This article is for people who are presently standing at a crossroads. People who are wondering if they should try to lose weight with Ozempic (Semaglutide) or put their faith in over the counter (OTC) alternatives instead.

The fact that you have sought out an article about Ozempic and its alternatives, suggests this may be a decision you are struggling with at the moment. If you are, we understand. It’s a tough call.

Ozempic Alternatives – Comparable to Semaglutide

• PhenQ: Best Ozempic Alternative Overall
• Phen 24: Best Ozempic Alternative for Nighttime Hunger
• Zotrim: Herbal Appetite Suppressant

If your doctor has already offered to write you an Ozempic prescription he or she will have, no doubt, talked to you about the various side effects.

We would also hope you will be aware that animal testing suggests Ozempic may increase the risk of thyroid gland cancer. [1]

However, although using Ozempic is not without risks, the FDA considers the level of risk acceptable. If it did not, it would not have approved its use as a prescription medication.

Although doctors can prescribe Ozempic off-label as a treatment for obesity, it’s actually a diabetes medication. Appetite suppression is one of the most common side effects. Side effect or not, it allows the drug to offer value to many obese individuals who are struggling to lose weight.

Given its obvious value as diabetes treatment and weight loss aid, it’s a great pity that Ozempic has the potential to cause such undesirable side effects. However, it’s not alone in this. Many prescription medications force the people who are using them to learn to take the rough with the smooth.

Fortunately, if you are worried about using Ozempic for weight loss, there are some first-rate over the counter alternatives you can use instead.

Ozempic Pros & Cons

Pros

• You only need to take it once per week
• It can be effective for appetite suppression and weight loss
• It’s FDA-approved (for treating diabetes)
• Can lower blood sugar levels

Cons

• It needs to be administered by injection (injectable medication)
• There are many known side effects and multiple risk factors
• It may interact badly with some other drugs and medications
• May cause allergic reactions
• Unsuitable for people suffering from certain medical conditions

3 Best OTC Ozempic Alternatives

Here are the three over the counter weight loss pills that are the best safe alternatives to Ozempic

We see the first two options as being the best because, in addition to suppressing appetite, they deliver other benefits that further enhance fat loss.

Zotrim is a more basic option that suppresses appetite like Ozempic but doesn’t do anything else. However, it has no known side effects so, if you only want an over the counter Ozempic alternative that controls hunger, Zotrim is still an excellent choice.

PhenQ

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PhenQ is an OTC diet pill that’s known and respected the world over. Since its launch in 2015, it has already helped more than 190,000 men and women to lose weight.

As with the other two products we recommend as over the counter alternatives to Ozempic, PhenQ is an oral supplement. To reap the benefits of its fat-burning power you only need to take two pills per day.

You take the first tablet at breakfast and the second one with lunch.

Although PhenQ is an appetite suppressant, it’s also an awful lot more. The all-natural formulation of ingredients the supplement provides delivers a multi-pronged approach to weight loss.

Ozempic makes weight loss easier by controlling hunger. PhenQ does the same thing but the additional benefits the supplement provides make losing weight a much faster process as well.

Key Benefits of PhenQ

• Controls appetite and cravings
• Boosts energy (to fight diet-related fatigue)
• Speeds up metabolism and fat burning
• Inhibits fat storage
• Enhances mood

PhenQ Ingredients

PhenQ is powered by seven natural ingredients. Most of them, such as nopal and capsaicin, are very popular weight loss pill ingredients. However, a-Lacys Reset is the exception. It’s primarily used in PhenQ.

Nopal (Caralluma fimbriata) is a cactus. Extracts taken from it are among the most potent natural appetite suppressants known to man and there is plenty of clinical evidence to support using nopal extracts in this way. [2, 3]

Capsaicin is an excellent companion ingredient that works alongside nopal to further suppress the desire to eat. However, this fiery chili pepper extract turns up the body’s natural fat-burning capabilities as well.

