Wegovy Weight Loss Injections: What You Need to Decide Before Starting

Do you meet the licensed criteria, and what does that actually mean in practice?

Eligibility is probably the first practical question, and it is worth separating what the licence says from what NICE recommends for NHS access, because they are genuinely different things.

The UK marketing authorisation for Wegovy covers adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI of 27 or above alongside at least one weight-related condition, for example high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea or type 2 diabetes. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance: the adjustment is typically 2.5 kg/m² for South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds. You can use the NHS BMI calculator to check your number before going any further.

NHS access is more restricted: NICE's appraisal of Wegovy (TA875) recommends it only within specialist weight management services, for a maximum of two years, and with a BMI of 35 or above alongside at least one comorbidity. Many people meet the licensed criteria but not the narrower NHS threshold, and face long waiting lists regardless. A private clinical assessment, reviewed by a prescriber, covers the licensed criteria and also your full medical history, current medicines and any contraindications. BMI alone is never the whole picture.

Learn more about how Wegovy fits into the broader treatment landscape, including how it compares with other licensed options.

How do the injections actually work, and what should the titration schedule feel like?

Semaglutide activates GLP-1 receptors involved in appetite regulation and blood-sugar control. It slows gastric emptying, reduces hunger signals and increases the sense of fullness after eating, the result, for most people, is that smaller portions feel satisfying and the drive to snack fades noticeably.

The injection schedule starts at 0.25 mg weekly and steps up roughly every four weeks: 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, then 2.4 mg as the standard maintenance dose. If you want a full walkthrough of how Wegovy weight loss injections are administered at each stage, including what to expect as doses increase, that detail is covered on a dedicated page. The MHRA approved a 7.2 mg dose in January 2026, with a dedicated single-dose pen confirmed on 14 April 2026 for adults with a BMI of 30 or above; this is the maximum available dose and represents a meaningful step up in efficacy for some patients.

The slow titration is not bureaucracy. Side effects are most common at the start or after a dose increase, and the gradual ramp-up reduces how severe they are for most people. A question our prescribers hear most weeks is whether the side effects ever settle, and for the great majority of patients they do, usually within days to about two weeks of each step. Your prescriber's guidance and the patient information leaflet are the reference points for anything specific to your dose or situation; general online information is no substitute.

Injection sites are the abdomen, thigh or upper arm; rotating sites each week reduces local skin reactions. If you are unfamiliar with how the device works, our guide to the Wegovy weight loss pen explains the mechanism, storage requirements and step-by-step usage in plain terms. For the exact room-temperature window, storage exceptions and any missed-dose guidance, the patient information leaflet that comes with your pen is the authoritative source.

What side effects should you actually prepare for?

The side-effect profile of Wegovy injections is dominated by the gut. Nausea is the most commonly reported, followed by loose stools, constipation, reflux and burping. Fatigue and headache appear in clinical trial data too. Most of these ease as your body adjusts, though they can return briefly after each dose increase.

Serious effects are less common but important to know. Acute pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas) is a known, infrequent risk: if you develop severe stomach pain that spreads to your back, with or without vomiting, get medical help promptly rather than waiting to see how it develops. The MHRA highlighted this risk in a Drug Safety Update for GLP-1 medicines in January 2026. Gallbladder-related symptoms and signs of significant dehydration from prolonged vomiting or diarrhoea also warrant urgent assessment.

If you are taking an oral contraceptive pill, the NHS notes that tirzepatide's absorption effect means additional contraception is advised for the first four weeks of treatment and after each dose increase; for semaglutide there is no equivalent evidence of reduced pill effectiveness, but discussing your contraception with your prescriber at the outset is sensible. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or trying to conceive, Wegovy is not recommended. It is not licensed for under-18s.

Any suspected side effect can be reported directly to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme, this applies to patients as well as clinicians, and the data genuinely feeds into ongoing safety monitoring. The NHS semaglutide page lists side effects with clear guidance on what needs urgent attention.

Where to get Wegovy injections, and what a legitimate supply chain actually looks like

Wegovy is a prescription-only medicine. The legal route to it is a prescription issued by a qualified prescriber following a clinical assessment, full stop. That assessment must include identity verification and an honest account of your health history.

Online pharmacies registered with the GPhC can prescribe and dispense legitimately. You can verify any UK pharmacy using the GPhC pharmacy register before handing over any personal or payment information. The MHRA has documented large seizures of fake weight-loss pens sold through social media and unverified websites; some have contained insulin rather than semaglutide, with serious consequences. A price significantly below the market range, or supply offered without a prescription, is a red flag, not a deal.

The cost of private Wegovy treatment (and what legitimate prices actually include) is covered on the Wegovy prices page, if that context is useful before you decide. For those curious how Wegovy injections compare with similar treatments, the Ozempic and Wegovy distinction is worth understanding: Ozempic also contains semaglutide but is licensed for type 2 diabetes, not weight management.

If you would like to explore whether Wegovy injections are clinically suitable for you, start a free consultation with our prescribers. At nume, every consultation is reviewed the same day by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber (a real clinician reads your answers, not an automated system) and if treatment is approved, same-day dispatch and free next-working-day delivery follow.