Ozempic and Nausea: What Users Say

• dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2020

"Started taking this medication off label for weight loss only. I am not diabetic. Started on Aug 30, 2020. First 2 weeks I had some mild nausea, nothing terrible, and some mild dizziness. The past 2 weeks, I have had no symptoms. I definitely cannot eat what I used to, or you will feel sick. I am doing the weekly injection at 0.25 along with Weight Watchers, and in the past 26 days, I have lost 10.5 lbs :). My sweet tooth cravings are pretty much gone. Really happy so far. I am increasing to 0.50mg next week. I'll keep you all posted!"

• Lyn...
• December 22, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took one dose of Ozempic and I have been sick ever since. Diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach cramps, and a little dizziness. This is terrible, will never use again. Can someone tell me how long these symptoms last?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 24, 2023

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Horrible experience. I only took 2 dosages because I had difficulty functioning with headaches, eye pain, nausea, dizziness, and overall feeling awful. The additional issue is I've been off the drug for a week and can't get rid of the symptoms. I'm nauseous every day, with headaches, and dizziness. How long until all of this goes away?"

• Val...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 14, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "I’m a nurse. I started this med and unfortunately the nausea, gastritis, dizziness, and headache continuing into week 4 is simply not worth it. I can’t lay in bed and be miserable, which is what this does to me. At first, I actually thought I had a GI Bug. If there is any other choice, do not put yourself through this."

• mew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2024

For Type 2 Diabetes "I’m 63 F with T2 diabetes, and I started on Oz mid-May 2024. Symptoms: nausea, fatigue, GERD, sulfur burps, stomach cramping from severe constipation, constipation, feeling like I need to vomit, ringing in my ears has increased significantly, loss of appetite, reduction of inflammation, occasional migraines, feeling “off” most days, bouts of dizziness, and feeling faint, but blood sugar and blood pressure are normal, improved blood sugar readings, weight loss of 13 lbs. There are some perks: rheumatoid and osteoarthritis inflammation has lessened, though I still feel pain daily, it’s more tolerable. I take no painkillers but will take CBD as needed. Loss of appetite has led to a loss of 13 lbs so far, blood sugar improved so I’m confident that my A1C has improved also. I struggle with what to do: stay on for the inflammatory reductions, weight loss, and blood sugar improvement benefits, or quit because I feel sick most days, so I have no real pleasure in life anymore. No, I’m not depressed."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Two days after the injection, I get a pretty bad headache, indigestion, and a bloated feeling that lasts the day. This week (6th shot) has been different. It’s the second week the dose was raised from .25 mg to .5 mg. I felt like I had to throw up. The indigestion, burping, constipation, sore muscles, aches, and heavy sweating all felt like I had a horrible flu. I stayed home from work. I went back to work today, when I normally get the headache, and had heavy sweating, burping, indigestion, cold clammy skin, bloating, diarrhea, and depression and anxiety (years since I had either one). Tonight I still have bloating, wrists and shoulders sore, and indigestion with burps. My neck is really stiff. The normal headache has started with a little dizziness. I am still debating what to do as this has been an effective medicine. My blood sugar has gone from 290 to 90 to 140 when I check it. I have lost weight as well."

• Lax...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Update: since my last report, I have not taken another dose. I’m on day 11 of feeling sick and miserable. I have indigestion from the smallest amounts of food, steady low-grade headache, sweats, fatigue, nausea, but the worst is extreme dizziness every time I stand up. This drug may work for some, but my experience from one small dose was horrible."

• Ann...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 29, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "Was taking Ozempic for weight loss started a year ago when I started at the lowest dose. I was moved up to 1 gm after about seven months of being on it. At the beginning, it wasn’t bothering me, I went from 272 to 214, but I had to stop taking it. I’ve been in the hospital because of the side effects: I had bowel obstruction, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, this bad taste I can’t get rid of on my tongue, so tired I can’t get out of bed that I miss so many days at work as it is a struggle to go. I feel so horrible. It’s been three weeks since I stopped taking Ozempic, but I’m still not feeling any better."

