Semaglutide FAQs

Semaglutide may cause serious side effects, including:

• Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, semaglutide and medicines that work like semaglutide caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if semaglutide will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people.

• Do not use semaglutide if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).

 

Do not use semaglutide if:

• you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).

• you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in semaglutide.

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Before using semaglutide, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:

• have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys.

• have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy.

• have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues.

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Semaglutide may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using semaglutide 2 months before you plan to become pregnant.

• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if semaglutide passes into your breast milk.

 

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.  Semaglutide may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way semaglutide works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. semaglutide slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly. 

 

What are the possible side effects of semaglutide injections?

 

Semaglutide may cause serious side effects, including:

• inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using semaglutide and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.

• gallbladder problems. semaglutide may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools.

• increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those who also take medicines for type 2 diabetes such as sulfonylureas or insulin. This can be both a serious and common side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take semaglutide. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred  speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery.

• kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration) which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration.

• serious allergic reactions. Stop using semaglutide and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat.

• change in vision in patients with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with semaglutide.

• increased heart rate. Semaglutide can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes.

• depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse or worry you.

 

The most common side effects of semaglutide may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu and heartburn.

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Semaglutide is a prescription medication.

 

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

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