Ozempic pens come in 3 sizes. Each pen holds 4 maintenance doses of either 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg of medicine given once weekly and will last for one month.

Key Takeaways

Ozempic (semaglutide) injection is a medication used for type 2 diabetes that comes in a self-injectable pen. This pen is a device that is pre-filled with medication and makes it easier for you to give yourself the weekly injections.

If you use the 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg maintenance dose per week, your pen will hold 4 doses and last for one month.

Ozempic pens contain different amount of medicine. You may have a pen that delivers 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg per injection. It depends upon how your doctor orders Ozempic, and what dose you are using. The 0.25 mg dose is a starter (initiation) dose given once weekly. After 4 weeks, your doctor will increase your dose to 0.5 mg once weekly. If needed, higher doses may also be prescribed.

Each carton also contains NovoFine Plus needles that are used with the Ozempic pen.

Ozempic injection is available at the pharmacy in three options:

• A carton that contains one pen with 2 mg/3 mL of Ozempic per pen. This pen delivers 4 weekly doses of 0.25 mg plus 2 weekly doses of 0.5 mg per injection OR 4 weekly doses of 0.5 mg per injection. The carton also contains 6 NovoFine Plus needles. This pen is intended for treatment initiation at the 0.25 mg dose and maintenance treatment at the 0.5 mg dose. The pen delivers 4 doses of the 0.25 mg and 2 doses of the 0.5 mg strength. It can also deliver 4 doses of the 0.5 mg strength.
• A carton that contains one pen with 4 mg/3 mL of Ozempic per pen. This pen delivers 4 weekly doses of 1 mg per injection. The carton also contains 4 NovoFine Plus needles. This pen is intended for maintenance treatment at the 1 mg dose only. Each pen delivers 4 doses of the 1 mg strength and contains a month’s worth of medication.
• A carton that contains one pen with 8 mg/3 mL of Ozempic per pen. This pen delivers 4 weekly doses of 2 mg per injection. The carton also contains 4 NovoFine Plus needles. This pen is intended for maintenance treatment at the 2 mg dose only. Each pen delivers 4 doses of the 2 mg strength and contains a month’s worth of medication.

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will show you how to use Ozempic the first time. Ozempic is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach area (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm. Do not inject Ozempic into a muscle (intramuscularly) or vein (intravenously).

Don’t share your Ozempic pen with anyone, even if the needle has been changed. Use a new needle each time you inject Ozempic.

How do I know when my Ozempic pen is empty?

If you can’t turn the dose selector to your dose on your Ozempic pen, there is not enough Ozempic left in your pen for a full dose, so do not use it. Get a new pen.

You can use the Ozempic dose counter on your pen to see how much medicine is left in the pen. If you cannot dial to your full dose (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg), there is not enough medicine in the pen for your dose. The dose counter is found on the front of your pen between the Ozempic label and the dose pointer arrow.

Looking at the front of your Ozempic pen may show that liquid medicine is still in your pen, but this will not tell you if you have a full dose.

How to use the Ozempic dose counter

It can be helpful to know the number of doses per Ozempic pen to determine if you have any doses left, as outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: How Ozempic is Supplied

Dose per Injection	Total Strength per Pen	Doses per Ozempic Pen
0.25 mg (initiation dose); 0.5 mg (maintenance dose)	2 mg per 3 mL	4 doses of 0.25 mg and 2 doses of 0.5 mg, OR 4 doses of 0.5 mg
1 mg (maintenance dose)	4 mg per 3 mL	4 doses of 1 mg
2 mg (maintenance dose)	8 mg per 3 mL	4 doses of 2 mg

For example, let’s say you use the Ozempic pen that delivers the 0.25 or 0.5 mg doses (total strength per pen is 2 mg per 3 mL). This pen only delivers doses in 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg strength increments.