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "On the fence. Took my first shot of Ozempic .25 last Wed at the doc's office. I was nervous as I couldn't tolerate Metformin's side effects. But she reassured me this was gonna be the answer to my prayers, so I agreed to try it. First day I was fine, then they hit. Woke up feeling dizzy, nauseous, and shaky. My fasting blood sugar was 157. Lower than it's been in quite some time. Ozempic does its job. My BS has been managed quite well. I definitely don't have an appetite. Have to make myself eat and drink. Have very low energy. Tired all the time. Aside from that, it's the other side effects I'm having trouble living with. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning clammy with severe nausea, mild headache, and dizzy. But it's only been 6 days. The constant nausea, dizziness, and headaches are almost unbearable. Not sure if I'm gonna continue. If the effects are like this now, what are they gonna be with the increased dose? There's gotta be a better way!"

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "On the fence. Took my first shot of Ozempic .25 last Wed at the doc's office. I was nervous as I couldn't tolerate Metformin's side effects. But she reassured me this was gonna be the answer to my prayers, so I agreed to try it. First day I was fine, then they hit. Woke up feeling dizzy, nauseous, and shaky. My fasting blood sugar was 157. Lower than it's been in quite some time. Ozempic does its job. My BS has been managed quite well. I definitely don't have an appetite. Have to make myself eat and drink. Have very low energy. Tired all the time. Aside from that, it's the other side effects I'm having trouble living with. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning clammy with severe nausea, mild headache, and dizzy. But it's only been 6 days. The constant nausea, dizziness, and headaches are almost unbearable. Not sure if I'm gonna continue. If the effects are like this now, what are they gonna be with the increased dose? There's gotta be a better way!"

• JLa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I've been on Ozempic 0.25 for five weeks, it's great for losing weight, but the side effects are not worth it. Let me review what Ozempic has been like. The first three weeks were okay, and then I started noticing nausea, stomach burning, headache, dizziness, upper back pain, severe constipation, and feeling very tired and depressed. I ended up in the ER with a mild pancreatic attack and high lipase levels. I've had no desire to eat or even drink water. It makes me gag, and I used to drink a lot of water. I'm done with these injections. I will stay on my metformin, but I can do better on a healthy eating lifestyle than on Ozempic and all the negative side effects. Quality of life has gone from a 10 to a 1, and that is not me. I'm taking my life back. It's really just healthy eating, and we can all do that with willpower. Good luck to everyone else."

• Eri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 17, 2023

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I am a 45-year-old woman. Started Ozempic .25 mg dose 6 weeks ago, increasing to the .5 mg dose after 4 weeks. Lost 13 pounds so far, which makes me happy. Started with some nausea, some explosive diarrhea, and a general fullness feeling, and no cravings. Now I’m experiencing more constipation, and after the last injection, a dizziness/lightheaded feeling. Don’t like that at all. It never goes away. Don’t know if it’s related, but also tingling and some numbness in one foot. I’ll try injecting my thigh next time and see if that helps the dizziness because I definitely do not enjoy that feeling. Almost a jittery feeling as well. Weird. So I’m hoping these will improve over time as I am liking the weight loss results so far. I’m wondering if anyone else has had this dizzy/jittery feeling and if it will go away."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 31, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "I did not have a good experience with Ozempic. Other than a 35 lb weight loss in 4 months, there is nothing else good I can say about it. From the first dose, I’ve had nausea and dizziness. The second dose has been a rollercoaster of constipation, stomach pain, fatigue, with continued nausea and dizziness. I’m constantly sick, I can’t eat anything more than a couple of bites of food. Nothing tastes the same, and the smell of food makes me head to the bathroom with nausea. So going out to eat is only a memory now. I do not recommend this medication. This cannot be healthy for anyone. I’ve stopped taking the Ozempic and am wondering if these side effects will end, they say it takes 5 weeks to leave your system. I’m counting the days!!"

