How to Take Wegovy® Injections

What is Wegovy®?

Wegovy is a prescription medication which is approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a safe and effective weight loss treatment. The treatment is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, meaning a type of medication that mimics the action of a naturally produced hormone (GLP-1), which gets secreted after you digest food, producing feelings of fullness.

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide, which helps manage appetite, reduce cravings and slow stomach emptying to aid weight loss. The medication comes in the form of pre-filled pens, which are injected once per week, and aid weight loss when administered properly alongside a calorie-controlled diet and regular exercise.

Our pharmacists have written this blog to explain how to administer your Wegovy injection safely and effectively.

How to safely inject Wegovy

Wegovy should be injected into the upper legs, stomach area (abdomen) or upper arms. We recommend injecting the first dose into the stomach (keeping a 5cm distance from the belly button) as it has more fat and fewer nerves, making it easier and less painful to administer the dose.

It is also recommended to rotate injection sites after each dose to avoid skin irritation.

Step 1: Prepare your Wegovy pen

1. Select the pen with the correct dose. Make sure that the pen is not damaged or expired, and check that the medicine isn’t discoloured (it should be clear and colourless, you will be able to see the injection liquid through the pen window).
2. Wash your hands with warm water and soap, and sanitise the injection site with an alcohol wipe before administering your injection.
3. Take the needle provided with your Wegovy pen and tear off the paper tab, push the needle straight into the pen and twist it until it's tight. Always use a new needle each time you inject the medication.
4. When you are ready to inject Wegovy, remove the two caps that cover the needle. Keep the outer cap as you will need it later, and discard the inner cap. Check that the needle isn’t damaged or bent before you inject it.
5. If this is your first injection with a new pen, you will need to prime it. If not, you can skip this step. To prime your pen, you will first need to check the flow - to do this, turn the dose knob until you see the flow check symbol (a small illustration of a needle and two drops next to it) that lines up with the dose pointer. Then, hold the pen with the needle pointing up and press and hold the dose button until the dose counter shows “0”. A drop of medication should appear on the tip of the needle, and air bubbles should be released from the pen. If the drop of medication does not appear at the tip of the needle, do the flow check process again. Please note that you should not try to check the flow with the same needle more than twice. If the drop still does not appear, change the needle and check again. Do not use the pen if a drop still does not appear.

Step 2: Choose a place to inject

1. Wegovy can be injected into the upper legs, the stomach area (abdomen) or the upper arms.
2. We recommend injecting the first dose into the stomach (keeping a 5cm distance from the belly button) as it has more fat and fewer nerves, making it easier and less painful to administer the dose.
3. Make sure to rotate injection sites after each dose to avoid skin irritation.
4. Always wash your hands and sanitise the injection site with an alcohol wipe before injecting Wegovy.
5. Make sure you are in a comfortable position and are able to clearly see the pen window during injection.
6. Do not inject the pen into bruised or irritated skin.

Step 3: Inject Wegovy

1. Turn the dose selector until you see the correct dose in the dose counter window.
2. Push the pen firmly against your skin. Make sure that the dose counter window is still visible, as covering it with your fingers could interrupt the injection.
3. Press and hold the dose button while keeping the pen firmly against your skin. Keep holding the dose button until “0” shows in the dose counter window, which indicates that the full dose has been administered.
4. Keep holding the dose button while holding the pen against your skin, and count to 6. After this step, the pen needle can be gently removed.
5. If you notice any bleeding, gently press a cotton ball against the skin.
6. Please note that removing the needle too soon might result in preventing the full dose from being administered.

Step 4: Dispose of your treatment safely

1. Carefully guide the needle into the outer cap that you have kept without touching it. Once the needle is covered, push the cap on completely.
2. Gently unscrew the needle and dispose of it in the provided sharps bin.
3. Put the pen cap back on and store the pen away from light.
4. Do not try to put the inner cap back on the needle, as this can lead to needle injury.
5. After your last (4th) pen injection, dispose of your empty pen without its needle.