Rybelsus

What is Rybelsus?

Rybelsus is a tablet you take once a day to help control your blood sugar if you have type-2 diabetes. It’s usually prescribed if a first-line treatment like metformin isn’t appropriate, or isn’t enough on its own. The active ingredient in Rybelsus is semaglutide, which increases insulin production after you eat to help manage your blood sugar levels. It can also help you lose weight, by making you feel fuller for longer after eating.

Unlike other treatments that contain semaglutide, which come as weekly injections, Rybelsus is a daily tablet. If you don’t like the idea of taking an injection, but still want a treatment for type-2 diabetes that can help you lose weight, Rybelsus might be a good option for you.

How does Rybelsus work?

The active ingredient in Rybelsus is a ‘GLP-1 receptor agonist’, called semaglutide. Semaglutide attaches to the receptors of a hormone known as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) that’s produced in your gut. It then mimics the action of the GLP-1 hormone, telling your pancreas to increase the amount of insulin it produces after you eat. This helps reduce your blood sugar levels, and keep your diabetes under control.

What doses does Rybelsus come in?

There are three different Rybelsus doses for the management of type-2 diabetes. The starting dose of Rybelsus is one 3mg tablet once a day, for a month. Your clinician will then increase your dose to one 7mg tablet a day. If a 7mg dose isn’t enough to manage your blood sugar effectively, your clinician may increase your Rybelsus dose to 14mg once a day.

You should only ever take the dose of Rybelsus you’re prescribed. Don’t change your dosage without speaking to your clinician first, and don’t take two 7 mg tablets in place of one 14 mg tablet. This hasn’t been studied and it isn’t known what side effects this could cause.

How to take Rybelsus

You should only take Rybelsus as you’re instructed to. If you’re ever unsure how to take Rybelsus, check with your clinician.

You’ll typically start by taking a 3mg tablet once every day for a month. Afterwards, your clinician will increase the dosage to a 7mg tablet once per day. If this isn’t enough to manage your blood sugar effectively, your dose may be increased to a 14mg tablet once a day.

To use Rybelsus:

• Take your tablet on an empty stomach, whenever it’s good for you. This is often first thing in the morning, before your first drink and meal of the day.
• Swallow the tablet whole with water. Don’t chew, split, or crush the tablet, as this could affect how the medicine is absorbed.
• To make sure you get the most out of Rybelsus, wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medication after taking it. Waiting less than half an hour can reduce the amount of semaglutide your body absorbs.

How long does it take for Rybelsus to work?

You may see improvements to your blood sugar levels with Rybelsus after 30 days, but it can take months before significant improvements happen. Studies show that after 26 weeks of taking oral semaglutide, people’s A1C (their average blood sugar level over the last two months) was reduced by 1.2% from the baseline.

What should I do if I make a mistake taking Rybelsus?

If you forget to take your dose of Rybelsus, it’s not an issue. Simply skip the missed dose and take your next dose as normal the following day. If you accidentally take more Rybelsus than you should, speak to your doctor as soon as you can. You may feel or be sick, and require additional monitoring to treat your symptoms.