What Are the Wegovy Strengths and How Do They Work?

Step 1: Why treatment starts at 0.25 mg, not the maintenance dose

The first pen in the Wegovy schedule contains 0.25 mg of semaglutide. This is not a therapeutic dose in the sense of producing meaningful weight loss — its job is to let your digestive system adjust to the medicine before stronger doses arrive. GLP-1 receptor agonists slow gastric emptying and act on appetite centres in the brain; starting low reduces the likelihood of nausea and other gastrointestinal effects that are more common when the dose is introduced too quickly.

You stay at 0.25 mg for four weeks. After that, assuming you're tolerating it well, your prescriber moves you to 0.5 mg for another four-week period. This step-by-step approach is built into the licensed schedule, it isn't optional, and a prescriber who skips it is not following the SmPC. The NHS semaglutide medicines page sets out the standard titration pathway for patient reference.

One practical point worth knowing: the pens at each strength are separate pre-filled devices, not adjustable. You don't dial a different number on the same pen, and if you're wondering how many strengths of Wegovy there are across the full range, that page breaks each one down. Your pharmacy dispenses the strength your prescriber has authorised for that period of treatment.

Step 2: Moving through 1.0 mg and 1.7 mg toward the maintenance dose

After the 0.5 mg phase, the schedule continues to 1.0 mg and then 1.7 mg, each for roughly four weeks. These intermediate strengths are where many people begin to notice appetite changes becoming more noticeable. Nausea is most commonly reported in the first days after a dose increase, typically settling within a week or two as the body adapts.

The titration schedule is designed to be flexible within limits. If side effects at a given step are difficult to manage, a prescriber can extend the time at that strength before moving up, the four-week intervals are a minimum, not a fixed countdown. What the schedule does not allow is skipping steps or self-adjusting. Any decision about timing belongs to the prescribing clinician, informed by how you're responding. For a fuller picture of how Wegovy dosing is structured across the treatment period, that page covers each interval in more detail.

The STEP 1 trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, studied semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly over 68 weeks and reported an average body-weight reduction of around 15%, evidence that underpins NICE's recommendation of Wegovy for eligible adults. Those results were measured at the 2.4 mg maintenance dose, not at the earlier stages of titration.

Step 3: The 2.4 mg maintenance dose and the 7.2 mg option

Most people reach 2.4 mg after about 16 weeks of titration. This is the standard maintenance dose: the strength shown in clinical trials to produce significant weight reduction, and the one most adults remain on for the duration of treatment. If you're looking at what the Wegovy strengths are and how they fit together, that page explains each one in the context of the full licensed schedule.

A higher option now exists. The MHRA approved 7.2 mg semaglutide (Wegovy) in two stages: first as a dose delivered via three 2.4 mg pens per week in January 2026, then as a dedicated single-dose 7.2 mg pen on 14 April 2026. This pen is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above only, it is not authorised for lower BMI thresholds or for the cardiovascular indication. Trials of 7.2 mg reported average weight loss of around 20.7% over 72 weeks, approaching the results seen with the highest tirzepatide doses. The MHRA's announcement on the single-dose 7.2 mg pen sets out the approval details. Whether a specific strength or pen format is available is confirmed during your consultation; availability is not something we can confirm here in advance.

People considering how the strengths of Wegovy compare to other options may also find it useful to read about semaglutide strengths across its different formulations, since semaglutide is used in more than one licensed medicine in the UK.

How the prescriber decides which strength you need

The dose you end up on is not chosen from a menu, it emerges from the titration process and your clinical picture. Eligibility for Wegovy under its UK licence requires a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 to 29.9 with at least one weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance.

At every stage, the prescriber is weighing tolerability against progress. If someone reaches 2.4 mg without difficulty, they stay there. If side effects are significant at a given step, the timeline stretches. NICE's guidance (TA875) also notes that if less than 5% weight loss is achieved after six months at the maintenance dose, continuing should be reviewed. The clinical decision belongs to the prescriber, not to the dose chart.

If you'd like to understand which Wegovy strength tends to produce the most meaningful results, the evidence and prescriber thinking behind that question is covered in detail elsewhere. And if you're weighing up the private route versus waiting for NHS access, understanding what Wegovy costs privately in the UK is a useful next step before starting a consultation.

At nume, every consultation is read by a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber (a real clinician, not an automated system) on the same day it's submitted. If you're clinically suitable, treatment is dispatched the same day for free next-working-day delivery. Check your eligibility and start your free consultation.