What Is the Highest Dosage of Semaglutide You Can Take for Weight Loss?

The dose ladder: where 7.2mg sits and how you reach it

Wegovy's licensed titration schedule runs in four-weekly steps: 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg. For most of Wegovy's history, 2.4mg was the maintenance ceiling. Then, in January 2026, the MHRA authorised a higher 7.2mg dose (initially delivered as three 2.4mg pens per week) before approving a purpose-built single-dose 7.2mg pen in April 2026. That pen is now the top rung of the Wegovy dosing schedule for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, and if you want to understand what the highest dose of Wegovy you can take actually means in practice, the specifics are worth reading through.

The 7.2mg approval matters because the gap between semaglutide and tirzepatide's results at maximum doses had been a genuine clinical question. Trial data showed around 20.7% average weight loss over 72 weeks at 7.2mg, which narrows that gap considerably. You can read the MHRA's announcement on GOV.UK for the specific approval details. It's worth knowing: 7.2mg is licensed for the weight-management indication only, not for the cardiovascular-risk indication.

Every step on the way up exists for a reason. The gastrointestinal side effects that many people experience (nausea in particular) tend to be most noticeable after each increase, and then settle. Rushing through the ladder bypasses that settling period. A prescriber who knows your history makes the call on timing, not a self-decided schedule.

The oral route has a different ceiling entirely

If injections aren't for you, there's now a separate question to answer: the Wegovy tablet was approved by the MHRA on 11 June 2026 as the first oral GLP-1 medicine licensed in the UK for weight management. Its dosing ladder is completely independent of the injection's, starting at 1.5mg daily, moving through 4mg and 9mg, and reaching a 25mg maintenance dose. That number can look alarming alongside the injection's 7.2mg, but the two can't be compared directly: oral bioavailability of semaglutide is much lower, which is why the tablet doses are higher by design.

One practical note: patients who are already established on the 2.4mg weekly injection may, subject to clinical assessment, move directly to the 25mg tablet rather than restarting from 1.5mg. A prescriber familiar with your treatment history would work through whether that's appropriate for you personally. The NHS has not yet commissioned the oral tablet, it remains a private prescription at this stage, pending a NICE appraisal.

For a fuller comparison of the injection and tablet routes, including what the earliest doses feel like in practice, the details matter more than the headlines.

When the highest dose isn't the right dose for you

The decision about which semaglutide dose to stay on is genuinely individual, and understanding what the highest dose of semaglutide you can take involves is a useful starting point before that conversation with a prescriber. NICE's guidance on semaglutide (TA875) notes that if less than 5% weight loss has been achieved after six months at the maintenance dose, continuing treatment should be reviewed, which implies that staying at the maximum isn't automatically the goal. Some people lose clinically meaningful weight at 1.7mg or 2.4mg and have no reason to push further. Others tolerate every step well and reach 7.2mg without difficulty.

There's also the question of cost. If you're paying privately, the cost of Wegovy in the UK varies by dose, and moving to a higher-dose pen changes what you're spending each month. That's worth factoring into a realistic long-term plan, particularly if you're thinking about whether to order before a holiday or around a month like January when people tend to reassess their health goals. The right dose is the one your prescriber judges appropriate given your weight trajectory, your tolerability and your overall health picture.

At nume, our clinical team reviews every repeat order before it's approved. Dose increases aren't automatic, they follow an evidence check, not a calendar. That's how it should work for a prescription medicine.