Ozempic side effects: 20.3 percent had nausea at 1 mg
Nausea ran 15.8 percent on Ozempic 0.5 mg and 20.3 percent on 1 mg against 6.1 percent on placebo, in adults with type 2 diabetes. The label's table stops at 5 percent, so it prints 5 rows and no more. GLP Chart read the FDA label on DailyMed, revised June 2026.
| Reaction | Placebo (n=262) | 0.5 mg (n=260) | 1 mg (n=261) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 6.1% | 15.8% | 20.3% |
| Vomiting | 2.3% | 5% | 9.2% |
| Diarrhea | 1.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% |
| Abdominal pain (stomach pain) | 4.6% | 7.3% | 5.7% |
| Constipation | 1.5% | 5% | 3.1% |
The short list comes from a 5 percent cut
Ozempic's table has 5 rows. Wegovy's has 19. Part of that gap is the cut. The rest is the dose and the people in the clinical trials.
Ozempic's label prints a reaction that reached 5 percent of treated patients. Wegovy's prints anything that reached 2 percent and beat placebo. 4 of Wegovy's 19 rows sit under 5 percent on every arm, including hair loss and altered skin sensation, so none of them could have appeared on Ozempic's table whatever the clinical trials found.
The Ozempic label does list some of them below its table. Indigestion, burping, gas, reflux and gastritis are named in the text with rates under 5 percent.
A third of the trial had a gut reaction
Counting every gastrointestinal reaction together, 32.7 percent on 0.5 mg and 36.4 percent on 1 mg reported one, against 15.3 percent on placebo. That is roughly double placebo. The widest single row is diarrhea, at 8.8 percent against 1.9 percent.
Few of those people quit. 3.1 percent on 0.5 mg and 3.8 percent on 1 mg stopped the drug over a gut reaction, against 0.4 percent on placebo. On timing the label says only this: The majority of reports of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea occurred during dose escalation.
What the dose does to your bill
| Program | At the dose you stay on | At the top dose it publishes |
|---|---|---|
| GoodRx for Weight Loss | $388/mo | Not published |
| Costco / Success by Sesame | $448/mo | Not published |
| Sesame Care | $1,097/mo | $1,135/mo |
Each figure is the total a month, membership and fees in, read off the program's own published pricing, checked August 31, 2026. A program that publishes no Ozempic price is not listed. See every price we track.
Compare every Ozempic route at its maintenance price →
The label has no advice for a bad week
Wegovy's label tells a prescriber to consider delaying escalation for four weeks when a patient does not tolerate a dose. Zepbound's tells one to consider a lower maintenance dose. Ozempic's says neither.
Every step past 0.5 mg on this label is conditional on needing more glycemic control. The maximum is 2 mg weekly. Nothing in the dosing section is written around tolerability, so a hold is a conversation you start.
The label does attach a warning to the reactions themselves. Dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea has caused kidney injury, so fluids are what to watch. Call the same day for severe stomach pain reaching your back, vomiting that stops you drinking for a day, or yellow skin or eyes. The triage list on the pillar page carries the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common Ozempic side effects?
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain and constipation. At 1 mg they read 20.3, 9.2, 8.8, 5.7 and 3.1 percent. Those 5 rows are the whole table, because the label lists only reactions that reached 5 percent.
Why does Ozempic's list look shorter than Wegovy's?
Because the two tables use different cuts. Ozempic's prints a reaction that reached 5 percent, so it carries 5 rows. Wegovy's prints anything that reached 2 percent, so it carries 19. A rate under 5 percent is invisible on Ozempic's table.
Is Ozempic easier on the stomach than Wegovy?
The labels are not comparable and say so themselves. The rates do differ: nausea reads 20.3 percent at Ozempic 1 mg and 44 percent at Wegovy 2.4 mg. Different trial populations, different doses and different table cuts sit behind that gap. Read each figure against its own placebo column.
When do Ozempic side effects start and stop?
The label says: The majority of reports of nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea occurred during dose escalation. It gives no week number. Gut reactions of any kind ran 32.7 percent at 0.5 mg and 36.4 percent at 1 mg, against 15.3 percent on placebo.
What does the Ozempic label say to do about a side effect?
Nothing. The label carries no tolerability sentence. Every step past 0.5 mg is written as conditional on needing more glycemic control, so the dose conversation on this label is about blood sugar rather than about how you feel.
How much does Ozempic cost without insurance?
It depends on the route. The table above prices every program that publishes a cash Ozempic figure, at the dose you stay on and at the top dose it publishes.
Every dosage sentence on this page is written to a prescriber, not to you. Holding a dose, dropping back or stopping changes what the drug is doing. Take the label language to the appointment.
Sources
Evidence checked August 31, 2026
Every figure above is taken from the document beside it, the FDA label or the trial that produced it, so you can read the source instead of trusting us. No clinician reviews these pages. What that means.
- Every rate in the Ozempic table, the 36.4 percent gastrointestinal figure, the discontinuation figures and the dose-escalation sentenceFDA prescribing information for Ozempic injection (DailyMed, revised June 2026)
- The Wegovy comparison, including 44 percent nausea at 2.4 mg in adults with obesity or overweightFDA prescribing information for Wegovy, injection and tablets (DailyMed, revised June 2026)
