Wegovy is a medication used for weight loss. You may have heard of another drug called Ozempic which contains the same ingredient and is prescribed for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy is a popular weight loss aid. But it’s prescribed as part of a wider weight loss plan, alongside regular exercise and a balanced diet.
Wondering if Wegovy is right for you? In this article, we cover everything you need to know about Wegovy for weight loss, including how it works, possible side effects, and how it compares to other weight loss medications.
What is Wegovy?
Wegovy is a new weight loss treatment that should be injected into your body weekly.
Approved in the USA in 2021, Wegovy is also available in the UK. Wegovy’s main ingredient is semaglutide, which mimics GLP-1 and its effects on the body.
In the STEP UP trial, participants taking a 7.2mg dose of Wegovy lost an average of 20.7% of their body weight over 72 weeks. A third of users lost 25% or more.
How does Wegovy work?
Semaglutide fits into GLP-1 receptors in your digestive system, pancreas and brain—like a key fitting into a lock. Once these receptors are activated, they trigger processes in your body that can support weight loss.
Suppresses appetite
First, semaglutide interacts with GLP-1 receptors in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which plays a big part in regulating hunger. The upshot is you lose your appetite. Hunger signals are dampened down, and feelings of fullness are increased.
Slows digestion
Semaglutide slows down the rate of gastric emptying (stomach emptying), which means glucose and other macronutrients are released into your bloodstream more gradually. It also helps you feel fuller for longer.
Regulates blood sugar
Semaglutide binds to GLP-1 receptors in the pancreas, which prompts the pancreas to release insulin after meals. Insulin shunts glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells, where it’s needed for energy.
Semaglutide also blocks the release of another hormone called glucagon, which performs the opposite function to insulin (i.e., it stops the blood sugar from dipping too low). As a result, people who have taken semaglutide can avoid undesirable blood sugar spikes after meals. That means no sugar crashes either—your blood sugar stays balanced throughout the day.
How long does Wegovy take to work?
Wegovy starts working from the first injection. Some people notice less hunger within a few days of the first dose. Others need to reach a higher dose before appetite suppression feels strong. The first dose is mainly to help your body get used to the medicine, so don’t worry if you don’t feel much change at the start. As your dose increases, the effect usually builds. Significant weight loss takes time—think of it as a marathon, not a sprint.
So how long will it take the scale to budge? Well, in the STEP 1 trial, participants had lost just over 2% of their body weight on average at their four-week weigh-in. That’s around 2kg for a person weighing 100kg, or around half a kilo a week. (Not a dramatic result, but certainly nothing to be sniffed at.)
Check out our Wegovy week-by-week guide for more info.
Of course, the exact outcome will depend on the person. Everybody is different, and it may also depend on other factors like the quality of your diet, your stress levels, and how much you exercise.
Wegovy: dosing schedule
Wegovy is injected weekly. It comes in colour-coded injector pens and follows a specific dosing schedule. Your pen is prefilled with solution, so you simply inject it into your stomach, arm, or thigh following the Wegovy injection instructions.
You'll start on the lowest dose of Wegovy medication (0.25mg) so your body can get used to the medicine. This helps to ensure any initial side effects are kept to a minimum. If you are switching to Wegovy from Mounjaro, your clinician may recommend a higher starting dose where appropriate (this can be off-label) after reviewing your history, tolerance, and goals.
Your Wegovy dose increases every four weeks by 0.25mg until you reach the maximum dose (2.4mg), or another dose that works for you, which will be the amount you stay on, called a "maintenance dose". The higher 7.2mg dose is expected to be available on Voy later this year. If you start now, it should be available by the time you reach that stage, so there will be no delay to your progress.
Everyone’s dosing schedule will be unique, but generally it looks like this:
For a more detailed breakdown, check out our Wegovy dosing guide.
Benefits of Wegovy
As well as weight loss, studies show that Wegovy’s main ingredient semaglutide has potential benefits for our heart health and blood sugar.
Sustainable weight loss
Research shows that when used alongside a balanced diet, physical activity, and behavioural support, taking Wegovy can result in up to a 20.7% reduction in body weight after 72 weeks, when taking a higher 7.2mg dose.
