How to Get Wegovy: the Step-by-Step Route in the UK

Step 1: check whether you meet the eligibility criteria

The starting point is BMI. Wegovy's UK licence covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK clinical guidance — your prescriber will apply these where relevant.

Worth knowing before you go further: BMI alone does not settle the question. A prescriber also considers your medical history, any medicines you already take, and whether conditions such as a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer would make semaglutide unsuitable. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and trying to conceive are situations where Wegovy is not recommended. The question of whether Wegovy is right for you is genuinely a clinical one, not a box-ticking exercise. You can use the NHS BMI calculator to get a quick starting figure.

Step 2: choose your access route, NHS or private

The NHS route for Wegovy runs through specialist weight management services. Under NICE's recommendation (TA875), semaglutide can be prescribed for adults with a BMI of 35 or above and at least one weight-related comorbidity, within a multidisciplinary specialist service, for a maximum of two years. Waiting lists at these services can be long, and not every area has the same capacity.

The private route does not require a referral or a wait. A GPhC-registered independent prescriber reviews your consultation the same day, a real clinician, reading your answers, not an automated system. If treatment is clinically appropriate, your prescription is issued and your medication is dispatched the same working day if you order before 12pm, arriving free the next working day via DPD in plain unbranded packaging. If you are thinking about cost at this point, there is a detailed look at Wegovy pricing in the UK that puts the private market in context.

For people who have not yet decided which medicine might suit them, our weight-loss treatment overview sets out the options honestly.

Step 3: go through clinical assessment before anything is prescribed

Whether your route is NHS or private, no prescription is issued without clinical assessment. Through nume, that means a structured consultation covering your health history, current medicines, weight trajectory and goals. Photo-ID verification and live weight confirmation on video are both part of the process, not box-ticking, but the checks that make a prescription safe to issue.

If you are transferring from another provider or requesting a dose increase, evidence of your current treatment is required before the prescriber will progress things. That is standard clinical practice, not bureaucracy for its own sake. A question our prescribers hear fairly often is whether someone can just pick up where they left off after a break, and if you are also thinking ahead to eventually stopping treatment, it is worth reading about how you get off Wegovy so you understand what that process involves from the outset.

Semaglutide is titrated from a low starting dose upwards, typically in monthly steps, to give your body time to adjust. Treatment begins at 0.25mg and the prescriber manages increases from there. The Wegovy treatment page covers the full dosing pathway and what to expect at each stage.

Step 4: what happens after your prescription is in place

Getting Wegovy is not a one-off transaction. Every repeat order through a responsible pharmacy involves a clinical review, checking that the medicine is still appropriate, that side effects are manageable, and that progress is on track. The NHS England guidance on weight-management injections is clear that these medicines work best alongside dietary and activity support, and that is true whether you are on the NHS or paying privately.

Timing sometimes matters more than people expect. If you are planning ahead around a holiday or a busy period at work, it is also worth reading up on how Wegovy and sun exposure interact before spending extended time outdoors, as this is something patients on treatment do not always think to ask about. Wegovy pens need refrigeration at home, though there is a limited room-temperature window for travel, the exact details of which are in the Patient Information Leaflet, so it is worth factoring that in when you place repeat orders. Ordering before 12pm on a Monday, for instance, means your pen arrives Tuesday, which most people find easier to plan around than a Friday delivery before a long weekend.

Side effects are most common early in treatment or after a dose step. Nausea, loose stools, indigestion and fatigue are the ones most people notice. They usually settle. If you experience severe, persistent abdominal pain that radiates to your back, seek urgent medical attention, this is the symptom the MHRA flagged in its January 2026 Drug Safety Update as a sign of acute pancreatitis, which is a rare but serious side effect of GLP-1 medicines. You can also report any suspected side effects directly via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

If you want a clearer picture of what the full private process looks like before you start, our page on how to get Wegovy walks through the practical steps of accessing treatment in detail. When you are ready to take the next step, start your free consultation with our prescribers and get an answer the same day.