There are three good places to inject Ozempic. They would be described as on the front of your thighs (both the right and left thigh), your stomach, and on your arm (usually considered more your bicep). It’s highly recommended that for best results, you vary each injection site upon use. Meaning, going from the injection site of your arm to your thigh the very next time you use Ozempic.
Key Takeaways
Ozempic is always injected under the skin (subcutaneously) on your stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm. Do not use the same site for each injection. If you use the same region twice, try to avoid the exact injection site as it could turn red, tender, and sore.
Avoid injecting Ozempic into any muscle (intramuscularly) or vein (intravenously). Use the various muscles as regions to try and pinpoint. However, always find a “fatty” portion of your body to inject the semaglutide into.
Where is the Best Place to Inject Ozempic?
The three areas are described as the following according to Novo Nordisk:
Your arm
Ozempic can be injected on both your biceps and triceps to be exact. However, you should not be injecting this directly into the muscle. You will still be looking for a fatty portion near these muscles. This would be considered the front of your arm and the back of your arm. This injection site is one of the harder ones to perform on your own. Especially those who potentially lack some mobility. You’ll need to take the left or right hand that you use most dominantly and use that hand to inject Ozempic into the other arm that you aren’t using.
Your abdomen
Your abdomen is considered to be usually two to three inches away from your belly button. Anything beyond that is more considered to be your hip. And that would be the wrong injection site. To find the perfect injection site, take your two fingers and place them on your belly button and then move it either to the left or right by 3”.
Your thigh
Much like your abdomen, you’ll be wanting to target your quadricep muscles. However, not injecting directly into any muscle. You will still need to be finding a fatty part of your body where you can clearly grasp onto. Anything that is not considered to be closer to your “quads” may be closer to your pelvic region. And would be considered the incorrect injection site.
Avoid going anywhere 3-4” above your knee cap, as this would be considered a ‘too low of’ injection site.
Injection Site Facts and Tips
Here are some facts about the various Ozempic injection sites.
Ozempic Absorbs Slowest on Your Thigh
If you suffer from the side effects like nausea or fatigue, you may want to consider using Ozempic on your thigh. It will absorb more slowly and could cause the side effects to happen at a slower rate. Causing them to feel less severe. The injection location site doesn’t guarantee that you will not experience any side effects. However, in the thigh, the slower rate of absorption could cause the side effects to “feel” less severe. Especially the gastrointestinal side effects (or gas).
Try Different Injection Sites for Slow Results
If you don’t feel like you’re receiving the majority benefit of Ozempic over a period of time, consider removing one of the three injection sites if you’re transitioning between them. Try to find the area which your body absorbs most effectively.
Your body will naturally absorb semaglutide at various levels depending on the injection site itself.
Count Slowly to 6 When Injecting
When injecting, be sure to count slowly all the way to 6. By doing this, you can ensure that all of the semaglutide in your injection pen is properly being distributed into the injection site that you are currently targeting.
Common Questions
Common questions about injecting Ozempic:
1. Can I inject the semaglutide into my buttocks?
Technically any fatty part of your body will work to absorb Ozempic and the semaglutide. However, the buttocks region is known to experience more tenderness and redness after injection. And may cause discomfort while sitting down.
2. Are there any known Ozempic injection site reactions?
Ozempic injection site reactions are known to be somewhat rare. In placebo-controlled trials, only 0.2% of the participants using Ozempic experienced injection site reactions. These included discomfort or redness at the injection site itself.
3. Will my injection site cause the side effects to go away?
Unfortunately, the most common side effects include nausea and diarrhea. Affecting around 1 in 10 of the Ozempic (semaglutide) users. The injection site won’t prevent any of these side effects from occurring. However, if you inject Ozempic into your thigh, the rate of absorption is the slowest, which could cause these side effects to feel less severe for some users.
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Sources
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH). (2019). Clinical Review Report: Semaglutide (Ozempic): (Novo Nordisk Canada Inc.). Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31305971/
Chamberlin, S. & Dabbs, W. (2019). Semaglutide (Ozempic) for type 2 diabetes mellitus. American Family Physician, 100(2), 116–117. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31305048/
DailyMed. (2022). OZEMPIC-semaglutide injection, solution. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=adec4fd2-6858-4c99-91d4-531f5f2a2d79
Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (2020). Drug trial snapshot: Ozempic. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-approvals-and-databases/drug-trial-snapshot-ozempic
Medline Plus. (2021). Semaglutide injection. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a618008.html
O'Neil, P. M., Birkenfeld, A. L., McGowan, B., et al. (2018). Efficacy and safety of semaglutide compared with liraglutide and placebo for weight loss in patients with obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo and active controlled, dose-ranging, phase 2 trial. Lancet (London, England), 392(10148), 637–649. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31773-2. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30122305/
Wilding, J., Batterham, R. L., Calanna, S., et al. (2021). Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(11), 989–1002. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2032183. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185
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