But remember, Wegovy should only be used as one element of a weight loss plan. Once you finish this course of medication, you’ll have built up a routine of healthy lifestyle changes that will not only mean you’ll see the best results, but you’ll be able to sustain your weight loss without the help of Wegovy.
Learn what typically happens when stopping Wegovy and how to maintain results long-term.
Reduces risk of heart disease
While reaching a healthy weight can improve your blood pressure and cholesterol alone, which is beneficial for heart health and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, semaglutide has also been shown to lower blood pressure.
In research, semaglutide significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events, including death, heart attack, and stroke, by 20% compared to placebo. This makes it a particularly strong option for people with obesity and existing cardiovascular risk.
Improved blood sugar control
Semaglutide helps to keep blood sugar under control by boosting insulin production when needed. Insulin transports sugars in our blood around the body to be used as energy. So, the more insulin that is released, the less sugar remains in the blood. This means that there’s less excess sugar in the body to be stored as fat.
Is Wegovy safe to take?
Wegovy is proven to be a safe and effective weight loss medication. However, it’s not suitable for everyone, and should only be prescribed by a licensed healthcare provider.
Start by completing our short eligibility questionnaire. It checks your medical history and current medicines to make sure Wegovy is safe for you. We’ll ask about things like long-term conditions, allergies, and pregnancy plans. A clinician reviews your answers and will only prescribe if it’s appropriate
What are the side effects of Wegovy?
Not everyone who takes Wegovy will experience side effects, but as with any medicine, there is some risk of this happening. Luckily, most people find Wegovy side effects to be mild, manageable and short-lived. Some of the most common side effects include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Burping
- Bloating
- Heartburn
- Tiredness
- Dizziness
- Changes in taste
Side effects support at Voy
"If you're using Voy and you experience any side effects, rest assured that our expert clinicians are just a message or phone call away. They can adjust your dose, prescribe medication to ease your symptoms, or simply offer reassurance.
Everyone responds differently to weight loss treatment and we'll help you find what feels right for you."
How long do you take Wegovy for weight loss?
Wegovy is designed for long-term use. How long you stay on it varies by person and depends on your results, starting weight, goal weight, side effects, and preferences. Once you reach your goal, we usually taper the dose to find the lowest effective dose that keeps your appetite controlled. From there you can either stop or stay on a maintenance dose, as long as your BMI remains in a healthy range (generally above 19).
Is Wegovy right for you?
Ultimately, it depends on the recommendation of your clinician as to whether Wegovy is right for you.
The price of Wegovy treatment is also something to consider—if you’re paying for it privately, the cost can vary depending on the supplier, but it’s likely to be cheaper than other weight loss medications, especially considering the recent Mounjaro price increase in the UK.
Who should avoid Wegovy
Wegovy is generally safe when it is prescribed and monitored by a clinician. Some medical conditions or medicines can mean Wegovy is not suitable or needs extra monitoring. For example, if you’re pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding; or have a history of pancreatitis or gallbladder problems; severe stomach or gut issues; significant kidney or liver problems; a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
You should also tell your clinician about any prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you take, because Semaglutide can slow stomach emptying, which may change how your body absorbs some tablets. Your clinician will check for interactions and advise the safest plan for you.
Wegovy vs. other weight loss solutions
If you’re still wondering whether Wegovy is right for you, it might help to compare it against other weight loss medications, like Mounjaro and Saxenda. Take into account the effectiveness, dosing schedule and cost to help you whittle down the type of weight loss medication you want. For a more detailed comparison, read our guide to Mounjaro vs Wegovy for weight loss.
There’s also a new treatment on the horizon called CagriSema, which combines semaglutide with cagrilintide and could offer even greater weight loss than Wegovy.
Want to get the most out of your Wegovy journey? Check out our guide on Ways to Increase Weight Loss on Wegovy for expert tips to help you maximise results.
How to get started with Wegovy
To recap, Wegovy has benefits beyond weight loss—including improvements in energy, heart health, and blood sugar control—especially for people with diabetes or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss, including which medication works best for you, Voy offers personalised plans and treatment options to help you maintain a sustainable weight loss journey that’s as unique as you are. Take our weight loss quiz and chat to our team of clinicians to get the ball rolling—we’re here to help.
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