The Wegovy weight loss injection: a plain-English guide

Picture the first morning you inject

The pen arrives refrigerated. Before you use it, take it out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for a few minutes — the injection is noticeably more comfortable that way. You choose a site: the front of your thigh, your abdomen away from the navel, or your upper arm. Rotate the site each week so the skin gets a rest. The needle is fine and short, and most people describe the sensation as minimal. You press the pen against the skin, activate it, hold it in place for a few seconds, and you are done. That whole process takes under two minutes once you know it.

A checking habit worth building: before each injection, confirm the liquid in the pen is clear and colourless. If it looks cloudy, discoloured or contains particles, do not use it. That ten-second check is described in the Patient Information Leaflet and takes no effort to build into the routine. Storage matters too, Wegovy must be kept refrigerated between 2°C and 8°C. The exact permitted room-temperature window is stated in the leaflet; follow that rather than a rough estimate.

The weight loss injection is given once a week, on the same day each time where possible. If a dose is missed, the leaflet and your prescriber's guidance explain what to do, the answer depends on how close you are to the next scheduled dose, so it is not a one-size decision.

The dose schedule and what each stage is for

The Wegovy titration pathway is designed to let your body adjust gradually. It starts at 0.25 mg, which is a tolerability stage, the body is being introduced to the medicine, not yet receiving a therapeutic level. From there the dose increases roughly every four weeks: 0.5 mg, then 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, and finally 2.4 mg, which has been the standard maintenance dose. The MHRA approved a 7.2 mg maintenance dose in January 2026, and a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen received approval in April 2026, for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. The NHS semaglutide medicines page gives an accessible overview of the full schedule.

Your prescriber sets the pace. The staged increase exists precisely to keep side effects manageable, so moving through it faster than recommended does not help. Clinical evidence from the STEP 1 trial showed an average body-weight reduction of around 15% over 68 weeks at the 2.4 mg dose, measured against a placebo group following the same lifestyle guidance. Those results took the full duration to accumulate, which is worth keeping in mind in the early weeks when change feels slow.

People sometimes ask whether all the dose strengths are always available. Supply can vary, and the best place to confirm current availability is at the point of consultation. If you want to understand how the range of weight loss injections compares before booking, that overview may help you frame the conversation with a prescriber.

Side effects: what people actually report and when to seek help

The most commonly reported side effects are gastrointestinal. Nausea is the one patients mention most often, followed by looser stools, constipation, indigestion, and burping. These tend to peak shortly after starting or after a dose step up, then settle for many people within a week or two as the body adjusts. Eating smaller portions, avoiding high-fat meals and staying hydrated all make a practical difference during those windows.

Serious effects are less common but matter. The MHRA has highlighted acute pancreatitis as a known, infrequent risk with GLP-1 medicines: if you develop severe stomach pain that radiates through to your back, especially with vomiting, get medical help without delay. Other signs that need prompt attention include significant dehydration from persistent vomiting or diarrhoea, allergic reactions, and gallbladder symptoms such as sharp upper-abdominal pain. The MHRA's Yellow Card scheme allows patients to report suspected side effects, and doing so helps the regulator build a clearer picture over time.

Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or when actively trying to conceive. It is not licensed for under-18s. People with a personal or close family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or with certain pancreatic or gastrointestinal conditions, need a careful prescriber conversation before starting. The contraindication list in the SmPC is the definitive reference, and a prescriber works through it during your consultation.

Who the Wegovy injection is licensed for, and what private access involves

The UK licence covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea, or type 2 diabetes. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance. A BMI number alone does not guarantee clinical suitability, the prescriber considers the full picture, including current medicines, health history, and individual risk factors.

On the NHS, Wegovy is available through specialist weight management services under NICE guidance, and waiting times can be long. Private access through a regulated online pharmacy is the alternative for people who do not meet NHS criteria or prefer not to wait. If you are researching your options, our weight loss treatment overview sets out how the different approaches compare, including guidance on what to look for when you buy weight loss injections through a private provider. A brief note on cost context: private weight loss injection treatment is priced per month, and typically includes consultation, prescription and dispensing, what goes into the cost of weight loss injections explains the components worth checking before committing.

At nume, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads every application personally. Our pharmacy holds GPhC premises registration 9012878, verifiable directly on the GPhC register. If you have further questions before starting, our FAQs cover the most common ones, including how the three main weight loss injections differ from one another and whether an m injection for weight loss might suit your circumstances better than semaglutide, and our clinical team is available seven days a week. When you are ready, speak to our prescribers through a free consultation.