Zepbound 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
Zepbound in brief
Half of the drug is gone after 5.5 d, with a half-life of 5 to 6 days. Five half-lives (27.5 d) leave about 3% behind.
In SURMOUNT-1, the body-weight figure after 72 weeks was 20.9%, compared with 3.1% on placebo.
The maker's price page provides monthly price points in US dollars for the list price and self-pay offers. Each figure comes from that page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.
Zepbound and insulin: the verdict
Fine with care
The Zepbound label's drug interactions section is quoted word for word:
“When initiating ZEPBOUND, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin or insulin secretagogues (e.g., sulfonylureas) to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and”
Source: the FDA label at DailyMed.
The label says
Insulin is the subject of these Zepbound label lines.
| Named in the label | The risk | What the label tells doctors |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin or sulfonylureas | Low blood sugar | When taken with insulin or a sulfonylurea such as glipizide or glimepiride, it raises the risk of low blood sugar. The doctor may lower those doses. |
Source: the Zepbound label (DailyMed).
What the studies show
- the label's interaction for insulin or sulfonylureas, per the
Source: the FDA label at DailyMed.
The practical rule
- If you start treatment or change doses, check your blood sugar more often. Know what the signs of low blood sugar look like.
- Check your blood sugar more often after every dose increase and through the first weeks.
Source: the FDA label at DailyMed.
Insulin with other GLP-1s
Each label's drug interaction section was checked for that same point.
| Medicine | Insulin in the label | Verdict | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ozempic | Named in the label | Fine with care | Read the answer |
 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 | Not listed |
 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: the FDA label at DailyMed.