How to Use Wegovy: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Before your first injection, what to check

When your Wegovy pen arrives, keep it in the fridge and take a moment to read the Patient Information Leaflet in full before you do anything else. Check the expiry date and inspect the liquid through the viewing window; it should be clear or faint yellow with no visible particles. If anything looks wrong, contact your pharmacy before injecting. You'll also want to gather what you need: the pen, a new needle (if your pen requires one), an alcohol swab, and a sharps container for safe disposal afterwards.

Timing is flexible, you can inject Wegovy on any day of the week and at any time of day, with or without food. What matters is keeping to the same day each week. Picking a day that fits your routine (a Monday morning, say, or a Sunday evening) makes it far easier to stick to. If you're not sure which day suits you, that's a perfectly reasonable thing to raise when you speak to a prescriber before starting.

Wash your hands thoroughly before handling the pen. Take it out of the fridge and let it reach room temperature for a few minutes, injecting cold liquid is more likely to sting. Never warm it using hot water or a microwave.

Step 2: Choosing your site and injecting correctly

The three approved sites are the abdomen (at least a couple of centimetres from your navel), the front of your thigh, or the outer upper arm. Rotating between sites and between spots within each site helps prevent lumps and skin irritation building up over time. It's fine to use the same general area as last week, but pick a slightly different point.

Clean the chosen spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry completely before injecting, damp skin can sting. Uncap the pen, press it firmly against your skin at a 90-degree angle, and activate the injection according to your pen's instructions. Hold it in place until the dose counter reaches zero, then remove slowly. You may see a small dot of blood; press lightly with a clean piece of gauze. Do not rub the site.

If you'd like more detail on the mechanics of the injection itself, this guide covers the injection technique step by step. Never reuse a needle. Place used needles directly into a sharps bin, never an ordinary household bin.

Step 3: Titrating your dose and what to expect as it increases

The standard UK titration schedule runs from 0.25 mg through 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and up to 2.4 mg, spending roughly four weeks at each level before moving up. In January 2026, the MHRA approved 7.2 mg as a new maximum maintenance dose for eligible adults. The pace of titration is decided by your prescriber, not the calendar, if side effects are making a dose hard to tolerate, it's reasonable to stay at that level longer. Never increase your dose without clinical sign-off, and never halve or skip doses on your own initiative.

The GI side effects that most people notice (nausea, looser stools, some bloating) tend to peak in the first week or two after each dose increase, then settle. Eating smaller portions and avoiding rich or fatty meals helps. Staying well hydrated matters too, particularly if nausea is putting you off drinking. The full Wegovy overview on our website covers what the trial evidence says about how these effects typically evolve.

For people thinking about how Wegovy fits the broader picture of weight management (including what else is licensed in the UK) our treatment overview covers the options clearly. The active ingredient, semaglutide, is also discussed in more depth on our semaglutide page.

Step 4: Missed doses, storage, and keeping going safely

If you miss a dose and there are still four or more days until your next scheduled injection, take it as soon as you remember. If fewer than four days remain before your next dose is due, skip the missed one and carry on as normal. Never take two doses close together to make up for one you missed. Your Patient Information Leaflet has the exact guidance for your pen, follow that, and contact your prescriber if you're unsure.

Pens in use (or that have been out of the fridge) can be kept at room temperature for a limited period. The exact window is stated in the leaflet; we deliberately don't print it here because the window varies by pen format and the leaflet is always the definitive source. Used or expired pens go into your sharps container, not the household recycling.

It's worth knowing that if you're thinking about stopping Wegovy rather than pausing it, there are specific considerations around timing and weight management to discuss with your prescriber first. This page explains what stopping Wegovy involves and what to expect. If you have questions that fall outside what's covered here, our FAQs address a range of common queries, and our support team is available seven days a week. Wegovy is a prescription medicine, and cost is a real consideration for many people; the Wegovy pricing page puts the UK market in honest context.

Getting the practical details right from the beginning makes a real difference. If you're at the stage of weighing up whether to start, check your eligibility with our prescribers, the consultation is free, and it's reviewed by a real clinician, not a screening algorithm.