Wegovy FlexTouch injection 0.25mg: the decision about your starting dose

The decision the 0.25mg dose is actually making for you

Starting Wegovy at 0.25mg is not a clinical hedge or a cautious undertreatment. It is the designed entry point. Semaglutide, the active medicine in Wegovy, slows gastric emptying and suppresses appetite through GLP-1 receptor activity, mechanisms that are effective precisely because they change how the gut behaves. That same mechanism is what causes nausea and digestive disruption in the first weeks. The starting dose keeps those effects manageable while your body acclimatises.

Think of 0.25mg as the system's warm-up period. Weight loss at this stage is incidental rather than the point. If you find yourself comparing your results at week two to trial headlines, you are measuring the wrong thing. The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported approximately 15% average body-weight reduction over 68 weeks, but that figure reflects the full maintenance dose, not the starting month.

Your prescriber sets the pace of titration. The standard schedule moves through 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg and up to 2.4mg (or, for those prescribed the higher-dose pen, 7.2mg) at roughly four-week intervals, subject to how each step is tolerated. That schedule is not something to negotiate around; it exists for a reason. If side effects make a step difficult, the right conversation is with your prescriber, not a dose skip or a self-directed pause. The Wegovy dosage chart sets out the full titration sequence clearly.

Who reaches 0.25mg, and what the prescriber is weighing up

Wegovy is licensed in the UK for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol or obstructive sleep apnoea. That is the licensed threshold; it does not mean everyone who meets it is automatically a suitable candidate. The prescriber is also looking at your medicines, your medical history and any contraindications before the first pen is issued.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and actively trying to conceive rule out treatment. The medicine is not licensed for under-18s. Certain conditions (a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, pancreatitis or specific gastrointestinal diseases) require a careful prescriber conversation before any semaglutide is considered. Lower BMI thresholds can apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK clinical guidance, so that is worth raising if relevant to you.

If you are transferring from another provider already established on a dose, that starting point may be different, a prescriber reviews your evidence before any repeat is authorised. The semaglutide injection dose overview covers how different clinical situations affect where you begin. And a quick practical check worth doing before your first injection: confirm the pen is stored between 2°C and 8°C in the fridge (not in the door where temperature fluctuates) and that it has not passed its expiry date. Takes less than a minute; the Patient Information Leaflet in the box sets out the full storage rules.

Side effects to expect at 0.25mg, and one that needs urgent attention

The most common side effects in the early weeks are gastrointestinal. Nausea is the headline one, but loose stools, constipation, reflux and burping all appear in trial data and clinical experience. Most settle within the first fortnight as the body adjusts. Eating smaller portions, avoiding fatty or spicy foods and keeping well hydrated are the standard practical measures, your prescriber or the NHS semaglutide medicines page can walk you through specifics.

One side effect warrants a different level of attention. In January 2026, the MHRA issued a Drug Safety Update for GLP-1 medicines highlighting acute pancreatitis as an infrequent but serious risk. Severe abdominal pain that reaches through to the back (particularly if persistent and accompanied by vomiting) should prompt urgent medical assessment, not a wait-and-see approach. Stop treatment and get help. Report any suspected side effects, including this one, via the Yellow Card scheme.

For an overview of what the Wegovy journey looks like beyond the first pen, the Wegovy doses guide covers how the schedule builds. And if cost at any point becomes a factor in your planning, the Wegovy pricing page sets out what private treatment typically involves.

Getting started: the clinical route matters

Semaglutide is a prescription-only medicine. Those who progress through the titration schedule and reach higher concentrations can read about the semaglutide 5mg injection to understand what that stage of treatment involves. The risk with sourcing these medicines from unverified sellers (social media, unregistered websites) is not abstract: the MHRA has seized large quantities of fake GLP-1 pens from the illegal market, some of which contained entirely different substances. Any pharmacy you use should be verifiable on the GPhC register at pharmacyregulation.org/registers.

At nume, every consultation is read by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber (a real clinician, not automated software) and if you are clinically suitable, treatment is dispatched the same day if your order is in before midday, arriving free the next working day via DPD. One transparent price covers consultation, prescription and delivery. There are no subscriptions and every repeat order goes through a fresh clinical review. If you are ready to find out whether Wegovy is right for you, start your free consultation with our prescribing team. You can also read about Wegovy in full before you do.