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Semaglutide has a half-life of ~1 week. After your last dose, it takes ~5 weeks (5 half-lives) for the drug to fully clear your system.
Ozempic (semaglutide) has a long half-life — approximately 165 hours, or ~1 week. This is the design that allows once-weekly dosing. After your final dose, semaglutide concentration drops by ~50% each week. Full clearance takes ~5 half-lives, or about 5 weeks. Practical implications: (1) Side effects can persist for 4-5 weeks after discontinuation; (2) Pregnancy planning — wait at least 2 months after last dose before conception to allow full clearance; (3) Switching to another GLP-1 — clinicians typically wait 1 week before starting the new drug, not 5; the new drug titration handles the overlap; (4) Surgery — discontinue 1-2 weeks pre-surgery if your surgeon requests it (anesthesia interaction risk with delayed gastric emptying).
Editorial answer reviewed by a board-certified clinician. Not medical advice. Coordinate treatment decisions with your prescriber.