How many doses are in a 5mg semaglutide pen?

You've picked up your 5mg pen and want to know exactly what's inside

Picture the moment: the pharmacy bag is on the counter, the pen looks identical to the last one, and you're wondering whether anything has actually changed. It has. The 5mg cartridge (the total volume of semaglutide across the whole pen) is divided into four equal doses of 1.25mg, each delivered by a single weekly injection. Nothing extra to measure, no dial to set. Each dose is fixed at 1.25mg the moment the pen leaves the factory.

That total figure of 5mg is the aggregate across all four uses, which is why the pen is labelled the way it is. If you've found yourself puzzling over the units and volumes printed on the barrel, that's a separate but related question, the concentration of semaglutide in solution determines the volume per dose, not the dose number.

Practically, one pen covers one calendar month. Order a day or two before you run out rather than waiting until the last dose, payday at the end of the month lines up conveniently for many people, but bank-holiday weeks and postal delays are worth accounting for if you want no gap in your weekly rhythm. The dose count is consistent across every Wegovy strength: four doses per pen, whatever the cartridge size.

Where 1.25mg sits in the Wegovy titration ladder

The Wegovy schedule runs in roughly four-week steps: 0.25mg, then 0.5mg, then 1.25mg (the 5mg pen), then 1.7mg, then 2.4mg as the standard maintenance dose. There is now also a 7.2mg maximum (the MHRA approved the dedicated single-dose 7.2mg pen in April 2026) though reaching that stage is always a clinical decision, not automatic. The full Wegovy dose progression is set out in the prescribing information and your Patient Information Leaflet.

The 1.25mg step exists for tolerability. Gastrointestinal effects (nausea in particular, sometimes loose stools or reflux) are most likely to surface during a dose increase. Spending four weeks at 1.25mg gives the body time to adjust before the next step up. It is not a maintenance dose; you are unlikely to see your prescriber recommend staying at 1.25mg long-term, because the clinical benefit of semaglutide for weight management was established at 2.4mg in the STEP 1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

If side effects are still noticeable at 1.25mg, the right response is to speak to your prescriber, not to skip ahead or go back down without clinical input. The schedule in the SmPC on the Electronic Medicines Compendium describes dose adjustments, but what you should personally do is a question for the clinician overseeing your treatment.

The licensed context: Wegovy versus Ozempic at this dose level

This is worth being clear about, because the two products are sometimes conflated online. Ozempic also contains semaglutide, but its pens come in different strengths (0.25mg/0.5mg pen, and 1mg pen) and it is licensed in the UK for type 2 diabetes management, not for weight loss. The 5mg semaglutide pen is a Wegovy product, sitting within the weight-management licence. Wegovy is the brand that NICE assessed when it published its recommendation for semaglutide in weight management (NICE TA875). That appraisal covers adults with a BMI of 35 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition, used within a specialist weight management service for a maximum of two years on the NHS, though private access follows the SmPC's licensed criteria, which include a BMI of 27 or above with a relevant condition.

For a broader look at what semaglutide costs privately and what a full treatment course involves, the Wegovy pricing page runs through what's typically included, and what headline prices sometimes leave out. The NHS medicines page for semaglutide is also worth bookmarking for plain-English information on side effects and storage.

Practical storage and what to do if you miss a dose

Each Wegovy pen should be kept in the fridge at 2–8°C. There is a limited period during which it can be kept at room temperature once removed, but the exact window is stated in the Patient Information Leaflet, refer to that rather than a general rule, since the figures differ between pens and formulations. Storing it in the fridge door alongside everyday items is a reliable habit for most people.

If you miss a dose and it's been fewer than five days since it was due, you can take it and then continue on your usual day. If more than five days have passed, skip that dose entirely and resume the following week on your normal day. Your prescriber and the Patient Information Leaflet are the definitive source here, this is a summary of the general guidance, not a personal instruction. The steps up from the 1.25mg level follow the same logic: a prescriber reviews your progress before confirming the next pen. At nume, that review happens before every repeat order, carried out by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber. If you have questions about your treatment between orders, the clinical team is reachable seven days a week. You can also explore the full range of weight-loss treatment options if you're still deciding which medicine is right for you.