How long do you take Wegovy for weight loss?

You can use Wegovy (semaglutide) as long as needed for weight loss. This is if your doctor agrees it’s safe for you and you’re able to tolerate Wegovy’s side effects.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Wegovy for weight management in people with obesity or people with overweight and at least one weight-related health condition. It’s used in adults and children ages 12 years and older. Wegovy is prescribed along with increased physical activity and a reduced calorie intake.
Wegovy
weight management
overweight
This article looks at how long you might use Wegovy for weight loss, what results you might expect, and what might happen if you stop using it.
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Using Wegovy
You inject Wegovy under the skin of your abdomen, upper arm, or thigh. You’ll take it once per week, on the same day of the week. You can take Wegovy at any time of day, with or without food.
inject
No. The recommended starting dose for Wegovy is 0.25 milligrams (mg). You’ll need to take 0.25 mg once per week for the first 4 weeks of treatment.
Starting at this dosage reduces the risk of side effects from Wegovy. If you tolerate the initial dose, your doctor may gradually increase the dosage as follows:
side effects from Wegovy
Weeks 5 through 8: 0.5 mg
Weeks 9 through 12: 1 mg
Weeks 13 through 16: 1.7 mg
The typical maintenance (long-term) dose for Wegovy is 2.4 mg. Your doctor will prescribe you this dose after you reach your goal weight. If you don’t tolerate the 2.4-mg maintenance dose, they may reduce the dose to 1.7 mg.
Your doctor will be able to determine the best dosage for you after you hit your weight loss goal.
To learn more about the dosage of Wegovy, see this article.
this article
Wegovy results
Below is information on what results to expect with Wegovy treatment.
A 2021 study found that, on average, people lost more than 2% of their body weight in the first 4 weeks of using semaglutide. (Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy.) For example, if a person weighs 200 pounds (lb), a 2% reduction in body weight means they would lose 5 lb.
2021 study
Keep in mind that the amount of weight you lose with Wegovy and how fast you lose it varies from person to person.
A long-term study published in 2024, which involved 17,604 adults, found that weight loss with semaglutide continued for 65 weeks and that participants sustained their weight loss for up to 4 years.
long-term study
At 104 weeks, 67.8% of participants using semaglutide had lost 5% of their body weight or more and 44.2% of participants had lost 10% or more. This was compared with 21.3% and 6.9% of participants, respectively, who used a placebo. A smaller percentage of participants using semaglutide had lost 15% to 25% of their weight or more at this point in the trial.
placebo
Semaglutide also reduced major cardiovascular events — including heart attack and worsening of heart failure — by 20% in people without diabetes who had cardiovascular disease, overweight, or obesity.
diabetes
cardiovascular disease
If you have questions about what results to expect with Wegovy, talk with your doctor.
In clinical trials, most people taking 1.7-mg and 2.4-mg doses of Wegovy had lost 5% to 15% of their body weight after 68 weeks of treatment.
clinical trials
In a small 2022 study, people with overweight or obesity had lost 5.9% of overall body weight after 3 months of using semaglutide. And after 6 months, they had lost 10.9%.
2022 study
Here are five possible ways to increase weight loss while using Wegovy:
Reduce your calorie intake: Reducing your calorie intake by 500 kilocalories per day may support weight loss.
500 kilocalories
Increase your physical activity: Aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week can help increase weight loss.
Eat nutrient-dense foods: Nutrient-dense foods provide important vitamins and minerals and are lower in added sugars, saturated fats, and salt. Nutrient-dense foods help provide your body with the nutrients it needs without excess calories.
Nutrient-dense foods
Manage stress: Stress can change food intake and fat storage, potentially leading to weight gain. Finding healthy ways to manage stress may support weight loss.
can change
ways to manage stress
Get quality sleep: Poor sleep may increase the risk of obesity and increase energy intake. Getting enough sleep may help with weight loss.
may increase
Possible reasons you may not be losing weight while using Wegovy include:
Reaching a plateau: After an initial weight loss, a plateau may occur at roughly 60 weeks of treatment.
plateau
60 weeks
Needing to give it more time: Significant weight loss with Wegovy is gradual. It can take more than a year to lose almost 15% of your weight with the highest dosage.
more than a year
Taking other medications: Other medications, such as beta-blockers, some diabetes drugs, and antipsychotics, may cause weight gain.
Other medications
beta-blockers
diabetes drugs
antipsychotics
If you’re using Wegovy and not losing weight, you can talk with your doctor about factors that could be preventing weight loss. In some cases, your doctor may suggest changing your Wegovy dosage or taking a different weight loss drug, such as tirzepatide (Zepbound).
Zepbound
Stopping Wegovy
Wegovy is a long-term treatment that you may use indefinitely to maintain weight loss or until you cannot tolerate the side effects. If you stop using Wegovy, you may regain weight that you lost. If you had preexisting cardiovascular or metabolic conditions, these may also return.
metabolic conditions
A 2022 study found that 1 year after stopping semaglutide, participants had regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost by using the drug and making lifestyle changes.
2022 study
If you want to stop using Wegovy, it is important to continue any other lifestyle changes you’ve made to support weight loss, such as eating a reduced calorie diet and increasing your physical activity. You can talk with your doctor about how to stop Wegovy safely while avoiding weight regain and preventing health conditions from returning.
Summary
Wegovy is a long-term treatment for weight loss that you may continue to use as long as you’re able to safely manage any side effects.
Your doctor will gradually increase your dosage until you reach a maintenance dose. This is the dose you’ll keep taking to sustain weight loss.
If you’d like to stop Wegovy, talk with your doctor about how to do so safely. To help prevent weight regain, it’s important to continue with any healthy lifestyle changes you’ve made.
Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.