How to take Wegovy doses: a step-by-step guide

Step 1, Giving your first injection and choosing your day

Before anything else, read the patient information leaflet that comes inside the box. The pen itself is pre-filled and pre-set to its labelled dose, so there is no dial to turn or cartridge to load. When your order arrives, the packaging is plain and unbranded; DPD tracking will have told you the window. The pen has been shipped cold and should go straight to the fridge at 2–8°C until you are ready to use it.

Pick a weekday that is realistic to keep. Many people choose a Monday or Sunday so the schedule stays predictable. Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab, let it dry fully, then inject into the fatty tissue of your abdomen (at least a few centimetres from your navel), outer thigh or upper arm. Hold the pen firmly against the skin, activate it according to the instructions, and hold still for around ten seconds so the full dose is delivered. Record the date. That same day next week is your next injection day.

At 0.25 mg you are unlikely to notice dramatic changes, that is expected. The first four weeks are about adjustment, not transformation. Mild nausea is common early on and usually settles within a week or two, particularly if you eat smaller portions and avoid very fatty or rich foods. What the 0.25 mg starting pen involves is worth reading before you open your first pen.

Step 2, Increasing through the dose ladder

After four weeks at 0.25 mg, your prescriber will review your progress. If you have tolerated the starting dose well, the next pen is 0.5 mg. The Wegovy maintenance dose schedule covers the full ladder, but in brief: 0.5 mg for four weeks, then 1.0 mg, then 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg, each step lasting a minimum of four weeks before the next increase is considered. The pace is set by tolerability, not by calendar alone. If side effects are significant at one level, staying at that dose for an extra month before moving up is a reasonable and common clinical decision.

The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that adults on semaglutide 2.4 mg lost an average of around 15% of body weight over 68 weeks alongside lifestyle changes, context worth keeping in mind as you work through the early doses, which are not expected to deliver the full effect. The full dose overview for Wegovy sets out what each strength is intended to do.

At each stage, your injection technique stays the same. Rotate sites (left thigh one week, right abdomen the next, upper arm after that) so you are not injecting the same small patch of skin repeatedly. Rotating reduces the chance of localised irritation or hard lumps at the injection site.

Step 3 (Reaching and staying on your maintenance dose

For most people, 2.4 mg is the maintenance dose) the level where the medicine does its sustained work. In January 2026 the MHRA approved a higher 7.2 mg dose for adults with a BMI of 30 or above; trials at this strength reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks. Whether 7.2 mg is clinically appropriate for you is a conversation for your prescriber rather than a self-directed choice. Availability of specific pen formats is confirmed at the consultation stage.

On any maintenance dose, weekly injections continue indefinitely as long as the treatment is working and well-tolerated. There is no fixed stopping point built into the schedule, but your prescriber will review progress, if less than 5% weight loss has occurred after six months at the highest tolerated dose, NICE guidance suggests continuing should be reconsidered. This is part of the clinical re-review that happens before every repeat at our pharmacy; no prescription is issued on autopilot.

If you are curious about what the private cost of continuing treatment looks like over time, the Wegovy price guide sets out what is included in a private prescription. For context on the broader treatment landscape, the weight-loss treatment overview covers the options licensed in the UK.

What to do if something goes wrong mid-schedule

A missed dose is the most common disruption. Your patient information leaflet gives the specific rule: broadly, if you are within a few days of the missed dose you can give it then, but if your next scheduled dose is close, skip the missed one rather than double up. Taking two doses of Wegovy in one week is a separate question with a clear answer, and so is the question of how to handle a second dose situation, both are covered in detail if that is where you find yourself.

If you experience severe or persistent stomach pain that radiates to your back, with or without vomiting, stop the injection and seek urgent medical help. The MHRA's Yellow Card scheme allows you to report any suspected side effects directly to the regulator, and to flag concerns about the authenticity of any medicine. More common GI effects (nausea, loose stools, reflux) are addressed by slowing down your eating, staying hydrated and keeping meals smaller; they almost always ease as your body adjusts. Any persistent or worrying symptoms are a reason to contact your prescriber, not to push through alone.

If you want to discuss the full schedule with a clinician before you start, start your free consultation and our GPhC-registered prescribers will review your situation the same day.