Can You Dose 0.25mg Of Ozempic With The 2mg Pen?
In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist answers a reader question regarding delivering a 0.25mg Ozempic dose.
Hello, I have a question about Ozempic. I have a 2 mg pen; however, I'm supposed to take 0.25 mg according to my doctor. How do I take 0.25 mg from a 2 mg pen?
Jul 01, 2024- Ozempic comes in different pens with different dosing capabilities, and it's important to identify which pen you have because some can only deliver certain doses. If you have the red pen labeled 0.25mg/0.5mg per dose, you can dial it to 0.25mg, but if you have the yellow pen labeled 2mg per dose, it only delivers 2mg doses and cannot be used for a 0.25mg dose. Contact your pharmacy and doctor right away if you're unsure which pen you have or if you received the wrong one.
Answer
Thanks so much for your question!
It's not clear from your question which Ozempic pen you have, and that is the most important consideration here.
Ozempic pens come in three different dosage options, which can sometimes cause confusion. They are usually identified by the dosage they deliver per injection (e.g., 1mg per dose, 2mg per dose, etc.). However, they can also be referred to by the total milligrams contained in each pen:
- 0.25/0.5mg per dose (2mg/3mL - 2mg total per pen)
- 1mg per dose (4mg/3mL - 4mg total per pen)
- 2mg per dose (8mg/3mL - 8mg total per pen)
Below is an image of the three different dosage pens:
You stated in your question that you have the '2mg pen'. I am unsure if you mean you have the 2mg per dose pen (which has a concentration of 8mg/3mL) or you have the 0.25mg/0.5mg per dose pen (which has a total of 2mg in the pen).
If you have the 0.25mg/0.5mg pen (which contains 2mg total), you are good to go. You can simply dial your dose to 0.25mg and inject.
However, if you have the 2mg per dose pen (8mg/3mL), you won't be able to deliver a dose of 0.25mg. This Ozempic pen delivers only a single fixed dose of 2mg per injection and cannot be dialed to any other dose amount. We wrote about this in a different answer (Can You Get A 1mg Dose From The Ozempic 8mg/3mL (2mg) Pen? | HelloPharmacist), and described how the 2mg per dose pen cannot be used to deliver doses other than 2mg.
So, to reiterate, if you have the RED Ozempic pen (0.25mg/0.5mg dose), you can just dial your dose to 0.25mg. If you have the YELLOW Ozempic pen (2mg per dose), you have the wrong pen as you won't be able to dose 0.25mg. If you have the wrong pen, it’s possible that either you were prescribed the wrong one or there was some confusion at the pharmacy. I have certainly seen cases where someone was prescribed a '2mg pen' and was dispensed the 2mg per dose pen instead of the intended 0.25 mg/0.5 mg pen.
I highly recommend reaching out to your doctor and pharmacy to resolve the situation so you can use the correct dose prescribed to you.
Final Words
I hope this answer provided some clarity! Thanks for reaching out.
References & sources
- Ozempic Prescribing Information — Novo
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Dosage
- The amount of medication prescribed to be taken at one time or over a period of time.
- Concentration
- The amount of active medication contained in a specific volume of liquid, expressed as milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL).
- Milligrams (mg)
- A unit of measurement for weight used in medicine; one milligram equals one-thousandth of a gram.
- Milliliters (mL)
- A unit of measurement for liquid volume; one milliliter equals one-thousandth of a liter.
- Increments
- Fixed amounts or steps by which something increases or can be adjusted.
- Dispense
- To distribute or provide medication to a patient, typically done by a pharmacist.
- Prescribed
- Ordered or recommended by a doctor for a patient to take as treatment.
- Inject
- To introduce medication into the body using a needle and syringe or pen device.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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