Hello, I am Lorena, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. I help people with diabetes understand how they can make sense of their blood glucose and help you how to eat with good common sense nutrition.
What is Ozempic®?
Ozempic® is a brand name for semaglutide, a prescription medication used to treat type 2 diabetes in injectable form. Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, a class of drugs that help regulate blood sugar levels by increasing insulin secretion and reducing the amount of glucose produced and released by the liver.
The benefits of Ozempic® for people with type 2 diabetes include:
- Improved glucose management: Ozempic® helps lower blood sugar levels and improved overall glucose levels along with lifestyle changes.
- Weight loss: It has been shown to cause weight loss.
- Reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, or deaths in adults with type 2 diabetes with heart disease
Where to Inject Ozempic ®?
You are ready to start treatment with Ozempic ®. Where should you administer your first injection? Inject Ozempic ® under the skin on your
- · Abdomen
- · Thigh
- · Upper arm
Rotate your injection site every week. If you use the same injection site in the body, let’s say the abdomen, inject on the other side of the abdomen the following week.
Ozempic® should be injected under the skin (subcutaneously). It should not be injected in the muscle or in the veins.
Why Should I Change Injection Sites?
If you inject the medication in the same area of the body again and again, you’re at risk of developing lipohypertrophy, a lump of fat under the skin. Having this fat tissue build up will affect how your body absorbs the medication.
How do you Inject Ozempic®?
Follow these steps
- Select your injection site.
- Wipe the skin with alcohol swab
- Let the area dry
- Turn the dose selector to your indicated dose.
- Insert the needle in your skin in a 90° angle
- Press and hold down the dose button until it shows 0
- Do not remove the needle immediately after dosing Ozempic®. Count slowly to 6. Removing the needle too soon may cause some of the medication to be lost and you will not receive the entire dose.
- Remove the needle
TIP: Have a cotton ball or gauze pad available if you notice blood at the injection site. Press lightly. Do not rub.
How do you Dispose of Used Ozempic® Pens and Needles?
After you finish using them, place them in a Food Drug Administration (FDA) cleared sharps disposal container immediately after use. Throw out the needle after each injection.
You can purchase FDA sharps disposal containers in pharmacies, medical supply companies, healthcare providers and online. If you are unable to access an FDA sharps disposal container, you can use a household container such as an empty detergent bottle that is
- · Made of heavy-duty plastic and stable
- · Has a tight cap that doesn’t allow sharps to come out or puncture the container
- · Leak resistant
- · Upright
- · Labeled appropriately with waste and hazardous materials
How to Dispose of Sharps Disposal Containers?
Once the container is ¾ full, dispose of it appropriately. Don’t throw out your sharp’s container in the garbage. There are several ways to do it (1).
- · Check your local trash removal services or health department in the city or town where you live.
- · Check the collection sites in your area. These may be in doctors’ offices, hospitals or pharmacies.
- · Find out if there are local public household hazardous waste collection sites where you can drop your sharp container.
- · There are mail-back programs where you can send your container for a fee.
- · Inquire about residential waste pick up services. These services may require a fee.
Summary
Ozempic® is a medication used to manage blood glucose in adults with type 2 diabetes. Ozempic® is also used to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke or death in persons who have heart disease and diabetes. Persons who take Ozempic® have also lost weight. You can read more about Ozempic® and weight loss in my article Ozempic for Weight Loss
If you want to learn about how food fits and how to make adjustments to keep your blood glucose in range, check out my program On the Plate! Eating to Keep your Blood Glucose in Check
If you want to learn more about diabetes, check out these articles:
Are Carrots Good for Diabetes? A Dietitian Explains
Does Ozempic Need to be Refrigerated?
Fast Acting Insulin: Your Complete Guide
When to take Metformin, Before or After Meals?
Love Corn? Is Corn Good for Diabetes?
Is Beetroot Good for Diabetes?
Calculating Net Carbs What’s the difference between Carbs, Total Carbs, and Net Carbs?
