Ozempic and Januvia: Is It Safe? Label, Studies
Usually not combined: a DPP-4 pill like Januvia adds no extra sugar lowering on a GLP-1.
- Verdict
- Avoid together
- Label names it
- No
- General caution
- Pills absorbed more slowly
Check a GLP-1 interaction
Ozempic facts at a glance
Its half-life is about 1 week: 7 d leaves half behind, and five half-lives (35 d) leave about 3%.
In SUSTAIN 1, people with type 2 diabetes lost 4.7 kg over 30 weeks, compared with 1.2 kg on placebo.
Monthly prices in US dollars include list prices and self-pay offers, all taken from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Ozempic and Januvia: the verdict
Avoid together
The Ozempic label says this in its drug interactions section, word for word:
“OZEMPIC causes a delay of gastric emptying, and thereby has the potential to impact the absorption of concomitantly administered oral medications. In clinical pharmacology trials,”
Source: the FDA label on DailyMed.
Information from the Ozempic label
The Ozempic label does not name Januvia (sitagliptin). The lines below still apply to it.
| Named in the label | The risk | What the label tells doctors |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Low blood sugar | When you use it with insulin or a sulfonylurea, including glipizide or glimepiride, it raises the risk of low blood sugar. Those doses may be lowered by the doctor. |
| Oral medicines | Pills absorbed differently | The medicine slows stomach emptying, which may change how other pills are absorbed. |
Source: Ozempic label (DailyMed).
What the studies show
- Not recommended by the guideline
- It raises the amount of active GLP-1, the same way Januvia works
Sources: diabetesjournals.org, FDA label (DailyMed).
The practical rule
- If your list includes both, ask your prescriber whether you still need the Januvia.
- Tell the prescriber for your GLP-1 about every pill you take, including this one.
- Ask your pharmacist whether any pills you take need to maintain a consistent blood level. Once treatment starts or the dose goes up, you may need to have these medicines checked.
- Check your blood sugar more often during the first weeks and after each dose increase.
Source: the FDA label on DailyMed.
Januvia with other GLP-1s
None of the 10 GLP-1 labels mention Januvia (sitagliptin) in their drug interaction section. Every label gives the same general warning about swallowed medicines, so the answer remains consistent across the class.
That question also concerns Rybelsus, Trulicity.
Source: the FDA label on DailyMed.