Thinking about the Wegovy jab privately? Here's the honest picture

You've decided to go private: what happens at the start?

Picture the moment most people reach out: it's usually after a GP appointment where tirzepatide or semaglutide came up, NHS criteria turned out to be stricter than expected, or a waiting list stretched further than seemed workable. Going private doesn't mean bypassing medicine, it means accessing a licensed prescriber through a different route.

The first step at a regulated online pharmacy like nume is a clinical consultation. Your answers are read by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber, not processed by software. That prescriber checks your BMI, medical history, current medications and any contraindications before deciding whether semaglutide is appropriate. If the assessment clears, a prescription is issued and your treatment is dispensed from a GPhC-registered pharmacy in the licensed UK supply chain, the same chain that supplies NHS dispensing.

One thing worth knowing before you start: Wegovy is a prescription-only medicine, and a valid private prescription is the legal requirement for it to be dispensed. Anyone offering the injection without that step is operating outside the law, and the MHRA has published clear warnings about counterfeit pens circulating online, some of which have contained insulin rather than semaglutide.

The clinical consultation at nume is free. So is the prescription, the next-working-day tracked delivery and the aftercare access seven days a week. There's no subscription and no auto-renewal, each repeat order goes through a fresh prescriber review.

The dosing journey for the private Wegovy injection

A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether it's possible to start at a higher dose to see results faster. The honest answer is no, and the reason is practical rather than bureaucratic. Semaglutide's titration schedule exists because the GI side effects (nausea, loose stools, indigestion) are dose-dependent. Starting at 0.25 mg for four weeks, then 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg and finally 2.4 mg gives the body time to adapt at each level. Rushing that sequence tends to mean more side effects, not quicker results.

For context on what the schedule is working toward: in the STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, adults using 2.4 mg semaglutide alongside lifestyle changes lost an average of around 15% of their body weight over 68 weeks. That's a meaningful reduction, and it's the figure NICE referenced when it recommended semaglutide for weight management.

The dose range has since expanded. Following MHRA authorisation, eligible adults can now be prescribed up to 7.2 mg, the higher dose has shown approximately 20.7% average weight loss in trials. Whether a patient moves to 7.2 mg is a clinical decision, made by the prescriber based on response and tolerability at 2.4 mg. If you're curious about private semaglutide options at higher doses, that conversation happens during your clinical review, not before it.

What private costs look like for Wegovy, and what they should include

Private Wegovy pricing varies by dose and provider. Since Novo Nordisk restructured UK list prices, typical private costs broadly range from around £150 to well over £300 per month depending on the dose and what the quoted price actually covers. That last point matters more than the headline figure.

Some providers separate out consultation fees, prescription charges and delivery. Others bundle them. Understanding what you're comparing matters before making a decision, and a full breakdown of Wegovy's private cost is worth reading before you commit anywhere. At nume, one price covers the consultation, prescription, treatment and free next-working-day DPD delivery. No extras surface at checkout.

The MHRA's position is clear: for a prescription medicine, the cheapest listing answers the wrong question. Genuine supply chain, verifiable pharmacy registration and an actual clinical review are the tests that matter. Any pharmacy operating legally in the UK is listed on the GPhC register, take a moment to check before handing over payment details. A price that seems implausibly low, or a seller who doesn't mention a prescription at all, should give you pause.

Who the private Wegovy injection is (and isn't) for

The licence covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnoea. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK clinical guidance. BMI alone doesn't determine suitability, the prescriber looks at the whole picture, including your current medications.

Wegovy is not recommended during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, or if you're actively trying to conceive. It's not licensed for under-18s. Certain conditions (including a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or a history of pancreatitis) require careful prescriber discussion before starting. If you're taking an oral contraceptive, the NHS's guidance on weight management injections is worth reading for advice on additional contraception.

If you've already explored whether you can get Wegovy privately, or you're comparing it against other routes, the clinical consultation is where that gets resolved properly. A prescriber can weigh your specific circumstances in a way that a general eligibility checklist can't. For a broader look at how treatment is structured when you attend a Wegovy private clinic in the UK, the UK private Wegovy overview covers the full landscape.

If you're ready to find out whether you're suitable, speak to our prescribers, the consultation is free and reviewed the same day.