These drugs can also cause serious side effects, including pancreatitis and kidney problems.
Treatment
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription medication that helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. It works by increasing the amount of insulin your body makes when your blood sugar is high.
It comes as a pre-filled pen that you inject under your skin once weekly. It’s safe to inject with or without food.
Your doctor will start you on a low dose, also called a starting dosage, and gradually increase your dose every 4 weeks until you reach the lowest amount that’s effective for you.
The starting dose is usually 0.25 mg once weekly.
During the first four weeks of treatment, you may get nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These side effects are normal and can decrease or go away with continued use of the drug.
If you get these side effects, call your doctor right away. They might prescribe another medicine that’s safer for you to take. You might need to stop taking this medication if you have kidney disease or eye problems caused by diabetes (retinopathy). If you’re pregnant, tell your doctor.
Prevention
The best way to prevent an overdose is to take ozempic exactly as prescribed. That includes taking it every week and injecting it right under the skin.
Ozempic comes as a pre-filled pen that you inject once a week just under the skin (in your abdomen, thigh, or upper arm). Injecting it on the same day and time each week is recommended to help you remember the dose.
If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you remember and then go back to your regular schedule. Skip the missed dose if you’re more than 5 days late and resume your next injection as soon as possible (FDA, 2020).
Semaglutide can interact with other drugs, including insulin and other diabetes medicines. These interactions can affect your blood sugar levels and cause side effects like low blood sugar (hypoglycemia).