Wegovy is a prescription medicine used for adults with obesity or for those who are overweight and also have weight-related medical problems. It is intended to help with weight loss and keeping weight off. Wegovy works by mimicking a hormone that targets areas of the brain involved in regulating appetite and food intake. This can help you eat less, which can lead to weight loss.

Wegovy comes in an injectable form. It is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm once a week.

Some common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, and headache.

Wegovy is an injectable prescription medicine used for adults with obesity or overweight (excess weight) who also have weight-related medical problems to help them lose weight and keep the weight off.

• Wegovy should be used with a reduced calorie meal plan and increased physical activity.
• Wegovy contains semaglutide and should not be used with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines.
• It is not known if Wegovy is safe and effective when taken with other prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal weight loss products.
• It is not known if Wegovy can be used safely in people with a history of pancreatitis.
• It is not known if Wegovy is safe and effective for use in children under 18 years of age.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Wegovy may cause serious side effects. See "Precautions" section.

Common side effects include:

• nausea
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• constipation
• stomach (abdomen) pain
• headache
• tiredness (fatigue)
• upset stomach
• dizziness
• feeling bloated
• belching
• gas
• stomach flu
• heartburn

This is not a complete list of Wegovy side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

Wegovy may cause serious side effects (see boxed warning), including:

• inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.
• gallbladder problems. Wegovy may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools.
• increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those who also take medicines for type 2 diabetes such as sulfonylureas or insulin. This can be both a serious and common side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred  speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery.
• kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration) which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration.
• serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat.
• change in vision in patients with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy.
• increased heart rate. Wegovy can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes.
• depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse or worry you.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Wegovy, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before using Wegovy, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:

• have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys. 

• have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy.

• have or have had depression or suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues.

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy 2 months before you plan to become pregnant. 

  • Pregnancy Exposure Registry: There is a pregnancy exposure registry for women who use Wegovy during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby.

  • Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry or you may contact Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy passes into your breast milk. You should talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while using Wegovy.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy 2 months before you plan to become pregnant. 

• Pregnancy Exposure Registry: There is a pregnancy exposure registry for women who use Wegovy during pregnancy. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby.

• Talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry or you may contact Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500.

Tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy passes into your breast milk. You should talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while using Wegovy.

• Read the Instructions for Use that comes with Wegovy.
• Use Wegovy exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to. 
• Your healthcare provider should show you how to use Wegovy before you use it for the first time.
• Wegovy is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm. Do not inject Wegovy into a muscle (intramuscularly) or vein (intravenously).
• Change (rotate) your injection site with each injection. Do not use the same site for each injection.
• Use Wegovy 1 time each week, on the same day each week, at any time of the day.
• Start Wegovy with 0.25 mg per week in your first month. In your second month, increase your weekly dose to 0.5 mg. In the third month, increase your weekly dose to 1 mg. In the fourth month, increase your weekly dose to 1.7 mg and in the fifth month onwards, increase your weekly dose to the full dose of 2.4 mg. If you need to change the day of the week, you may do so as long as your last dose of Wegovy was given 2 or more days before.
• If you miss a dose of Wegovy and the next scheduled dose is more than 2 days away (48 hours), take the missed dose as soon as possible. If you miss a dose of Wegovy and the next schedule dose is less than 2 days away (48 hours), do not administer the dose. Take your next dose on the regularly scheduled day. 
• If you miss doses of Wegovy for more than 2 weeks, take your next dose on the regularly scheduled day or call your healthcare provider to talk about how to restart your treatment. 
• You can take Wegovy with or without food. 
• If you take too much Wegovy, you may have severe nausea, severe vomiting and severe low blood sugar. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you experience any of these symptoms.

Take this medication exactly as prescibed by your healthcare provider. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

The recommended starting dose is 0.25 mg injected subcutaneously once-weekly for 4 weeks. The dose is gradually increased every 4 weeks until 2.4 mg dosage is reached.

If you take too much Wegovy, you may have severe nausea, severe vomiting and severe low blood sugar. Call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you experience any of these symptoms.

• Store the Wegovy pen in the refrigerator between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F).
• If needed, before removing the pen cap, Wegovy can be stored from 8°C to 30°C (46°F to 86°F) in the original carton for up to 28 days.
• Keep Wegovy in the original carton to protect it from light.
• Do not freeze.
• Throw away the pen if Wegovy has been frozen, has been exposed to light or temperatures above 30°C (86°F), or has been out of the refrigerator for 28 days or longer.
• Keep Wegovy and all medicines out of the reach of children.

WARNING: RISK OF THYROID C-CELL TUMORS 

Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether Wegovy causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined.

 

Do not use Wegovy if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Wegovy is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2). Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of Wegovy and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g. a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with Wegovy.