Glucagon dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Glucagon is the hormone that raises blood sugar. It is FDA-approved as an emergency rescue for very low blood sugar, and the newest weight-loss drugs add its effect.
Evidence grade for Glucagon: Moderate. The rule: at least one finished study in people, and at least 100 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 141 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 141
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA-approved for dangerously low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia)
3 effects reported, 2 unwanted, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Fat loss and metabolism, Ageing and longevity
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Glucagon is the hormone that raises your blood sugar. Your pancreas makes it, and it works against insulin. As a drug, it is an emergency rescue for dangerously low blood sugar. It has been tested as a shot and as a nose spray. The newest weight loss drugs also copy part of its effect.
What people take it for
- Rescue from dangerously low blood sugar in people with diabetes.
- It is also part of how new weight loss drugs like retatrutide work.
What studies in people showed
The biggest study had 75 Japanese adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Doctors pushed their blood sugar low on purpose. Then they gave glucagon as a nose spray and as a shot, one at a time. Every single person recovered both ways. Some got nose pain from the spray, and both caused nausea and vomiting. In 66 adults with type 1 diabetes, everyone recovered within 25 minutes both ways. The spray took 11.4 minutes on average and the shot took 9.9. These were low sugars made in a clinic, not real emergencies at home.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- Everyone in the studies on this page recovered from low blood sugar, by spray or by shot.
The bad
- Nausea and vomiting with both the spray and the shot.
- Nose pain with the spray.
Where these come from: Everything here is from the two human studies on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
If you or someone you live with uses insulin, know where the rescue glucagon is and how to use it. That is the whole story for most people. The weight loss side lives in the newer drugs, not in this.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Glucagon has been tested for in people, biggest studies first. We count only what the studies on this page say, so the real numbers may be higher.
- Blood sugar and insulin75 people · 1 study
33 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Glucagon
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Glucagon does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Glucagon and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Glucagon?
Glucagon is the hormone that raises blood sugar. It is FDA-approved as an emergency rescue for very low blood sugar, and the newest weight-loss drugs add its effect.
Glucagon is a hormone from the pancreas that raises blood sugar. It works against insulin. It is FDA-approved as an emergency rescue for very low blood sugar. In 75 Japanese adults with diabetes, a nose spray fixed low blood sugar as well as a shot into the muscle did. Everyone recovered either way. In 66 adults with type 1 diabetes, everyone recovered within 25 minutes on both. The spray took 11.4 minutes on average and the shot 9.9. The newest weight-loss drugs also aim at its switch on purpose. Retatrutide, survodutide and mazdutide add glucagon's effect to burn more energy and cut liver fat. It is a natural hormone and an approved emergency drug.
How does Glucagon work?
It switches on glucagon receptors, mostly in the liver. That raises blood sugar, burns more energy and helps the liver burn fat.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
141people, across 2 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2020 | 75 | 53% |
| Diabetes Therapy 2020 | 66 | 47% |
One study holds 53% of these people, so the total rests more on one study than its size suggests. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
2 of 4 sources here are studies in people. The rest are not.
- Study in people · done in people250%
- Review of studies · sums up other studies250%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
The studies cover 3 different years, 2010 to 2020, counted from the list of sources on this page. The newest source on file is from 2020, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Approved
UK
Approved
AU
Approved
CA
Approved
Approved in all four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- 3,482.8 Da
- Half-life
- About 13 minutesUltra-short, minutes
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Glucagon, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2020Nasal glucagon as a viable alternative for treating insulin-induced hypoglycaemia in Japanese patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes: a phase 3 randomized crossover study
A puff up the nose rescued dangerously low blood sugar as well as an injection into the muscle did. 75 Japanese adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes had their blood sugar deliberately driven low under supervision, then received both treatments in turn. Every single patient recovered on both routes. Blood sugar rose along much the same path for the first hour either way. The spray brought some nose pain, and both routes brought nausea and vomiting. Everyone knew which treatment they were getting each time.
75 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes underwent insulin-induced hypoglycemia and received nasal or intramuscular glucagon in crossover. The endpoint was the proportion reaching a plasma glucose of 3.9 mmol/L or a 1.1 mmol/L rise from nadir within 30 minutes, tested for non-inferiority.
- Study in people2020Glucagon administration by nasal and intramuscular routes in adults with type 1 diabetes during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia: a randomised, open-label, crossover study
The nose spray worked as reliably as the injection here too. 66 adults with type 1 diabetes had their blood sugar driven low under supervision and received both the 3 mg nasal dose and the 1 mg injection, one at each visit. All of them recovered within 25 minutes on both. The average was 11.4 minutes for the spray and 9.9 minutes for the injection. Everyone knew which they were getting. This was low blood sugar created in a clinic, not an emergency at home.
66 adults with type 1 diabetes received both 3 mg nasal and 1 mg intramuscular glucagon during induced hypoglycemia. All of them reached treatment success within 25 minutes on both routes, with mean times of 11.4 and 9.9 minutes, establishing non-inferiority of the nasal device.
- Review of studies2010The metabolic actions of glucagon revisited
A review. Switching on the glucagon receptor burns more energy, lowers blood fats and cuts food intake. That makes it a good partner for GLP-1.
Glucagon agonism raises energy expenditure, lowers lipids and reduces food intake, making it attractive to pair with GLP-1.
- Review of studies2017The new biology and pharmacology of glucagon
A review of how glucagon works, and why drug makers pair it with other hormones to treat obesity and metabolic disease.
Reviews glucagon physiology and the rationale for glucagon-receptor co-agonists in obesity and metabolic disease.
Where to buy Glucagon
Glucagon is an approved medicine. The approved product comes from a pharmacy, with a prescription. The vials below are sold “for research” and are not the approved drug.
1 seller lists Glucagon in our latest read. They are ranked by trust score, then by archive rating, then by certificate tier, then by the lowest price per milligram. Archive evidence is counted before source-backed. Each path is out of 4, and the two are not added. A higher price does not raise the score. The letter is the certificate chip. 0 of them have a published certificate that names Glucagon.
Some seller links may pay this site when you buy through them. A payment never changes a seller's tier or rank, and no seller has a say in any page.
| Seller | Trust score | Vial sizes | From, per mg | Certificate for Glucagon | Seller link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Molecules | 28 InsufficientSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 10 mg | $56.1 | None found for Glucagon | View |
- LC Lab-confirmed: the issuing laboratory echoed this certificate back
- A Current certificate, independent laboratory named, laboratory not yet checked
- B Certificate published, but no laboratory link, older than a year, or the laboratory did not recognise the published lookup
- C No certificate could be read
Every listing and vial size for Glucagon · How the trust score is counted
Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.
Common questions
Has Glucagon been tested in people?
Yes. 141 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Glucagon is the hormone that raises blood sugar. It is FDA-approved as an emergency rescue for very low blood sugar, and the newest weight-loss drugs add its effect.
What is the Glucagon dosage?
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses. Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose. FDA-approved for dangerously low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia)
Is Glucagon FDA-approved?
FDA-approved for dangerously low blood sugar (severe hypoglycemia)
Why do new weight-loss drugs add glucagon activity?
Glucagon makes the body burn more energy and cuts liver fat. Adding it to GLP-1 (and GIP) is why triple drugs like retatrutide have such large effects.