Key takeaways

  • Wegovy comes as a prescription injection and an oral tablet. It’s used along with exercise and a reduced-calorie diet for weight loss in certain adults and children.
  • This drug works by reducing appetite and slowing down the movement of food in the stomach, leading to a feeling of fullness and reduced calorie intake.
  • Wegovy has potential side effects, including mild issues like nausea and more serious risks such as gallbladder problems and pancreatitis. It also has a boxed warning for a possible increased risk of thyroid cancer.

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide and belongs to a group of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Wegovy is only available as a brand-name drug. It doesn’t come in a generic version.

This drug comes as a liquid solution inside a single-use injection pen. (This form is given as an injection under your skin.) Wegovy also comes as a tablet you take by mouth.

Wegovy has a boxed warning about the possible risk of thyroid cancer. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For details, see the “What should I know before using Wegovy?” section.

In combination with diet and exercise, Wegovy is approved for the following uses:

* Wegovy’s use for MASH was approved under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s accelerated approval program based on early study results. The decision to fully approve Wegovy for this use will depend on the results of further studies.

Note: This article focuses specifically on Wegovy’s use for weight loss.

If you have questions about whether Wegovy is right for you, talk with your doctor.

Wegovy is approved for long-term weight management. Other drugs approved for this use include:

Saxenda belongs to the same group of (GLP-1) drugs as Wegovy. These drugs reduce appetite and make you feel fuller after eating. They’re both given as an injection under your skin. (Wegovy is now also available as an oral tablet.) Saxenda is injected once daily, while Wegovy is injected once weekly.

Qsymia comes as a capsule, and Contrave comes as a tablet. Qsymia is taken once per day, and Contrave is taken twice per day. These drugs work differently than Wegovy and Saxenda. They reduce appetite and food cravings by affecting various message pathways in your brain.

You may wonder how Wegovy and Ozempic compare. Ozempic is not FDA approved for weight loss, but doctors may prescribe it off-label for this use. You can refer to this Ozempic for weight loss article for details. You can also see this Ozempic vs. Wegovy article to learn how these drugs compare.

Wegovy isn’t “stronger” than other weight loss drugs, but it may help you lose more weight. Guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) note that for most people, Wegovy will likely be more effective for weight loss than Saxenda, Qsymia, or Contrave.

But this might not be the case if you have type 2 diabetes. In studies, people with type 2 diabetes lost less weight with Wegovy than people without type 2 diabetes.

Wegovy may not be right for everyone. Your doctor can tell you more about how Wegovy compares with other treatment options and help you find the best one for you.

Note: It’s not known whether it’s safe or effective to use Wegovy with other GLP-1 medications, such as liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) or semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus).

Medical Perspective

If you don’t follow the recommended diet while on a GLP-1 drug, you may not get enough nutrients. This can cause problems like fatigue, hair loss, or muscle weakness. Diet choices that do not meet nutritional needs can also make side effects like nausea or constipation worse. And for people with diabetes, it may increase the risk of low blood sugar.

— Andrew Perugini, PharmD

Learn more about what you can expect when starting Wegovy.

Quotes represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Using Wegovy for weight loss and long-term weight management may cause side effects in some people. These side effects can be mild to serious.

It’s important to note that Wegovy side effects may differ depending on the condition it’s being used to treat. The following lists include some of the primary side effects that have been reported in people using Wegovy to lose or manage body weight.

For information about other possible side effects of this drug, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You can also learn more from this Wegovy side effects article or the drug’s prescribing information.

What are Wegovy’s mild side effects?

Mild side effects that have been reported with Wegovy include:

In many cases, mild side effects from a drug can be temporary, and some may be easy to manage. If side effects are ongoing, bothersome, or severe, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

What are Wegovy’s serious side effects?

Some serious side effects have been reported with Wegovy, but they’re not common.

Examples of the drug’s possible serious side effects include:

Call your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects while using Wegovy. If the side effects seem life threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.

Note: After the FDA approves a medication, it tracks and reviews side effects of the drug. Sharing your experience helps make medicines safer for everyone by giving doctors and researchers more information about how the drug works in real life. If you develop a side effect while using Wegovy and would like to inform the FDA, visit MedWatch.

Help is out there

If you or someone you know is in crisis and considering suicide or self-harm, please seek support:

  • Call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. Caring counselors are available to listen and provide free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to connect with a volunteer crisis counselor for free and confidential support 24/7.
  • Not in the United States? Find a helpline in your country with Befrienders Worldwide.
  • Call 911 or your local emergency services number if you feel safe to do so.

If you’re calling on behalf of someone else, stay with them until help arrives. You may remove weapons or substances that can cause harm if you can do so safely.

If you’re not in the same household, stay on the phone with them until help arrives.

Wegovy has been shown to be an effective treatment for weight loss. In studies, most people who used Wegovy lost at least 5 percent of their body weight over 68 weeks. And almost half of the people who used Wegovy lost at least 15 percent of their body weight during that time.

To find out more about how Wegovy performed in these studies, see the drug’s prescribing information.

Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about Wegovy.

It varies. The amount of weight you might lose per month may depend on your dosage of Wegovy, as well as your diet and exercise habits.

In one study, after almost a year and a half (68 weeks) of Wegovy treatment, most people lost 10% of their body weight or more. And a smaller number of people lost 15% of their body weight or more.

Keep in mind that weight loss with Wegovy happens gradually and can vary from person to person. For example, in studies, people with type 2 diabetes lost less weight with Wegovy than people without type 2 diabetes.