An in-depth study shows capsaicin speeds up weight loss by providing several biological tweaks inducing enhancing thermogenesis and inhibiting fat storage. [4]

a-Lacys Rest is a branded ingredient that combines alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) with cysteine.

ALA is an antioxidant that can deliver modest improvements in weight loss. [5]

Cysteine is an amino acid. Although it does not appear to be capable of influencing body weight while acting alone, it enhances ALA’s fat-burning ability.

PhenQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides proven ingredients
• Supports weight loss in multiple ways
• Does not have any known side effects
• Has excellent customer reviews
• The manufacturer provides a 60-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• You can only buy it from the official website
• You may have to join a waiting list during times of high demand

Phen 24

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Phen 24 is the best over the counter alternative for people who are prone to late-night snacking and waking up feeling hungry.

The product consists of two supplements and each of them is different:

• Phen 24 Day
• Phen 24 Night

Although you are essentially getting two supplements instead of one, the Phen 24 weight management system costs around the same as the other two top over the counter Ozempic alternatives.

You take one of the daytime pills with breakfast and two of the nighttime pills with your evening meal.

Both supplements suppress hunger and accelerate fat burning. However, Phen 24 Day provides extra energy to stop your diet causing mid-day energy slumps and fatigue.

By the time evening comes, the energy boost will have subsided. Instead of providing an additional boost, Phen 24 Night helps you to relax and wind down for sleep.

This is more useful than it may first appear because research shows there is a link between lack of sleep and obesity. [6]

Key Benefits of Phen24

• Provides around-the-clock hunger suppression
• Gives you extra energy during the day
• Helps you to wind down and sleep at night
• Increases metabolism and fat burning

Phen24 Ingredients

Phen 24 provides two forms of caffeine. One of them acts fast to deliver quick improvements in energy and mental clarity. The other form is slower acting to make sure these benefits continue well into the day.

In addition to being a good “pick me up,” caffeine is also a metabolism booster and fat burner. [7]

Some research indicates caffeine may suppress appetite as well. Its value in this area appears to be modest at best but caffeine remains a surprisingly versatile ingredient. [8]

Fortunately, Phen 24 Day does not rely on caffeine to suppress appetite. It provides capsaicin and, as we explained earlier, this pepper extract accelerates fat burning too. [4]

Phen 24 Night does not contain any cayenne but it has glucomannan and hops extract.

Glucomannan is one of the best natural appetite suppressants. When taken with water, it swells up inside the stomach, making it feel full. Research proves its value both as a hunger suppressant and a weight loss aid. [9, 10]

Hops extract is a perfect choice for Phen 24 Night. In addition to being a proven natural sedative, it has also been shown to support significant reductions in visceral fat. [11, 12]

Phen 24 Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides proven ingredients
• Supports around-the-clock appetite suppression and fat loss
• Does not have any known side effects
• The manufacturer provides a 60-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• You can only buy it from the manufacturer’s website

Zotrim

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Zotrim is an over the counter diet pill that suppresses appetite. Like Ozempic, that’s pretty much all it does. The previous two OTC options have more to offer but Zotrim has outperformed several prescription drugs in clinical trials so it’s only fair to give it an honorable mention.

If all you need is a basic over the counter appetite suppressant to use instead of Ozempic, Zotrim fits the bill.

Key Benefits of Zotrim

• Suppresses hunger and cravings
• Helps you to avoid the temptation to snack

Notable Ingredients of Zotrim

Zotrim provides six natural ingredients. The most important ones are guarana, yerba mate, and damiana.

Research shows that, when combined, these three plant extracts produce a “robust short-term effect on caloric intake.” [13]

Zotrim Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a proven combination of appetite-suppressing ingredients
• The product has outperformed prescription drugs
• The manufacturer offers a 100-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• Appetite suppression is the only benefit
• You can only buy it from the Zotrim website

What Is Ozempic?

Ozempic is a brand of Semaglutide. The drug was developed in Denmark by the Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical company. It gained FDA approval as a diabetes medication in 2017.

