GLP-1 injection technique: what TikTok gets right and wrong

What did @landyjarocha actually say?

Honestly? It's hard to say with any confidence. The transcript from this 90,000-view video is almost entirely incoherent. The creator appears to reference several GLP-1 medications, including what sounds like Mounjaro and possibly semaglutide, but the audio quality and transcription produce strings like "the K-BnL" and "the minimum laboratory" that don't correspond to any real clinical terminology or brand names.

The video caption claims to show viewers how to self-inject a weekly GLP-1 dose in the arm. That's a legitimate topic worth covering. Self-injection technique matters for absorption and safety. But based on the available transcript, we cannot verify what specific instructions, if any, were actually given. References to "Mikasso," "K-Sonas," and "L'Avoemen" do not correspond to any known GLP-1 medications or pharmaceutical terms.

Does the science back this up?

The general premise, that GLP-1 receptor agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide can be self-injected subcutaneously in the upper arm, is supported by clinical data. Whether the specific technique demonstrated in this video is accurate is impossible to assess from the transcript alone.

According to prescribing information for Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (tirzepatide), subcutaneous injection into the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm is approved. Rotation of injection sites is recommended to reduce lipohypertrophy, a condition where fatty tissue builds up from repeated injections in the same spot. A 2021 review by Johansson et al. in Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics found that improper injection technique, including injecting into lipohypertrophic tissue, significantly reduced drug absorption and glycemic control. The upper arm is a valid site, but technique matters: the needle must reach subcutaneous tissue, not muscle or skin surface.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

We can't credit or correct specific technique points because the transcript doesn't yield coherent instructions. That itself is the problem. A video with 90,000 views claiming to teach injection technique for prescription medications should be clearly audible and accurately transcribed. If viewers are walking away having half-absorbed garbled advice about how to inject a drug that can cause nausea, vomiting, pancreatitis, and injection site reactions, that's a real safety concern.

What's also worth flagging: the video conflates multiple GLP-1 medications without making clear that these drugs have different formulations, delivery devices, and dosing schedules. Mounjaro uses a single-dose auto-injector pen. Ozempic uses a multi-dose dial pen. The injection mechanics are not identical. Treating them interchangeably in a tutorial is, at minimum, misleading to viewers who may be on one drug and applying instructions meant for another.

What should you actually know?

If you're self-injecting a GLP-1 medication, here's what the clinical evidence actually says. Subcutaneous injections should go into the fatty tissue just beneath the skin, not muscle. For the upper arm, this typically means the posterior or lateral aspect. Pinching the skin may help if you have less body fat in that area. Needle length matters: most GLP-1 pens use 4mm or 8mm needles, and shorter needles reduce the risk of intramuscular injection.

Rotate your injection sites. The FDA and endocrinology guidelines consistently recommend this. Inject at room temperature when possible, as cold medication can increase injection site discomfort. Never share pens, even if you change the needle. And critically, your injection technique should be reviewed by a licensed healthcare provider, not learned exclusively from a TikTok video, regardless of how many views it has.

• Approved injection sites for semaglutide and tirzepatide: abdomen, upper thigh, upper arm
• Rotate sites at least 1 cm from previous injection to reduce lipohypertrophy risk
• Lipohypertrophy from poor rotation can reduce drug absorption by up to 25% (Johansson et al., 2021)
• Different GLP-1 pens have different mechanisms. Do not apply instructions for one pen to another without confirming they match your device