1. Stay at 1mg. Same molecule, same dose. No reason to change unless you're titrating up anyway.

2. The salt form question is actually important and often misunderstood. Semaglutide sodium (acetate) has a different molecular weight than semaglutide base. If a pharmacy labels their vial as "5mg semaglutide sodium," the actual active semaglutide content is slightly different due to the sodium counterion.

In practice, reputable pharmacies account for this in their formulation so that the labeled dose reflects active peptide content. But it's worth asking your pharmacy whether their stated dose is based on the base or salt form. This is one of those details that separates a good pharmacy from a mediocre one.

Made the switch 3 weeks ago. Using a 503B facility that came highly recommended on this forum. So far:

• Appetite suppression feels the same ✅
• Minor injection site redness the first two times, now gone ✅
• Lost 3 more lbs in 3 weeks ✅
• Saving $900/month ✅✅✅

So far so good. Will update at the 3-month mark. Thanks everyone for talking me through this! 🎉

Susan thanks for sharing your experience, I'm in the exact same boat — insurance change forcing my hand. Your update gives me confidence to make the switch.