Can't remember if you took your GLP-1 shot? What to do (and how to stop it happening)

Short answer

An unsure dose is a skipped dose, not a repeated one. If you cannot remember whether you took this week's dose, do not inject a second one on a guess. The prescribing information for weekly GLP-1 medications is explicit: when unsure, do not take an extra dose — wait for the next scheduled one and contact your prescriber or pharmacist. Then check the physical evidence: the pen's dose counter, the number of pens left in the box, your calendar or app log.

Who this guide is for

People on a weekly GLP-1 injection — Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound — who have had the moment of standing in the kitchen on injection day and genuinely not knowing whether the shot already happened. It is common. The medication is expensive, the schedule is weekly, and a week is long enough to forget.

What to check right now

1. Check the pen. Multi-dose pens have a dose counter. If it has moved since the last time you looked, a dose was dialed. Single-use pens: count what is left in the box against the date you opened it. Why: the pen is the only evidence that does not depend on memory.
2. Check your log. Paper journal, calendar, notes app, or a tracker app — whatever you use. If the last entry is dated today, you took it. If it is dated last week, you most likely did not. Why: a written record beats recall, especially on a weekly rhythm.
3. The injection site is not reliable evidence. A fresh injection sometimes leaves a small mark or tenderness, but after a few weeks of rotating sites there is usually nothing to tell apart. Use it only to confirm what the pen and the log already say.
4. Still unsure? Do not inject. Prescribing information for these medications says not to take an extra dose when uncertain. Wait for the next scheduled dose and contact your prescriber or pharmacist — they may want to adjust the schedule, and they know your history. Why: a missed week is a known, manageable situation for your prescriber; a doubled dose is not something to find out about at home.
5. Write down what you decided and when. Even "unsure — skipped, called pharmacy" is a useful entry next week.

Common mistakes

• Injecting "to be safe". The safe direction is the opposite one.
• Trusting the reminder notification as proof. A reminder fires whether or not you injected.
• Relying on the injection-site sensation alone. It fades and varies.
• Keeping the log in your head because "it's just once a week". Weekly is exactly the interval memory handles worst.

How to stop this happening

The problem is not remembering to inject — reminders solve that. The problem is remembering that you did. That needs a record you make at the moment of the shot, not before and not after.

• Mark the pen or box with the date, with a marker, right after injecting.
• Or log the shot in an app the moment it is done: one tap, timestamped, with the site.
• Keep the log where you will look next week: calendar, fridge, or the app's home screen.

Tools that help

This list is not ranked.

• A calendar on the fridge, or a marker on the box.
• Phone: Calendar, Reminders, Notes.
• Dedicated GLP-1 trackers: MeAgain, Shotsy, EvenDose. All of them log the dose with a timestamp; they differ in price, data storage, and what sits behind a paywall. EvenDose keeps the log on the device without an account and shows the last logged dose on the home screen and widget.

FAQ

Sources

• Ozempic Medication Guide, Novo Nordisk — section on missed doses.
• Wegovy Medication Guide, Novo Nordisk — section on missed doses.
• Mounjaro Medication Guide, Eli Lilly — section on missed doses.
• Zepbound Medication Guide, Eli Lilly — section on missed doses.
• FDA: Drug Safety Communication on dosing errors with compounded semaglutide (2024).