In clinical trials, people taking 1 or 2 milligrams of Ozempic for type 2 diabetes each week lost at least 5% and sometimes more than 10% of their body weight in 40 weeks. That’s a potential weight loss of more than 20 pounds if you start at 200 pounds!
Looking for an Ozempic prescription online? Find a weight loss doctor to help decide if Ozempic is medically necessary for you. If it is, get an Ozempic prescription in as little as 24 hours.*
Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy; a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription is not guaranteed.
Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy; a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription is not guaranteed.
Ozempic is a prescription medication made by Novo Nordisk with the active ingredient semaglutide. It’s approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower blood sugar (glucose) levels and A1C in people with type 2 diabetes when used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased activity. It’s also approved to help reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events, like stroke, heart attack, or death for people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
A nice little “side effect” of taking Ozempic is that it also helps people lose weight. It’s not FDA-approved for weight loss on its own though. It is used off-label for weight loss, which means it’s used for something it’s not approved to treat.
Ozempic’s counterpart medication, Wegovy, is FDA-approved for weight loss for people with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related health problem, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, or high cholesterol. Both medications are injections you give yourself once a week.
Ozempic’s active ingredient, semaglutide, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medication. As an agonist, it mimics GLP-1 which is a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite and eating. It also stimulates insulin secretion and reduces glucagon secretion, which is why Ozempic helps reduce blood sugar.
Put simply, using Ozempic makes you feel more full and happy to eat less. Combine that with a reduced-calorie diet and being more physically active and you improve blood sugar levels and lose weight.
In clinical trials, people with type 2 diabetes taking 2 milligrams of Ozempic once a week lost at least 5% — and in some cases more than 10% — of their body weight in 40 weeks.
Ozempic is FDA-approved for people 18 and older who have type 2 diabetes to:
– Improve blood sugar (glucose) when used with diet and exercise.
– Reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, and death.
Unlike Wegovy, taking Ozempic doesn’t require you to have obesity or are overweight with other known health conditions. Note that Wegovy is an approved option if you have type 2 diabetes and are medically overweight.
Getting Ozempic starts with getting a prescription. A trained, licensed healthcare provider can prescribe Ozempic online or another medication for weight loss or type 2 diabetes for you if they decide it’s medically necessary. Providers who can prescribe Ozempic include physician assistants/associates (PAs), medical doctors (MDs), and nurse practitioners (NPs).
You can connect with a board-certified, licensed provider to discuss a medical weight loss program that may include medication, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, on Klarity and often have an appointment in as little as 24 hours.*
Your provider can send your prescription to any pharmacy you choose.
Note that there have been supply shortages of Ozempic and Wegovy. Before you start it, talk to your doctor and check the FDA drug shortages database for current status — search for semaglutide.
Learn more about where to find Ozempic.
When you take Ozempic, you inject yourself once a week using a prefilled pen. You give yourself the injection under your skin, usually in the belly or upper thigh. You can also have another person inject you in the back of your arm if you’d prefer.
Ozempic is taken in 1 of 4 doses — .25, .50, 1.0, or 2.0. Those doses come in 1 of 3 pens. The smallest pen has 2 milligrams and can be used for 4 .25- and 2 .50-milligram doses or 4 .5-milligram doses. The 4- and 8-milligram pens last for a month of 1- or 2-milligram doses.
You start Ozempic with .25 milligrams once a week for 4 weeks. Starting with the smallest dose gives your body time to adjust and helps minimize side effects. After a month, you start taking the next higher dose. You continue increasing your dose every 4 weeks until you reach your maintenance dose, which can be 1.0 or 2.0 milligrams
Clinical studies show that people taking Ozempic lose more weight when using the 2.0-milligram dose. People do lose weight with the 1.0-milligram dose though. And if you don’t need 2.0 milligrams for ideal blood sugar control, your healthcare provider may have you stick with 1.0 milligrams.
Learn more about Ozempic doses for weight loss.
Medications can have side effects and Ozempic is no exception. Its most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation. In clinical trials, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea were most common. For most people, these side effects are usually mild to moderate, and often go away or become less noticeable within a few weeks of first starting Ozempic or increasing your dose.
Ozempic can also cause serious side effects, lead to adverse reactions, and have drug interactions. It also has an FDA-boxed warning for the possibility of medullary thyroid carcinoma (or MTC, a type of thyroid cancer) or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2). Some people shouldn’t take it or only take it with caution.
Learn more about Ozempic side effects and talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more about all common side effects, serious side effects, adverse reactions, Ozempic’s boxed warning, and precautions.
Ozempic isn’t cheap. If you pay the retail price, which is the price the pharmacy charges you without insurance, all doses cost $1,029 for a one-month supply or 6 weeks if you’re just starting to use it.
If you have insurance that covers Ozempic, you could get a 28-day (one-month) supply for $25 with Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic Savings Card. You can also save if your insurance doesn’t cover Ozempic and pay $500 for a one-month supply — about a 50% savings. Savings are limited to 13 refills and some restrictions apply.
With or without insurance, you can take advantage of prescription or drug discount cards from SingleCareRx, drugs.com, GoodRx, WellRx, and others to save.
If you’re eligible, you might qualify for free Ozempic through the Novo Nordisk Patient Assistance Program too.
Learn more about costs, the Savings Card, and how to save money on Ozempic.
Compared to other medications for type 2 diabetes and weight loss, Ozempic is one of the more effective. Wegovy, its weight loss-specific counterpart, is more effective for weight loss than Ozempic because its typical maintenance dose is higher than Ozempic’s. Zepbound (tirzepatide), the newest weight loss medication, has helped people lose more weight than either Wegovy or Ozempic.
Ozempic is a bit cheaper than both Wegovy and Zepbound, which both cost about $1,400 a month.
Only you and your healthcare provider can decide which weight loss medication and plan is right for you and your needs.
Wegovy and Zepbound are FDA-approved for weight loss or weight management in people with obesity and overweight when combined with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Both have side effects that may include, but aren’t limited to, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and headaches.
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Testimonials from real patients who received treatment from healthcare providers on Klarity Health.
Providers on Klarity Health are licensed, board-certified, and offer a personalized approach to your unique weight-loss needs. See detailed profiles for each provider and find an approach that’s best for you. (Costs for treatment options may vary.)
Your journey to losing weight starts with an initial consultation Your provider will go over your goals and medical history to recommend a program that’s right for you and may or may not include prescription medication.
Your initial consultation is just the beginning. You and your provider will follow up to make sure you’re doing okay and that you’re reaching your goals. You stay on track with easy medication refills and ongoing support from your provider.
If you have questions or need assistance, the friendly Klarity Health Patient Support team is here to help. Along with your provider, they’re committed to making sure you have the best care and support throughout your weight loss journey.
*Appointments are generally available within 24 hours. Free initial consultations are available only with select providers. Prescriptions, particularly for controlled substances, may require an in-person evaluation depending on the state of residence and current federal regulations.
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health. Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy. Nothing in this article is intended to diagnose or treat any condition, including guaranteeing prescription medication of any kind or dosage. Not all providers on Klarity Health prescribe all medications, particularly medications that are controlled substances.
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