Ozempic and Insulin: Is It Safe? Label, Studies
Low blood sugar is more likely with insulin; your doctor may lower the insulin dose.
- Verdict
- Fine with care
- Label says
- Listed interaction
Check a GLP-1 interaction
A quick Ozempic overview
Its half-life is about 1 week: after 7 d, half is gone, and after five half-lives (35 d), about 3% remains.
In SUSTAIN 1, people with type 2 diabetes lost 4.7 kg over 30 weeks, while the placebo group lost 1.2 kg.
Monthly price points in US dollars were read from the maker's price page, including list prices and self-pay offers.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Ozempic and insulin: the verdict
Fine with care
The Ozempic label uses these words in its drug interactions section:
“When initiating OZEMPIC, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogue (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia [see Warnings”
Source: FDA label on DailyMed.
What the Ozempic label says
The Ozempic label includes these statements that apply to insulin.
| Named in the label | The risk | What the label tells doctors |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Low blood sugar | Using this medicine with insulin or sulfonylureas, including glipizide or glimepiride, raises the chance of low blood sugar. |
Source: the Ozempic label (DailyMed).
What the studies show
- Label interaction involving insulin or sulfonylureas:
Source: FDA label on DailyMed.
The practical rule
- Check your blood sugar more often when you start and whenever your dose changes.
- Check your blood sugar more often in the first weeks and after each dose increase.
Source: FDA label on DailyMed.
Insulin with other GLP-1s
We checked the drug interaction section in each label for this same issue.
| Medicine | Insulin in the label | Verdict | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozempic | Named in the label | Fine with care | Not listed |
 Wegovy | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
 Rybelsus | Named in the label | Not listed | Not listed |
 Mounjaro | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
 Zepbound | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
 Foundayo | Named in the label | Not listed | Not listed |
 Trulicity | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
 Saxenda | Named in the label | Not listed | Not listed |
 Victoza | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
| Byetta | Named in the label | Not listed | Not listed |
Source: FDA label on DailyMed.