How Long Does Wegovy Stay In Your System? Plus, 8 Other Wegovy FAQs Answered

Whether you’re starting Wegovy (semaglutide) or curious if Wegovy is right for you, it’s natural for questions to arise. Your healthcare team will cover common topics, such as your specific dosage, potential side effects, and how to inject Wegovy.

But you still may have other questions. For example, how long does Wegovy stay in your system if you need to stop taking it? Can you skip it for a week? What about using Wegovy and alcohol at the same time? We answer these and other common questions about Wegovy below.

1. What is Wegovy used for?

Wegovy is used for weight loss in adults and adolescents ages 12 and older who are considered to be obese. Adults who are considered to be overweight and have at least one weight-related health condition are also eligible for Wegovy.

For adults with heart disease who are considered to be overweight or obese, Wegovy is approved to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, or MACE (heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death).

Wegovy is also being studied for several other uses, including a certain type of heart failure in people with and without diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (also called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH).

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• What to expect: Wegovy is known to cause unpleasant side effects, such as nausea and bloating, that can make it difficult to tolerate. Learn more about potential Wegovy side effects and what you can do to find relief.

• Stopping treatment: For most people, Wegovy is a medication that’s meant to be taken long term. But what happens if you stop taking Wegovy? 

• A natural boost: Medications like Wegovy work by mimicking the effects of a gut hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). But did you know that there are foods and supplements that can increase GLP-1 naturally?

2. How long does Wegovy stay in your system?

Wegovy was made to last a long time in the body. This is why you only need to inject a dose once a week. In fact, it takes about 7 days for your body to remove half of it (called its half-life). Because of this, Wegovy tends to stay in your system for 5 to 7 weeks after your last dose.

This information is important for a few reasons. First, Wegovy isn’t recommended during pregnancy. Your care team will likely have you stop taking it at least 2 months before you start trying to conceive. Wegovy’s effects on the gut can also cause problems while you’re sedated during surgery. So, you’ll likely be told to stop taking Wegovy ahead of your procedure.

3. Do higher doses of Wegovy work better?

Generally, yes. Higher doses of semaglutide, the main ingredient in Wegovy, tend to result in greater weight loss than lower doses. Because of this, the target maintenance dose is 2.4 mg weekly for most people. And a higher, 7.2 mg dose is currently being studied to see if it results in even more weight loss.

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However, you won’t start with the 2.4 mg Wegovy dose right away. Instead, you’ll start with 0.25 mg once weekly. Every 4 weeks, your dose will likely be increased until you reach 2.4 mg weekly. If you can’t tolerate this dose, you may be able to stick with 1.7 mg weekly instead.

4. Can you skip a week of Wegovy?

You should inject Wegovy every week for best results. But if you happen to skip a week for any reason, don’t fret. You can resume your usual dosage schedule the following week. Be sure to keep at least 48 hours in between your last dose and next dose.

However, skipping 2 or more weeks of Wegovy may be more of an issue. In this case, you should contact your prescriber. They may have you resume your usual schedule or restart Wegovy at a lower dose and work your way back up.

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5. Can you drink alcohol with Wegovy?

There’s no direct interaction between alcohol and Wegovy. However, you might not have the same desire to drink with Wegovy. And alcohol could worsen certain Wegovy side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and stomach upset. What’s more, alcohol may counteract some of Wegovy’s body weight and heart health benefits, too.

Talk to your prescriber if you have questions about drinking alcohol with Wegovy. Since everyone responds to alcohol and medications differently, your prescriber can determine if this combination is safe for you.

6. Does Wegovy require a prescription?

Yes. Wegovy requires a prescription from a licensed healthcare professional. It’s not available over the counter. You may see medications purported to be Wegovy (or semaglutide) being sold online without a prescription from research chemical companies — these products are not the same as Wegovy.

7. Does Wegovy come in pill form?

Not yet. Semaglutide is available as an oral pill called Rybelsus. But Rybelsus is only approved for Type 2 diabetes. It’s also currently available in doses that are much lower than the target maintenance dose of Wegovy. However, this could change in the future.

Higher Rybelsus doses are currently being studied for weight loss. Wegovy and Rybelsus haven’t been directly compared in studies. But initial Rybelsus findings suggest that higher doses may result in a comparable amount of weight loss as Wegovy.

8. Do Wegovy injections hurt?

Not typically. The needle inside the Wegovy injection pen is very small and thin, so the injections shouldn’t be painful. They’re also given subcutaneously, meaning that the needle goes in just under the skin.

But if you find that your Wegovy injections are uncomfortable, it may help to remove your injection pen from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before your dose. Sometimes, injecting cold medication can be more painful. Allowing it to come to room temperature may lessen potential discomfort.

9. Does Wegovy come with needles?

Yes. Wegovy injection pens come with a needle already attached to the pen. The needle is hidden inside the needle cover, so you won’t see it. If your Wegovy pen comes with needles that you need to attach — it’s not real Wegovy.

Ozempic, another semaglutide injection, does come with separate needles. The needles are visible, and you’ll need to attach a new one each time you inject a dose of Ozempic.

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Written by:

Alyssa Billingsley, PharmD

Alyssa Billingsley, PharmD, is the director of pharmacy content for GoodRx. She has over a decade of experience as a pharmacist and has worked in clinical, academic, and administrative roles.

Reviewed by:

Christina Aungst, PharmD

Christina Aungst, PharmD, is a pharmacy editor for GoodRx. She began writing for GoodRx Health in 2019, transitioning from freelance writer to editor in 2021.

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