The Wegovy Dose Increase Chart: How Titration Works in the UK

Step 1, The starting dose (0.25 mg for four weeks)

The first injection is 0.25 mg, and the sole job of this step is adjustment. Your body is meeting a GLP-1 receptor agonist for the first time, and slowing gastric emptying to any meaningful degree at this stage isn't the goal; keeping side effects manageable is. Most people notice little appetite change here. What they do notice is the routine: injecting once a week, same day each week if possible, rotating between the abdomen, thigh and upper arm. Nausea at 0.25 mg tends to be mild for most patients, which is exactly why the schedule starts here rather than higher. See the full breakdown of each Wegovy strength for context on what the pen itself contains at each stage.

Four weeks at 0.25 mg, then your prescriber reviews. That review matters, it isn't automatic.

Step 2, Building tolerance (0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, then 1.7 mg)

After the first four weeks, the schedule moves to 0.5 mg, then to 1.0 mg four weeks later, then 1.7 mg four weeks after that. Each increase is the same cadence: roughly one month at each level before progressing. This three-step middle section is where most of the physiological work happens. Appetite suppression becomes more noticeable through this phase, and for many people the gastrointestinal side effects peak around the 0.5 mg to 1.0 mg transition, nausea, indigestion and occasional loose stools are all listed in the NHS semaglutide patient information as common at this stage.

The practical tip many patients find useful: injecting on a day when you can take things a little slower the following morning helps. If you know the 1.0 mg pen arrives on a Thursday, that becomes a quieter Friday rather than a busy one. None of this replaces clinical guidance, and if side effects feel unmanageable at any step, the right move is to speak to your prescriber before the next injection, not to skip it silently.

Some people stay at an intermediate dose longer than four weeks. That isn't failure, it is the titration schedule doing its job. This guide on when to move up a Wegovy dose covers the clinical signals that inform that decision.

Step 3 (Reaching 2.4 mg maintenance and the 7.2 mg option

The original maintenance dose) 2.4 mg, is reached after approximately 16 weeks of titration. For most adults in clinical trials, this is where weight loss is most pronounced and where treatment continues long-term. The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, recorded an average body-weight reduction of around 15% at 68 weeks at the 2.4 mg dose alongside lifestyle changes.

Since January 2026, there is an additional step. The MHRA approved a 7.2 mg maintenance dose, and on 14 April 2026 approved a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen (one pre-set weekly injection) for adults with a BMI of 30 or above. Titration still begins at 0.25 mg; 7.2 mg is the new ceiling, not a shortcut. Trial data at this higher dose reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks, approaching the results seen with tirzepatide in head-to-head evidence. Whether 7.2 mg is appropriate for you is a clinical decision, and specific dose availability is confirmed at consultation. Read more on whether Wegovy dose increases are right for you.

Understanding the cost picture across the titration journey is also relevant for planning. Our guide to Wegovy costs in the UK sets out what private treatment typically involves at each stage.

What the chart can't tell you, and what your prescriber can

A titration chart is a reference, not a prescription. It shows the licensed sequence; it cannot tell you whether to slow down, pause, stay at a dose longer, or whether 7.2 mg is the right target for your situation. Those are clinical judgements. The NICE technology appraisal for semaglutide (TA875) recommends stopping treatment if weight loss is less than 5% after six months on the maintenance dose, that kind of review requires a real conversation, not a chart.

At nume, a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads every consultation and every repeat request personally. Dose increases don't go through an automated system. If you're wondering whether you're ready to move up, or whether a side effect is worth pushing through, those are exactly the questions our clinical team is there to answer. There's more on the clinical rationale behind dose increases here.

If you'd like to discuss whether Wegovy is appropriate for you and where in the titration schedule treatment might begin, start your free consultation and a prescriber will review your case the same day.