Subcutaneous injection

What it means

"Subcutaneous" means under the skin. The medicine goes into the layer of fat between the skin and muscle, where it is absorbed slowly and steadily into the blood. Needles for this route are short and thin.

All the injected GLP-1 medicines on this site are given this way, usually in the stomach area, the front of the thigh or the back of the upper arm. Each label lists the allowed sites.

Other routes include intramuscular injections, which go deeper into muscle, as with some vitamin B12 shots, and intravenous injections into a vein. A medicine labeled for one route should not be given by another.

Mild redness, itching or a small bump where you injected can happen. Rotating sites, letting the pen or vial reach room temperature if the label allows, and injecting into healthy skin can help.

Why it matters

Understanding the route helps you inject correctly and explains why sites need rotating.