Wegovy pill dosage guide

The Wegovy pill is an oral semaglutide tablet made by the same manufacturer as the injection, Novo Nordisk. It supports you on your weight loss journey by reducing appetite and increasing fullness between meals, making it easier to eat fewer calories.

In this guide, we look at the different Wegovy pill doses available in the UK, the Wegovy pill dosage schedule, what to do if you miss a dose, and how the pill doses compare to the injection.

The Wegovy pill is available in 4 strengths:

• 1.5mg – starting dose
• 4mg – step-up dose
• 9mg – step-up dose
• 25mg – maintenance dose (and maximum approved dose)

You increase your Wegovy pill dose once a month for 4 months. By month 4, you will reach the maintenance dose. Following the dosing schedule helps your body adjust to semaglutide and can reduce the risk of side effects.

The Wegovy pill also needs to be taken correctly, and may be different to other oral medications you’ve taken before. You should take the Wegovy pill:

• every day (rather than once weekly like the injection)
• on an empty stomach – it’s recommended to fast for at least 8 hours before, which is why it’s usually taken in the morning when you wake up
• by swallowing it whole, with no more than 120ml of plain water
• at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking other oral medications

Your Wegovy pill dosage increases gradually over the first 4 months of treatment. This process is called titration, and is designed to reduce very common gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea (feeling sick), vomiting (being sick), diarrhoea, and constipation.

The Wegovy pill titration schedule looks like this:

The Wegovy pill dosage schedule is a guide – while you should not increase your dose sooner than 1 month, you can delay an increase. If side effects become difficult to manage, your doctor may recommend staying on your current dose for longer before increasing. Wegovy pill side effects are most likely at the start of treatment or after you move up to a higher dose, and should settle quickly.

Can I stay on a low dose of the Wegovy pill?

Yes. Although 25mg is the standard maintenance dose and has been proven to cause the best results, some people remain on a lower dose if they’re having side effects at higher doses, or are achieving good results without increasing further.

You can always increase later if you want to. Your doctor can help determine whether staying on 4mg or 9mg is appropriate for you. It’s not likely that 1.5mg of Wegovy will have much of an effect, so it’s not usually recommended to stay on for effective weight loss.

Wegovy tablets must be taken correctly to make sure your body absorbs enough semaglutide to be effective. Unlike injections, absorption can be affected by food, drinks, and other medications.

How to take the Wegovy pill correctly:

1. Take your tablet as soon as you wake up, on an empty stomach. It’s recommended to fast for at least 8 hours before taking it, so bear this in mind when eating your last meal before bed and your usual wake-up time.
2. Swallow the tablet whole. Drink no more than 120ml of plain water with your tablet.
3. Do not chew, crush, split, or dissolve the tablet as this will stop it from working properly.
4. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking any other oral medications.

*Following the exact instructions for taking the Wegovy tablet is important for it to work. The tablet is created with a special ingredient to help semaglutide absorb effectively through your stomach.

How should Wegovy pills be stored?

Store Wegovy tablets:

• in the original packaging
• away from moisture and light
• away from children

Do not move the tablets to another container, as this may affect how well they are protected from moisture and light.

The Wegovy pill starting dose is 1.5mg once daily. You’ll usually take it for 1 month before increasing to the next dose.

The 1.5mg dose is not designed to cause much weight loss. Instead, this lower dose helps your body get used to semaglutide before moving on to higher doses. Most side effects happen when treatment is first started as your body adjusts. Beginning with a low dose helps reduce the risk of nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach discomfort.

What happens when you increase your dose?

When you increase your dose, the amount of semaglutide in your body will increase. This can strengthen its effects on appetite and fullness.

As your dose increases, you may notice that you:

• feel less hungry between meals
• feel full more quickly when eating
• have fewer cravings
• have less food noise
• find it easier to maintain a calorie deficit

You may also notice side effects temporarily increase after moving to a higher dose. When increasing your Wegovy tablet dose, to reduce and manage side effects, it can help to:

✓ eat smaller meals more often

✓ avoid greasy, rich, or spicy foods

✓ stay hydrated throughout the day

✓ stop eating when you feel comfortably full

✓ eat slowly

✓ avoid large meals late in the evening, especially just before bed

The Wegovy pill maintenance and maximum dose is 25mg once daily. This is the highest approved Wegovy tablet strength and the dose most people will stay on long term. However, you may stay on a lower dose due to preference or side effects.

