Wegovy

What is Wegovy?

Wegovy is a treatment for weight loss that comes as an injectable pen. You only have to use it once a week to help lower your appetite, leaving you free to spend the rest of the week however you want to.

Wegovy pens are designed for people with a BMI over 30. It can also be used by people with a BMI over 27 who have weight-related health issues, like hypertension, sleep apnoea or type-2 diabetes.

There are five different doses of Wegovy pen. You’ll start on the lowest and take this for the first month, before moving to the next dose after four weeks. By month 5, you’ll be on the maintenance dose that you use for the rest of the course.

How does Wegovy work?

The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide. Semaglutide helps reduce your hunger cues by binding to the GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas and the brain. GLP-1 is released from your stomach when you eat. It acts as a signal, telling your brain that you’re full and controlling your blood sugar function.

Studies suggest that GLP-1 might not always work as well as it should do in obese and overweight people. This can mean the stomach empties more quickly and your hunger signals come back sooner after eating. So by working like GLP-1, Wegovy improves your blood sugar control and makes your stomach empty more slowly. By changing the way this hormone works, it can lead to fewer hunger spikes.

What doses of Wegovy are there?

You inject one dose of Wegovy once a week. The Wegovy pens come in five strengths: 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. You start on the lowest dose and slowly increase your dose each four weeks until you reach the maintenance dose of 2.4mg. Each dose comes pre-filled in one pen.

The pens are colour-coded based on the dose amount, so using the right one is easy. You’ll start on an aqua-coloured 0.25mg pen for the first four weeks, then your dose will rise to a pink 0.5mg dose. After another four weeks you’ll go onto the brown 1mg pen, then the blue 1.7mg pen a month after that. Finally, after another four weeks you’ll reach the 2.4mg black pen, which is your maintenance dose.

If you ever want to slow down this schedule, just chat to your clinician. You can set the pace that’s right for you. Some people need a little while longer to get used to the 1.7mg dose before they move onto the maintenance dose.

How to use Wegovy

Using Wegovy is simple. It comes as pre-filled pens you inject just under your skin. Always follow your clinician’s advice on how to inject it.

• Inject Wegovy once a week, on the same day of the week. Set a reminder on your calendar or use an alarm to help you remember to use it.
• Wegovy pens need to be kept at a temperature of 2°C to 8°C before use. You can keep them in your normal fridge at home. Once you've opened the packaging and started using the pen, it can stay out of the fridge and will remain active for the next 28 days.
• You can use Wegovy at any time of day, with or without meals. Take it on the same day each week and try to use it at around the same time on this day.
• Before you use your pen, give it a mini inspection. If the liquid you can see through the window is clear, colourless and smooth, it’s ready to inject.
• Pick the area you want to inject. Your options are your upper legs (front of your thighs), your stomach or your upper arm. Avoid areas with irritated or broken skin, and don’t inject too close to your navel. You can change your injection site every week if you want to, but don’t use the exact same spot as your last injection.
• Take the cap off the Wegovy pen and press it against your chosen injection site until you hear the pen make a click. You’ll know it’s working when the yellow bar on the pen starts moving.
• Once you hear the first click, keep holding the pen down for 10 seconds. You’ll hear another click to tell you the injection is ongoing.
• When it’s been 10 seconds and the yellow bar stops moving, the injection is finished.
• You can then remove the pen from your skin and dispose of it in a sharps container. If you order through us, we’ll give you one free of charge.

How long does it take Wegovy to work?

Wegovy starts working in your body immediately. You’ll need to work your way up to the maintenance dose before you start seeing the full effectiveness of Wegovy in reducing your hunger, but you should see some difference from the first month of use.

When you use Wegovy, you’ll need to eat healthily, and make sure you have a calorie deficit. Luckily, Wegovy helps you achieve this. It’s an effective weight loss treatment and it’s safe to use long-term. So you can stay on Wegovy until you’re at a healthy BMI, or you’ve reached your target weight.

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Wegovy?

If you don’t hear a first click while giving your injection, or the yellow bar doesn’t start moving, press the pen more firmly against your skin. Creating a smooth, firm area for injection by spreading your skin between your fingers might help.

If you forget to use Wegovy on your scheduled day, inject yourself as soon as you remember if your next dose is more than 48 hours away. Then just keep taking your injections as normal. If it’s less than 48 hours until your next injection, just wait for that one.

If you skip more than one dose of Wegovy, you can carry on with your dosing as normal. If you have a sensitive stomach, you may want to start from a lower dose again before raising it, to reduce the chance of side effects.

If you inject too much Wegovy, you should talk to your doctor. Using too much can make you feel nauseous, be sick or lower your blood sugar. Seek medical attention if you have any side effects that concern you.

Medically reviewed by

Dr Daniel Atkinson

GP Clinical Lead

on August 02, 2022.

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