How to take the Wegovy Pill
The tablet only works properly if it's taken the same careful way every day, because it's absorbed in the stomach and food, drink or other tablets get in the way. The UK product information sets out these steps:
- Take it on an empty stomach, after at least 8 hours without food. First thing in the morning, after an overnight fast, is easiest.
- Swallow it whole with a sip of water, up to half a glass (120 ml). Don't split, crush or chew it.
- Then wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking any other tablets. Waiting less than 30 minutes means less of the medicine is absorbed.
- Take one tablet a day, never more. Two tablets don't add up to a higher dose.
Dose steps
Everyone starts low so the body can adjust, which keeps stomach side effects easier to manage. The UK dosing is:
- 1.5 mg once a day for the first month
- 4 mg, then 9 mg, each for at least a month
- 25 mg once a day: the maintenance dose, and the highest
- If a step up is hard to tolerate, your prescriber can keep you on the dose before it for longer.
Already on the Wegovy injection? Someone on 2.4 mg a week can move to the 25 mg tablet, starting one week after the last injection. How the switch affects you can't be predicted exactly, so your prescriber decides it with you. The dosing guide covers all three treatments side by side.
If you miss a dose
Skip the missed tablet and take the next one the following day, at your usual time and in the usual way. Don't take two tablets to make up for it.
If you've missed several days in a row, message your prescriber before starting again.
How much the Wegovy Pill costs
Each pack lasts about four weeks of daily tablets, and the price is set by the dose. It includes the consultation, the private prescription, clinical review and delivery. Because the dose steps up, the first months cost less than later ones: one pack each of 1.5 mg, 4 mg and 9 mg comes to £443.97, and the 25 mg maintenance dose is £214.99 a pack.
A subscription costs the same as ordering one pack at a time, and you can pause or cancel it. The pricing and payment guide compares every treatment and explains how payment works.
Wegovy Pill price per pack, by dose| Dose | Price per pack |
|---|
| 1.5 mg once a day | £138.99 |
| 4 mg once a day | £144.99 |
| 9 mg once a day | £159.99 |
| 25 mg once a day | £214.99 |
The Wegovy Pill and the injections compared
The Wegovy Pill and the Wegovy injection contain the same medicine, semaglutide. Mounjaro is tirzepatide, which acts on two hormone receptors rather than one. The practical differences are how often you take it, whether there's a needle, and the rules around food.
The Wegovy Pill, the Wegovy injection and Mounjaro compared | Wegovy Pill | Wegovy injection | Mounjaro |
|---|
| How it's taken | One tablet a day | One injection a week | One injection a week |
|---|
| Needles | None | Pre-filled pen | Pre-filled pen |
|---|
| Food and timing | Empty stomach, then 30 minutes before food, drink or other medicines | Any time of day, with or without food | Any time of day, with or without food |
|---|
| Storage | No special temperature; keep in the blister pack | Fridge until first use | Fridge until first use |
|---|
| Active ingredient | Semaglutide | Semaglutide | Tirzepatide |
|---|
| Usual maintenance dose | 25 mg a day | 2.4 mg a week | 5, 10 or 15 mg a week |
|---|
| Main trial, as reported in the SmPC | OASIS 4, 64 weeks: 13.6% average loss on 25 mg, 2.2% on placebo | STEP 1, 68 weeks: 14.9% average loss on 2.4 mg, 2.4% on placebo | SURMOUNT-1, 72 weeks: 16.0% to 22.5% average loss on 5 to 15 mg, 2.4% on placebo |
|---|
| From | £138.99 per pack | £144.99 per pen | £194.99 per pen |
|---|
The trial figures are averages, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more activity. The trials ran for different lengths of time with different people and weren't compared head to head, so the numbers can't be set against each other directly, and individual results vary. Which one suits you depends on your health, your routine and what you'd rather take; the prescriber goes through it with you. Mounjaro and Wegovy compared looks at the injections in more detail.
Who it's for
The Wegovy Pill is licensed in the UK for weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or more, or 27 or more with at least one weight-related health condition. It's used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.
- It isn't for anyone pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding. Stop it at least 2 months before trying for a baby.
- It isn't recommended for people with severe kidney or liver problems.
- Tell the prescriber if you take levothyroxine (your thyroid levels may need checking), warfarin, insulin or a sulfonylurea, or another GLP-1 medicine.
- It isn't suitable for losing weight for cosmetic reasons.
Our eligibility guide explains the BMI and age range we treat online and which conditions count.
Side effects
The most common side effects are in the gut: feeling sick, being sick, diarrhoea, constipation, indigestion and stomach pain, along with headache and tiredness. Each affects more than 1 in 10 people, mostly while the dose is stepping up, and they usually ease as the body adjusts.
Less often, semaglutide can cause gallstones or inflammation of the pancreas. Stop taking it and get urgent medical help for severe stomach pain that won't go away. Being sick or having diarrhoea a lot can also dehydrate you, so keep up your fluids.
Side effects covers each one and how to manage it, and safety covers who shouldn't take it, other medicines, and the warning signs that need help straight away.
Getting the Wegovy Pill safely
The Wegovy Pill is a prescription-only medicine. The MHRA says GLP-1 medicines should only come from a legitimate pharmacy, including online pharmacies, with a prescription from a healthcare professional after a consultation, and never from beauty salons, social media or anyone who doesn't ask about your health first.
With us, you complete an online consultation, a UK prescriber reviews it, and if the treatment is right for you our GPhC-registered pharmacy dispenses and delivers it. See how it works, or our guide to checking an online pharmacy.
Sources
- Wegovy tablets Summary of Product Characteristics (emc, revised June 2026; checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Wegovy FlexTouch Summary of Product Characteristics (emc, revised September 2026; checked 27 Oct 2026)
- Mounjaro KwikPen Summary of Product Characteristics (emc, revised 29 August 2026; checked 27 Oct 2026)
- MHRA: GLP-1 medicines for weight loss and diabetes, what you need to know (updated 5 February 2026; checked 27 Oct 2026)
Sources checked 27 October 2026. General information only: always follow the leaflet in your pack and your prescriber's instructions.
