Ozempic alternatives: 5 options to consider if you can’t find Ozempic

Ozempic (see Important Safety Information) is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist that helps lower blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus. It can also help with weight loss. Unfortunately, Ozempic might be hard to find because of drug shortages, or your insurance doesn’t cover it. 

The good news is that Ozempic is not the only medication in its class. There are several other medications that are very similar to Ozempic, which can help manage blood sugar and encourage weight loss, especially when you combine them with a healthy diet and exercise. 

Possible Ozempic alternatives for type 2 diabetes include Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and Rybelsus (semaglutide). If you’re looking for Ozempic alternatives for weight loss Wegovy (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide) might be options to ask your healthcare provider about.

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a prescription injection pen that helps people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels. Ozempic also lowers the risk of stroke, heart attack, or death in people with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The pen comes pre-filled with medicine that the person injects into their abdomen, thigh, or upper arm weekly. You can take Ozempic with or without meals. 

Ozempic lowers your appetite and, combined with diet and exercise, can help you lose weight. While it isn’t approved by the FDA specifically for weight loss, it is highly effective and helps people lose a significant amount of weight. In one trial, people with diabetes taking 1.0 mg of semaglutide (a common Ozempic dosage), along with diet and exercise, saw an average weight loss of 7% of their body weight over 68 weeks.

Side effects from Ozempic are common but manageable for most people. Ozempic side effects typically include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, which may be experienced by around one in three people. Rarer side effects include abdominal pain, constipation, or redness at the injection site. Ozempic may also increase the risk of experiencing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or developing a gallbladder or gastrointestinal disorder. Ozempic is not recommended for those with:

• Pancreatitis

• A personal or family history of thyroid cancer

• Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2

• Diabetic retinopathy (vision loss caused by diabetes)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a black box warning for Ozempic, the most serious advisory they issue for a medication. Animal studies have found that Ozempic increases the risk of thyroid tumors in mice and rats. While we don’t know if it has the same effect in humans, people with a personal or family history of thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 should not use Ozempic. Ozempic is also not approved in pregnant people and should be stopped at least two months before trying to get pregnant.

Many Ozempic alternatives are GLP-1 receptor agonists, just like Ozempic. These medications work by directing the pancreas to release more insulin when blood glucose levels get too high. This helps bring blood sugar levels back down. At the same time, GLP-1 receptor agonists also limit the release of glucagon, a hormone that raises your blood glucose levels. 

Finally, GLP-1 receptor agonists slow down digestion. Since it takes longer for your stomach to empty, you feel full longer, which may lead you to eat less food and experience weight loss. 

Popular Ozempic alternatives for blood sugar control include Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and Rybelsus (semaglutide). If you’re looking for Ozempic alternatives with the goal of losing weight, Wegovy (semaglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide) might be an option for you.

Ozempic binds to GLP-1 receptors and tells the pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream when blood sugar levels spike. Increased insulin in the body brings blood sugar levels back down. Since Ozempic mimics the GLP-1 hormone, it is highly effective at stabilizing blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes. 

Here are Ozempic alternatives that work in similar ways and can help with blood sugar control:

Mounjaro (tirzepatide)

While Mounjaro is part of the more prominent GLP-1 drug family, it differs slightly from other GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic. That’s because Mounjaro is a dual GLP-1/GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptor agonist, which works on two different receptors.

This may make it more effective at controlling blood sugar levels and subsequent weight loss. Like Ozempic, Mounjaro is injected on a weekly basis. While Mounjaro is currently only approved for treating type 2 diabetes, the FDA is expected to approve Mounjaro for weight loss sometime in 2023 once new data from tirzepatide weight loss trials are available. Until then, health providers may prescribe the drug off-label for weight loss. 

Trulicity (dulaglutide)

Trulicity (dulaglutide) is another injectable medication that helps improve blood sugar levels and weight loss. It should be injected weekly and prescribed in addition to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. 

Like Ozempic, Trulicity is prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes who have not found other treatments successful. The drug works by encouraging your pancreas to make more insulin when your body senses that you’ve eaten glucose or carbohydrates. Trulicity also reduces the risk that people with type 2 diabetes—both with and without heart disease—will experience a major cardiac event like stroke, heart attack, or death.

Rybelsus (semaglutide)

Rybelsus has the same active ingredient as Ozempic—semaglutide. You usually take Rybelsus once a day in the morning, at least 30 minutes before you eat or drink anything. Rybelsus and Ozempic are both brand names of the same drug, semaglutide, but the biggest difference is that you take Rybelsus by mouth, whereas Ozempic is an injection.

Ozempic also slows digestion and keeps food in the stomach for longer, decreasing appetite. Additionally, Ozempic tells the brain you’re full after eating, which adds another layer of appetite regulation. Because of these effects on appetite and food intake, Ozempic is often prescribed off-label for weight loss, meaning it isn’t approved for this purpose. 

Currently, only two GLP-1 medications that work similarly to Ozempic, are FDA approved for weight loss. 

Wegovy

Wegovy and Ozempic are brand-name injectable prescription drugs, containing the same active ingredient, semaglutide. So Wegovy works the same way as Ozempic does. By ramping up the body’s levels of GLP-1, Wegovy (see Important Safety Information) keeps food in the stomach for longer and sends signals to the brain, letting it know you’re full. All of that helps regulate your appetite, and leads to significant weight loss.

While Ozempic is only approved for blood sugar management, Wegovy is FDA approved for weight loss. In one clinical trial on Wegovy, participants who took Wegovy combined with lifestyle changes and lost an average of 15% of their body weight by the end of the 68-week trial.

It is important to note that there is currently a Wegovy shortage, expected to last at least through September 2023. Specifically, there is a shortage of the 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1 mg strengths of Wegovy. 

Saxenda (liraglutide)

Saxenda is FDA-approved for chronic weight management. It also improves blood sugar control, although it is not FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes. Unlike Ozempic, Saxenda is a daily injection for weight loss. Your health provider will increase the dosage every week until the highest maintenance dosage of 3 mg daily is reached. 

There is no Saxenda shortage, making this medication a promising alternative for those desperately trying to find Ozempic, or Wegovy. 

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Weight loss claims apply to branded medications. Limited supply. See Important Safety Information, including boxed warning.

Since many of the Ozempic alternatives in this article work in similar ways, side effects are similar for all of these drugs. In general, side effects are most common when you start using the medications and as you increase your dose. 

Common side effects of Ozempic and Ozempic alternatives include:

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Abdominal pain

• Diarrhea or constipation

• Injection site reactions, such as pain or skin irritation

Serious side effects are possible with Ozempic and Ozempic alternatives, but rare. They can include: 

• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) or gallbladder problems

• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) when taken along with insulin or certain diabetes pills like glimepiride or glipizide 

• Kidney injury

• Diabetic retinopathy

• Severe allergic reaction

All of the Ozempic alternatives above—either for type 2 diabetes or weight loss—are effective, safe, and well-tolerated. If Ozempic isn’t available to you, either because of a shortage or because your insurance doesn’t cover it, your healthcare provider will help you find the right Ozempic alternative, factoring in your age, health situation, treatment goals, and personal preferences. 

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Every article on Health Guide goes through rigorous fact-checking by our team of medical reviewers. Our reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the writer.

Current version

July 11, 2023

Written by

Amelia Willson

Fact checked by

Felix Gussone, MD

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About the medical reviewer

Felix Gussone, MD, Ro

Felix Gussone is a physician, health journalist and a Manager, Medical Content & Education at Ro.