Troubleshooting
Bruising, bleeding, lipohypertrophy, missed doses, pen malfunctions, with decision trees.
The 'why is this happening' hub. Every post has a decision tree and a red-box safety callout with specific red-flag symptoms.
- Posts live
- 27
- Planned
- 30
Plain-English answers, step-numbered.
- Explainer13 min
Checking whether your pen came through a legitimate supply chain
Falsified semaglutide pens have reached legal supply chains. The carton, batch and dial checks worth doing, and who to call if one looks wrong.
- Explainer7 min
What to do after injecting the wrong medication
Wrong pen, wrong strength, wrong person's medicine. Who to call in the first minutes, what to tell them, and how to stop it repeating.
- Explainer7 min
What to check after dropping a pen or a vial
A dropped pen is not automatically ruined and not automatically fine. The five checks that tell you which, in the order to run them.
- Explainer6 min
Blood in the pen needle after an injection
A trace of blood in the needle or drawn back into a cartridge: what it means, what to stop using, and why a pen is never shared.
- Explainer6 min
What to do after an accidental needlestick at home
First steps after a stick with a used needle at home: wash, do not squeeze, and why the call happens the same day. Not medical advice.
- Explainer6 min
When a single-dose autoinjector does not work
A single-dose GLP-1 autoinjector that will not start, click or empty: what the window shows, what to check, and who to call.
- Explainer6 min
What to do with an expired or defective pen
Who to call about a faulty or expired injection pen, what to keep, and how the FDA reporting channels work. Not medical advice.
- Explainer6 min
When you inject more than one medication
Two injectables on the same day: why they are never mixed in one syringe, how the sites are separated, and what the prescriber decides.
- Explainer5 min
When you inject only part of a dose
A needle pulled out early, a pen stopped short, or the dose leaked: why you should not simply redose, and how to handle it. Not medical advice.
- Explainer5 min
Granuloma at an injection site
What an injection-site granuloma is, how it differs from a bruise or lipohypertrophy, and when a persistent lump needs a clinician. Not medical advice.
- Explainer5 min
GLP-1 medications and pregnancy
What labels say about GLP-1 medicines in pregnancy, why they are generally stopped, and why this is a clinician decision. Not medical advice.
- Explainer5 min
GLP-1 medications and breastfeeding
What is known about GLP-1 medicines while breastfeeding, why data are limited, and why the choice belongs with your clinician. Not medical advice.
- Explainer5 min
Injecting a GLP-1 around surgery
Why anesthesia teams ask about GLP-1 medicines before surgery, the delayed-stomach-emptying concern, and why to disclose it early. Not medical advice.
- Explainer7 min
Injection site pain
Reduce injection-site pain: needle choice, temperature, and technique from the injection-technique literature, plus red flags. Not medical advice.
- Explainer8 min
Injection site bruising
The published literature on post-injection bruising: normal versus abnormal findings, prevention, and red-flag criteria. Not medical advice.
- Explainer8 min
Lipohypertrophy at the injection site
Lipohypertrophy is a rubbery, hardened thickening of the fat under the skin from injecting the same spot repeatedly. Not medical advice.
- Explainer7 min
Bleeding after an injection
What the injection-technique literature says about bleeding after a subcutaneous injection: why it appears and how to stop it. Not medical advice.
- Explainer7 min
Injection medication leaking out
What the injection-technique literature says about medication leaking after a subcutaneous injection: why it appears, how to reduce it. Not medical advice.
- Explainer7 min
Injection site infection red flags
What nursing and infectious-disease references say about telling an injection-site reaction from a possible infection: red flags. Not medical advice.
- Explainer8 min
Missed a dose of Ozempic or Wegovy
What the Ozempic and Wegovy prescribing information says about a missed weekly semaglutide dose: when to take or skip it. Not medical advice.
- Explainer8 min
Ozempic pen not working
A troubleshooting guide to an Ozempic pen that will not dial or inject or shows no dose: what to check and when to call. Not medical advice.
- Explainer6 min
Air bubbles in a syringe
Small air bubbles in a subcutaneous syringe are rarely dangerous but can shorten your dose. Why they form and how to clear them before you inject.
- Explainer6 min
Injected into muscle instead of fat
What happens if a subcutaneous shot goes into muscle instead of fat, why it happens, how it feels, and the red flags that warrant a call.
- Explainer6 min
Making sense of redness, itching or swelling at the injection site
Injection site reaction: telling a normal red bump from irritation, an allergic reaction, and infection after a GLP-1 shot, and when to call.
- Explainer7 min
Accidentally took a double dose of a GLP-1
Accidentally took a double dose of Ozempic or another GLP-1? What the labeling describes, warning signs, and when to call. Not medical advice.
- Explainer6 min
A hard lump at the injection site
A hard lump after an injection: the fluid depot, lipohypertrophy, how to prevent lumps, and the red flags that mean infection. Not medical advice.
Your First Injection, a one-page cheat sheet.
A printable, step-numbered PDF covering supplies, technique, site rotation, and the three questions to ask your prescriber. Free.
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