What is the Wegovy Pill?
The Wegovy pill is an once-daily oral tablet that contains Semaglutide. Semaglutide is the same active ingredient found in the Wegovy GLP-1 injections.
The Wegovy pill is now available at iQ Doctor. Our healthcare professionals will review your health assessment before it can be prescribed. You can click “start consultation” to see if you’re eligible.
What is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide works like a natural hormone in your body that helps control hunger. It can help you:
- Feel fuller for longer after meals
- Have fewer food cravings
- Think about food less often (sometimes called "food noise")
- Eat fewer calories through the day
Semaglutide is not a stimulant. It supports your body's own appetite control. This makes it easier to stick to a lower-calorie diet.
The Wegovy pill works best when you also eat a reduced-calorie diet and are more active. Used this way, they can help you lose weight and keep it off over the long term.
Why do some people choose a Semaglutide tablet?
For many people, a daily tablet is a simpler and more flexible way to take a proven weight loss medicine. There are no needles, no injection pens, and no need to keep it in the fridge.
The tablet gives you the same active ingredient as the injection, with some added benefits.
No injections
Many people want semaglutide treatment but would rather not inject. Some have a fear of needles. Others simply feel more comfortable taking a tablet. There are no needles, no injection pens, and no sharps bins to deal with.
No fridge needed
Unlike many injections, Wegovy pills do not need to be kept cold. This means easier storage at home, simpler delivery, and less bulky packaging with no ice packs.
Easy to travel with
Tablets are small, light, and discreet. There are no cool boxes or sharps to carry through the airport, which makes holidays and work trips much easier.
Long shelf life
Wegovy pills last up to 3 years when stored correctly.
Simple monthly packs
Each pack holds 30 tablets — a one-month supply that is easy to manage.
What does the research show?
Clinical trials of oral semaglutide have shown strong results for both weight loss and general health.
In the OASIS 4 phase 3 trial, adults living with obesity or overweight who took oral semaglutide 25mg lost an average of around 16.6% of their body weight. This was alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.
A large number of people in the trial lost 20% or more of their body weight.
The trial also showed improvements in health markers linked to weight, including blood sugar control and heart health. In people who had prediabetes at the start, more than 70% returned to normal blood sugar levels during treatment.
Results are different for everyone. How much weight you lose can depend on your starting weight, your lifestyle, and how closely you follow your treatment plan.
Who may benefit from the Wegovy pill?
Wegovy Tablets may be suitable for adults who meet the criteria for medical weight management. This may include people with:
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above, or
- A BMI of 27 or above and a weight-related health condition
Weight-related health conditions include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Sleep apnoea
- Heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
A healthcare professional will check whether this treatment is right for you before prescribing it.
Who should not take the Wegovy pill?
This medicine is not suitable for everyone. Do not take theWegovy Tablets if you:
- Are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to become pregnant
- Are under 18 years old
- Have ever had an allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the other ingredients
- Have a personal or family history of a rare thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid cancer, or a condition called MEN 2
Tell your prescriber if you have ever had:
- Pancreatitis (swelling of the pancreas)
- Gallbladder problems
- Type 2 diabetes, especially if you take insulin or other diabetes medicines
- Diabetic eye disease (retinopathy)
- Kidney problems
- Any problems with your stomach or digestion
Your prescriber will use this information to decide if the treatment is safe for you.
How to take the Wegovy pill
You will start on the lowest dose (unless you’re a Wegovy injection patient switching over to the pill). Your dose goes up slowly over a few months. This helps your body get used to the medicine and lowers the chance of side effects.
Your prescriber will tell you when to move up to the next dose. Do not change your dose yourself.
Your dose plan
| Step | Dose | How long | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 1.5 mg once a day | 1 month | To begin gently |
| Step 2 | 4 mg once a day | 1 month | To step up |
| Step 3 | 9 mg once a day | 1 month | To step up |
| Ongoing | 25 mg once a day | Long term | Your main dose |
How to take your tablet the right way
Wegovy Tablets only work properly if you take them the correct way. Please follow these steps every single day:
- Take it on an empty stomach. Take your tablet first thing in the morning, after not eating for at least 8 hours (so, before breakfast, when you wake up).
- Use only a small sip of water. Swallow the tablet with plain water only- no more than 120 ml, which is about half a glass.
- Wait at least 30 minutes. Do not eat, drink anything else, or take any other tablets for at least 30 minutes.
- Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split it, crush it, or chew it.
If you do not follow these steps, the medicine may not work.
If you miss a dose
Skip the missed dose. Take your next tablet at the usual time the next day.
Never take two tablets on the same day to make up for a missed one. Only ever take one tablet a day.
If your prescriber recommends switching from another weight loss treatment, they will determine the most appropriate approach based on your medical history and current treatment.
The information below is intended as a general prescribing guide and should not be used to make changes to your medication without medical advice.
