How to Inject the Wegovy Pen: Video Walkthrough and Practical Guide

Before you even uncap the pen: the thirty-second check that prevents most problems

Picture this: you've just taken your Wegovy pen out of the fridge, and you're standing at the kitchen counter trying to remember what order everything goes in. A short, methodical check at this point saves a lot of second-guessing later.

Hold the pen up to the light and look through the window. The liquid should be clear and colourless; if it looks cloudy, discoloured or contains visible particles, don't use that pen. Contact your pharmacy.

Check the expiry date printed on the label. Then check the strength, because Wegovy comes in five dose steps (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg and 2.4 mg, with a newer 7.2 mg pen now available), and if you're in an early stage of your titration the strength on the box should match what your prescriber has confirmed. If you're unsure which strength you're on, your Patient Information Leaflet lists the schedule, and our frequently asked questions page covers common titration questions too.

Let the pen sit at room temperature for a short while before injecting, cold liquid can sting. The exact recommended period is in your leaflet; most people find around 15–30 minutes is enough, but follow the manufacturer's guidance rather than a general estimate. That warm-up time is a good moment to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. That's the whole pre-injection routine. Simple.

The injection itself: what a wegovy injection video shows you, translated into words

If you'd like to follow along visually as you read, our how to give Wegovy injection video walks through every step in real time and is worth watching before you attempt your first dose.

Remove the pen cap by pulling it straight off, don't twist it. You'll see the needle is already covered by the pen body; you don't need to attach anything separately. Choose your site for this week (remembering to rotate away from last week's spot) and, if you're using your abdomen or thigh, you can pinch a small fold of skin if that feels easier. You do not need to for a standard injection.

Press the pen flat and firmly against the skin. Don't press the button yet, make sure the pen is fully in contact first. Then press and hold the injection button. You'll hear a click as the injection begins. Keep holding. Wait until the yellow indicator in the window stops moving, then count a slow ten more seconds before lifting the pen away. That ten-second hold is the step most people rush, and it's also the step most likely to cause a small amount of medicine to appear on the skin. If that happens once, it's rarely a problem, your prescriber can advise whether a repeat dose is appropriate.

For a visual reference that complements this walkthrough, the step-by-step animation on our Wegovy video guide shows each stage in real time. You might also find the how to take Wegovy video page useful for a slightly different camera angle on the same process.

Dispose of the pen immediately into a sharps bin. A 1-litre sharps container fits neatly in most bathroom cabinets and keeps used pens safely contained until your council's sharps collection service picks them up.

Injection sites, rotation and the skin reactions people actually notice

The abdomen is the most commonly used site, and for most people it's the easiest to reach and to see. The thigh works well for people who find the abdomen uncomfortable. The upper arm is the trickiest to self-administer, it's perfectly fine to ask someone else to do that one for you, or to use the abdomen or thigh instead.

Rotating your site each week matters more than people expect. Injecting repeatedly into the exact same spot can cause lipohypertrophy, a localised thickening of the fatty tissue under the skin that affects how well the medicine is absorbed. A simple rule: think of your abdomen as a clock face and move one position clockwise each week.

Redness, mild bruising or a small bump at the injection site are normal and usually settle within a day or two. If you notice persistent swelling, hardness or pain at the site, flag it with your prescriber at the next check-in. Injection-site reactions are one of the more common side effects reported in clinical data from the STEP trials, though they were generally mild, the NHS page on semaglutide lists these alongside the full side-effect profile. For a broader comparison of how semaglutide injections are given across different products, our guide to injecting semaglutide sets out the key distinctions.

People ask about alcohol swabs fairly often. Cleaning the injection site with an alcohol swab before injecting is recommended; let the skin dry fully before pressing the pen in, injecting through wet skin can sting unnecessarily. If you need to stock up, alcohol swabs are available from our pharmacy directly.

What to do when something feels wrong, and when it matters

A missed click, a pen that feels like it didn't complete, or unexpected pain at the site: most of these resolve with a simple check. If the yellow indicator moved all the way and you held the pen in place for ten seconds, the dose almost certainly delivered correctly. The leaflet in your pen box has a dedicated troubleshooting section, it's worth reading it once in full, even if everything goes smoothly the first time.

Some things do need prompt attention. Severe or persistent abdominal pain (particularly pain that radiates toward your back) should be assessed by a doctor the same day. The MHRA highlighted acute pancreatitis as a recognised but infrequent side effect of GLP-1 medicines in a January 2026 Drug Safety Update; sudden, severe stomach pain is the key symptom. Signs of a serious allergic reaction (swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat) require emergency help immediately.

For anything less urgent (a question about your dose timing, whether a skin reaction looks normal, how to store a pen you're travelling with) our aftercare team is available seven days a week. The video guide to injecting Wegovy also covers storage and travel in its later sections if you prefer a visual format.

If you're still in the research stage and haven't yet started treatment, our Wegovy overview explains the licence, the evidence and how private access works, and the cost and pricing page breaks down what a private prescription genuinely includes. When you're ready to speak to a prescriber directly, start a free consultation with our clinical team.