How to inject Wegovy

Wegovy (semaglutide) is used to aid weight loss and is injected once a week. Each pen comes with 4 doses pre-prepared and is easy to use for people with no experience with injections. This makes it easier for people who are worried about administering the correct dose or don’t know how to draw up medication and then inject it. All you need to do is check the dose and press it against your skin to administer it (more on this below).

Each Wegovy pen contains 4 doses, which means it’ll last for 4 weeks as long as you’re taking 1 injection per week. You’ll slowly increase your dose every 4 weeks until you reach 7.2mg (the maintenance or maximum dose of Wegovy). The only exception to this is the 7.2mg dose, which is available as a pre-filled single dose pen. This means that each pen contains your 7.2mg dose, once you have injected it you must discard it. For a 4 weeks supply of 7.2mg you will receive 4 single-use pens.

Taking Wegovy at the same time and day every week, and following the correct dosing schedule, will improve how effective it is. Always take Wegovy exactly as prescribed. If you struggle with using your pen or get side effects that bother you or that aren’t going away, speak to your doctor.

The Wegovy course is the best way to reach the maintenance dose with as few side effects as possible. Taking Wegovy this way can:

• get your body used to the medication
• decrease very common side effects, like nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick)

The Wegovy course is the best way to reach the maintenance dose with as few side effects as possible. Taking Wegovy this way can:

• get your body used to the medication
• decrease very common side effects, like nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick)

In 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg pens there are 4 doses, which means each pen will last for 4 weeks of treatment, as long as you’re taking 1 injection a week. When taking the 7.2mg dose, each dose comes in full as 7.2mg in a pre-filled, single-use dose which you must inject and discard. This means for 4 doses of 7.2mg you will receive 4 pens. We’ve created a guide about the different Wegovy dosages and when to take each one.

Before administering your Wegovy injection for the first time, read the Wegovy instructions in your patient information leaflet. Also, follow any advice that your doctor gives you. If you have trouble with your eyesight, you can ask someone to help you:

• Wegovy patient information leaflet
• Wegovy 7.2mg patient information leaflet

Here are a few tips on how to inject Wegovy safely:

For Wegovy 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg pens:

• Make sure you’ve chosen the correct dose for where you are in the dosing schedule.
• Check the medication before administering it, especially if you take other injectable pens.
• As Wegovy is an injectable pen, you can take it with or without food.
• The best place to inject Wegovy is your upper legs or stomach (leaving a 5cm gap around your belly button).
• Inject Wegovy into a different place each week to minimise the risk of irritation, soreness, and redness at the injection site.

For Wegovy 7.2mg pen:

• Always check you have the correct dose strength.
• Check the expiry date on the back.
• Check the pen window, the dose should be clear and colourless.
• Your needle is hidden underneath your needle cover, you must take it off as soon as you are ready to inject.

For full guidance on injecting Wegovy 7.2mg, read the patient information leaflet available with your medication.

Browse these step-by-step overview guides on how to take Wegovy:

• multi-dose pen
• single-dose pen

For each dosage excluding Wegovy 7.2mg, these instructions will help you to take Wegovy correctly and safely:

This short visual guide can help you take Wegovy 7.2mg with the single-dose pen. Please always read the patient information leaflet for full guidance on injecting your 7.2mg pen.

You should inject Wegovy into your

• upper legs or
• stomach (with a distance of 5cm to your belly button).

You can also inject it in the back of your upper arms if you can get someone to help you do this.

Never inject Wegovy into a vein or muscle.

Wegovy is taken once per week. You should not inject more than this unless:

• you’ve missed a dose, and it’s been 5 days or less (more on this in the next section)
• you’re still taking 2.4mg 3 times in a row to make up the 7.2mg dose

If you’re missing Wegovy doses frequently, this could make it less effective.

If you miss a dose of Wegovy and:

• it’s been less than 5 days – take your dose then carry on as normal, sticking to your regular Wegovy routine
• it’s been 5 days or longer – skip the dose and then carry on as normal from your next dose

Never take 2 doses of Wegovy at once to make up for a missed one, as this could cause side effects.

When you stop taking Wegovy, the effects of the medication will slowly go away. You’ll start to feel hungrier again.

Stopping Wegovy injections too early (less than 16 weeks into the treatment) may mean you put on any lost weight, especially if you stop your diet and exercise plan. If side effects are bothering you or you’re not seeing the results you expected, speak to your doctor.

Does it hurt to inject Wegovy?

All injections can hurt a little bit, but the Wegovy pen has been designed to be as quick and pain-free as possible. Taking it correctly, such as regularly changing injection sites, will minimise any pain or irritation.

You should not normally take Wegovy injections if you have a body mass index (BMI) below 30 kg/m². You might be able to take Wegovy if your BMI is between 27 kg/m² and 30 kg/m², but only if you’ve got a weight-related health condition or risk factor, such as high blood pressure.

You should not take Wegovy injections if you:

• are pregnant, want to get pregnant, or are breastfeeding
• have allergies to semaglutide or any other ingredient in the Wegovy pen
• don’t have a prescription for it

Wegovy injections might not be suitable for you if have:

• inflammation of the pancreas
• severe kidney problems
• diabetes or complications of diabetes
• low blood sugar (glucose) levels

Speak to your doctor about your medical history and current medications, as they’ll be able to let you know whether Wegovy is suitable for you.