--- title: "FDA Says People Are Taking 20 Times the Proper Dose of Ozempic and Overdosing" description: "The Food and Drug and Administration warned about the dangers of self-administering injections using compounded forms of Ozempic." date: "2024-08-03" modified: "2024-08-03" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/fda-ozempic-overdosing" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "fda" - "ozempic" - "semaglutide" - "wegovy" --- # FDA Says People Are Taking 20 Times the Proper Dose of Ozempic and Overdosing ![The Food and Drug and Administration warned about the dangers of self-administering injections using compounded forms of Ozempic.]() *\Image: Jaap Arriens / NurPhoto via Getty / Futurism\* People are excited to use semaglutide, a diabetes drug popular for assisting weight loss that's commonly sold as Ozempic and Wegovy — and [there's good reason to be](). But the Food and Drug Administration is now warning the public not to get carried away, [issuing an alert]() that it's received reports of people getting hospitalized after overdosing on the drug, in some cases taking up to 20 times the recommended dosage. Some of the reported adverse effects included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fainting, migraines, and acute pancreatitis, according to the agency statement, released last week. The majority of these cases are accidental, and stem from patients using a compounded form of the drug, which leads to errors in self-administering injections. This typically isn't an issue when using brand name semaglutide. Both Ozempic and Wegovy are sold as pre-filled injection pens, and other forms of semaglutide, like Rybelsus, are taken orally as tablets — so a proper, safe dosage is already prepared for patients. Compounded drugs, on the other hand, are made using raw ingredients by pharmacies — not a drug manufacturer — typically so that it can tailor the product to a patient's specific needs. This is a legal but not FDA-approved practice, and it's [not the first we've heard of trouble]() when patients get semaglutide from compounding pharmacies. In several reports, pharmacies miscalculated the correct concentration of the drug, "which resulted in patients administering five to 10 times more than the intended dose of semaglutide," the FDA said. In most cases, however, patient error was to blame. Because the compounded drugs were sold in multi-dose vials, patients had to draw up the correct injection dose themselves. "Unfamiliarity with withdrawing medication from a vial into a syringe and coupled with confusion between different units of measurement (e.g., milliliters, milligrams and 'units') may have contributed to dosing errors," the FDA said. The FDA recommends that you avoid using a compounded drug if an approved form of it is available. But because they're cheaper, compounded drugs remain an appealing option. There are currently [no generic versions]() of semaglutide, while brands like Ozempic and Wegovy [can cost over $1,000 per month without insurance](). Both drugs have been blockbuster hits, in large part due to their appetite-suppressing effects that help with losing weight. Due to differences in their dosages, only Wegovy is officially approved for weight loss, but Ozempic is sometimes prescribed by doctors for this purpose "off-label." The hype that has already seen [global demand skyrocket]() has been further fueled by early signs that semaglutide [could help people stop smoking]() and [cure a host of other ailments](). Manufacturer Novo Nordisk said that Ozempic sales rose more than 40 percent on the year [in the first quarter](), while Wegovy's more than doubled. Needless to say, there's a lot of people trying to get their hands on semaglutide right now. So if you're one of the ones that does: please make sure you're taking it correctly. **More on semaglutide:** *[Ozempic-Style Drug Slows the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease, Experiment Finds]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()