Switching from Mounjaro to the Wegovy pill
| Current Mounjaro weekly dose | Suggested Wegovy once daily oral pill |
|---|---|
| 2.5mg | 1.5mg OR 4mg |
| 5mg | 4mg OR 9mg |
| 7.5mg | 9mg |
| 10mg | 9mg OR 25mg |
| 12.5mg | 25mg |
| 15mg | 25mg |
Switching from Wegovy injectable to Wegovy oral
| Current Wegovy injectable weekly dose | Suggested Wegovy once daily oral pill |
|---|---|
| 0.25mg | 1.5mg |
| 0.5mg | 4mg |
| 1.0mg | 9mg |
| 1.7mg | 25mg |
| 2.4mg | 25mg |
Your starting dose after switching depends on your medication tolerability and other clinical factors. Your prescriber will choose the safest dose for you.
Like all medicines, Wegovy Tablets can cause side effects, though not everyone gets them.
Common side effects (these often happen when your dose goes up, and usually get better after a few days):
- Feeling sick (nausea)
- Being sick (vomiting)
- Diarrhoea or constipation
- Stomach pain or bloating
- Indigestion
- Headache
- Feeling tired or dizzy
These are often mild. Drinking water and eating smaller meals can help. If they are hard to cope with, contact us, your prescriber may keep you on your current dose a little longer before moving up.
Get medical help straight away if you have:
- Severe stomach pain that does not go away, especially if it spreads to your back (this could be a sign of pancreatitis)
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, or throat, or trouble breathing
- Signs of very low blood sugar (feeling shaky, sweaty, confused, or dizzy) this is more likely if you also take diabetes medicine
This is not a full list. Always read the patient information leaflet inside your pack.
Taking other medicines
Because you must take Wegovy Tablets on an empty stomach and wait 30 minutes, this can affect other tablets you take. Some medicines need to be taken at a different time of day.
Tell your prescriber about all medicines you take, including ones you buy without a prescription. This is especially important if you take:
- Thyroid medicine (such as levothyroxine) semaglutide can change how much of this you absorb
- Diabetes medicines, especially insulin or sulfonylureas there is a higher risk of low blood sugar, so your doses may need adjusting
Your prescriber will help you plan when to take your other medicines.
Pregnancy, contraception, and alcohol
Pregnancy and contraception
Do not use Wegovy Tablets if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying for a baby. If you could become pregnant, use reliable contraception while taking this medicine. If you are planning a pregnancy, speak to your prescriber first, you will need to stop the medicine in good time before trying to conceive.
Alcohol
There is no strict ban on alcohol, but drinking can make side effects like feeling sick worse, and can affect your blood sugar. If you drink, keep it moderate.
Why are the Wegovy pill doses higher than the injection doses?
You may notice the tablet doses look much bigger than the injection doses. This is normal, and it is because of how each one gets into your body.
An injection goes just under the skin, so almost all of the medicine reaches your bloodstream. This means only a small dose is needed.
A tablet has to travel through your stomach and gut first. Stomach acid breaks down some of the medicine before it can be absorbed, so only a part of the dose gets through. To make up for this, the tablet contains more of the active ingredient.
To solve this challenge, Novo Nordisk developed a clever tablet that helps protect the semaglutide from being broken down in the stomach, so more of it can be absorbed, as long as you take it the right way.
This is also why the tablet must be taken on an empty stomach with the right timing, it gives the medicine the best chance to be absorbed.
For the first time, this brings the proven power of semaglutide into a simple daily tablet. It means you can access an effective, clinically studied weight loss treatment; no needles, no fridge, and no fuss - as part of your journey to a healthier you.
Stopping treatment
There is no harm in stopping treatment. The key is making sure you have the right lifestyle and diet changes in place first, so you can keep the weight off after you stop.
Wegovy Tablets work best as part of a longer-term plan. Building healthier eating habits and staying active while you are on treatment gives you the best chance of maintaining your results.
To help you get over that hurdle, iQ Doctor offers a free professional maintenance call. When you reach that stage, one of our team will support you in keeping your weight off for good.
Semaglutide, blood sugar, and weight loss
Semaglutide has been used for several years to help manage type 2 diabetes, in different products.
It is important to know that Wegovy Tablets are licensed for weight management only, not to treat type 2 diabetes. Your healthcare professional will decide on the best treatment for you, based on your medical history and your goals.
That said, the way semaglutide works with your blood sugar is a big part of why it helps with weight loss.
Here is the simple version. When you eat, semaglutide helps your body release the right amount of insulin and slows down how quickly your stomach empties. This keeps your blood sugar steadier and stops the sharp spikes and dips that can leave you feeling hungry, tired, or craving sweet, high-calorie foods. Steadier blood sugar means fewer cravings, better appetite control, and an easier time sticking to a healthier diet.
So while the Wegovy pill is prescribed for weight loss, the same effects that support your weight can also support better overall metabolic health.
How your tablets are stored
- Keep the tablets in their original blister pack to protect them from moisture and light.
- They do not need any special temperature or fridge storage.
- They last up to 3 years when stored correctly.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Wegovy Tablets are a prescription-only medicine. You will need an assessment by a healthcare professional before treatment can be prescribed. Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Wegovy Tablets