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Drug Info

How long does Ozempic stay in your system?

The amount of time Ozempic stays in your system will determine how long you may continue to experience any side effects or benefits
By | Oct. 10, 2024
An Ozempic pen: How long does Ozempic stay in your system?

Key takeaways

  • Ozempic is a glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist approved for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, taken once a week by subcutaneous injection.

  • The steady-state concentration of Ozempic is reached after one month of weekly doses.

  • The half-life of Ozempic is about one week, meaning that half the concentration of Ozempic is eliminated from the body one week after a dose.

  • It could take about five weeks for Ozempic to be completely eliminated from the system after the last dose, which is why certain effects could take over a month to resolve.

In this article:

Ozempic (semaglutide) is the breakout diabetes drug that has seen widespread, off-label use as a weight loss drug. It is the most well-known member of the family of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 agonists). Diving into the details of Ozempic’s actions in the body can provide you with the necessary knowledge to help you decide if it is a good choice for you. From both an effectiveness and safety standpoint, the drug’s duration of action is important to understand, especially considering that a dose of Ozempic stays in your system for several weeks.

How long does Ozempic stay in your system?

After being injected subcutaneously (under the skin), Ozempic is gradually absorbed into the bloodstream. It reaches peak levels within one to three days after the injection before slowly diminishing to half its levels by seven days post-injection. If someone injected Ozempic only once, it would take about five weeks for the rest of that single dose to be eliminated. In contrast, it would take about the same amount of time for the blood to have a steady-state concentration of Ozempic if taken weekly, as intended.  

Knowing the timeline of Ozempic’s concentration and its effects on the body can help prepare you for its use. The fact that it reaches its peak level about two days after injection explains why certain side effects, like nausea and bloating, can be worse within the first two days after a dose. And as the amount of Ozempic in the blood gradually declines in the days leading up to a subsequent dose, side effects like an increase in appetite can occur—at least until a steady state is reached with continued treatment. Your healthcare provider may increase the dosage if needed after four weekly doses in order to establish a steady state. 

Ozempic half-life: Why it matters

The half-life of a drug is the timeframe in which half of the compound is eliminated from the body after a dose. In the case of Ozempic, the half-life of elimination is about one week. Another important consideration is that it takes five half-lives for about 97% of a drug to be cleared from the bloodstream. Thus, considering its one-week half-life, Ozempic is practically all gone in five weeks, with traces present a little longer than that.

The half-life is why Ozempic only needs to be injected once weekly. The five half-life rule can help you understand why both beneficial and adverse effects may slowly diminish one month after the final dose. In addition, if an individual’s next dose of Ozempic is delayed for an extra week, it may not cause dramatic changes because of the slow elimination of the prior dose. That scenario has not been uncommon, given Ozempic shortages in recent years.

How to stop taking Ozempic

When a medication is discontinued, its half-life is vital to knowing when the drug’s effects will wear off. Both benefits and side effects of Ozempic would be expected to dissipate mostly within the first one to two weeks after the last dose, but perhaps not completely for five weeks. Its half-life and the reason for discontinuation are factors that determine how to stop taking Ozempic.

If a person taking Ozempic develops serious side effects, they may be advised to discontinue the drug abruptly. Side effects like severe abdominal pain and uncontrollable vomiting warrant stoppage. Those symptoms could be from pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), a gallbladder attack, or delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis), all of which have been reported with Ozempic. A new or growing thyroid nodule would likely also be a reason to immediately stop taking Ozempic. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has mandated a black box warning on the Ozempic drug label regarding medullary thyroid cancer with GLP-1 agonists. 

A different situation would involve a patient who has achieved their weight loss goal with off-label Ozempic use or has been able to control their Type 2 diabetes mellitus with FDA-approved use. In these types of situations, gradually tapering off the drug may be better in order to assess for any recurrent blood sugar elevation or weight regain. Particularly when it comes to using Ozempic for weight loss, the optimal amount of time you should take the drug is still being worked out.

How to switch from Ozempic to another GLP-1 agonist

Another situation that determines how to stop taking Ozempic could be if you need to switch from one GLP-1 receptor agonist to another. For example, your insurance plan’s drug formulary could change, or the current prescription drug could be ineffective. Those scenarios could lead to starting a different weekly GLP-1 agonist, such as Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Zepbound (tirzepatide), or Trulicity (dulaglutide), about one week after the last dose of Ozempic. Victoza (liraglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide) are daily injections that could be initiated a week later too. Ozempic’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, makes other products with semaglutide as the active ingredient: Wegovy for weight loss and oral Rybelsus for Type 2 diabetes, and these could also begin one week after discontinuing Ozempic.

The FDA has approved Ozempic, Mounjaro, Victoza, and Rybelsus for lowering blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes and Wegovy, Zepbound, and Saxenda for weight management in conjunction with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. This distinction is one reason why a change from one to another could be required. Health insurance plans often deny coverage for drugs used off-label.

The price of Ozempic may be another reason to look for an alternative, but other GLP-1 agonists are costly, too. Using a coupon for Ozempic or showing your pharmacist your SingleCare discount card may be worth considering if your insurance won’t cover it.

If the change is being advised due to mild common side effects, like constipation or bloating, a longer interval to wait may be advised, such as waiting closer to a month before starting a new GLP-1 agonist until all adverse effects have resolved. 

Bottom line

The one-week half-life of Ozempic explains why you must wait at least one week before taking the next dose or switching to an alternative GLP-1 agonist. It also explains why appetite-suppressing and glucose-lowering effects may decline after one week. Likewise, the fact that Ozempic hangs around in your system for four to five weeks is the reason why it may take a while for effects to fully resolve and why dosage increases are considered only monthly if needed. Whether stopping Ozempic or switching your medication, your healthcare provider can determine whether the half-life of Ozempic will affect any decisions you make, whether stopping treatment or switching medications.