Wegovy

What is Wegovy®(semaglutide)?

Wegovy® is a class of medication known as GLP-1 receptor agonists which make you feel fuller and reduce your cravings for food. Wegovy is self-administered and injected once weekly into the fatty areas of your body: tummy, upper thighs, and upper arms. 

 

What are the main side effects of Wegovy®?

As with many medications Wegovy® has side effects. Common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. These are generally experienced when increasing doses of Wegovy®. There are some rarer more serious side effects for example pancreatitis. Further information on Wegovy® can be found HERE.

 

How much weight can I lose while using Wegovy®?

With a reduced calorie diet and an increase in physical activity you could lose up to 15% of your body weight after 12 months1,2.

 

How long do I take Wegovy® for?

During your consultation our pharmacists will help you to set a healthy weight loss goal, you can take Wegovy® until you hit this goal. To help you maintain a long-lasting healthy weight you will need to make some lifestyle changes, our pharmacists can also help with this.

 

What strength of Wegovy® do patients use?

All patients will initially start on the 0.25mg injection and based on tolerance and effect the dose can be increased every 4 weeks as shown in the image below. Treatment for the first 4 weeks costs £179. 


 

1. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity | New England Journal of Medicine

2. Long-term weight loss effects of semaglutide in obesity without diabetes in the SELECT trial | Nature Medicine