Semaglutide
- Class: GLP-1 agonist
- Used for: type 2 diabetes and weight loss
- Say it: sem-uh-GLOO-tide
- Forms: injection, tablet
SEMAGLUTIDE puts the GLUTTON on SEMI portions — and it only needs injecting once a week.
Same incretin mechanism as liraglutide, but long enough for weekly dosing and strong enough to be licensed for obesity. The appetite returns when the drug stops, so it is a treatment, not a course.
A long-acting GLP-1 agonist given weekly, or daily by mouth with strict dosing conditions. Its appetite suppression is strong enough to be licensed for obesity as well as diabetes.
Side effects
Common: nausea, vomiting, constipation
Serious: pancreatitis, gallbladder disease
Typical dose
0.25 mg weekly subcutaneously, titrated to 1.0 mg (2.4 mg for weight)
Hold each weekly step for four weeks before increasing. The oral form is a different product and is not interchangeable with the injection.
Check yourself
What should a patient be told before starting semaglutide for weight loss?
- The weight is generally regained if the drug is stopped, so it is a long-term treatment
- It permanently resets appetite after six months
- It can be stopped as soon as the target weight is reached
- It works only alongside insulin
Show answer
A. The weight is generally regained if the drug is stopped, so it is a long-term treatment
The appetite suppression lasts only as long as the drug does. Framing it as a course sets the patient up to regard the regain as personal failure, when it is the expected pharmacology.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Semaglutide – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.