Dosing & Treatment

Black box warning is a warning FDA can require to be set inside a box on a prescription drug's label, under an uppercase heading with the word WARNING.

Contraindication is a reason not to give a specific treatment because it could cause harm.

Gastroparesis is a disorder that slows or stops food from moving from the stomach to the small intestine, also called delayed gastric emptying.

Half-life is the time it takes for the amount of a drug in the body to fall by half.

Maintenance dose is the dose a patient stays on once dose escalation is complete, chosen from the range listed on the drug's label.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a cancer that develops in the thyroid's C cells, the cells that make the hormone calcitonin.

Microdosing GLP-1 refers to taking smaller-than-labeled doses of a GLP-1 medication, for example from multidose pens or compounded vials, outside the prescribed schedule.

Off-label use is prescribing an FDA-approved drug in a way its label does not cover: for a different disease, in a different way, or at a different dose than approved.

Ozempic face is an informal term for the deflated, prematurely aged look some people notice in their face after rapid weight loss, not a medical diagnosis.

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that makes insulin and digestive enzymes.

Steady state is the point where the amount of a drug entering the body equals the amount being eliminated, so blood levels level off.

Subcutaneous injection is an injection given into the fatty tissue just under the skin.

Sulfur burps is an informal name for belching that smells unpleasant.

Tapering refers to gradually reducing a medication's dose before stopping it altogether, rather than stopping all at once.

Titration is the label-directed schedule of starting at a low dose and stepping up over several weeks, used to reduce gastrointestinal side effects before reaching a maintenance dose.

Weight regain is the return of lost weight after a GLP-1 medication is stopped, a pattern seen across trials.

Weight-loss plateau is a stretch where weight loss stalls despite continued treatment or effort.