Wegovy®

Wegovy® is a weight loss drug containing the active ingredient, semaglutide. It’s injected into the body once a week to help you lose weight. Wegovy® is thought to be an effective weight loss drug when used alongside a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and increased exercise. 

The drug has recently been approved in the UK and is available now. It was approved in the USA in 2021. 

Wegovy® essentially works by suppressing the appetite and regulating food intake. The active ingredient, semaglutide, mimics the action of the hormone that’s involved in regulating appetite. This means you feel fuller for longer and less hungry. This can help you to eat less and hopefully lose weight.

It works best when it’s taken at the same time as making lifestyle changes (healthier diet and increased exercise). In fact, around 85% of users lost at least 5% of their weight, compared to just 40% losing 5% when no lifestyle changes were made.  

When Wegovy® is combined with a reduced calorie diet and increased exercise, a 68-week study has shown that:

• Around 85% of people lost more than 5% of their body weight
• 66% of people lost more than 10% of their body weight
• 48% of people lost more than 15% of their body weight
• 30% of people lost more than 20% of their body weight 

This compares to just 60% of people losing 5% of their weight when taking Saxenda® along with a reduced calorie diet and physical activity counselling.   

Wegovy can be used by adults ages 18-75 who have:

• A BMI of 30 or above
• A BMI of 27 or above and you have a weight-related health condition such as:
  
• Asthma
• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression
• Diabetes (As we are an online service, we are unable to prescribe Wegovy to diabetics for patient safety reasons)
• Fatty liver disease
• Gallbladder disease 
• High blood pressure
• History of certain cancers 
• Osteoarthritis or gout 
• PCOS 
• Sleep apnoea 

You won’t be able to take Wegovy® if you:  

• Are over 75
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Have liver, kidney or heart failure, an eating disorder or pancreatitis
• Are taking insulin, sulphonylureas or other weight loss drugs that work in the same way as Wegovy, e.g. Victoza.  

You can’t get Wegovy® over the counter as it’s a prescription-only medication. This means you’ll need to speak to a healthcare professional, usually via an online consultation. They’ll make sure Wegovy® is the right weight loss treatment for you and it’s safe to take. There are weight loss medications like Orlistat which you can get over the counter.   

Although made by the same manufacturer Wegovy® and Saxenda® are different. The main difference is how often you need to use them. You would need to inject Wegovy® once a week but Saxenda® needs to be injected daily.

They also contain different active ingredients. Wegovy® contains Semaglutide while Saxenda® contains Liraglutide. Yet, these work in similar ways to suppress your appetite to help you to lose weight.     

You inject Wegovy® just once a week into your tummy, thigh or upper arm.  

Wegovy® injections come in a variety of doses. Depending on where you are in your Wegovy® journey, you will need to take a different dose. 

The dose is gradually increased to make sure you cope with any potential side effects until you get to a maintenance dose, this process is known as titration. Find out how to know when to increase your dose.

If all goes to plan and you can tolerate the treatment, the dosing schedule will be as follows:

• Weeks 1-4: 0.25mg weekly
• Weeks 5-8: 0.5mg weekly
• Weeks 9-12: 1mg weekly
• Weeks 13-16: 1.7mg weekly
• Weeks 17 onwards: 2.4mg weekly 

Wegovy® has been shown to be an effective weight loss treatment, when used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.  

In clinical trials (Step 1 and Step 4), around 85% of people lost more than 5% of their body weight when using Wegovy and following a reduced-calorie diet and increased exercise plan:  

• Around 85% people lost at least 5% of their starting body weight after 6 months 
• Around 66% people lost more than 15% of their starting body weight after one year 

Like all medications, some people might feel some side effects from taking Wegovy®. It’s thought that more than one in 10 people might experience:

• headaches
• vomiting
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• tummy ache
• nausea

Some people might also experience:

• dizzy spells
• indigestion
• bloating among other symptoms

Find out more by reading the patient information leaflet and our article on Wegovy®'s side effects.  

If you’d like to request Wegovy® for weight loss, please complete our online consultation. During this we’ll ask you a series of questions to assess if the treatment is right for you and your weight loss journey. 

If it’s your first time ordering from us, you’ll also need to upload a video showing your ID and weight, so we can verify your identity and BMI. If you’re prescribed, you can have your treatment delivered the next day.

Please note - if you live in Northern Ireland, it’s important you know that Wegovy will be prescribed for you off label. This means the manufacturers haven’t licenced the use of Wegovy in Northern Ireland yet. We will still ensure Wegovy is safe for you to take according to the guidelines we use in Great Britain. 

If you’re taking Wegovy®, our clinicians will support you through your journey in a variety of different ways:

1. As part of your ongoing support from our clinical team, we’ll send you a follow up questionnaire after you’ve been taking the treatment for around one week, to see how you’re getting on.
2. We have a range of healthy lifestyle advice and wellbeing resources to support you on your weight loss journey. The included nutritional assessment offers information on national dietary guidelines and main food groups to help you improve your overall health.
3. We’ll remind you when it’s time to reorder, so you don’t miss out on treatment.   

At certain intervals you’ll be asked to update our clinicians on your weight, to make sure the treatment is still suitable.

If you have any questions or queries you can send our team a message in your Patient Record.  

Cold storage during delivery

• We use packaging that keeps your treatment at the right temperature for up to 36 hours during transit.
• If cold storage is disrupted during the delivery process, the medication will be able to be used for up to six weeks. 
• Once you have received your medication it is important you keep it stored in the fridge.

How to store

• Any Wegovy® pens that haven’t been opened should be kept in the fridge.
• During use you can keep the pens for 6 weeks in the fridge or room temperature (below 30°C).

How to throw away

• Pens need to be disposed of in the sharps bin you’re given when you start your treatment.
• When you're prescribed Wegovy® you’ll need to check your local council’s website to find out how to get rid of the sharps bin and its contents. 

There are weight loss treatments available in the UK, other than Wegovy®. We recommend that you speak to a clinician to find out what is right for you.

Other weight loss treatments include:

• Saxenda®
• Xenical (branded Orlistat)
• alli  

The NHS has helpful weight loss diets and exercise routines which can support you on your weight loss journey alongside a medicated treatment.

You may have heard of Ozempic. Although it contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy® it’s licensed for adults who have type 2 diabetes. Find out the difference between Ozempic and Wegovy®.   

When is Wegovy® dispatched?

• Wegovy® requires cold storage during transportation (2-8 degrees Celsius) and, if available, will be dispatched Sunday - Friday only for next day delivery.
• Orders approved after 5pm on Friday up to midday Sunday will be dispatched for delivery on Monday.
• Orders approved from midday Sunday to 5pm Monday will be delivered on Tuesday.

Delivery address information

• Wegovy® must be delivered to your home address to ensure safe storage as soon as possible.
• Please follow the tracking information provided by Evri to make sure you are available for delivery.
• LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor cannot take any responsibility for lost or stolen parcels once delivery has taken place, and no refunds will be issued.
• Please do not use a pharmacy address. It is likely your delivery will be rejected or disposed of. No refunds will be issued if this happens. 

Northern Ireland

• If you live in Northern Ireland, it’s important you know that Wegovy® will be prescribed for you off label. This means the manufacturers haven’t licenced the use of Wegovy® in Northern Ireland yet.
• We will still ensure Wegovy® is safe for you to take according to the guidelines we use in Great Britain.