For details on how much weight loss people reported in studies, you can refer to Wegovy’s prescribing information. Your doctor can also tell you more about how much weight loss to expect with treatment.

Wegovy helps you lose weight gradually over time. You may start losing weight in the first few weeks of treatment and will likely continue to lose weight over the following months.

To learn more about what to expect from your Wegovy treatment, talk with your doctor.



Yes, Wegovy is meant to be used long term to help manage your weight. You’ll use it as part of a long-term weight management plan, which will also include a reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise.

It should be noted that some people may regain weight once Wegovy is stopped. However, exercising and slowly tapering off the drug may help prevent this or reduce how much weight is regained.

If you have questions about the long-term use of Wegovy, talk with your doctor.



Wegovy doesn’t burn fat directly in the way a stimulant or thermogenic supplement might. Instead, its active ingredient, semaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a natural hormone to regulate appetite.

It works by targeting the hypothalamus (an area of the brain) to increase feelings of fullness and reduce hunger and cravings, while also slowing down how quickly food leaves the stomach. This combination helps people eat fewer calories, which causes the body to enter a calorie deficit and burn its own stored fat for energy.



The price of Wegovy depends on several factors. These can include your treatment plan, your insurance plan, where you buy Wegovy, the form of Wegovy you’re prescribed, and your location.

Wegovy is a brand-name drug that’s not available as a generic. Brand-name drugs usually cost more than generics.

To save money on Wegovy, explore the following options. (Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.)

Wegovy’s mechanism of action (how it works) is by reducing your appetite and slowing the movement of food from your stomach into your intestine, which makes you feel fuller after eating. These effects help you consume fewer calories, which can lead to weight loss over time.

Wegovy does this by mimicking the action of a hormone in your body called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This hormone helps regulate your appetite and blood sugar.

Even if you don’t have diabetes, Wegovy also lowers your blood sugar levels by increasing the insulin your body makes in response to meals. It also decreases the amount of glucagon your body makes, which is a hormone that typically tells the liver to make more sugar. These effects can also help with weight loss.

Wegovy comes as a liquid solution inside a single-use injection pen. You’ll give yourself injections of the drug under your skin. It also comes as an oral tablet.

What is the usual dosage for Wegovy?

The usual Wegovy dosing schedule for weight loss in adults and children ages 12 years and older is as follows.

For the liquid solution:

  • Weeks 1 through 4: 0.25 milligrams (mg) once per week
  • Weeks 5 through 8: 0.5 mg once per week
  • Weeks 9 through 12: 1 mg once per week
  • Weeks 13 through 16: 1.7 mg once per week
  • Weeks 17 and after: 2.4 mg or 1.7 mg, once per week, depending on how your body responds to the drug (such as any side effects you have and how effective the treatment is)

Wegovy is available in different injection pens that contain these doses. You can refer to this Wegovy dosage article for details.

For the oral tablets:

  • Days 1 through 30: 1.5 mg once per day
  • Days 31 through 60: 4 mg once per day
  • Days 61 through 90: 9 mg once per day
  • Days 91 and after (maintenance dose): 25 mg once per day

How do you use Wegovy?

How you’ll take Wegovy depends on the form you’re prescribed.

For the liquid solution

You’ll use the Wegovy injection pen to inject the medication under your skin. You can inject Wegovy in the front of your thigh or in your abdomen (at least 2 inches away from your belly button). Or a caregiver or family member can give you injections into your upper arm. You should choose a new injection site for every dose.

Your doctor will show you how to use the Wegovy pen. Instructions are also available on the Wegovy website. You can also see these detailed instructions for use.

For the oral tablets

You’ll take one tablet by mouth each morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of water. (Do not take Wegovy tablets with any other liquid besides water.) You should then wait at least 30 minutes before eating food, drinking beverages, or taking any other oral medications.

You should swallow Wegovy tablets whole. Do not split, crush, chew, or dissolve the tablets in any fluid. If you have difficulty swallowing tablets, ask your doctor or pharmacist for suggestions, or check out these tips for swallowing pills.

How often should you use Wegovy?

For the liquid solution: You should inject Wegovy once per week, on the same day each week. You can inject the drug at any time of day.

For the oral tablets: You should take your dose once each day in the morning on an empty stomach, and wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking any other oral medications.

Before you use Wegovy, there’s some important information to keep in mind. The drug may not be a safe option for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. Some of these are mentioned here.

Boxed warning: Risk of thyroid cancer

This drug has a boxed warning. This is the most serious warning from the FDA. It alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Based on animal studies, it’s thought that Wegovy may increase your risk of thyroid cancer. But it’s important to note that animal studies don’t always predict what will happen in humans.

It isn’t known for certain whether Wegovy increases the risk of thyroid cancer in humans. But because of the possible risk, your doctor will not prescribe Wegovy if you or a family member have had medullary thyroid carcinoma (a kind of thyroid cancer).

In addition, your doctor will not prescribe Wegovy if you have a genetic (inherited) condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). This condition could increase your risk of thyroid cancer.

While using Wegovy, talk with your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as a hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a lump in your neck. These could be signs of thyroid cancer. Your doctor will also monitor you for symptoms of thyroid cancer during your treatment.

What other warnings should I know about?

In addition to a boxed warning, Wegovy has other warnings. If any of the following medical conditions or other health factors apply to you, talk with your doctor before starting this medication.

You can refer to these articles about Wegovy interactions and Wegovy and reproductive health for more information.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.