> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hi-doctor.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to use an Ozempic pen

> Handling an Ozempic pen step by step: sites, needles, technique and disposal, with the dose ladder left to the reviewing doctor.

Ozempic contains semaglutide and is given as an injection under the skin once a
week. This page describes how the pen is handled. It does not set your dose, and
it does not replace the leaflet in your box.

<Warning>
  The patient information leaflet packed with **your own pen**, and the
  instructions your doctor gave you, override everything on this page. Pen
  designs, needle types and dose steps differ between products and between
  presentations of the same product. If the two disagree, follow the leaflet and
  your doctor, and message the medical team.
</Warning>

## What Ozempic is

Semaglutide copies GLP-1, a hormone the gut releases after a meal, which reduces
appetite and slows how quickly the stomach empties.

Ozempic is centrally authorised by the European Commission on the basis of an
EMA assessment, so a single authorisation covers all 27 member states. It is
authorised for **type 2 diabetes only**; weight management with the same active
substance is covered by a separate authorisation under the name
[Wegovy](/library/medicines/wegovy). Ozempic is prescription-only throughout the
EU.

## Before you start

Three things happen before the pen comes out of the box, in this order.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Read the leaflet that came with your pen">
    Do this before the first injection, not after. It shows your pen's own dose
    selector, the needle it takes, and how it should be stored.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check the pen and the liquid">
    Look at the label, the expiry date, and the solution itself. If anything
    looks unlike what the leaflet describes, do not use that pen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wash your hands">
    Plain soap and water. Let them dry.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Injecting

The injection itself is a fixed sequence. Work through it in this order every
week, and check each step against your own leaflet the first few times.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Attach a new needle">
    A fresh needle every single time. Needles are single-use.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a site">
    Ozempic is a once-weekly self-injection in the **thigh, abdomen or upper
    arm**. Move to a different spot each week — see
    [injection sites and rotation](/library/guides/injection-sites).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Clean the skin and let it dry">
    Wipe the spot and give it a moment to dry before the needle goes in.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Inject under the skin">
    The injection goes into the fatty layer just under the skin — not into a
    vein and not into muscle. Pinching the skin gently can help if you have
    little fat at the site.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hold the pen in place">
    Keep it still until the dose has finished being delivered. Your leaflet says
    how long that takes for your pen.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove the needle and bin it">
    Take the needle off, drop it straight into a sharps container, and never
    reuse it. The pen itself stays as your leaflet directs.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## The dose is not yours to change

The reviewing doctor sets the starting dose and decides when — or whether — it
goes up. The published schedule escalates gradually
(0.25 mg → 0.5 → 1.0 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg) over 16 weeks to limit gastrointestinal
side effects, and treatment is combined with diet and physical activity;
semaglutide is not a substitute for lifestyle change.

<Note>
  Your doctor's schedule is the one that applies to you. Do not step up early
  because you feel fine, and do not step up to catch up after a gap. Ask in your
  account chat instead.
</Note>

## Storage, timing and a missed dose

Storage conditions and the missed-dose rule are printed in your leaflet and
differ between products. See
[what to do about a missed or late dose](/library/guides/missed-dose) for how
this works across treatments, and message the medical team if you are unsure.

## Who it is not for

The consultation screens for, among other things:

* personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple
  endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2)
* pregnancy, planned pregnancy in the next 2 months, or breastfeeding
* history of pancreatitis or active pancreatic disease
* type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis — semaglutide is not approved here
* severe gastroparesis or chronic severe gastrointestinal disease

## When to seek urgent care

For severe, sudden or unexpected symptoms, call your local emergency number or
go to the nearest emergency department. Then let your doctor know through your
account chat. Read more in [Safety](/essentials/safety).

Related: [semaglutide](/library/medicines/semaglutide) ·
[side effects of weight-loss medicines](/library/guides/side-effects-weight-loss) ·
[how Hi-Doctor works](/essentials/how-it-works)

## Start a consultation

<Card title="Weight-loss consultation" icon="stethoscope" href="https://hi-doctor.ai/consultation/weight-loss/1">
  Answer the weight-loss questionnaire and a registered doctor reviews it.
  They decide whether treatment is appropriate, which one, and at what dose —
  and declining is a normal outcome. See [what it costs](/essentials/pricing)
  and [how the review works](/essentials/how-it-works).
</Card>

<Warning>
  This page is reference information, not medical advice and not a prescription.
  Whether a medicine is appropriate for you is decided by a registered doctor
  after reviewing your consultation.
</Warning>