Wegovy Dosages: What You Need to Know to Achieve Effective Weight Loss

Wegovy is a weight loss injection containing the active ingredient semaglutide. This is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, meaning it imitates the hormone GLP-1 in your body.

You produce GLP-1 after eating, which sends signals to your brain that you’re full. When you take Wegovy, the same signals will be triggered, meaning your appetite and hunger levels will decrease. This makes it easier to reduce calorie intake and snack less without feeling hungry or getting cravings.

You should always take Wegovy as recommended by your doctor. You’ll increase your dose every 4 weeks until you reach the maximum Wegovy dosage for effective weight loss, which is 2.4mg once a week. This is also called the maintenance dose.

There are 5 Wegovy dosages for weight loss:

• Wegovy 0.25mg
• Wegovy 0.5mg
• Wegovy 1mg
• Wegovy 1.7mg
• Wegovy 2.4mg

The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide, so this means Wegovy 0.25mg will contain 0.25mg of semaglutide per dose, and so on for each Wegovy dose.

Initially, the Wegovy dosage schedule involves increasing your dose each month (always after 4 weeks), starting at the lowest dose of 0.25mg and working your way up to the maintenance dose of 2.4mg.

Wegovy dosage chart

To help you keep an overview of your Wegovy doses, we’ve made a handy Wegovy dosage chart. This includes when to order a new pen and when each pen will finish.

You’ll usually increase your dosage for 16 weeks, but this may be longer if you get side effects. Increasing your Wegovy dose in 4-week intervals minimises common side effects like nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting (being sick), and allows your body to slowly get used to the treatment.

The Wegovy starting dose is 0.25mg. You’ll take this once a week for a month before increasing your dose.

Wegovy recommended dosage

The Wegovy recommended dosage is 2.4mg, injected once per week. You may also hear this called the Wegovy maintenance dose. Your doctor can change this if you’re struggling with side effects.

Wegovy maximum dosage

The maximum dosage of Wegovy pens is 2.4mg. You should never take more than 2.4mg once a week.

Lowest dosage of Wegovy pens

The lowest dosage of Wegovy pens is 0.25mg. This is the dose you’re starting with at the beginning of your treatment.

When do you increase your Wegovy dosage?

“You should follow the Wegovy dosing regime, which means increasing your Wegovy dosage every 4 weeks. You can print it out or write it down on your calendar to help you remember. If you have side effects that are bothering you at any point in time, speak to your doctor. They may suggest staying at the same dose until your body adjusts to the medication.” – Dr Babak Ashrafi, Clinical Lead for Service Expansion at Asda Online Doctor.

The Wegovy dosing schedule is as follows:

• Weeks 1 to 4 - 0.25 mg
• Weeks 5 to 8 - 0.5 mg
• Weeks 9 to 12 - 1 mg
• Weeks 13 to 16 - 1.7 mg
• Weeks 17 onwards - 2.4 mg

Each Wegovy pen contains 4 doses. Wegovy is a once-weekly medicine, which means each Wegovy pen will last 4 weeks. Every dosage of Wegovy comes in a different coloured pen, to make it easier to tell them apart.

The colours and doses are:

• green (Wegovy 0.25mg)
• pink (Wegovy 0.5mg)
• brown (Wegovy 1mg)
• blue (Wegovy 1.7mg)
• black (Wegovy 2.4mg)

Wegovy 0.25mg

Wegovy 0.25mg comes with 4 doses of semaglutide 0.25mg. It’s the lowest dose and is always the starting dose when taking Wegovy.

Wegovy 0.5mg

Wegovy 0.5mg is the second dose of Wegovy on the dosing schedule. It contains 4 semaglutide doses of 0.5mg.

Wegovy 1mg

This is the third dose of Wegovy on the dosing schedule. Each dose contains 1mg of semaglutide.

Can you start out on 1mg of Wegovy?

“You’ll always start on the lowest dose of Wegovy, which is 0.25 mg. Everyone must follow the Wegovy dosing schedule, as it can reduce the risk of side effects. It also gets your body adjusted to the treatment before increasing your dose. If you’ve taken a weight loss injection before, or are switching from Saxenda to Wegovy, you usually don’t start out on 1 mg of Wegovy, either. The exception might be if you've recently been on a qualifying dose of Ozempic – your doctor will discuss this with you.” – Dr Babak Ashrafi, Clinical Lead for Service Expansion at Asda Online Doctor.

Wegovy should only be injected once a week. You should also stick to the same time and day each week for the best effect.

If you miss a dose of Wegovy, what you do next will depend on how long it’s been since your missed dose.

• If it’s been 5 days or less, take your Wegovy pen as soon as you remember. Inject the next dose on your usual day and time, then carry on treatment as normal, making sure there’s at least 3 days between any 2 doses.
• If it’s been more than 5 days, skip the missed dose and wait till your next dose is due. Never take a double dose to make up for a missed one, as this can increase the risk of side effects.

The Wegovy dosing schedule is different to other weight loss medications, as it contains semaglutide. You can switch from other weight loss medications to Wegovy, but only under the supervision of a doctor.

Wegovy vs Ozempic dosage

Wegovy is a weight loss medication containing semaglutide. Ozempic is a treatment for type 2 diabetes which also contains semaglutide.

Wegovy is available at a higher dose as this is better for weight loss. Ozempic is used for regulating blood sugar levels. We don’t prescribe Ozempic as an off-label weight loss treatment.

Saxenda is a weight loss injection containing liraglutide, which suppresses your appetite and hunger levels similarly to Wegovy.

You can switch from the Saxenda to the Wegovy dosage schedule, but speak with a doctor about how to do this safely. You can’t take Saxenda and Wegovy at the same time, as they both contain a GLP-1 agonist.

Mounjaro is a weight loss treatment, as well as a type 2 diabetes treatment, containing tirzepatide (a GLP-1 agonist). It’s also a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) agonist, meaning it mimics a hormone that regulates blood sugar and helps your body break down fat and sugar. Before switching medications you should always speak with your doctor and make sure the new treatment is suitable for you.

“No, it’s important that you follow your Wegovy dosing schedule and allow Wegovy to build up to the maintenance dose. Skipping doses will decrease how well it works. If you want to skip your dose because you’re getting side effects, speak to your doctor. They may recommend taking a lower dose for longer until you feel better.” – Dr Babak Ashrafi, Clinical Lead for Service Expansion at Asda Online Doctor.

You won’t necessarily get side effects from Wegovy on the first day of taking it, but Wegovy can cause side effects in some people during treatment. These often go away as your body adjusts.

The most common side effects of Wegovy include:

• feeling sick (nausea)
• being sick (vomiting)
• stomach pain
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• headache
• tiredness (fatigue)
• dizziness
• heartburn
• feeling bloated
• gas or burping
• stomach flu
• sore throat
• runny nose

Speak to your GP or start a consultation through Asda Online Doctor to get prescribed Wegovy for weight loss. You can get Wegovy through our service if you meet certain requirements.

To take Wegovy, you must have a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 kg/m2 or over, or at least 27 kg/m2 and a weight-related medical condition (for example high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels). Our doctors will also make sure you don’t have any medical conditions or take any medications that could interact with Wegovy and change its safety or effectiveness.