Semaglutide stimulates insulin secretion and can help to lower blood sugar levels. It can improve glycemic control if combined with diet and exercise.

Although you have to take Ozempic via injection, there is no need to worry about ampules and needles. Its distributed in pen-type dispensers. Each one provides several, measured doses via disposable needles you attach to the end. The pack provides a fresh needle for each dose.

How Do You Use Ozempic?

It’s important to inject Ozempic into the flesh just under the skin, not into muscles or veins. Many people inject it into the skin around the belly, but it’s permissible to use certain other areas of the body instead.

You only need to take one dose per week. The initial dose is 0.25 mg, which is gradually increased to a maximum dose of 2 mg per week.

A typical dosing schedule looks like this:

• Weeks 1-4: 0.25 mg/week
• Weeks 5-8: 0.5 mg/week
• Weeks 9-12 1 mg/week

The prescribing doctor may keep the dose at 1 mg per week or increase it to 2 mg per week from week 13 onward.

What are the Ozempic Side Effects?

Ozempic has the potential to cause a variety of adverse reactions, some of which are more serious than others.

Ozempic side effects can include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Heartburn
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Low blood sugar
• Fainting
• Vision changes
• Changes in heart rate
• Inflammation of the pancreas
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing

As we pointed out earlier in this article, animal-based research also raises questions about the possibility of thyroid cancer.

Will Ozempic Be the Right Choice for You?

If you are overweight or obese and your doctor has already suggested Ozempic, it’s certainly a choice you may want to consider. Although there may be risks involved, your doctor will start you off with a low dose and monitor your response to Ozempic.

However, Ozempic is far from being the only choice for chronic weight management available to you. This article provides details of several over the counter supplements you could use instead of Ozempic.

None of them have a reputation for causing side effects and you will not need to live in dread of self-administering injections.

Okay, perhaps using the word “dread” is a little over the top but there can’t be too many people who look forward to any type of injection.

Then again, some people have difficulties swallowing pills. However, this is not a common problem. If you prefer natural products instead of chemical-based drugs and/or would rather deal with pills than needles, it may be best to forget the idea of using Ozempic and choose an over the counter alternative instead.

Other Diabetes Drugs Like Ozempic

Here are some other diabetes medications like Ozempic. These can lower blood glucose levels and improve blood sugar levels.

• Bydureon or Byetta (exenatide)
• Victoza or Saxenda (liraglutide)
• Tanzeum or Eperzan (albiglutide)
• Trulicity (dulaglutide)
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide)

Research References (From Trusted Sources)

1. 12. Semaglutide Injection: https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a618008.html

2. The Effect of an Orally-Dosed Caralluma Fimbriata Extract on Appetite Control and Body Composition in Overweight Adults: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7991653/

3. Effect of Caralluma fimbriata extract on appetite, food intake, and anthropometry in adult Indian men and women – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17097761/

4. Dietary capsaicin and its anti-obesity potency: from mechanism to clinical implications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426284/

5. Alpha-Lipoic Acid (Ala) As a Supplementation for Weight Loss: Results From a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5523816/

6. Sleep and Obesity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3632337/

7. Normal Caffeine Consumption: Influence on Thermogenesis and Daily Energy Expenditure in Lean and Postobese Human Volunteers: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2912010/

8. Caffeine, Coffee, and Appetite Control: A Review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28446037/

9. Effects of Glucomannan Supplementation on Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451847620300968

10. In Vitro Gastric Emptying Characteristics of Konjac Glucomannan With Different Viscosity and Its Effects on Appetite Regulation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32869813/

11. The Sedative Effects of Hops (Humulus Lupulus), a Component of Beer, on the Activity/Rest Rhythm: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22849837/

12. Matured Hop Extract Reduces Body Fat in Healthy Overweight Humans: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Parallel Group Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4784395/

13. Acute Effects of a Herb Extract Formulation and Inulin Fibre on Appetite, Energy Intake and Food Choice: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23207186/

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