Celebrating Songkran on Ozempic

In mid-April, Thai, Lao, Cambodian, Burmese, and other Southeast Asian communities celebrate the New Year. Songkran in Thailand, Pi Mai in Laos, Choul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia, and Thingyan in Myanmar share similar traditions: visiting the temple, making merit, pouring scented water over Buddha images and elders’ hands, and splashing water on friends and strangers alike. In the US, temples and community groups host festivals with water play, music, dancing, and food stalls selling papaya salad, grilled meats, sticky rice, noodles, and sweets. Customs vary by community.

If you take Ozempic or another GLP-1, a long afternoon in the sun, soaked to the skin, with spicy and grilled food on a smaller appetite takes some planning. Here is how to enjoy the festival.

Heat and hydration

The prescribing information for Wegovy, which contains semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic, at a higher dose, warns about acute kidney injury due to dehydration, and notes that the majority of reported events occurred in people who had gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.

Being soaked in water is not the same as drinking it. A sunny afternoon of water fights can dehydrate you while you feel cool and wet. Carry a bottle of drinking water, sip it steadily, and take breaks in the shade. If you have had nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea in the days before the festival, take it easy and tell your provider.

Plan your dose around the festival

Side effects tend to be strongest in the first weeks and after each dose increase, and many people notice them most in the day or two after an injection. If a step up would fall the week of the festival, ask your provider whether to hold it until afterward. Ask your provider before moving your injection day. Our guide on semaglutide dose escalation covers how dose steps usually work, and if you are new to treatment, our guide on the Ozempic starting dose covers what the first weeks usually look like.

Temple visits and morning merit

Many families start the day at the temple, offering food to monks before eating themselves. Eat something small before you go, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. The prescribing information for Wegovy notes that patients with diabetes mellitus taking it in combination with insulin or an insulin secretagogue, such as a sulfonylurea, may have an increased risk of hypoglycemia, including severe hypoglycemia. If that is you, carry glucose tablets in a sealed plastic bag, since everything gets wet, and never change those medications on your own.

The food stalls

Grilled chicken, pork skewers, and fish bring protein, so start there. Papaya salad is a favorite but can be very spicy and strongly fermented, which can upset a sensitive stomach, so ask for it mild and take a small portion. Sticky rice is filling, so a small handful is enough. Share plates with friends so you can taste more without overfilling. Our guide on what to eat after an injection has ideas for foods that tend to sit well.

Sweets and drinks

Mango sticky rice, coconut desserts, and Thai iced tea are rich and sweet. A few bites or a small cup is plenty, and having sweets after food is easier on your blood sugar if you have diabetes. If you drink alcohol, have it with food, alternate with water, and know that some people find alcohol affects them differently on these medications.

Sun on wet skin

Water washes off sunscreen quickly. Reapply often, wear a hat when you can, and take shade breaks. A bad sunburn on top of dehydration can leave you feeling much worse.

Wet skin and injection sites

If your next injection falls on festival day or the day after, wait until you are dry and clean, and choose a site where the skin is not sunburned or irritated. Do not inject into red or peeling skin. Our guide on GLP-1 injection sites covers each option.

Dancing and crowds

Festival music and dancing can go on for hours. Step out of the crowd if you feel lightheaded, sit down, drink water, and eat something small. Stand up slowly after sitting.

Watch for under-eating

A festival day of snacks and sweets can still leave you short on real meals. Watch for persistent fatigue, feeling cold, hair shedding, dizziness when you stand, losing strength, and losing weight faster than you and your provider intended. If you notice them, tell your provider.

Consider this scenario: a man on Ozempic who also takes a sulfonylurea spends a hot Songkran afternoon in water fights, soaked but drinking almost nothing. He skipped breakfast before the temple, then eats spicy papaya salad and mango sticky rice from the stalls. By late afternoon he is dizzy, nauseated, and shaky, and his glucose tablets are a soggy mess in his pocket. Eating before the temple, carrying drinking water, asking for mild papaya salad with grilled chicken, and keeping glucose tablets in a sealed bag would very likely have kept the day fun.

The elders’ blessing and the family meal

Many families pour scented water over the hands of parents and grandparents to ask for their blessing, then share a meal at home. That meal is a good chance to eat properly after an afternoon of snacking. Start with protein, such as grilled fish, chicken, larb, or a clear soup, and keep sticky rice and rich curries to small portions. Eat slowly and stop at the first sign of fullness.

The short version

For Songkran on Ozempic, drink water steadily even while you are soaked, take shade breaks, and reapply sunscreen. Ask your provider about holding a dose increase, eat before the temple, and carry glucose tablets in a sealed bag if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea. Start with grilled meats at the stalls, ask for mild papaya salad, keep sweets small, and inject only into clean, unburned skin.

If you want a provider who will help you plan treatment around the festivals your family celebrates, TrimRx includes ongoing provider access alongside treatment.

This information is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Consult with a healthcare provider before starting any medication. Individual results may vary.