• Lax...
• August 19, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I just started this drug on Thursday. It’s now Monday, and I have lost 7 pounds, however, I feel miserable. Today it’s overwhelming dizziness, but previously it was nausea, bloating, and stomach pain. No appetite whatsoever, extreme fatigue, and insomnia! I had six stents placed in my heart arteries on July 22. I was hiking on the 20th and needed to be rescued from the trail. My blood glucose at rescue was 33. I was put on insulin in the hospital and prescribed a cardiac cocktail of six different meds, four of which caused some dizziness and light sensitivity, which had improved over four weeks to the point that I was walking an hour a day. I’ve barely left the house since Thursday. I will not take another dose of Ozempic. PS: the insulin was working well, I was down to 3 units, three times a day of Humalog (from 8 units x 3) and 9 units of Basaglar (from 25), plus 500 mg x 2 of Metformin."

• Hel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 7, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I started on Ozempic 1.25. It helped my glucose numbers significantly, following a bad reaction to steroid shots in my knees. However, I have been experiencing increasing symptoms of migraines - nausea, dizziness, movement and light sensitivity, pain in face, temple, skull, and back. And today I connected the symptoms to my Ozempic shot. I had forgotten my shot and took it 3 days late. I had experienced 2 symptom-free days, then just hours after my shot, the migraine symptoms returned with a vengeance. I will test this out again, but it seems pretty conclusive. Having lost 2 weeks of work already, I am hoping I have the answer. But I am frustrated about my sugars because Ozempic has reduced my A1C."

• Ame...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "Awful. Just awful. I was fine the first two days after my first injection. Then I woke up in the middle of the night with severe nausea and dizziness. I took Zofran, which helped. I could not eat or move all the next day. Thirty-six hours later, I am recovering. I feel like I had the worst stomach flu ever. I will lose weight the old-fashioned way. This is not worth it. I need my life back."

• Vuk...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "I had been on a Keto diet for 10 weeks with very little weight loss and then added 16:8 intermittent fasting for another 4, and only lost about 5 lbs in that time. 14 weeks! I had lost 50 lbs in about 8 months a few short years ago and kept it off, thank goodness, doing just a keto diet, no fasting. It was truly confounding why the weight wasn’t budging this time. I went to my doctor because I believe there is a biological reason I wasn’t losing weight, and she referred me to an endocrinologist. BTW, my blood sugar is normal. She asked if I wanted to try Ozempic, as one of the “side effects” was weight loss. I was skeptical, but I was at my wit's end with the poor weight loss results. Decided to try it, injected myself a mere 2 days ago, and I’m down 2 lbs! Only side effects so far are mild and transient dizziness and nausea, and this pressure/heavy feeling after eating even a small meal. I didn’t eat big meals anyway. So far, I’m impressed."

• Jad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Ozempic since the end of February. When I began this medication, I was 173.2 lbs, as of this morning, I weigh 149 lbs. My levels have been normal. I will get my A1C results on Tuesday. Hopefully, it will be lower than a 9! Other than that, the only side effects for me have been a little dizziness and nausea on the day of the injection."

• Kel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 20, 2021

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "Was Ozempic for 4 weeks. Giving myself a weekly injection. Week 1 and 2, I was okay. The end of week 2, I was really nauseous. By the 3rd week, I couldn't eat or drink anything. My prescriber assured me I would be okay, so I went on with my 4th week. I spent 3 separate days in A&E, and I was diagnosed with a clot in the lung (PE). Now, maybe this wasn't directly caused by the injection, but due to the severe nausea and dehydration, that is how I got a clot. The nausea still continued for 4 weeks after my last injection. I would never recommend this at all. If my clot hadn't been picked up, goodness knows what may have happened. I also had bad dizziness and severe headaches."

