What are the most common side effects of Ozempic?

The label lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation among reactions reported in at least 5% of patients. The full frequency table is in the label itself, linked below; any percentage quoted on this page is the label's own figure.

What organ is Ozempic hard on?

No single organ: Ozempic's FDA label warns about the pancreas, gallbladder, kidneys, eyes and stomach, and its boxed warning is about the thyroid. Pancreas — acute pancreatitis, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis: persistent or severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back. Gallbladder — acute gallbladder disease: cholelithiasis in 1.5% at 0.5 mg and 0.4% at 1 mg, and in no placebo-treated patients. Kidneys — acute kidney injury from volume depletion, in some cases needing dialysis, reported mostly in people who became dehydrated through nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Eyes — diabetic retinopathy complications: 3.0% against 1.8% on placebo over two years, and 8.2% against 5.2% among those who already had retinopathy at baseline. Stomach — severe gastrointestinal reactions: 0.4% at 0.5 mg and 0.8% at 1 mg against 0% on placebo. Thyroid — the boxed warning: in rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses; whether it does so in people is unknown.

Do the side effects mean the price is not the issue?

They meet at titration. Most of these reactions are worst in the weeks after a dose increase, and those are also the weeks when some sellers charge a lower starting price. So the months people are most likely to stop are not the months that show what the drug costs. The maintenance price is on the Ozempic price page.

← Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) side effects

Ozempic's FDA label lists 5 common reactions, 8 serious warnings and 2 contraindications, plus a boxed warning. All of them are below in the label's own order; any percentage is the label's own figure, and nothing here is a recommendation.

No clinician has reviewed this page. Label and trial statements are quoted from the FDA label or the trial cited beside them. General guidance is marked as such, and every price carries the date it was verified. That is sourcing, not medical review. What we do and do not check · Who checked the price

Last updated 2026-06-10 — the version of the FDA label this page quotes. Read and dated by Alex Seot.

What are the side effects of Ozempic?

The FDA label for Ozempic lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and constipation among the reactions reported in at least 5% of patients. It carries a boxed warning, the strongest the FDA issues: In rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses. The label's serious warnings include acute pancreatitis; diabetic retinopathy complications; hypoglycemia with an insulin secretagogue or insulin; and acute kidney injury from volume depletion. It is contraindicated in 2 cases, among them a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or MEN 2, meaning the label says not to prescribe it at all. Every line above is quoted from FDA prescribing information for OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection rather than summarized from a secondary source, because a side-effect list paraphrased twice stops being the label. That label version was published 2026-06-10. Frequencies are not repeated here second-hand: the percentage table lives in the label itself, which is linked on the page.

Boxed warning — the strongest warning the FDA issues

In rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses. Whether it does so in people is unknown, and the label carries that as a boxed warning. It is contraindicated outright with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.

Common, and usually manageable

Reactions the label reports in at least 5% of patients.

nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
abdominal pain
constipation

This is the diabetes label. Prescribed for weight loss it is off-label, which changes nothing about the side effects and everything about whether a plan will pay. Gastrointestinal reactions made 3.1% of patients stop at 0.5 mg and 3.8% at 1 mg, against 0.4% on placebo, and most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea came during dose escalation. Side effects that do not settle are a conversation with the prescriber rather than a reason to quit unannounced.

Serious, and worth knowing before you start

Acute pancreatitis, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis: persistent or severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back. The label says to stop the drug if it is suspected
Diabetic retinopathy complications: 3.0% against 1.8% on placebo over two years, and 8.2% against 5.2% among those who already had retinopathy at baseline
Never share a pen between patients, even with a new needle (5.4) — sharing risks passing on blood-borne infection
Hypoglycemia with an insulin secretagogue or insulin: the label says the sulfonylurea or insulin dose may need lowering
Acute kidney injury from volume depletion, in some cases needing dialysis, reported mostly in people who became dehydrated through nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
Severe gastrointestinal reactions: 0.4% at 0.5 mg and 0.8% at 1 mg against 0% on placebo. Not recommended in severe gastroparesis
Hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis and angioedema, which the label says are a reason to stop and not to use it again
Acute gallbladder disease: cholelithiasis in 1.5% at 0.5 mg and 0.4% at 1 mg, and in no placebo-treated patients
Pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation: the drug delays gastric emptying, and stomach contents have been found despite normal preoperative fasting. Tell any surgeon or anesthesiologist you are taking it

Who cannot take it

A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or MEN 2
Known hypersensitivity to semaglutide

Each of these, on its own

What the label says, why it happens, how it tracks the dose schedule and the point at which it stops being ordinary.

What it costs Dosage schedule

Everything on Ozempic

Questions

What are the most common side effects of Ozempic?: The label lists nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation among reactions reported in at least 5% of patients. The full frequency table is in the label itself, linked below; any percentage quoted on this page is the label's own figure.
Who should not take it?: The label contraindicates it in these cases: A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or MEN 2; Known hypersensitivity to semaglutide.
What organ is Ozempic hard on?: No single organ: Ozempic's FDA label warns about the pancreas, gallbladder, kidneys, eyes and stomach, and its boxed warning is about the thyroid. Pancreas — acute pancreatitis, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis: persistent or severe abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back. Gallbladder — acute gallbladder disease: cholelithiasis in 1.5% at 0.5 mg and 0.4% at 1 mg, and in no placebo-treated patients. Kidneys — acute kidney injury from volume depletion, in some cases needing dialysis, reported mostly in people who became dehydrated through nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Eyes — diabetic retinopathy complications: 3.0% against 1.8% on placebo over two years, and 8.2% against 5.2% among those who already had retinopathy at baseline. Stomach — severe gastrointestinal reactions: 0.4% at 0.5 mg and 0.8% at 1 mg against 0% on placebo. Thyroid — the boxed warning: in rodents this molecule caused thyroid C-cell tumors at human-relevant doses; whether it does so in people is unknown.
Do the side effects mean the price is not the issue?: They meet at titration. Most of these reactions are worst in the weeks after a dose increase, and those are also the weeks when some sellers charge a lower starting price. So the months people are most likely to stop are not the months that show what the drug costs. The maintenance price is on the Ozempic price page.

Source: FDA prescribing information for OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection, the version published 2026-06-10. Information only, not medical advice: a side effect you are having is a conversation with your prescriber, not with a comparison site.