Can you drink alcohol on Wegovy?

Wegovy is an effective and popular weight loss injection, but many people wonder if it’s safe to combine Wegovy with alcohol and what effect this could have.

This guide can help you understand what happens when you drink alcohol while taking Wegovy and it provides tips on how to drink alcohol safely to reduce disruption to your weight loss journey.

Yes, you can drink alcohol in moderation while taking Wegovy. However, we do not recommend this because it can make the side effects worse and make it harder to reach your weight loss goals.

What happens if you drink alcohol on Wegovy?

Although there are no direct interactions from mixing Wegovy with alcohol, mixing them can:

• cause side effects to get worse – particularly feeling or being sick, and stomach pains
• reduce your blood sugar levels – as your liver processes alcohol, it stops the release of glucose, which can be made worse by Wegovy as it also lowers glucose levels
• increase the chance of dehydration – because alcohol causes you to pee more, if you are taking Wegovy the side effects include vomiting and diarrhoea, which also causes fluid loss
• make you choose less healthy foods – drinking alcohol may prompt you to eat more than you usually do, which may affect your weight loss progress on Wegovy

Different people respond to alcohol and Wegovy differently, so it’s important to keep an eye on how your body reacts to help you stay on track with your treatment. You may even be advised to limit or cut your alcohol intake to hit your weight loss targets.

Alcohol can affect your weight in several ways, such as by:

• adding empty calories to your diet
• impacting your metabolism (how quickly you break down food to use as energy)
• affecting your body’s ability to burn fat
• increasing fat storage, especially around your stomach

Alcohol can also make you feel hungry, leading you to crave unhealthy food. Clinical data suggests that the chance of obesity is 70% higher in people who drink heavily compared to those who are light drinkers. Let’s take a closer look at the impact of alcohol on your weight:

Does alcohol make Wegovy less effective?

Not directly, there is no evidence that alcohol makes Wegovy less effective at reducing your appetite, but it can negatively impact your weight loss progress by adding extra calories to your diet or causing unhealthier food choices. This does not stop the medication from working, but you are likely to see less weight loss if you have high-calorie drinks often.

Wegovy can help people lose, on average, 21% of their starting body weight at the maximum maintenance dose of 7.2mg per week. But, drinking alcohol may mean that this number is lower for you.

If you do decide to drink on Wegovy, here are 8 tips to help you make sure you’re doing it as safely as possible with the lowest impact on your weight loss journey:

1. Keep it to 1 to 2 standard-size drinks, and drink slowly – one regular can or bottle of beer, one small wine, or one shot of spirits. Aim to slowly take one drink over an hour.
2. Choose lower-calorie drinks, like dry wine, spirits with soda water and lime, and light beers. Avoid sugary cocktails, frozen drinks, cream liqueurs, and no-diet mixers.
3. Alternate every alcoholic drink with water. A full glass of water between drinks helps prevent dehydration, hangovers, and overeating later.
4. Avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Eat a balanced meal before your first drink – this also helps reduce nausea.
5. Avoid drinking around your injection day if you have side effects like feeling sick or have digestive symptoms the day you take Wegovy.
6. Plan healthy food for after drinking instead of ordering fast food or snacking.
7. Count the calories from alcohol. Alcohol provides extra calories, which can add up quickly. Make sure to add them to your daily total when trying to hit your calorie deficit.

Does Wegovy affect alcohol tolerance?

There is no direct interaction between alcohol and Wegovy, but combining them can intensify the gastrointestinal side effects associated with Wegovy, such as:

• feeling sick
• being sick
• stomach pains

Drinking alcohol also increases the chance of dehydration, headaches, and fatigue, so mixing them may cause these effects to get worse, especially if you already have vomiting or diarrhoea. If you get dizzy on Wegovy, it is possible that drinking alcohol may also make this worse.

Can alcohol make Wegovy side effects more likely?

If you are already experiencing side effects, drinking alcohol at the same time can make them worse. Equally, alcohol can cause its own side effects, which are similar to Wegovy’s, particularly if you drink heavily or on an empty stomach.

Although you can drink alcohol on Wegovy, it is important that you do so in moderation. There is no evidence that alcohol directly interferes with the way Wegovy works, and it is not listed as something to avoid in the patient information leaflet. For most people, the occasional drink will not affect how the medication works.

However, alcohol adds extra calories and can increase cravings for particular food choices. This means it can slow your weight loss progress, even if the medication continues to help control your appetite.

Alcohol can also make side effects worse, like feeling or being sick, dizziness, and stomach upsets. Drinking alcohol in large amounts or on an empty stomach can worsen these issues and increase the likelihood of feeling unwell.

Overall, drinking small amounts of alcohol occasionally will be fine for most people on Wegovy. If you do get side effects, try avoiding alcohol until you feel better. Heavy or frequent drinking could slow your weight loss and increase the severity of side effects. Your doctor can give you further advice about how alcohol fits into your treatment plan, and what a safe level of drinking looks like if you are concerned.

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