Wegovy Side Effects: What You Need to Know

The following list includes all recorded side effects of Wegovy. You can also find additional information on side effects in the Wegovy package leaflet.

Very common Wegovy side effects (more than 1 in 10 people affected)

• headache
• feeling weak or tired
• nausea (feeling sick)
• vomiting (being sick)
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• stomach pain

Common Wegovy side effects (between 1 and 10 in 100 people affected)

• stomach and digestion problems
• burping
• stomach inflammation
• gas
• dizziness
• bloating
• heartburn
• hair loss
• skin reactions where the medication was injected
• gallstones
• low blood sugar or diabetic retinopathy in people with type-2 diabetes

Uncommon Wegovy side effects (between 1 and 10 in 1,000 people affected)

• fast heartbeat
• higher levels of pancreatic enzymes in the blood
• stomach paralysis (gastroparesis)

Rare side effects (less than 1 in 1,000 people affected)

• serious allergic reaction, such as swelling in face, mouth or throat

Wegovy is a black triangle drug, which is a scheme new medications must follow after being approved for use in the UK. This means Wegovy is under careful monitoring and all side effects should be reported to your doctor, including ones not listed on the patient information leaflet. More side effects may become apparent over time.

What are the most common side effects of Wegovy?

The most common side effects of Wegovy injections are:

• headache
• feeling weak or tired
• nausea
• vomiting
• constipation
• diarrhoea
• stomach pain

These side effects were seen in more than 10% of patients during clinical trials testing Wegovy (Source: EMA). Problems with the stomach and digestion are especially common, because semaglutide affects feelings of hunger and influences how fast food travels through the digestive tract. These immediate side effects usually appear when patients first start taking the medication or start a higher dose and go away within a few days. Some patients report very strong nausea and frequent vomiting. But in most cases, the side effects of Wegovy are mild.

Wegovy long-term side effects

At the moment, there isn’t much data on the long-term side effects of Wegovy. This is because the active ingredient, semaglutide, has only recently been approved for weight loss. Although semaglutide has been in use for diabetes since 2018 as the branded treatment Ozempic, this has been at a lower maintenance dose, so side effects won’t be identical for Ozempic and Wegovy. To ensure that the weight loss medication is safe for its users, a series of clinical trials with different durations and circumstances was done – the STEP trials. The longest of these studies was STEP 5, which went over a period of 2 years. In this trial, researchers didn’t observe any new risks of Wegovy and found the drug to be well tolerated.

Potential risks of using Wegovy are serious side effects, which include:

• acute inflammation of the pancreas: can show as severe, long-lasting stomach pain
• severe allergic reactions to the medication: symptoms are swellings in the face, mouth, and throat area, hives, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, light-headedness and loss of consciousness
• complications with diabetic eye disease in diabetes patients: inform your doctor if you notice any symptoms in your eyes, such as change of vision

However, these side effects are also possible in patients using Wegovy for a shorter duration.

If you’re using Wegovy for a longer time, you should also be aware of the small risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. As you’re consuming less foods and calories than before, this can lead to malnutrition over a longer period. A doctor or certified dietician can help you decide if you should use any supplements during your Wegovy treatment. You can also reduce this risk by following a balanced diet, full of fruits and vegetables, some protein, and some healthy fats.

Wegovy is not suitable for patients, who:

• are breastfeeding or pregnant
• are allergic to semaglutide or any other Wegovy non-active ingredient

The medication is intended for people who want to lose weight for medical reasons. This is why only patients with a BMI above 30 kg/m2 or above 27 kg/m2 (with weight-related health problems, such as high blood pressure) can be prescribed Wegovy.

Depending on the person, the side effects of Wegovy for weight loss can start from the first dose on or only a few weeks later. Often, they show up at the beginning of the treatment or when patients switch to a higher dose while following the Wegovy dosing schedule. You can stay on your current dose for longer or switch back to a lower dose if you’re getting side effects, but always check in with your doctor first.

Usually, the side effects of Wegovy injections only last for a few days, until the body has gotten used to the (higher) levels of semaglutide. But this can vary for each person and every symptom: In clinical trials, the average duration of nausea was 8 days, of vomiting 2 days and of constipation 47 days (Source: EMA). If you feel like your side effects are very strong or do not get any better over time, the dosage might be too high for you. In this case, you should switch back to a lower dose and speak to your doctor.

If you find that you just don’t tolerate Wegovy well, there are other drugs to support your weight loss too. Here at Asda, we offer the following medications on prescription:

• Mounjaro works similarly to Wegovy by mimicking the structure of 2 gut hormones. It is also injected once per week under the skin using an injectable pen with pre-filled doses.
• Saxenda contains the active ingredient liraglutide, which also works similarly to Wegovy. It is injected once per day. You can find out more information about Wegovy and Saxenda here: Wegovy vs Saxenda: What is the difference?
• Orlistat is an active ingredient that blocks the digestion of fat in the gut. It’s taken in capsules or tablets, and can also be found under the branded names Xenical and alli.
• The weight loss pill Mysimba contains 2 active ingredients which alter appetite and energy expenditure in your body, reducing appetite and cravings.

To get your weight loss medication prescribed, you just need to fill out a short online questionnaire. One of our doctors then reviews it to see if the medication is safe and suitable for you. If so, you receive your prescription and get the medication delivered to your chosen address, or you can pick it up from any Asda Pharmacy in the UK (depending on the treatment).

Yes, in most cases the side effects of Wegovy will go away within a few days to a few weeks, when the body has adjusted to the medication. If you are vomiting or have diarrhoea, it’s important to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Medication for nausea (anti-sickness tablets) can also help. If the side effects remain strong and affect your everyday life, you should consider going back to a lower dose of Wegovy.

If you drink alcohol while using Wegovy, side effects will become more likely and stronger. The two substances do not interfere directly with each other, but they can both disturb the stomach and trigger nausea and vomiting – together, these effects might add up. Wegovy and alcohol also both lower your blood sugar levels, which can get dangerous in diabetes patients. It’s therefore recommended not to drink during your Wegovy treatment, especially not after a dose escalation.

The side effects of Wegovy are in general very similar to other drugs for obesity and diabetes, which also work by mimicking specific hormones and regulating appetite.

Saxenda vs Wegovy side effects

Both Saxenda and Wegovy are weight loss injections. They work in a very similar way, but contain different active ingredients: semaglutide (Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda). The manufacturer Novo Nordisk plans to discontinue Saxenda in the long run and it’s currently long-term out of stock. This means, if patients want to continue taking weight loss medication, they will have to switch from Saxenda to Wegovy or Mounjaro.

Wegovy and Mounjaro are both weight loss injections that contain different active ingredients but work in a similar way.

Ozempic and Wegovy both have the same active ingredient semaglutide but they are not the same medication: Wegovy is meant to treat obesity and Ozempic has been developed for type 2 diabetes. They contain different ingredients and are given in different dosages.