Wegovy® Patient Information

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Wegovy® is a medicine that contains an active substance called semaglutide.

Click here for Wegovy Patient Information leaflet

How it works:

Wegovy® is similar to a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that is released from the intestine after a meal. It works by acting on receptors in the brain that control your appetite, causing you to feel fuller and less hungry and experience less craving for food. This will help you eat less food and reduce your body weight. It should be used with a reduced calorie meal plan and increased physical activity. It is also used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus, either on its own or in combination with other medicines. 

How to use it:

Each pre-filled Wegovy® Flex Touch Pen contains four doses. It comes in five different injection pen doses – 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1.0mg, 1.7mg, and 2.4mg of semaglutide.

The starting dose is 0.25mg once a week for four weeks. Your dose will be gradually increased every 4 weeks, depending on side effects and tolerance of the treatment. You will need to contact us for assessment before increasing the dose. Please do not change your dose unless we have advised you to do so. Once you reach the maximum tolerated dose, you stay on that for the rest of your treatment. The recommended dose of Wegovy® is 2.4mg weekly, and the dose should never be increased further. It is important to have regular contact with us for assessment while on maintenance doses during Wegovy® treatment.

You will be told to follow the table below:

Dose escalation

Weekly dose (mg)

Week 1–4

0.25

Week 5–8

0.5

Week 9–12

1.0

Week 13–16

1.7

From week 17

2.4

Wegovy® is given as an injection under the skin (subcutaneous injection) – the best places are the stomach area (abdomen – not within 5cm of your belly button), upper arms or upper legs (thigh). You can use the same area of your body, but you must choose a different injection site within that area each week. Please do not inject it into a vein or muscle. You can look at the following webpage for a video explaining it as well:

Wegovy® Pen Instructions | Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg (novomedlink.com)

You can use your Wegovy® Flex Touch Pen at any time of the day, regardless of meals. Choose a day and a time of day that works best for you. You should use it on the same day each week if you can. If necessary, you can change the day of your weekly injection, as long as it has been at least 3 days since your last injection. After selecting a new dosing day, continue with once-a-week dosing on that new day.

If you forget to inject a dose and,

  • it has been 5 days or less since you should have used the injection, please use it as soon as you remember. Then inject your next dose as usual on your scheduled day.
  • it has been more than 5 days since you should have used the injection, please skip the missed dose. Then inject your next dose as usual on your scheduled day.

Never take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. The minimum time between two doses must be at least 3 days.

If you use more Wegovy® than you should, please contact us or talk to your doctor immediately. Too much of this medicine may cause low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and can make you feel sick (nausea) or be sick (vomiting).

Side effects:

Like all medicines, Wegovy® can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

When starting Wegovy® treatment, you may experience loss of fluids / dehydration due to vomiting, nausea and / or diarrhoea, which may lead to a decrease in kidney function. It is important to avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water and fluids. You are advised to contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns or attend Accident & Emergency (A & E) in an NHS hospital for emergency management.

Very Common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) are nausea (feeling sick), diarrhoea, vomiting (being sick), constipation, headache, stomach (abdominal) pain and feeling weak or tired (fatigue). These side effects are usually not severe and are most common when first starting the injection but decrease over time in most patients.

Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) are dizziness, upset stomach or indigestion, bloating of the stomach, burping (eructation), gas (flatulence), heartburn or reflux, inflamed stomach (‘gastritis’ – the signs include stomach ache, feeling sick or being sick), gallstones, hair loss, change in the way food or drink tastes, injection site reactions (e.g. itching or redness), allergic reaction (hypersensitivity) (e.g., rash, itching, and eczema), and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) in patients with diabetes. If you are experiencing changes in vision (eye problems) during Wegovy® treatment, please contact your doctor immediately.

Symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) may include cold sweat, cool pale skin, headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, feeling sick (nausea) or very hungry, confusion, irritability, fast heartbeat, changes in vision, feeling sleepy, feeling nervous, anxious or confused, and difficulty concentrating or shaking . It is important that you test your blood glucose levels in these circumstances. You are advised to contact your doctor if you have any questions or concerns or attend Accident & Emergency (A & E) in an NHS hospital for emergency management 

Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people) are injection site pain, fast heartbeat, a delay in the emptying of the stomach and acute pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas). Acute pancreatitis is a serious side effect which could cause sudden severe pain in the centre of your tummy (abdomen), feeling or being sick, diarrhoea and a high temperature. You should see a doctor immediately if you experience such symptoms or attend Accident & Emergency (A & E) in an NHS hospital for emergency management.

Rare but serious side effects (may affect up to 1 in 1000 people) are severe allergic reactions, e.g., anaphylactic reaction, angioedema. You should get immediate medical help via 999 if you experience symptoms such as breathing problems, swelling of the face, lips, tongue and / or throat with difficulty swallowing, wheezing, fast heartbeat, pale and cold skin, and feeling dizzy or weak.

Bowel obstruction  (a severe form of constipation with additional symptoms such as stomach ache, bloating, vomiting etc.) may develop during Wegovy® treatment. Please note that the frequency of this side effect cannot be estimated from the available data.

Nutritional consequences: As you feel less hungry and you have a sense of fullness after eating smaller portions of food, the diet gets restricted with taking Wegovy®. This may cause some shortage of nutrients like iron, calcium and vitamins, especially vitamin B12 inside your body. You have been made aware of the need to take multivitamin/mineral supplementation and sometimes vitamin B12 injections during treatment. There is a need for follow up with your doctor for blood tests, etc. to avoid long term complications, esp. nutritional deficiencies during treatment.

Reporting of side effects: If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme, website: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Warnings and precautions:

Please consult with us or your doctor before using this injection if:

  • You have a problem with your eyes (diabetic retinopathy or macular oedema) - if you experience changes in vision (eye problems) during Wegovy® treatment.
  • You have diabetes and are using medications like sulfonylurea or an insulin for your diabetes – low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) may occur (please read more in ‘Side effects’ above).
  • You are using other medicines that contain GLP-1 receptor agonists such as liraglutide, dulaglutide, exenatide or lixisenatide.
  • You are using other weight loss medicines.

Do not use Wegovy® Flex Touch Pen if you are allergic to semaglutide, or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (disodium phosphate dihydrate, propylene glycol, phenol, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid and water for injection.

Storage of Wegovy® Flex Touch Pen at home:

  • Before opening, store in a fridge / refrigerator between 2oC to 8o Please keep away from the cooling element. Do not freeze. If the pen has been frozen, DO NOT USE.
  • During use, it can be stored outside of a fridge (unrefrigerated) below 30oC for 6-weeks or in a fridge / refrigerator between 2oC to 8oC away from the cooling element and then the pen must be discarded.
  • Do not use this medicine if you notice that the pen is damaged, or the medicine (solution) is not clear and colourless (Wegovy® is a clear and colourless solution for injection in a pre-filled disposable Flex Touch Pen).
  • Do not throw away any medicine via wastewater or household waste. You can dispose of in sharps box provided by the pharmacist.
  • Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the pen label and on the carton after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
  • Keep the pen cap on in order to protect from light.
  • Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Pregnancy: You should not use Wegovy® during pregnancy. If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, you should not consider this injection, or stop using this injection immediately. If you wish to become pregnant, you should stop using this medicine at least two months in advance. Please contact us or ask your doctor for further advice. It is recommended to use contraception while using this injection.

Contraception: If you are using oral contraceptives, you should consider also using a barrier method of contraception (e.g., a condom) or switching to a non-oral contraceptive method for 4-weeks after starting Wegovy® injection and for 4-weeks after each increase in dose. 

Breast-feeding: If you are breast-feeding or are planning to breast-feed, you should not consider Wegovy® or stop using Wegovy® immediately. Please contact us or ask your doctor for further advice.

Driving and using machines: Wegovy® is unlikely to affect your ability to drive and use machines. Some patients may feel dizzy when taking Wegovy® mainly during the first 3 months of treatment. If you feel dizzy you should not drive or operate machines until you feel better.