Wegovy® treatment and how it works
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What is Wegovy®?
Wegovy® is what’s called a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor antagonist. Your body naturally makes GLP-1 hormone which helps to regulate appetite and Wegovy® works similarly to that hormone working on one receptor to mimic the action of the glucagon-like peptide hormone GLP-1.
If you live with excess weight or obesity and have had a heart attack or stroke, NICE guidelines say doctors can prescribe Wegovy® on the NHS to reduce the risk of you having another heart attack or stroke. Your doctor will be able to let you know if you’re eligible.
Wegovy® is a weekly injection available in five doses. Your dose will depend on where you are in your treatment journey. The starting dose is 0.25mg. The dose increases until you reach 2.4mg.
A new higher dose of 7.2mg Wegovy® has recently been discovered to achieve even greater weight loss results than the standard dose. In a recent trial carried out jointly by University of Toronto and scientists at Novo Nordisk, nearly half of those receiving the Wegovy® higher dose lost 20% or more of their body weight.(1)
It’s important to continue to follow the advice on diet and exercise given to you by your healthcare professional.
References
- Wharton, Sean et al. Once-weekly semaglutide 7·2 mg in adults with obesity (STEP UP): a randomised, controlled, phase 3b trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Volume 13, Issue 11, 949 – 963.
How Wegovy® works
Your brain gets signals from different places in your body to make things happen. Some of these signals are called appetite hormones, like GLP-1. GLP-1 is released after eating and slows down how quickly food is digested and Wegovy® mimics its action to trick your body into thinking it’s fuller than it is. This reduces your appetite helping you to regulate the food you eat, consume fewer calories and consequently lose weight.
How Wegovy® helps reduce your body weight
- 1. Improves insulin sensitivity.
- 2. Regulates your appetite, giving you a sense of satiety (‘fullness’) & makes you feel less hungry.
- 3. Reduces food cravings for fast-food fats, sweets, carbohydrates & starches.
When to use Wegovy®
- Wegovy® comes in a prefilled pen for you to use once a week on the same day.
- You can use your pen at any time of the day, with or without meals.
- To help you remember when to use Wegovy®, you may wish to tick the day of the week when you inject your first dose on the box that your pen comes in or mark it on a calendar.
- If necessary, you can change the day of your weekly injection, as long as it’s 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.
- Make sure you rotate the places that you inject to help avoid the chances of a skin reaction.
Take a look at this video to see how to use your Wegovy® pen. Click to play.
Caring for your Wegovy® pen
- Don’t drop your pen or knock it against hard surfaces.
- Keep your pen away from liquids.
- If you think that your pen may be damaged, don’t use it or try to fix it. Use a new pen.
- Keep the pen cap on until you are ready to inject, to reduce the risk of infection. Your pen will not be sterile if it is stored without the cap, if you pull the pen cap off and put it on again, or if the pen cap is missing.
- Store the Wegovy® pen in the fridge between 2 and 8°C (36 and 46°F). Do not freeze. If necessary, it can be stored at 7 – 30°C (46 – 86°F) in the original carton for up to 28 days.
Downloadable factsheets
Educational factsheets on weight loss medication are available to download, providing clear, practical guidance to support informed decisions.
