Learn how Wegovy works, how to take it safely, and when to increase your dose. Includes a full dosing chart and guidance from our clinical team.
What is Semaglutide and Wegovy?
Wegovy is a prescription weight loss medication known as a GLP-1 agonist. Wegovy works by mimicking the hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1). Wegovy works by binding to the same receptors as GLP-1 which in turn has the same effect of making you feel fuller while reducing your appetite to help manage food cravings.
Wegovy contains semaglutide as its active ingredient, the same compound found in the Type 2 diabetes medication Ozempic. However, semaglutide is specifically prescribed through Wegovy to support weight loss.
Wegovy is essentially a tool to make it easier to eat less food, therefore you can lose weight. As Wegovy is an appetite suppressant, it will not burn fat or calories, Wegovy should be combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise.
How many doses are in a Wegovy pen?
Wegovy has a specific dosing schedule which should adhered to when taking the medication. Each Wegovy dose comes in a colour-coded pen and each pen is prefilled with four doses to be administered weekly.
Wegovy has a starting dose of 0.25mg once per week, to be taken over a 4-week period. After this 4-week period, you can carry on with the same strength or move to a higher dose once you have discussed your prescription with our clinical team of prescribing pharmacists. They will be able to advise whether you should move to a higher dose or if you should remain on that dose.
Wegovy has five different dose strength each to be administered weekly over a 4-week period, shown below are each of the doses with 0.25mg as the starting dose. The doses can be increased if you have discussed your reasoning with our clinical team. The doses can be increased incrementally up until 2.4mg, once you reach this dose it cannot be increased any further. Our clinical team may alter your dosing schedule depending on how you are feeling on the medication and how it may be affecting you. You should always consult our prescribing pharmacists for advice before changing your dosage.
