Wegovy tablets for weight loss, without needles

One tablet is taken once a day on an empty stomach, after at least eight hours without food or drink. No fixed clock time is required, which is why most people take it first thing after waking. It is swallowed whole with no more than 120ml of plain water, and nothing else should be eaten or drunk, and no other tablets taken, for at least 30 minutes afterwards. Tablets must not be cut, crushed or chewed.

Absorption across the stomach lining is limited and easily disrupted. Food, drinks other than a small sip of water, and other medicines all reduce how much of the dose reaches the bloodstream. The fasted window and the 30-minute wait are what make the dose predictable, which is why they are treated as part of the treatment rather than as advice.

The most common are nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting, tummy pain, indigestion, headache and tiredness, affecting more than one person in ten. They are usually mild, worst in the first week after a dose increase, and settle within a few days. Uncommon but serious effects include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems, which need urgent medical assessment.

Oral semaglutide is a licensed prescription-only medicine and is considered safe for most eligible adults when prescribed and monitored by a registered clinician. Side effects are common but usually mild and short-lived, and mostly affect the stomach and bowel. It is not suitable for everyone, including people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have a history of medullary thyroid cancer, MEN 2 or pancreatitis.

Eating or drinking within 30 minutes mainly reduces how much of the dose is absorbed, so that day's dose works less well. It is not dangerous. The dose should not be repeated; the usual advice is to continue as normal the next morning and keep the full window in future.

Skip the missed tablet and take the next one at the usual time the following morning. Two tablets should never be taken on the same day, and a missed morning dose should not be taken later in the day once food has been eaten, because absorption will be poor. If several days have been missed, a prescriber may restart at a lower strength.

No. The tablet is swallowed whole. Cutting, crushing, chewing or splitting it disrupts the absorption enhancer it depends on, which makes the dose unpredictable. Anyone who cannot swallow the tablet whole should discuss the injectable form with their prescriber instead.

Treatment usually starts at 1.5mg daily for four weeks, then steps up through 4mg and 9mg, reaching 25mg as the maintenance strength. Each step is optional and led by clinical review, and a strength can be held for longer or reduced if side effects are troublesome. There is no requirement to reach the top strength if results are good lower down.

No. Tablets are stored in their original blister at room temperature below 30 degrees, away from damp. That makes travel considerably simpler than with injections, as there is no cool bag, no cold-chain delivery and no sharps declaration to consider.

Not within the first 30 minutes. Only a small sip of plain water, up to 120ml, should be taken with the tablet. Tea, coffee, juice and milk all reduce absorption, so they wait until the half hour has passed, at which point normal drinks and breakfast can resume.

There is no absolute contraindication, but alcohol is best limited. It irritates a stomach that is already emptying more slowly, which makes nausea and reflux more likely, and it can lower blood sugar in people also taking insulin or a sulfonylurea. It is also calorie dense, which works against the aim of treatment.

Yes. Oral semaglutide is a prescription-only medicine and cannot lawfully be sold over the counter. A UK-registered prescriber must review the medical history and confirm treatment is appropriate, and the medicine must be dispensed by a registered pharmacy. Products offered without a prescription should be treated as unsafe or counterfeit.

They are not prescribed in pregnancy, breastfeeding or while trying to conceive, nor to anyone with a history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, previous pancreatitis, type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. They are also unsuitable alongside another GLP-1 medicine, and caution applies in severe gastrointestinal disease such as gastroparesis.

Possibly. Delayed stomach emptying and any vomiting can reduce absorption of the combined oral contraceptive pill, and the 30-minute rule means the pill should be taken outside that window. Additional barrier contraception is advised for four weeks after starting and after each dose increase, or a non-oral method can be used. Semaglutide must not be used in pregnancy.

Cost varies by strength and provider, with higher strengths costing more. Private prices for a month generally run from around £90 to £250. It is worth checking whether the price covers the prescriber review, delivery and ongoing support, as some services charge for these separately. Prices on this page are listed by strength.

Often yes, as both contain semaglutide, but the switch is not dose-for-dose and must be planned by a prescriber. Timing, starting strength and the gap after the last injection all need setting individually, and the fasted routine has to be workable day to day before switching makes sense.

It is a different kind of effort. A weekly injection is one deliberate event; a daily tablet is a small routine attached to waking up, with a fasted window and a 30-minute wait. People who already have a steady morning routine tend to find it easy, while irregular shift patterns or early breakfasts can make the injection a better fit.