Semaglutide daily dose: what the Wegovy schedule actually looks like

You've read 'daily dose' and the pen says 'once a week', here's why

Most medicines you take at home are daily tablets, so a once-weekly injection feels unusual. Semaglutide's molecular structure was deliberately engineered with a long half-life, meaning a single subcutaneous injection sustains meaningful blood levels for the full seven days. There is no gap between doses where the medicine stops working, and there is no separate daily top-up. Taking an additional dose between weekly injections would not accelerate results; it would increase the risk of nausea, vomiting and other gastrointestinal side effects considerably.

Choose a day of the week that suits your routine and stick to it. Many people pick the same evening each week, slotting it in after a regular activity so it becomes habit. The injection can be given at any time of day, with or without food, unlike oral semaglutide (the Wegovy tablet, approved by the MHRA in June 2026), which carries specific morning fasting rules. If you want a broader picture of how the injectable version sits within the full Wegovy dosing range, that page sets out each strength in context.

The NHS medicines information for semaglutide confirms the once-weekly schedule and covers what to do if a dose is missed, the short answer is that your prescriber and the Patient Information Leaflet are the right guides for that, not general advice online.

What the starter dose at 0.25 mg is actually doing

The first four weeks on Wegovy are not about weight loss. At 0.25 mg the dose is below the level where meaningful appetite suppression kicks in; its job is to let your digestive system adjust to the medicine before higher doses arrive. Nausea is common in early treatment, and titrating slowly is the main way to keep it manageable. Expecting results in week one is one of the most common sources of early disappointment, and one of the most understandable, given how much is riding on starting.

After the starter month the prescriber steps the dose to 0.5 mg, then 1.0 mg, a stage where many people notice the first meaningful shifts in appetite, then 1.7 mg, each held for around four weeks. Reaching 2.4 mg, the standard maintenance dose, typically takes about four to five months. For clinical context on individual rungs of that ladder, the page on the semaglutide dose schedule goes into more detail on how each step is assessed.

Whether a person reaches 2.4 mg or stays at an earlier level depends on tolerability and the prescriber's clinical judgement. There is no obligation to push to the highest dose if a lower one is working well and side effects are a concern. That conversation belongs in a clinical review, not a forum.

The 7.2 mg dose: what changed in 2026

In January 2026 the MHRA approved a 7.2 mg maintenance dose for semaglutide, initially delivered as three 2.4 mg pens used in a single weekly injection. Then, on 14 April 2026, a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen was approved, designed with an auto-dosing mechanism and a covered needle that locks after use. This approval applies to adults with a BMI of 30 or above; it is not available for the cardiovascular indication or for BMI below 30. The starting dose remains 0.25 mg and the titration still progresses gradually under prescriber oversight, passing through the 2 mg dose, which some people find a notable step up in both effect and tolerability.

Trial data reported around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks at 7.2 mg, which brings semaglutide results closer to tirzepatide territory. You can read more about what those figures mean in practice on the Wegovy overview. It is worth knowing that availability of specific dose formats is confirmed at consultation, no service can guarantee every pen format is in stock until that point.

The MHRA's approval of the single-dose 7.2 mg pen is documented on GOV.UK and represents a meaningful development for people who respond well to semaglutide but have not reached their target on 2.4 mg. If you are curious about the pricing context that comes with longer or higher-dose treatment, the Wegovy costs page covers what private treatment typically involves.

Side effects, storage, and the question of switching to tablets

The side-effect profile across the weekly semaglutide doses is led by the gastrointestinal system: nausea and loose stools are most common during the early weeks and after each dose increase, generally settling as the body adapts. Fatigue, headache and injection-site reactions are also reported. The NHS semaglutide information page covers these in plain language and explains which symptoms should prompt a call to a clinician. Severe, persistent stomach pain that spreads toward the back warrants urgent medical attention, the MHRA highlighted acute pancreatitis as a known, if infrequent, risk for GLP-1 medicines in a safety update issued in January 2026.

Storage for the injectable pen is straightforward: keep it in the fridge between 2°C and 8°C (most people find the fridge door the most natural spot) and refer to your Patient Information Leaflet for the limited window it can be kept at room temperature when travelling. Never freeze it.

Some people who are established on the 2.4 mg weekly injection ask about moving to the Wegovy tablet, approved by the MHRA in June 2026 as the first oral GLP-1 for weight management in the UK. The oral schedule is different again: a once-daily tablet taken on an empty stomach, building from 1.5 mg through 4 mg and 9 mg to a 25 mg maintenance dose. NICE guidance on semaglutide (TA875) applies to the injectable form; a separate NICE appraisal would be required before oral semaglutide becomes available on the NHS. Any switch between formulations needs a prescriber's input, it is not a straightforward substitution. Our clinical team reviews every treatment decision personally, and the free consultation is the right place to raise questions like this.