Starting a patient on semaglutide for weight loss? Are they complaining of nausea? Then consider administering B12 with the semaglutide.
Remember, semaglutide is administered once weekly and the dose is slowly titrated up over a period of 2-4 months. Unfortunately, one of the most common complaints is GI upset, in particular nausea.
One way to decrease the nausea is to have the patient eat smaller meals. While this works for many patients, it doesn’t for others, and this is why you should consider administering B12 with semaglutide as it helps relieve the nausea in some patients.
Some compounding pharmacies, like Tailor Made, will compound the B12 with the semaglutide, but this is unnecessary as you can just administer it separately. I typically will administer an additional subQ injection of B12 at 500-1000mcg along with the semaglutide or have the patient use a sublingual formulation and take it that way. Personally, I think the injectable form is more effective though.
So, consider administering B12 with the semaglutide! Not only does it help improve patient nausea, but it is also another adjunctive treatment to increase practice revenue.
6 Responses
Do you worry about elevated B12 levels?
Not at all.
This may sound stupid but What is the difference between SQ and IM B12? Do you have to order a different kind? All my B12 vials say IM or IV.
Dana,
The IM formulation can be given subQ as well. We have never had any issues with it.
How are you ordering this? Since this is from a compounding company, will insurance cover it? Are you finding it at local compounding pharmacies? Or using mail order?
Thx
Insurance won’t cover this from a compounding pharmacy. I order mine from Southlake. In terms of the B12, I just order that from a pharmaceutical distributor and dispense a vial to my patients from my practice. These concepts are covered in the courses just FYI: https://elitenp.com/products/