Weight Loss Service - Wegovy

Wegovy lowers body weight in humans mainly through reducing calorie intake. It regulates appetite by increasing feelings of fullness, while lowering feelings of hunger, leading to reduced food intake. The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide. This medication is known as human-glucagon-like-peptide-1 analogue, also known as a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

Wegovy is a licensed medication in the UK for the management of weight alongside diet and exercise. You can read the patient information leaflet here.

Wegovy can only be supplied or prescribed by a suitably qualified healthcare professional such as a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Your clinician will assess during your consultation if Wegovy is a safe and appropriate medication for you. It is not available over the counter.

It can only be prescribed to adults with at least one weight-related condition and a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27 kg/m2 or to people with a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or more. It is prescribed as part of a weight management programme that might include diet changes and exercise. You will be asked to submit your BMI on booking, using the calculator on this page, and the nurse or pharmacist will take your measurements and blood pressure during your appointment. Wegovy is not suitable for patients that are pregnanct or trying to conceive, or that are breast feeding.

Wegovy and all weight loss medicine should look to be supported with diet and exercise where possible in order to appropriately manage weight. This combined approach can also increase how much and over what time period you lose weight. For further advice on safe weight management with diet and exercise see the NHS Live Well resource here.

The manufacturer study data* shows that after 20 weeks of Wegovy use, energy intake (food intake) was 35% lower vs the placebo control group. It was also demonstrated that there was improved control of eating, increased feeling of fullness, greater satiety, reduced hunger, less food cravings (for dairy and savoury foods), less desire for sweet food and a relative lower preference for high fat food.

Clinical trials with Wegovy also showed that compared to calorie reduction and exercise alone, treatment with semaglutide 2.4mg showed superior sustained weight loss. Additionally, studies showed* higher proportions of patients achieved ≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15% and ≥20% weight loss with semaglutide 2.4 mg compared with placebo patients.

If you have not lost at least 5% of your body mass (kg) after 6 months of using Wegovy, it may not be beneficial to continue and this should be discussed with your clinician.

Wegovy is not currently available via the NHS at this time (this may change, so check with your GP for updates). There are however other medications such as orlistat or liraglutide that may be available for some patients on the NHS. You can discuss with your GP if you feel you may be eligible or want to know more. Remember your GP can also provide other advice and resources to support weight loss such as a nutritionally balanced diet and advice on suitable exercise/physical activity.

All patients should read the instructions for use included in the package leaflet carefully before administering this medicinal product.

Wegovy is for subcutaneous use only (to be injected under the skin). It must not be given in a vein or in a muscle. Wegovy is administered once weekly at any time, independent of meals. It should be injected in the abdomen (preferred) or thigh, but can also be injected in the upper arms. The injection site and timing can be changed without dose adjustment. You can inject in the same body area each week, but make sure it is not in the same spot as used the last time.

You can also see information here also on how to use the pen and administer a dose safely here.

It is preferable that Wegovy is injected around the same time of the week, when the most convenient time has been chosen.

Each Wegovy pen contains 4 x once weekly doses. Therefore each pen provides treatment for up to 28 days. You will need to make an apppointment to see the nurse to check your progress and get your next pen.

1 pen = 4 weeks treatment
2 pen = 8 weeks treatment
3 pen = 12 weeks treatment

Your pens should be taken home and kept in the fridge as soon as possible.
Pens that are in use can also be stored below 30°C but, preferably, in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C).
Pens that are in use, have a shelf-life of maximum 6 weeks.
Keep away from the cooling element in the fridge (usually the cooling element is at the back). It may be advisable to keep the pens in a dairy drawer in the fridge for example
Any additional pens or pens for future use should also be in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C)
Do not freeze Wegovy and do not use it if it has been frozen.
Keep the pen cap on when the pen is stored not in use in order to protect it from light.

Your first pen, once being used, has a shelf-life of up to 6 weeks. You can begin to use this pen as long as you do not use it beyond 6 weeks of it being supplied to you.
Additional pens for future use that you have received that have not been placed into the fridge for several hours or more, should NOT be used until you have consulted your health care professional. It is recommended to place them in the fridge until you have received advice on whether these can be used or discarded from your health care professional.

Yes!

NHS Choices suggests adults should aim to:

• do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week
• do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week
• spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day
• reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

Ozempic is an injectable type 2 diabetes medication taken once a week. It contains the active ingredient semaglutide. Ozempic is currently not available in the UK for weight loss as it has not been licensed. Wegovy is a version of Ozempic made for weight loss, licensed to be used in the UK.

The weight loss injection service is not suitable if any of the following apply:

Patient currently not registered with a GP
● Confirmed anaphylactic reaction to either:
o A previous dose of semaglutide (Wegovy) or other GLP-1 agonist
o Any of the components of the medication – refer to specific product information for list of excipients (www.medicines.org.uk) (e.g. propylene glycol)
● Informed consent has not been given for the supply or administration of the medication.
● Patients aged under 18 years or over 75 years of age.
● Current pregnancy or planned pregnancy within the next 2 months
● Breastfeeding
History of / current eating disorder (includes bulimia and anorexia nervosa)
● Concomitant use of other GLP-1 agonists (see interactions below)
● Concomitant use of other weight loss medication (e.g. orlistat, Mysimba etc)
● Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2)
● Pre-diabetes
● Patients with renal impairment
● History of pancreatitis
● Diabetic retinopathy (diabetics are wholly excluded)
● Heart failure
● Weight gain suspected to be caused by current medication

Each Wegovy pen you have should come with four disposable needles, one for each weekly dose you take. See the package information leaflet and the administration video to understand how to use and attach the needles. If you need additional needles, you can purchase these from a Superdrug or your other local pharmacies. Needles should be for subcutaneous use and no more than 8mm in length and a gauge of 31/32G is recommended. The manufacturer recommends the following needles:
NovoFine Plus disposable needles
NovoFine disposable needles (available at Superdrug)
NovoTwist disposable needles
You should consult your healthcare professional or local pharmacist if you want to check if any additional needles are suitable for Wegovy before use.

