The short answer
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It is the active ingredient in Wegovy injection and Wegovy tablets (approved for chronic weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction), Ozempic injection (type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular and kidney risk reduction), and Rybelsus tablets (type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular risk reduction). It carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors. It is not a menopause treatment.
Boxed warning: risk of thyroid C-cell tumors
Semaglutide caused thyroid C-cell tumors in rodents; whether it does in humans is unknown. It is contraindicated with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with MEN 2.
Labels also warn about pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas, kidney injury from dehydration, severe gastrointestinal reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications, and aspiration risk during anesthesia. It should be stopped before a planned pregnancy as directed by the label.
Current label check
The medication-specific claims on this page were checked against these current product labels on 2026-10-03.
| Product label | Label date | Boxed warning on that label |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy (semaglutide) injection and tablets | 2026-06-18 | Thyroid C-cell tumors |
| Ozempic (semaglutide) injection | 2026-06-01 | Thyroid C-cell tumors |
| Rybelsus and Ozempic (semaglutide) tablets | 2026-01-30 | Thyroid C-cell tumors |
Established evidence
Products that contain semaglutide
Each product has its own approval and label; see the full comparison guide for detail.
| Product | Form | Approved for |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy injection | Weekly injection | Chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction in established heart disease with obesity or overweight; MASH with moderate-to-advanced fibrosis |
| Wegovy tablets | Daily oral tablet | Chronic weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction in established heart disease with obesity or overweight |
| Ozempic | Weekly injection | Type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular and kidney risk reduction in type 2 diabetes |
| Rybelsus | Daily oral tablet | Type 2 diabetes; cardiovascular risk reduction in high-risk type 2 diabetes (added 2025) |
Established evidence
How semaglutide works
Semaglutide mimics GLP-1, a gut hormone released after eating. It increases insulin release when glucose is high, lowers glucagon, slows stomach emptying, and acts on appetite centers in the brain. A fatty-acid side chain lets it last about a week.
Established evidence
What the evidence shows
In STEP 1, adults with obesity or overweight without diabetes lost an average of about 15 percent of body weight over 68 weeks on semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly with lifestyle support, compared with about 2 percent on placebo. Individual results ranged widely.
In SELECT, semaglutide 2.4 mg reduced major cardiovascular events by about 20 percent compared with placebo in adults with established heart disease and overweight or obesity without diabetes. The FLOW trial supported Ozempic's kidney indication. Weight is commonly regained after stopping.
Semaglutide in midlife
Menopause is associated with fat redistribution toward the abdomen and loss of lean mass. GLP-1 medicines treat obesity and diabetes, not menopause. Because weight loss can include muscle and bone, protein intake and resistance training matter. Hormone therapy and GLP-1 medicines can be used together when each is independently appropriate.
Established evidence
Common side effects
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, especially during dose increases
- Abdominal pain and reflux
- Fatigue and headache
- Faster heart rate
Compounded semaglutide
Compounded medications are not FDA approved, and the FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness, or quality. The FDA has received reports of dosing errors and products containing salt forms such as semaglutide sodium that differ from the approved ingredient. A compounded product is not equivalent to Wegovy or Ozempic.
Questions to ask a healthcare professional
- Which semaglutide product matches my diagnosis?
- Would tirzepatide or an oral option be more suitable?
- How do we protect muscle and bone?
- What happens when I stop?
Questions, answered
What people ask about Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus
Is semaglutide the same as Ozempic?+
Semaglutide is the ingredient. Ozempic is one product containing it, approved for type 2 diabetes; Wegovy and Rybelsus are others with different labels.
Is semaglutide a menopause medication?+
No. It treats obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related cardiometabolic risks.
Can semaglutide be taken with HRT?+
There is no known direct interaction. A clinician decides whether each is appropriate on its own merits.
Is compounded semaglutide FDA approved?+
No. Compounded medications are not FDA approved or FDA reviewed for safety, effectiveness, or quality.
Kindr Health does not claim to offer Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus on this page. Availability and prescribing are not implied.
A broader care pathway
Explore metabolic health care
Learn how Kindr Health care pathways work. Any treatment decision is made by a licensed professional; a prescription is never guaranteed.
SOURCES & REFERENCES
Every clinical claim on this page is sourced.
- WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and WEGOVY (semaglutide) tablets prescribing information (2026) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2026/215256Orig1s029,%20218316Orig1s005lbl.pdf
- Ozempic prescribing information (current label) (2026) — DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/search.cfm?labeltype=all&query=Ozempic
- Rybelsus (semaglutide) tablets supplement approval letter adding cardiovascular risk reduction (2025) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/appletter/2025/213051Orig1s024,s028,s029ltr.pdf
- Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1) (2021) — New England Journal of Medicine. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185
- Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes (SELECT) (2023) — New England Journal of Medicine. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131
- FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss (2025) — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
This resource is educational and does not replace individualized medical advice. Do not start, stop, or change a prescription without guidance from a licensed healthcare professional.