Turn the dose selector until the dose counter stops. If there is medicine in the pen, the dose counter will stop on the amount left. For example:

• If it stops at 0.5, this means at least 0.5 mg is left in your pen. If the dose counter stops before 0.5 mg, there is not enough medicine for a full 0.5 mg dose.
• If it stops at 0.25, there is at least 0.25 mg left in your pen. If the dose counter stops before 0.25 mg, there is not enough Ozempic in your pen for a full 0.25 mg dose.

The same method can be used to check the amount of Ozempic in the 1 mg and 2 mg strength pens.

If you can’t turn the dose selector, then your pen is empty. If there is not enough Ozempic left in your pen for a full dose as indicated by your dose counter, use a new pen.

Once your pen is empty, dispose of it right away in an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container or other household container (such as an upright, heavy-duty, stable, leak-resistant plastic container with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out and labeled to warn of hazardous waste).

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What is the dose?

Ozempic is injected once a week, exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

Start at 0.25 mg once per week for the first 4 weeks. You start with a lower dose to help your body adjust to the medicine, but the 0.25 mg once per week dose is not effective in lowering your blood sugar over the long-term. Your doctor will increase your dose when it's time.

At Week 5, your doctor will increase the dose to 0.5 mg once a week. If, after at least 4 weeks on the 0.5 mg dose, you need further blood sugar control, your doctor may increase your dose to 1 mg once a week. There is a separate pen for this dose and you will need a new prescription.

If additional blood sugar control is needed, your doctor may increase the dose to 2 mg once weekly after at least 4 weeks on the 1 mg dose. There is also a separate pen for this dose and you will need a new prescription.

Administer the injection once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of the day, with or without meals. The maximum dose of Ozempic is 2 mg injected once a week for blood sugar control.

Your doctor may also prescribe Ozempic to help protect your kidneys. To reduce the risk of kidney worsening, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel-related) death, your doctor will start you on a 0.5 mg dose injected subcutaneously once a week for 4 weeks. After this, your doctor will increase your dose to 1 mg once weekly.

The dose is increased slowly as directed by your doctor to help avoid stomach effects like nausea or vomiting that may occur at the start of treatment. These side effects typically subside in the first few weeks.

Review: Uses for Ozempic

Ozempic injection 0.5 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg is used:

• along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular (heart and vessel-related) events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus with known heart disease.
• to reduce the risk of worsening kidney disease and cardiovascular (heart and vessel-related) death in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

In addition, Ozempic can help many patients lose some weight. It is not known if it's safe and effective to use in children.

How do I store Ozempic?

Your Ozempic pen should stay in the refrigerator (between 36°F to 46°F or 2°C to 8°C) until the first time you use it.

After you’ve used it for the first time, you can either store your pen at room temperature (between 59ºF to 86ºF or 15ºC to 30ºC) or you can continue to keep it in the refrigerator. Throw away the pen after 56 days, (whether kept in the refrigerator or at room temperature), even if it has medicine left in it. Do not use the Ozempic pen if it has frozen.

Unused pens may be used until the expiration date (“EXP”) printed on the label, if kept in the refrigerator

Do not keep your pens in the car as they may get too hot or cold.

For full instructions on how to use Ozempic, see the Instructions for Use.

Bottom Line

There are 3 different self-injectable pen options with Ozempic. Each pen contains 2 mg/3 mL, 4 mg/3 mL, or 8 mg/3 mL. Maintenance doses for Ozempic are 0.5, 1 or 2 mg injected subcutaneously (under the skin) once per week.

Your Ozempic pen should be stored in the refrigerator (between 36°F to 46°F or 2°C to 8°C) until the first time you use it. After you use it the first time, you can keep it at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Either way, dispose of the pen after 56 days, even if it still contains medication.

This is not all the information you need to know about Ozempic for safe and effective use and does not replace your doctor's directions. Review the full product information and discuss this information and any questions with your doctor or other health care provider.

References

• Ozempic (semaglutide) [Package Insert]. Revised 1/2025. Novo Nordisk. Plainsboro, NJ. Accessed Sep 11, 2025 at https://www.novo-pi.com/ozempic.pdf

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