• Hoo...
• May 17, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "Initially began Ozempic 0.25mg for 4 weeks. Side effects were tiredness, constipation. My fasting blood sugar numbers were lower in the morning. When I began the 0.50mg dose at 5 weeks, I had nausea, dizziness, and lethargy the day following the first dose. The second day following that dose, I felt about 70% better. With the second dose of 0.50mg, side effects were less severe, some minor nausea, headaches, and the tiredness continued. I hope that these side effects disappear. I plan to take this medication until I get my 3-month labs, and I expect that my A1c will be down significantly. It was at 5.9 in July of 2017. Due to the stress of caring for a dying relative from September through December, it jumped to 9.3. At my next appointment, my doctor suggested I try Ozempic in combination with Metformin 500mg twice a day. I received a 3-month discount card and have not yet checked with my health insurance provider to see if it will be covered. I am an active 61-year-old female, but type 2 diabetes does run in my mother’s family."

• Goa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 20, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have taken 7 doses of Ozempic. The first week wasn't too bad. A little nausea and fatigue. I did feel like my food stuck in my throat, and every time I burped, there it was. As I continued to take it each week, the side effects got worse. I was just diagnosed with diabetes in May, and since then, I've been able to come off of my insulin on my own, before Ozempic. I still take Metformin twice a day. This past week, the seventh dose made me so sick! If I wasn't nauseous every day, I was running to the bathroom at all hours of the day and night. I had horrible heartburn, gas, burping, jitters, and dizziness the whole time and thought I could continue, but after this past week, my doctor said to come off of it. It will take a while to get out of my system, I know, but I hope it does so quickly. I need my life back!!"

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 18, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I started this drug to try and lower my A1C, which had climbed to 7.2. My nurse practitioner put me on it. She showed me how to do the injections, but no warnings of side effects. I took a .25 dose for 4 weeks, suffering pain in my stomach that radiated to my back. Absolutely no craving to eat anything at all. Had constipation. Then I went to a .5 injection and was fine for a bit until severe nausea began, along with dizziness and vomiting. I thought it was going to be the end of me, because then the unrelenting diarrhea began. I waited days in bed, so very ill, and decided to quit this awful medication. I have lost 6 pounds, and my morning glucose numbers are 107, it's lower, but feeling this deathly ill just isn't worth it. I quit the medication, though I understand it could take 5 weeks to leave my body. Beware of this drug."

• One...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 19, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "One of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life was starting this drug. You will be sicker than you ever have been from any other drug. My doctor started me out at 1 mg (what was she thinking???) and my life has been miserable ever since. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't work. I am so exhausted I can hardly drive. Horrible constipation, horrible nausea, dizziness, an all-over feeling of general unwellness. I took it for 2 weeks and quit. I quit a week ago and am still waiting to have a bowel movement. Still waiting for the sickness to go away. Still waiting to be able to lift my head off my pillow. This is an absolutely terrible drug for me. I'm going to find something else. This is not living. I'm also going to find another doctor. Shame on her for starting me on this stuff."

• Wri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 21, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking Ozempic for 10 weeks for both weight loss, which I have struggled with for years, and diabetes. I experienced nausea, constipation, slight dizziness, and headaches, but nothing that I couldn't manage, and only for 1 or 2 weeks of each increased dose. Went from 0.25 to 0.5, and now I'm on week 2 of the highest dose, 1.0, and currently have no side effects. I have also lost 19 lb so far, the doctor advised a 1200-calorie diet, and I couldn't be happier. My blood levels have come down from high 7's to 6.4, and the doctor is considering taking me off my usual diabetic medication, Empagliflozin. Some folks are saying, 'don't take it,' but just because their body didn't take to it doesn't mean you won't! And you could be missing out on what I would say is a game-changing medicine. I would say give it a go. And I wouldn't give up now for anything. My health has significantly improved. (Free to diabetics in the UK)."

• S-L...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 12, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "Please state how much you are on, it is helpful to others. I am on .5. Type 2 diabetic, 25 years. I started on .25 and moved up to .5 after a month. I have lost about 17 lbs thus far and am back into a size 8 (US) dress. I have had a lot of nausea, constipation, and dizziness. They may move me up to a .75 dose, as my sugar is controlled, but not as well as it could be. However, this medication has been life-changing. I have stopped taking all glucose-lowering pills and take no insulin now. I am on Jardiance too, a similar drug. These new meds are fantastic. If you are on the fence, give these a try, they are much more effective than the older drugs, in my opinion."