You should be in possession of a sharps bin if you are using Wegovy. Please use the sharps bin to dispose of used needles. If you require disposal of your sharps bin please see the following link.
We would recommend waiting until your sharps bin is nearly full or you are terminating treatment before requesting a collection from your local council, as you may not be entitled to have several collections in a year. Each council may have different provisions.

You should not use other weight loss medications at the same time as Wegovy. If you are currently using or finishing treatment with other weight loss medications ensure your clinician is aware if you did not mention this in your consultation before you start using Wegovy. They can advise any precautionary steps when switching over if needed.
Stopping Ozempic or Rybelsus and starting Wegovy: you should always start at the lowest dose of Wegovy: 0.25mg once weekly. Ensure at least a 7 day gap before finishing Ozempic/Rybelsus and starting Wegovy.
Stopping Saxenda (liraglutide) and starting Wegovy: you should start at the lowest dose of Wegovy: 0.25mg once weekly. Ensure a 7 day interval from the last dose of Saxenda to the first dose of Wegovy
Going forward if you wish to change from Wegovy to Saxenda you should advise your Saxenda prescriber about your current use of Wegovy. A 2 month interval after Wegovy is recommended before Saxenda use.
No minimal interval is currently required between starting Wegovy and stopping orlistat or Mysimba (naltrexone/bupropion) but they should NOT be used at the same time. Always inform your health care professional of current medications you are taking to ensure a safe and thorough consultation

If you miss a dose you should administer as soon as possible and within 5 days after the missed dose. If more than 5 days have passed, you should skip the missed dose, and the next dose should be administered on the regularly scheduled day. After this you can resume your regular once weekly dosing schedule. If more than one dose is missed, you may need to consider reducing your starting dose for re-initiation as you may experience side effects. Consult your healthcare provider in this case if you were currently using a pen of strength 0.5mg / 1mg / 1.7mg / 2.4mg. If you missed a dose on the 0.25mg weekly strength this is the initiation dose so can be continued.

Yes, you can still book an appointment and attend our clinics for a consultation. You will need to know what strength and dose of Wegovy you are currently on and for how long, so that our nurses can advise appropriately.

Side effects can occur with any medication. There are some things that can help prevent side effects during your treatment with Wegovy. Please be aware of the following possible side effects:

Very common (more than 1 in 10 people affected):
Headache, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue

Common (less than 1 in 10 but more than 1 in 100):
Hypoglycaemia in Type 2 diabetics, dizziness, diabetic retinopathy in Type 2 diabetics, gastritis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia, eructation, flatulence, abdominal distention, cholelithiasis (gallstones), hair loss, injection site reactions

Uncommon (less than 1 in 100 but more than 1 in 1000)
Increased heart rate, acute pancreatitis, increased enzymes (amylase/lipase)

If you are experiencing any concerning side effects, you can contact a GP immediately or contact NHS 111 (call 111 or visit https://111.nhs.uk/). You can report any side effects not listed above to your clinician. In particular, if you are experiencing milder side effects and these are becoming intolerable, contact your clinician for support with your ongoing weight management journey. Current patients only can contact us via email at: contact@healthclinics.superdrug.com and we will pass on your query within our team.

Please note that you can also report side effects from using Wegovy as a member of the public to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which helps to ensure its safe and effective use. This is via the Yellow Card scheme https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ . However, if you need current medical support with your side effects then contact your clinician.

Acute Pancreatitis
An uncommon side effect of Wegovy is acute pancreatitis. This is where the pancreas can become swollen over a short period of time.
If you experience any of the following symptoms of acute pancreatitis you should stop using Wegovy (semaglutide) and contact a GP immediately or contact NHS 111 (call 111 or visit https://111.nhs.uk/):
Severe pain in the centre of the belly/abdomen. This can worsen and travel along the back
Nausea/vomiting
Indigestion
Fever (>38 degrees celsius)
Yellowing of the eyes
Yellowing of the skin
Tenderness in the belly/abdomen or swelling
Faster heart rate (tachycardia) or rapid breathing

Dehydration
There is a risk of dehydration due to reactions of the gastrointestinal system to semaglutide. Ensure you drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated to avoid depletion

Dizziness
Using Wegovy and increasing your dosage may cause dizziness. You should exercise caution with driving or use of machines. See also above to ensure you are hydrated.

Wegovy should not be used during pregnancy. If you become pregnant during your use of Wegovy, you should stop using it and inform your GP.
Wegovy should not be used during breastfeeding.
Women planning a pregnancy should not use semaglutide for at least 2 months prior to planned conception.
For women of childbearing age it is strongly advised to use an adequate form of contraception during use of semaglutide. You can see more about your contraceptive choices here.

The Eatwell Guide shows that to have a healthy, balanced diet, people should try to:

• eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• base meals on higher fibre starchy foods like potatoes, bread, rice or pasta
• have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks)
• eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein
• choose unsaturated oils and spreads, and eat them in small amounts
• drink plenty of water (at least 6 to 8 glasses a day)