Know what can go wrong
What could go wrong?
Ask about common problems and serious cautions in the official product information, called the label.
Get a help plan before a problem starts.
Stomach trouble is common
Weight trials of semaglutide (Wegovy injection) recorded nausea, meaning feeling sick to the stomach.
It affected 44% of people on the medicine and 16% on a dummy injection.
A dummy injection, or placebo, contains no active medicine.
The label also lists diarrhea, vomiting and constipation among common problems.
Severe vomiting or diarrhea can cause fluid loss and kidney injury.
Ask for a clear plan for getting help if a problem starts.
Ask it plainly
How do I reach someone about a problem between visits?
The thyroid caution has a limit
The FDA, the U.S. drug regulator, requires a boxed warning on semaglutide labels.
A boxed warning is its strongest label caution.
This one concerns tumors in the thyroid, a small organ in the neck.
The tumors occurred in rats and mice; whether semaglutide causes them in people is unknown.
The label rules out use if you or someone in your family has had medullary thyroid cancer. This is a rare thyroid cancer type.
The label rules out use in people with MEN 2. This rare illness passes from parent to child.
If the name MEN 2 is unfamiliar, ask the doctor to check your medical history and your family’s history before prescribing.
A past serious allergy to semaglutide or another ingredient also rules out the medicine.
When help is urgent
Trouble breathing can be a severe allergy symptom. A swollen face or tongue can be another.
For severe allergy symptoms, call 911 or go straight to the nearest emergency room.
The semaglutide label flags severe or lasting stomach pain, sometimes reaching the back, as a possible warning of a serious problem.
Contact the clinician treating you right away about this pain. Do not wait for a routine visit.