Why Are People Microdosing Ozempic and Other GLP-1s?
Experts say that there are several reasons why people using semaglutide might want to microdose — some more legitimate than others.
Managing GLP-1 Side Effects
GLP-1 drugs can result in substantial gastrointestinal side effects, including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Not everyone experiences these uncomfortable symptoms, but those who do tend to feel them most severely when they step up to a higher dose of the medicine.
Microdosing allows users to increase their doses in smaller amounts than the standard increments. “A patient might be cautious of increasing semaglutide from 0.25 to 0.5 mg, so we might discuss microdosing to achieve a dose in between,” Tchang says.
Other patients may be unable to tolerate the side effects of the standard starter dose, but microdosing allows them to begin at an even lower level. “Some of our patients are on tiny doses, if they don’t need or don’t tolerate higher doses,” Saunders says.
Microdosing could also help people temporarily manage side effects in situations where gastrointestinal distress might prove disastrous. If you’re scheduled to take your shot before a wedding, job interview, vacation, or other important event, microdosing might be a good alternative to skipping Ozempic doses entirely.
Saving Money or Managing Ozempic Supply Gaps
Microdosing first emerged as a strategy to cope with past shortages of Ozempic and Wegovy.
It takes months to gradually “step up” to the maximum dose of Ozempic or Wegovy. If a patient on a high dose of semaglutide can’t fill their prescription for a large injection pen, they may fear that they will have to go back to square one, the smallest starter dose, and lose months of progress.
Counting clicks to make a pen last longer during a shortage is a viable strategy, says Saunders. “If patients are unable to obtain their medication for a period of time due to a supply shortage, it’s always better to stay on whatever dose they can, instead of stopping the medication completely.”
Some people who don’t need a large dose are also trying to save money by filling prescriptions for high-capacity pens and counting clicks to administer smaller doses.
Longevity and Other Speculative GLP-1 Benefits
Some compounding pharmacies are now advertising microdoses of GLP-1 drugs to boost longevity or as an anti-addiction treatment, among other benefits that have not yet been endorsed by the FDA. Although there may be some preliminary evidence that the medications could offer such benefits, there’s generally insufficient high-quality evidence to support their use for this purpose.
Maintaining Weight Loss
Some GLP-1 users who achieve their weight loss goals gradually dial down their dose by tiny amounts in the hope of saving money, building up a stockpile, or even having a more “normal” appetite, without compromising their weight loss success.
Saunders warns against making such adjustments without a doctor’s help. “If someone with obesity has lost a significant amount of weight with a GLP-1 medication and they decide on their own to greatly reduce the dose of the medication, they’ll be at high risk of regaining [weight],” she says. “Medication dosage should never be adjusted without consulting the prescribing provider.”
