Can you change the day you take semaglutide?

If you’ve been taking semaglutide—or considering it—you’re probably familiar with the ins and outs of this medication. Semaglutide is a once-weekly injection that is administered on a set dosing schedule.

It isn’t dependent on meals or time of day, but a consistent injection schedule is important. That doesn’t mean that circumstances don’t change. When they do, you might find yourself asking “can I change my semaglutide injection day?”

Reasons for changing the day you take semaglutide

It’s only once a week, right? What could possibly impact that? Well, plenty.

Life is unpredictable. And, sometimes our schedules can throw us off course. Whether it’s a work commitment, a family event, or an unexpected obligation, these conflicts might make it challenging to stick to your usual dosing day.

Traveling can complicate medication schedules, too, especially when crossing time zones. And, occasionally, managing side effects might require adjusting your dosing schedule. If you experience side effects that are disruptive to your daily life, changing the day you take semaglutide could help—maybe taking it on Friday so that you’re not dealing with the brunt of the side effects at work.

Or, maybe your schedule has completely changed and you’re no longer able to easily access your medication on your original injection day.

So, can you change the day you take semaglutide? Absolutely. Just make sure you’re doing it the right way.

How to safely change the day you take semaglutide

Your dosing schedule should be monitored and controlled by a healthcare professional. While you should never adjust the dose on your own, making a change to your injection schedule is not something you will need to consult your healthcare provider about—though you may still want to.

It does still require some thought and planning, though.

Semaglutide is injected once weekly. It can be administered at any time of day, with or without a meal. But, the day itself does matter.

If you missed a dose

If you missed your usual dose due to a schedule conflict, or just being plain old forgetful, you should inject the missed dose as soon as you remember. However, if more than 5 days has passed since your missed dose, it is recommended that you skip it and pick up with your next scheduled injection.

DO NOT double dose to make up for the missed injection.

If you’re planning a change

If you’re looking to change your regular injection schedule—whether temporary or permanent—you can. You just need to follow the golden rule:

It must be 2 or more days (48+ hours) since your last dose.

As long as there is at least a two day gap between your doses, you can adjust the schedule.

It is usually injected once a week without regard to meals. Use semaglutide injection on the same day each week at any time of day. You may change the day of the week that you use semaglutide as long as it has been 2 or more days (48 or more hours) since you used your last dose.

Tips for adjusting your semaglutide dosing schedule

How you adjust your injection schedule is dependent on whether this is a temporary or permanent change.

If this is a temporary change…

You have two options. You can adjust your schedule temporarily during the conflicting times/days and then return to your original injection day. Or, you can make the adjustment permanent.

If this is a permanent change…

You will want to put a lot of thought into which day makes the most sense for you now. If there will be a large gap between injection days—like your original day was Monday and you’re changing to Fridays—you may want to make the change gradually so there’s not as much space between doses.

Alternatively, you could take your injection on Monday as usual and then take another on Friday the same week. There is more than 48 hours between doses, but it may result in you needing an additional dose that month.

Some tips for adjusting your schedule:

Keep a log or diary. Keep track of when you took your dose every week. This way you don’t accidentally double dose or completely miss a dose. This can also be beneficial if you’re changing your schedule due to side effects. You can track any side effects or benefits and determine if this new schedule is right for you.
Set reminders. It is entirely too easy to forget to take medication. This is especially true if you’re deviating from your usual schedule. Set an alarm or reminder in your calendar or phone to help you remember.
Stick to a schedule. Even though you can change the day you take the medication, this is not something you should take advantage of often. Change it when necessary, not all the time.

Potential risks of changing the dosing day

So long as you’re following the golden rule, you should be fine. If there is a large gap between doses due to the schedule change, it may temporarily impact efficacy. But this will no longer be an issue by the next dose.

The main risk when changing the day you take semaglutide is forgetting and missing a dose. There is also a risk you mindlessly adhere to your original schedule and accidentally double dose yourself.

So, you need to be aware of the signs of a semaglutide overdose just in case.

Semaglutide Overdose

Overdosing on semaglutide can lead to symptoms that may mimic hypoglycemia (low blood sugar):

Dizziness or feeling lightheaded or confused
Feeling shaky or jittery
Extreme nausea or vomiting
Mood changes—irritability or impatience
Headache
Weakness
Loss of consciousness

If you think you’ve taken too much semaglutide or are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor right away. If you are experiencing severe symptoms, you should call 911 or go to the emergency room.

So, can you change the day you take semaglutide?

Yes, it is possible to change the day you take semaglutide. While you don’t need to consult a healthcare provider, you may still want to.

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