Clinical trials have shown the greatest weight loss results at the maintenance dose. In the OASIS 4 trial, people taking 25mg oral semaglutide lost an average of up to 17% of their starting body weight after 64 weeks when combined with diet and lifestyle changes.

A higher 50mg oral Wegovy dose was tested in OASIS 1 trials back in 2021, but was not tested in the following OASIS trials and has not been approved.

How long can you take oral Wegovy?

Wegovy is designed as a long-term weight loss treatment. Many people continue taking the maintenance dose after reaching their target weight to help maintain their results and prevent weight regain. Your doctor will review your treatment regularly and discuss how long you should continue taking it.

If you miss 1 Wegovy tablet: skip the missed dose and take your next tablet at the usual time the following day.

If you miss 2 or more Wegovy tablets: speak to your doctor for advice. Depending on how many doses you have missed, you may need to restart treatment at a lower dose to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal side effects.

If you miss any more than 7 tablets during your treatment you will need to restart at 1.5mg.

Do not take 2 tablets on the same day to make up for a missed dose. Taking extra tablets can increase the risk of side effects.

Will missing doses affect weight loss?

Yes. While missing the occasional dose is not likely to affect your weight loss journey massively, missing doses regularly or missing enough doses that you have to restart treatment at a lower dose will increase the time it takes to reach your weight loss goals.

The Wegovy pill is meant to be taken once daily to keep the levels of semaglutide steady within your body, so it works most effectively.

To help you remember to take your Wegovy tablet each day, try:

The Wegovy pill and injection have completely different doses because one is taken by mouth and the other via an injection. This table compares the tablet and injection doses, and other important information about the 2 different forms of semaglutide:

Why are the Wegovy pill doses different to injections?

Although the Wegovy tablet and injection contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, the way your body absorbs them is different.

When you take semaglutide as a tablet, it must pass through your digestive system before it can enter your bloodstream. In comparison, the injection delivers semaglutide directly under the skin, straight into your bloodstream. This is why the Wegovy tablet uses higher doses than the injection.

Studies show that around 89% of injected semaglutide is absorbed by the body, whereas only a small amount of semaglutide taken by mouth reaches the bloodstream (1% or less). To improve absorption, the Wegovy tablet contains an ingredient called salcaprozate sodium (SNAC). This helps protect semaglutide as it passes through the stomach and supports its absorption through the stomach lining.

Oral semaglutide may be right for you if you are eligible for weight loss treatment and would prefer a tablet rather than a weekly injection. Not everyone is comfortable with needles or injections, so Wegovy tablets are a good alternative for people who cannot use them.

You may be eligible for Wegovy tablets if you have a:

• body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above
• BMI of 27 and less than 30, and a weight-related health condition, such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, or high cholesterol

These are the same guidelines for getting other weight loss treatments containing GLP-1 medications, so if you can take Wegovy or Mounjaro injections, you should be able to take Wegovy tablets. In some cases, the Wegovy pill may be prescribed off-label if your doctor thinks it's suitable.

Wegovy tablets are not suitable if you are:

• pregnant or planning a pregnancy
• breastfeeding
• allergic to semaglutide or any of the tablet ingredients

You should also speak to your doctor before starting treatment if you have certain medical conditions, including kidney disease, pancreatitis, or severe gastrointestinal disorders.

Wegovy tablet, emc [accessed 18 June 2026]

Oral semaglutide 50 mg taken once per day in adults with overweight or obesity (OASIS 1): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial, The Lancet [accessed 10 June 2026]

Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity, The New England Journal of Medicine [accessed 10 June 2026]

Wegovy 0.25 mg, FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen, emc [accessed 10 June 2026]

Wegovy 1.5 mg tablets SmPC/PIL, emc [accessed 18 June 2026]