Dr. Ahmed
Selling counterfeit Ozempic and other diabetes medicines is a serious problem. Sellers should know that counterfeit diabetes medicines can kill the patient.
It’s not simply changing one diabetes medicine with another, even though, that’s a serious crime too.
Counterfeit Ozempic injections are commonly being sold. People are selling insulin pens which are labeled “Ozempic”.
Injecting insulin can cause severe hypoglycemia that may cause permanent brain damage, seizures, and even death.
Thanks to NOVO for formulating the dosing schedule of Ozempic. People with counterfeit Ozempic pens inject either 2.5 units or less than that. Actually, they are injecting 2.5 units of insulin.
Because the dose is very small, people do not observe serious side effects of insulin. Most people only complain that their Ozempic is not working.
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Ozempic not working…
A week back a patient came to my clinic for weight loss. After discussing all the options including diet, exercise, and the commonly available weight loss medicines, the patient stated that he has used 3 months of Ozempic injections but he has not lost a single pound.
I was a little surprised and asked him the dose. He replied that he has used up to 1 mg weekly for 3 months.
I further inquired about what the pen looked like and how many needles were there in the packing. He said my Ozempic pen does not have any needles with it, I bought them separately.
I understood he had used the Counterfeit Ozempic injections. I asked him to bring the pen tomorrow, I wanted to see if you are using the right one or the counterfeit injection.
The next day, he brought his pen which was not actually Ozempic but a sticker of Ozempic wrapped around an insulin pen. The pen did not have any markings of 0.25 and 0.5.
I asked him to buy Ozempic injections from our pharmacy. I opened the pen in front of him and he understood he was using the wrong pen.
Apart from the failure to lose weight and wasting a lot of his money, he did not have any significant side effects, thank GOD!
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Clues to Recognize Counterfeit Ozempic Injections:
First of all, you should buy Ozempic injections once your doctor has prescribed them. You should not use it on your own as it is not a vitamin to take.
Ozempic may cause serious side effects which can make you seriously ill.
Secondly, always buy Ozempic injections from an authorized pharmacy. Pay for its actual price. If a pharmacy is providing it at a discounted price which you think is much cheaper than the actual price, doubt that.
Look for the label:
The original Ozempic injection has proper labeling. Incorrect alignment of the label may indicate a counterfeit Ozempic injection.
This photo has been edited only to understand how the labeling may look like if you are using a counterfeit Ozempic injection:
Check the number of needles provided with the injection:
Novo provides a total of 6 needles with the original Ozempic injections. If your injection does not have six needles provided with it, you are using counterfeit Ozempic injections.
In addition, the six needles have a proper place in the box. They are not just given openly. They are fixed to the box and you have to take them one by one when using them.
- Check the dosing label:
Ozempic injections are labeled as 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg. If you rotate the dosing gauge and your pen shows 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on, you are using the wrong injection.
You are not losing weight and have uncontrolled diabetes:
If you are using counterfeit Ozempic injections, you may be gaining weight instead of losing it. In addition, you may have erratic blood glucose.
Your pen has medicine left after 4 to 5 injections:
Normally, Ozempic pens have sufficient medicine that lasts for 4 to 5 weeks. If you are on the 0.25 mg dose, your pen will last for 6 weeks.
If you are on a dose greater than 0.25, your pen may last for no more than 4 weeks.
If, after 4 weeks, your pen has medicine left, you may be using the counterfeit Ozempic injection
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Lastly,
Always consult with your doctor and show them which injections you are using.
Here is a simple quiz to identify counterfeit Ozempic injections. Answer them and find out if you are using the correct injections or not:
- Question of
Your pen has 6 extra needles
Yes- No
- Question of
Your pen has markings of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Your pen has markings of 0.25 and 0.5
- Yes
- No
- Question of
After 4 or 5 weeks, your pen has no more medicine
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Your pen has Ozempic wrapping that is not in line (not aligned)
- Yes
- No
