Wegovy milligrams: every dose in the schedule and what each one does

Step 1, the starting doses (0.25 mg and 0.5 mg): settling in, not treating yet

The first pen you receive contains 0.25 mg doses. That surprises some people, especially if they've read about the larger maintenance amounts online. The 0.25 mg stage isn't where the weight-management work happens, its job is to let your digestive system adapt to semaglutide before the dose climbs. Nausea, the most common early side effect, tends to be much more manageable when the medicine is introduced gradually.

After roughly four weeks your prescriber will typically move you to 0.5 mg. Again, this is still an adjustment phase. Most people find the gastrointestinal effects settle within a couple of weeks at each level, though this varies. The science behind semaglutide helps explain why: it slows how quickly the stomach empties, which is part of how it reduces appetite, and that same mechanism is what causes early queasiness in some people.

The practical point is this: if you're still on 0.25 mg and wondering why the scales haven't moved much, that's expected. Patience at this stage protects you from the side effects that push people to stop early. Your prescriber is watching the pattern, not just the dose.

Step 2, the therapeutic range (1.0 mg and 1.7 mg): where the weight-management effect builds

Once you've spent around four weeks at 0.5 mg, the next step is 1.0 mg. This is the first dose in Wegovy's schedule that's considered a proper therapeutic level. Appetite suppression becomes noticeably stronger for many people here, and the structured programme around the medicine (reduced-calorie diet, increased activity) starts to compound the effect.

The 1.7 mg dose follows around four weeks later. Between 1.0 mg and 1.7 mg some people notice a second wave of GI adjustment, similar in feel to the early days. This is normal and typically brief. Staying well hydrated helps; so does spacing the injection away from a large meal. If side effects at 1.7 mg are difficult, your prescriber may slow the titration or hold you at 1.0 mg a little longer, that's a clinical conversation, not a sign that the medicine isn't working.

Some patients reach their weight-management goals before ever getting to 2.4 mg. The maintenance dose is the target, but the right dose for you is the highest one you tolerate well. That's a nuance worth understanding before you start, and it's also why Wegovy treatment works best when there's proper clinical oversight throughout, not just at the start.

Step 3, maintenance doses (2.4 mg and 7.2 mg): what changed in 2026

The 2.4 mg weekly injection was, until recently, the only licensed maintenance dose for Wegovy in the UK. Clinical trials at this dose (STEP 1, published in the New England Journal of Medicine) recorded an average weight reduction of around 15% over 68 weeks, which was a meaningful step forward for weight management medicines at the time.

Then, in January 2026, the MHRA approved a higher 7.2 mg maintenance dose, initially delivered as three 2.4 mg pens each week. On 14 April 2026, a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen was approved, one pre-set weekly injection, auto-dosing mechanism, covered needle, locks after use. Trials at 7.2 mg reported around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks, closing the gap with the highest doses of tirzepatide. The MHRA's April 2026 announcement is the primary source to read if you want the full licensing detail.

One important restriction: the 7.2 mg pen is licensed only for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, and if you want a full picture of how Wegovy is approved and used in the UK, that page covers the medicine in detail. It isn't approved for lower BMI thresholds or for Wegovy's cardiovascular indication. The starting dose remains 0.25 mg regardless of which maintenance target you and your prescriber are working towards, the titration schedule doesn't compress just because the destination is higher. Questions about whether the 7.2 mg dose is right for you are best raised at consultation; availability and suitability are confirmed there, not in advance.

If you're curious about how these milligram doses translate to units (a question that often comes up when patients have experience with insulin pens) there's a dedicated page on semaglutide milligrams and units that clears that up.

A note on diet, timing, and the everyday realities of each dose

No milligram figure works in isolation. Wegovy is licensed alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, that combination is built into the trial conditions that produced those headline weight-loss percentages. Some people find that as the dose rises, appetite drops to a point where eating enough protein becomes the challenge, not restricting calories. That shift is worth knowing about before it surprises you at 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg.

The injection itself takes seconds. Most people settle on the abdomen or thigh; sites should be rotated. Storage is in the fridge, and the pen can sit at room temperature for a limited period, your patient information leaflet gives the exact window, and it's worth checking this before, say, a day trip or a long commute. One of the questions our prescribers hear regularly is whether certain foods or drinks affect the medicine; the interaction between Wegovy and dairy is one that comes up more than you'd expect.

For a broader look at how Wegovy compares to other options, the weight-loss treatment overview sets out what's currently licensed in the UK and how the medicines differ. If you're ready to find out which dose pathway fits your situation, a free consultation with one of our prescribers is the right next step. A real clinician reads your answers the same day, not a queue, not software. Start your free consultation and they'll take it from there.