Semaglutide dosing chart for weight loss: the UK schedule explained

What does the full semaglutide dose schedule look like?

The Wegovy injection schedule used in UK clinical practice follows a step-by-step titration. Treatment opens at 0.25 mg once weekly, a tolerability step whose job is to let your digestive system adjust, not to produce significant weight loss. After roughly four weeks, the dose moves to 0.5 mg, then 1.0 mg, then 1.7 mg, and finally to the 2.4 mg maintenance dose. That is five distinct levels over approximately sixteen to twenty weeks, assuming no reason to slow down. You can find this mapped out visually on the Wegovy dosing chart, where each step is plotted against time.

In January 2026 the MHRA approved a sixth level: 7.2 mg weekly, initially administered as three 2.4 mg pens in a single week, and from April 2026 also available as a dedicated single-dose pen. Trial data reported an average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks at 7.2 mg, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide's results. The 7.2 mg step is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above and is reached only after the prescriber has assessed your response at 2.4 mg. The Wegovy treatment page covers eligibility for the higher dose in more detail.

The NICE recommendation for semaglutide (TA875) notes that treatment should be reviewed if weight loss falls below 5% after six months at the maintenance dose, and the maximum recommended treatment duration under NHS criteria is two years. Private treatment through a regulated pharmacy follows the same licensed schedule, with clinical reviews at every repeat.

Why does the schedule move so slowly, can the steps be shortened?

The four-week minimum at each dose level exists primarily to manage gastrointestinal side effects: nausea, loose stools, indigestion and fatigue are most noticeable when the dose changes, and the body generally settles within a couple of weeks. Rushing through the steps increases the chance of side effects severe enough to make people stop treatment early, which defeats the purpose. Some people do stay at a given step longer, if 1.0 mg is causing persistent nausea, a prescriber may hold there for eight weeks rather than four before moving up.

The same logic applies in reverse: there is no clinical benefit to escalating faster than the schedule allows. The Wegovy dosing for weight loss page goes into the reasons for each step in more depth. The key practical point is that the dose on week twelve is not a failure if it is still 1.0 mg, it is the prescriber responding to your body, not the chart.

One thing worth knowing: semaglutide in tablet form (the Wegovy pill, approved by the MHRA in June 2026) follows a completely different schedule, 1.5 mg, 4 mg, 9 mg and then 25 mg daily. The milligram numbers look very different because oral bioavailability is much lower than injection. If you are comparing figures across formats, make sure you are looking at the right route of administration. The semaglutide chart page sets the injection and tablet schedules side by side.

How does the semaglutide dose schedule affect expected weight loss?

Most of the weight loss evidence comes from the STEP programme. STEP 1, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed adults with obesity for 68 weeks at 2.4 mg and reported an average body-weight reduction of around 15%. That figure is an average across all participants; individual results varied considerably above and below it. The 7.2 mg data, from subsequent trials, reported approximately 20.7% at 72 weeks among adherent participants.

Weight loss tends to accelerate through the middle of treatment, after the maintenance dose is reached, and then plateaus. Many people notice the clearest changes between weeks eight and thirty-two. After that, holding the loss rather than continuing to lose becomes the main clinical goal. Dose increases do not extend indefinitely, 2.4 mg (or 7.2 mg for those who meet criteria) is the ceiling.

A note on costs: private Wegovy pricing in the UK reflects the dose, because each dose is a separate prescription. The treatment and pricing page shows current figures clearly, without surprise fees. The Wegovy weight-loss chart is useful if you want to track typical progress against the clinical trial timeline.

What should you do if a dose increase feels too much?

This is one of the questions our prescribers hear regularly. The answer, according to NHS guidance on semaglutide, is to contact your prescriber rather than manage it yourself: staying at the current dose for longer, or in some circumstances temporarily dropping back, is a clinical decision. Adjusting doses on the basis of a chart without prescriber input is not safe and is not something the licensed schedule anticipates you doing alone.

Side effects that are worth discussing promptly include persistent vomiting that prevents you keeping fluids down, severe stomach pain (especially if it radiates towards the back, the MHRA flagged acute pancreatitis as a known serious risk in a Drug Safety Update in January 2026), or any allergic reaction. These are not reasons to guess at a lower dose at home; they are reasons to call your prescriber or, if severe, to get urgent medical help.

Day-to-day GI symptoms (mild nausea before meals, occasional loose stools in the first few days after a new dose) are common and usually settle. Eating smaller portions, avoiding high-fat foods around injection day, and making sure you are drinking enough water all help. Some people find it easier to inject on a Friday evening so any adjustment happens over a weekend rather than a work morning. That is the kind of practical detail the frequently asked questions page covers alongside the clinical basics. If you want to talk through your specific situation, our team is reachable seven days a week.