Compounded Semaglutide Injection Sites: Where To Inject Semaglutide

Semaglutide injections like Ozempic and Wegovy are popular treatments for weight management, but generic treatments like Compounded Semaglutide are growing in popularity due to their low cost and accessibility. Unlike with branded injection pens, you have to self-inject Compounded Semaglutide with a syringe. It's important you choose the correct injection site and inject using the proper technique to ensure you receive the full dose and reduce discomfort. This is a guide to where you should inject semaglutide and how to do it correctly.

How semaglutide works

Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which were originally developed to treat people with type 2 diabetes. It works by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone in your gut — glucagon-like peptide-1 — which stabilizes your blood sugar levels. Now, it's also prescribed for weight loss, which it enables through blood sugar control and appetite suppression. [1]

Clinical studies show that once-weekly semaglutide injections could help you lose up to 15% of your body weight. [1]

What is Compounded Semaglutide?

Compounded Semaglutide is a form of semaglutide that's custom-made in a compounding pharmacy. It contains the same active ingredient as branded medications like Ozempic and Wegovy — semaglutide — but it's available at a much lower price as it's not associated with a premium brand. 

The main benefit of compounded medications are their low cost, which makes them more accessible to people who can't access weight loss medications through their insurance provider. They're also less likely to be affected by nationwide drug shortages as they don't contain exactly the same ingredients as mass-produced versions. 

Where to inject semaglutide

You take semaglutide injections in weekly doses, at any time of day. It's administered with a syringe as a subcutaneous injection, which means you inject the medication into the fatty tissue just beneath your skin.

The three recommended injection sites are:

• Your stomach, at least two inches from your belly button and avoiding any scar tissue.
• The back or side of your upper arm. Upper arm injections can be hard to do yourself, so you may need someone to help you.
• The front or side of your thigh, in a different spot each time.

When should you rotate injection sites?

You should alternate injection sites every time you take a dose of Compounded Semaglutide. This minimizes the risk of infection, a buildup of scar tissue or injection site reactions in your subcutaneous tissue like redness, bruising or swelling.

How to inject Compounded Semaglutide

Unlike branded versions of semaglutide, which come in a pre-filled injection pen, Compounded Semaglutide injections are administered by you, using a syringe. We understand this could be daunting, but this guide walks you through the proper injection technique to help you feel comfortable and confident taking your doses. [2]

Gather your supplies

Start by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and placing all the items you need on a clean surface. This includes your medication vial, syringe, alcohol swab and sharps bin or hard plastic container to dispose of your needles.

Check your medication

Next, check the expiry date on the vial and check the syringe for any signs of damage. Don't use your medication or syringe if it's expired or has signs of damage. If you think your medication is damaged or you have any questions you can reach out to the Levity team here.

Choose an injection site

Now it’s time to choose and clean your injection site. This can be on your upper arms, stomach or the front of your thighs. It doesn’t matter which site you choose as long as it's easily accessible. You can clean the area with the alcohol swab provided.

Prepare your dose

Before injecting your medication, it’s important you correctly prepare your injection and remove air bubbles from your syringe. To do this: 

1. Remove the vial cap, clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab, and allow it to dry. 
2. Pick up your syringe and pull back the plunger to the line on your syringe to your dose. This fills the syringe with air. 
3. Remove the needle cap and insert the needle into the rubber stopper on the vial, taking care not to touch or bend the needle. 
4. Depress the plunger to push the air back into the vial, this keeps a vacuum from forming. While the needle is still inserted in the vial, gently turn the vial upside down. 
5. With the needle in the liquid, pull back the plunger to your correct dose of semaglutide. The medication should be clear and colorless. If the medication looks cloudy, do not use the medication — you should never take discolored medications.
6. Remove the syringe from the vial, taking care to keep the needle clean. To remove any air bubbles from the syringe, keep the needle tip pointing upwards and tap the syringe lightly to move any air bubbles to the top. 

Make sure you still have the correct dose of medication in your syringe before you continue. 

Administer your injection

To inject your medication, position the needle at the injection site, ensuring you can see when the syringe is empty. Insert the needle into your skin at a 90-degree angle and inject the medication by depressing the plunger while you count to five. Remove the needle from your skin slowly — if you do this too quickly, your medication may leak out and you might not receive a complete dose. If blood appears at the injection site, press on it lightly with a clean tissue, but don't rub the area.

Dispose of your syringe

Lead the needle tip into the needle cap on a flat surface. Once the needle is covered, carefully push the outer needle cap completely on. Then, dispose of the used syringe in your sharps container. Put the vial back in the container you received it in after each use and store your medication safely in the refrigerator. Once you've administered all four doses from your vial, you should dispose of it in the sharps bin.

Looking for weight loss support?

You could boost your weight loss results with the help of GLP-1 medications from a licensed healthcare provider like Levity. Start a consultation today to see if you're eligible and find the best treatment plan for you. 

References

1. Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine [Internet]. 2021 Feb 10;384(11):989–1002. Available from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183 
2. How To Inject Weight Loss Medication | Levity [Internet]. Joinlevity.com. 2024 [cited 2024 Nov 19]. Available from: https://www.joinlevity.com/posts/how-to-inject-weight-loss-medication