Switching to Wegovy for Maintenance: a Practical Guide

You're on a stable dose elsewhere and wondering if Wegovy picks up where you left off

This is probably the most common scenario. You've been titrating through a GLP-1 programme, you're losing weight at a manageable pace, and now you're changing provider or switching medicines. The first thing worth knowing is that Wegovy and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are not the same drug and their doses do not map onto each other. If you're already on Wegovy and simply continuing, the question is whether your current dose becomes the maintenance dose or whether your prescriber recommends the 2.4mg or the newer 7.2mg target.

Wegovy's licensed titration pathway runs from 0.25mg up through 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg, each step typically four weeks apart. The 2.4mg weekly dose has been the standard maintenance target. The MHRA approved a 7.2mg maintenance dose in early 2026, first available as multiple 2.4mg pens weekly, then as a single dedicated 7.2mg pen approved in April 2026. That higher dose has shown around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks in trials, narrowing the gap with tirzepatide at its highest strength, and if you're wondering whether there is a golden dose with Wegovy, the evidence around 7.2mg is where that question gets most interesting. You can read more about how the full dose ladder works on Wegovy's licensed UK dose schedule.

Switching provider mid-treatment is straightforward in principle but requires evidence: your current dose, how long you've been on it, and any side effects. At nume, transfer patients provide this evidence as part of the clinical review, it informs what a prescriber recommends next.

Wegovy versus Mounjaro at maintenance: the numbers side by side

If your question is really whether to switch to Wegovy from tirzepatide (or vice versa) the trial data is the right starting point. The table below draws on published clinical evidence and NICE's appraisal work.

The SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2025, found tirzepatide produced greater average weight reduction than semaglutide 2.4mg over 72 weeks. The 7.2mg Wegovy dose narrows that gap considerably. What 'maintenance' actually means on Wegovy covers how long patients typically stay at these doses and what the evidence says about sustaining results.

One important note: Ozempic is also semaglutide, but it holds a UK licence for type 2 diabetes only, not for weight management. Rybelsus (oral semaglutide, 3/7/14mg) is the same: a diabetes medicine, not a weight-loss product. The licensed weight-management options are Wegovy injection and, as of June 2026, Wegovy tablets (25mg oral semaglutide). Wegovy's full UK licensing details sets out the distinctions clearly.

What a maintenance switch means for side effects and day-to-day life

Both semaglutide and tirzepatide share a GI-led side-effect profile, nausea, loose stools, constipation and indigestion are the most commonly reported, typically front-loaded around dose increases and usually settling within a couple of weeks. Switching medicines, or stepping up to a higher maintenance dose, can feel like restarting the early-titration period: your system needs time to recalibrate.

The NHS patient information for semaglutide is the clearest reference for what to watch for at each stage, and it's worth reading before any switch. Serious but less common risks (including acute pancreatitis) apply to the whole class. The MHRA highlighted pancreatitis as a known, infrequent but serious risk for GLP-1 medicines in a Drug Safety Update issued in January 2026: severe stomach pain, particularly pain that spreads to the back, warrants urgent medical attention regardless of which medicine you're on.

One practical consideration that often surprises people: tirzepatide specifically may reduce oral contraceptive absorption during the first four weeks of treatment and after each dose increase. Semaglutide does not carry the same evidence-based caution. If you're switching from Mounjaro to Wegovy partly for contraception reasons, raise that with your prescriber. Building a Wegovy maintenance plan covers the lifestyle and clinical inputs that sit alongside the medicine at this stage.

How to switch, and where a prescriber fits in

A switch to Wegovy for maintenance is not something you organise by ordering a different pen. Prescriptions for Wegovy are legally required, it is a Prescription Only Medicine, and any UK pharmacy supplying it without a clinical assessment is operating outside the law. The verification step is simple: check any online pharmacy on the GPhC register before handing over personal or financial details.

At nume, the process is: complete a free consultation (your answers, including evidence of your current treatment, are reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered prescriber), have your identity and weight confirmed on a short video call, and (if approved before noon on a weekday) your treatment goes out the same day. The DPD tracking notification usually lands before the school run. Specific dose availability is confirmed at consultation because it depends on your clinical picture, not a catalogue.

Cost is a real consideration too. What Wegovy costs privately in the UK lays out the current pricing context honestly, including what a single transparent price should include. If you'd like to check whether you're a good candidate for a switch, check your eligibility with our prescribers, the consultation is free.