How long can Ozempic be out of the fridge?

June 8. 2023

If you are trying to lose substantial weight, your healthcare provider may have suggested you start an Ozempic weight loss program. This novel type 2 diabetes medication is helping thousands of people around the globe achieve their dream weight. Like with any medication, there are certain precautions and care you must take to preserve the drug. If you’ve done a little research on Ozempic, you probably know that this medication must be stored at a very specific temperature. That leads to many people asking how long Ozempic can be out of the fridge.

Ozempic proper storage is vital to guarantee medication safety and efficiency. In the following sections, our weight loss clinic in Chicago gives you all the guidelines to take good care of your Ozempic pens.

How does Ozempic work?

Ozempic is a medication manufactured by Novo Nordisk to treat type 2 diabetes. This drug helps people manage their blood sugar levels and avoid hyperglycemia. During a series of clinical trials, this diabetes medication proved to be highly effective in promoting weight loss. After that finding, Novo Nordisk developed another brand called Wegovy, launched specifically to treat obesity and overweight. Both Ozempic and Wegovy have the same active compound: semaglutide.

Semaglutide mechanism of action mimics a peptide hormone known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). This hormone helps our bodies control blood glucose levels by promoting insulin secretion after we eat and decreasing glucagon production. With Ozempic, this action is intensified, which causes food to travel slower through your digestive tract. That will make you fill full faster and stay satiated longer after a meal. Semaglutide also has an impact on the hunger areas of our brains. When the drug targets those areas, it will indicate to your brain that you are already full. We could say that Ozempic produces a similar effect to Phentermine for weight loss or other popular appetite-suppressing supplements.

Besides a decrease in hunger, semaglutide also influences your appetite by reducing unhealthy food cravings. The number of people quitting diets is exceptionally high. Staying away from fatty foods or controlling cravings for sweets is a struggle many dieters face every day. Ozempic effects will make it much simpler for you to stick to a diet and reach a calorie deficit. How long does Ozempic take to work will also depend on your commitment to lifestyle changes, such as healthy food choices and regular exercise.

How does Ozempic come?

You can get Ozempic for weight loss from registered clinics or pharmacies. This medication comes as a liquid solution inside a prefilled injectable pen. Injection pens are common devices for type 2 diabetes treatment medications. If they are new to you, don’t worry. Ozempic pens are easy to use; you can even apply the shot yourself. Your healthcare provider will share all the guidelines on using them, from the best injection site to safety measures. While there is the best place to inject Mounjaro for weight loss, you must change the injection site from dose to dose to avoid harming your skin.

Ozempic pens are disposable, meaning once you use all the content, you must dispose of them; they can not be refilled. After each weekly injection, you must throw away the needle and then replace it with a new one the next time you intend to use the pen. For weight loss purposes, you will get a weekly dosage; each month, your doctor will increase the dose if necessary. It s vital that you apply the semaglutide shot on the same day each week to ensure the treatment’s effectiveness.

You can get Ozempic in three different options:

• A carton with a 2mg Ozempic pen
• A carton with a 4mg Ozempic pen
• A carton with an 8 mg Ozempic pen

How long the pen will last depend on your specific dosage. For example, the 2mg pen will be enough for the four initial dosages of 0.25mg per week. The pen allows you to adjust the dosage; the 2mg pen would also be enough for two shots of 1mg weekly. If you just started an Ozempic treatment and still haven’t seen the results, maybe you are wondering, Why am I not losing weight on Ozempic? While some people begin to lose weight during the initial dosage, others need to reach a higher dose the see substantial results.

How long can Ozempic pens be out of the fridge?

As mentioned, Ozempic pens come with precise storage indications. You probably have heard that this drug must be kept at cold temperatures. We get many people asking, How long can Ozempic be out of the fridge?

You may want to take the medication with you on a trip or need to take the device out of the refrigerator for some reason.

Semaglutide is extremely sensitive to light and heat; if the injectable device gets exposed to high temperatures, it can damage the medication. Ozempic pens have two different storage guidelines, depending on whether we are talking about a new pen or a used one. New pens must remain cold until their first use, so the best place to keep them is in the refrigerator. They must stay at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Once you open the pen for the first time, you can keep the devices at room temperature – meaning from 59ºF to 86ºF (15ºC to 30ºC) – or in the refrigerator, as you prefer. If you choose to leave the pen outside the fridge, we recommend you leave the devices in the original box they came into. The carton will protect the pens from light exposure. You can save a used pen for up to 56 days or its expiration date.

How long Ozempic can be out of the fridge will depend on whether it’s a new or used pen. New ones must always stay in the fridge or at cold temperatures. Used ones last up to 56 days outside the fridge. After 56 days, you must dispose of the medication regardless if you kept it in the fridge or at room temperature.

I left my Ozempic out overnight: What should I do?

If Ozempic is exposed to temperatures higher than 86°F (30°C), the medication can go bad and will no longer be safe to use; you must throw it away. But if you leave it out of the fridge overnight at room temperature, you can still use it for up to 56 days. Once the medication is exposed to room temperature, you must use it during the 56 days period or discard it.

Can I travel with Ozempic?

Yes, you are allowed to take your medicine with you on a trip. Nevertheless, there are some measures you must take to prevent the medication from getting spoiled while traveling with Ozempic. Besides that, if you are traveling by plane, airport security may ask you for a letter from your healthcare provider detailing why you need the medication.

When taking a trip, it’s normal to neglect our diets a little. Remember that Ozempic or Mounjaro and alcohol are not the best combination, and there are different ways in which alcohol can sabotage your weight loss efforts.

Other Ozempic pens safety precautions

Besides careful storing to preserve the medication, injectable pens can be very fragile too. Ozempic pens have glass parts that can break if the device falls or receives a hit. If you notice any crack on the pen, throw it away immediately and use a new one instead. When you are about to use the device, you must remove the pen cap covering the needle. Make sure to put the cap back after you apply the shot, to protect the pen.

Before applying the injection, check the liquid content inside the pen. Semaglutide must look clear and colorless. If the medication looks yellowish or cloudy, then it probably went bad. In that case, throw the pen away and use a new one for your next Ozempic dosage.

When disposing of an Ozempic pen or the pen’s needle, always do so in an appropriate container. Don’t throw those items away in your kitchen garbage container. The best way to get rid of used needles and other sharps objects is at an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, which you can purchase online or at a pharmacy.

Final thoughts

Losing weight can sometimes be an uphill battle, especially if you’re dealing with an underlying disease such as diabetes or your body not absorbing nutrients. Thankfully medical weight loss treatments, such as Ozempic, can make your journey much more manageable. When starting medical treatment, there’s a lot to learn bout the medication – from the proper dosage to the correct storage. How long Ozempic can be out of the fridge will depend on the medication condition: if it is a used or new pen. Do you still have questions about Ozempic or other semaglutide treatments? Schedule a call with us so our team can answer all your questions.

Author

Nurse Walton

Born and raised in Chicago, IL, Chanay received her Practical Nurse licensure and went to work in clinical specialties such as Home Health, Assisted Living, Long-Term Care and Dialysis Centers. Through this work, she realized the importance of diet, nutrition and weight loss among her patients. This led her to open A Better Weigh, Inc. Medical Weight Loss Center in 2009.