Wegovy Dosage UK
Wegovy starts at 0.25mg once a week and goes up every 4 weeks to 0.5mg, 1mg and 1.7mg, reaching the 2.4mg maintenance dose from week 17. Some adults with obesity can go as high as 7.2mg a week, after at least 4 weeks on 2.4mg, if their prescriber decides. Your Wegovy dose is set by your prescriber. This Wegovy dosage guide gives the chart, the pen, the injection sites, what to do about a missed dose and the Wegovy pill.
Based on the UK Wegovy leaflets
We compare medicines. We do not prescribe or sell them
Wegovy dosage chart
This is the Wegovy dosage UK schedule for the weekly injection pen, taken from the leaflet. Each of the first steps lasts 4 weeks.
| Step | Dose, once a week | Weeks | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.25mg | 1 to 4 | Starting dose |
| 2 | 0.5mg | 5 to 8 | A step up |
| 3 | 1mg | 9 to 12 | A step up |
| 4 | 1.7mg | 13 to 16 | A step up |
| 5 | 2.4mg | From week 17 | The maintenance dose |
| 6 | 7.2mg | After at least 4 weeks on 2.4mg | The highest dose, for some adults with obesity, if your prescriber decides |
Read the Wegovy patient leaflet on the emc
The weeks are the plan in the leaflet, not a promise. If a step is hard to tolerate, your prescriber can delay the next one or go back to the previous dose, so your own timetable may be longer.
Wegovy dosage schedule: how the dose goes up
The dose rises in steps so that your body can get used to semaglutide. A step only happens when your prescriber agrees.
Wegovy starting dose
Everyone starts on 0.25mg once a week for 4 weeks. It is the lowest strength, a starting step and not a dose to stay on.
What to expect when increasing Wegovy dose
Sickness and other stomach effects are most likely in the days after a step up. If a step is hard to cope with, the leaflet says your prescriber can delay it or go back to the previous dose until you feel better. Do not change the dose yourself. Each Wegovy dose increase is covered in the side effects guide.
Wegovy dosage for weight loss
The leaflet gives one ladder for weight loss. It also says that if you have not lost at least 5% of your starting weight after 6 months on treatment, a decision is needed on whether to carry on.
Wegovy maintenance dose and the highest dose
Wegovy maintenance dose
The maintenance dose is 2.4mg once a week. Once you reach it, you stay on it unless your prescriber changes it.
What is the highest Wegovy dose?
7.2mg once a week. The leaflet allows it for adults with obesity, after at least 4 weeks on 2.4mg, and only if the prescriber decides. Depending on the device, it is given as one 7.2mg injection or as three 2.4mg injections one after another. Ask your prescriber whether it is available to you.
Maintenance dose. 2.4mg once a week
Highest dose. 7.2mg once a week, for some adults with obesity
Wegovy strengths, pen dosage and ml
Wegovy strengths run from 0.25mg to 2.4mg, and there is a 7.2mg dose for some adults. Each pen holds four doses, which is one month at once a week.
| Strength | Dose per injection | Doses in a pen |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25mg | 0.25mg | 4 |
| 0.5mg | 0.5mg | 4 |
| 1mg | 1mg | 4 |
| 1.7mg | 1.7mg | 4 |
| 2.4mg | 2.4mg | 4 |
| 7.2mg | 7.2mg | See the leaflet for your device |
Wegovy pen dosage
Each pen is made for one strength, so you get a new pen as you step up. Use it exactly as its leaflet shows and never share it.
How many doses are in a Wegovy pen?
Four. One pen lasts four weeks if you inject once a week.
Wegovy dosage in ml
The volume depends on the pen and the strength. The leaflet gives 0.37ml for the 0.25mg dose, for example. You never work out a dose from the ml, because the pen delivers the dose it was made for.
Wegovy injection sites
Wegovy goes under the skin. The leaflet names the tummy, the thigh and the upper arm.
Where. Tummy, thigh or upper arm
Change. The site can be changed, so use a new spot each week
When. Any time of day, with or without food, on the same day each week
Wegovy injection dosage: once a week
The injection dosage is one dose a week on a day you choose. You can change the day if at least 3 days pass between two doses, which means more than 72 hours. Soreness at the spot is covered in the Wegovy side effects guide.
Wegovy missed dose
Within 5 days. Inject as soon as possible, then go back to your usual day
More than 5 days. Skip it and take the next dose on your usual day
Keep at least 3 days between doses and never double up. If you have missed more than one dose, ask your prescriber before you restart. The leaflet says a lower dose may be needed.
Wegovy pill dosage
Wegovy also comes as a daily tablet. It is a separate medicine with its own leaflet, and its doses are not the same as the injection.
| Step | Dose, once a day | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.5mg | Starting dose |
| 2 | 4mg | A step up |
| 3 | 9mg | A step up |
| 4 | 25mg | The maintenance dose, and the highest |
Stay at least 1 month on each dose. Take one tablet a day on an empty stomach, after at least 8 hours without food, and swallow it whole with a sip of water, up to 120ml. Do not split, crush or chew it. Wait at least 30 minutes before you eat, drink or take other medicines. If you miss a tablet, skip it and take the next one the following day. People on the 2.4mg injection can move to the 25mg tablet one week after their last injection, if their prescriber agrees. Check which tablet strengths your provider can supply.
Switching from Mounjaro to Wegovy dosage
Mounjaro and Wegovy are different medicines, so there is no mg for mg swap. Your prescriber decides which Wegovy dose you start on. The MHRA warns against switching without medical advice, because it may mean more side effects or less effect from the treatment.
| Doses | Mounjaro | Wegovy |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine | Tirzepatide | Semaglutide |
| Starting dose | 2.5mg | 0.25mg |
| Top dose | 15mg | 2.4mg, or 7.2mg for some adults |
Wegovy dose questions and price
Wegovy dosage based on weight
The adult doses in the leaflet are not worked out from your weight. Everyone follows the same ladder, and your prescriber sets the pace.
Wegovy dosage for men
The leaflet gives no separate doses for men or women. Men follow the same chart as everyone else.
Age, kidney and liver problems
The leaflet says no dose change is needed for people aged 65 and over, or with kidney or liver problems. Your prescriber will still check your own case.
Wegovy price per dose
Providers set their own prices, and the price often goes up with the strength. Add up the whole cost: the pens, any consultation fee, any delivery fee, and whether your strength is in stock. A good price does not help if the strength you need is out of stock.