In clinical trials, people who took 2.4 milligrams of Wegovy each week and made diet and exercise changes lost 14.9% of their body weight in 68 weeks. If you weigh 250 pounds, that’s a loss of more than 37 pounds!
Want to get a Wegovy prescription online? Find a weight loss specialist to help decide if Wegovy is right for you and write you a prescription in as little as 24 hours if it is.*
Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy; a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription is not guaranteed.
Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy; a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription is not guaranteed.
Wegovy is a name-brand weight loss medication with the active ingredient semaglutide. It’s made by Novo Nordisk. In June 2021, it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss when used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased activity.
Novo Nordisk introduced Wegovy after people taking its original semaglutide injection medication for type 2 diabetes, Ozempic, lost weight. Ozempic is still used off-label for weight loss today.
Wegovy was the third FDA-approved weight loss injection to hit US pharmacy shelves after Saxenda (liraglutide) and Bydureon BCise (exenatide extended-release).
Wegovy’s active ingredient, semaglutide, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist medication. It mimics GLP-1 which is a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite and eating. It also stimulates insulin secretion, reduces glucagon secretion, and slows down as food leaves the stomach, which may reduce blood sugar.
Put simply, when you use Wegovy, eat a reduced-calorie diet, and do more physical activity, you get improved blood sugar control, feel more full, and have less appetite, so you eat less and lose weight.
In clinical trials, people have lost 14.9% of their body weight in 68 weeks while taking Wegovy.
Wegovy is FDA-approved if you:
— Have obesity, which means you have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.
— Are overweight with a BMI of 27 or more and at least 1 weight-related health problem, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, or high cholesterol
— Are a child aged 12 or older with obesity and a BMI in the 95th percentile for your sex or age.
If you take Wegovy, you also need to reduce the calories you eat and be more active.
Getting Wegovy starts with getting a prescription. A trained, licensed healthcare provider can prescribe Wegovy online or another weight loss medication for you. Prescribing providers include physician assistants/associates (PAs), medical doctors (MDs), and nurse practitioners (NPs).
You can connect with a board-certified, licensed provider to discuss a medical weight loss program that may include medication, such as Wegovy, on Klarity and have an appointment in as little as 24 hours.
Your provider can send your prescription to any pharmacy you choose.
Note that there have been supply shortages for Wegovy. Before you start it, talk to your doctor and check the FDA drug shortages database for current status — search for semaglutide.
Learn more about how and where to get Wegovy.
You take Wegovy once-a-week as an injection. Each dose comes in a prefilled single-use pen, which makes it easy to use. You use the pen to inject yourself under the skin, usually in your belly, upper thigh, or in the back of your arm.
Wegovy comes in .25-, .50-, 1.0-, 1.7-, and 2.4-milligram doses.
You start off taking Wegovy with a .25 milligram dose for 4 weeks. Starting with a smaller dose helps reduce side effects and gives your body time to adjust. After a month, you move to the next higher dose — .50 milligrams. Then, every 4 weeks you step up to the next higher dose again until you reach your maximum or maintenance dose, which may be 1.7 or 2.4 milligrams.
Clinical studies show that people lose more weight on 2.4 milligrams than 1.7. But, if you struggle to tolerate the 2.4-milligram dose, your healthcare provider may have you use a 1.7-milligram maintenance dose.
Learn more about Wegovy doses.
If you take Wegovy, the most common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, and headache. Gastrointestinal side effects are most common, usually mild to moderate, and often go away or get less noticeable within a few weeks of first starting Wegovy or increasing your dose.
Visit the Wegovy side effects page or talk to your healthcare provider to learn more, find all common side effects, serious side effects, adverse reactions, its boxed warning, and precautions.
Wegovy has a somewhat hefty price tag. The average retail price, which is the price the pharmacy charges you without insurance, is $1,430 for a one-month supply of any dose, according to drugs.com.
If you have insurance that covers Wegovy, you could get a 28-day (one month) supply for free with Novo Nordisk’s Savings Card program. You can also save without insurance or if your insurance doesn’t cover Wegovy and pay $500 for a one-month supply — about a 65% savings. Some restrictions do apply.
You can take advantage of prescription or drug discount cards from GoodRx, drugs.com, SingleCareRx, WellRx, and others to save as well.
Learn more about costs and how to get Wegovy for less.
Wegovy (semaglutide) is one of the newer prescription weight loss medications. It and Saxenda (liraglutide) are GLP-1 agonist weight loss medications. The newest entrant, Zepbound (tirzepatide) is a GLP-1/GIP dual agonist medication.
Compared to Saxenda (liraglutide), Qsymia (phentermine-topiramate), Contrave (bupropion-naltrexone), Adipex-P (phentermine), and Xenical (Orlistat), clinical trials have found that people lose more weight on Wegovy. In trials, people have lost more on Zepbound than Wegovy. Cost-wise, Wegovy and Saxenda are about the same, while Zepbound costs a few hundred dollars less a month. Other meds listed here cost less than half as much.
Only you and your healthcare provider can decide which weight loss plan and medication (if needed) is right for you and your needs.
Learn about Saxenda vs Wegovy and which is better for weight loss.
Read through stories from real patients who received treatment from healthcare providers on Klarity Health.
Providers on Klarity Health are licensed, board-certified, and offer a personalized approach to your unique weight-loss needs. See detailed profiles for each provider and find an approach that’s best for you. (Costs for treatment options may vary.)
Your journey to losing weight starts with an initial consultation Your provider will go over your goals and medical history to recommend a program that’s right for you and may or may not include prescription medication.
Your initial consultation is just the beginning. You and your provider will follow up to make sure you’re doing okay and that you’re reaching your goals. You stay on track with easy medication refills and ongoing support from your provider.
If you have questions or need assistance, the friendly Klarity Health Patient Support team is here to help. Along with your provider, they’re committed to making sure you have the best care and support throughout your weight loss journey.
*Appointments are generally available within 24 hours. Free initial consultations are available only with select providers. Prescriptions, particularly for controlled substances, may require an in-person evaluation depending on the state of residence and current federal regulations.
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health. Providers on Klarity Health are independent practitioners with clinical autonomy. Nothing in this article is intended to diagnose or treat any condition, including guaranteeing prescription medication of any kind or dosage. Not all providers on Klarity Health prescribe all medications, particularly medications that are controlled substances.
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