Storing, Handling, and Disposing of Your Medication

Weekly Shots — Keep in Refrigerator

Keep all GLP-1 injectable medications in their box, in the refrigerator before first use. These medications are sensitive to light which is why it’s recommended to keep them in the manufacturer packaging.

Refrigerator tips:

• Keep medicine in the middle of the refrigerator. Do not keep them in the door, which gets warm each time you open it. 
• Keep medicine away from the back wall of the refrigerator. That area can freeze your medicine.
• Leave the medicine in the box until it is used. 

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Weekly Shots — Out of the Refrigerator

Once the medicine is out of the refrigerator, it is only good for a set number of days. After that, throw it away, even if there is still medicine left. 

💡Write the date you opened your pen on the label or packaging so you know when to stop using it.

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Daily Pills — How to Store 

The daily pills do not go in the refrigerator. 

Wegovy pill (semaglutide) 

How to store it:

• Keep it at room temperature, 68–77°F (20–25°C).
• Keep it in a dry place. Do not keep it in the bathroom, which can get hot and damp from the shower.
• Keep the pills in their own bottle with the cap closed tight. Do not move them to another bottle.

Foundayo (orforglipron)‍

How to store it:

• Keep it at room temperature, 68–77°F (20–25°C).
• Light can harm this pill. Keep it in its own bottle and box, and close the cap each time
• The bottle has a small drying packet inside. Leave the packet in the bottle.

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What  Damages Your Medication

Check your Shot Before You Use It

Take 10 seconds to check your pen before each shot:

• Look at the liquid. It should be clear and colorless or very slightly yellow for tirzepatide (Zepbound/Mounjaro)). Do not use it if it looks cloudy, discolored, or has particles floating in it.
• Look for ice. If you see any ice, throw the pen away. Check the expiration date on the label. Don’t use it if the medicine has expired.
• Check how long the pen has been out of the refrigerator. Don’t use it if it has been outside the refrigerator for the maximum amount of days noted above. 
• If the pen does not work right, contact your care team. 

💡If anything looks or feels wrong do not use it and contact your care team. 

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How to Give Your Shot — Quick Reference

Good technique helps your shot work better and feel better

• Use a different place to inject each week. You can use your stomach (keep away from belly button), outside of your thigh, or the back of your upper arm. Let the pen sit at room temperature for 15–30 minutes to warm up before your shot. 
• Put the shot into the soft fat just under your skin, not into muscle. Do not rub the spot after your shot. This may prevent the medicine from working the right way.
• Do not store needles attached to your pen. Always follow the “Instructions for Use” that came with your medicine. 

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Throwing Away Used Needles (Sharps) 

Used pen needles are called sharps. Throwing them away the wrong way is not safe, and it is against the law in most places. The Right Way to Dispose of Used Needles

• Put used needles in a sharps container. Never put loose needles in the trash or the recycling bin.
• Never put the cap back on a used needle with your hands. For pens where you take the needle off, put the used needle in the sharps container. The empty pen with no needle can go in the regular trash. 
• For pens where the needle stays inside, put the whole used pen in the sharps container. 

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Sharps Container Options

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When Your Sharps Container Is Full

• Close it tight. Do not overfill.
• Never push needles down to make more room. 

Take it to a drop-off site, mail it back, or follow your local rules. 

Discarding Pills You No Longer Need

• Take old pills to a pharmacy take-back program or a drug drop-off box.
• Do not flush pills down the toilet unless the label tells you to.
• Ask your Onsera care team if you are not sure what to do.

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_{This handout is for educational purposes only and does not replace personalized medical advice from your healthcare provider. Always consult your Onsera care team before making changes to your medications or treatment plan.}