Trulicity is an injectable diabetes medicine that is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults and children 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Trulicity (generic name dulaglutide) is also used to help reduce the risk of serious heart problems such as heart attack or stroke in adults who have established cardiovascular disease or multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

Trulicity is not approved as a weight loss drug, but some people may lose weight while using it. Trulicity belongs to the drug class called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which includes other medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Ryebelsus, Victoza, Saxenda, and Byetta.

For more information, see Trulicity vs Ozempic or Trulicity vs Mounjaro.

Trulicity’s mechanism of action involves mimicking a natural hormone called GLP-1, that your body makes after eating. Glp-1 helps control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin when needed, reducing glucose production in the liver, slowing digestion, and decreasing appetite. Unlike your body’s natural GLP-1 which works for minutes, Trulicity lasts a week, which means Trulicity injections only need to be given 1 time a week.

Trulicity gained FDA approval on September 18, 2014. There is no Trulicity generic.

Trulicity side effects

The most common side effects of Trulicity are:

nausea
diarrhea
vomiting
stomach (abdominal) pain
decreased appetite.

Serious side effects and warnings

Trulicity carries a Boxed Warning for thyroid C-cell tumors in rats, but it is unknown whether Trulicity would cause this type of cancer in humans.

Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rats or mice, Trulicity and medicines that work like Trulicity caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Trulicity will cause thyroid tumors, or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people.

Do not use Trulicity if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
Call your doctor at once if you have signs of a thyroid tumor, such as swelling or a lump in your neck, trouble swallowing, a hoarse voice, or shortness of breath.