Wegovy dosage: doses and schedule

Wegovy pen schedule

Wegovy injection, once weekly

Weeks	Dose	Purpose
1 to 4	0.25 mg	Starting step
5 to 8	0.5 mg	Step-up
9 to 12	1 mg	Step-up
13 to 16	1.7 mg	Step-up
17 onward	1.7 mg or 2.4 mg	Maintenance, adult weight reduction
After 4+ weeks on 2.4 mg	7.2 mg	Optional, if more weight loss is clinically indicated

For lowering heart risk, the recommended maintenance dose is 2.4 mg, with 1.7 mg as an option; teens 12 and older use 2.4 mg or 1.7 mg; for MASH the dose is 2.4 mg, which may be lowered to 1.7 mg ^[1].

Wegovy pill schedule

Wegovy tablets, once daily

Days	Dose
1 to 30	1.5 mg
31 to 60	4 mg
61 to 90	9 mg
91 onward	25 mg (maintenance)

Swallow tablets whole, one a day at most ^[1]. So splitting a 4 mg tablet in half is not on the label. Pill pricing is on the Wegovy pill cost page.

When to increase, and what to expect

On the label, the step-up happens every 4 weeks on the pen and every 30 days on the pill ^[1]. You do not have to keep climbing if a step is rough: the prescriber can consider delaying escalation by 4 weeks ^[1]. Stomach reactions were reported most often during escalation ^[1], so the weeks after a dose increase are when nausea and similar effects are most likely.

Does a higher dose mean more weight loss? The label's 7.2 mg option exists for adults who need more weight loss after 2.4 mg ^[1]. Side effects were also more frequent at 7.2 mg; for example, vomiting was 22% vs 16% on 2.4 mg ^[1]. We could not read the 7.2 mg weight results in the label text available to us for this update.

Losing weight on a maintenance dose. The STEP 1 average of 14.9% at 68 weeks came from people on the 2.4 mg maintenance dose ^[3].

Can you start at a higher dose?

The label starts everyone at 0.25 mg on the pen and 1.5 mg on the pill ^[1]. It does not describe starting new patients at 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg. People switching from another GLP-1 should ask their prescriber how the label applies; see switching GLP-1 medicines. Switching within Wegovy has its own label rule: start the 25 mg tablet one week after the last 2.4 mg injection, or start the 2.4 mg injection the day after the last 25 mg tablet ^[1].

Missed doses and double doses

• Pen, next dose more than 48 hours away: take the missed dose as soon as possible ^[1].
• Pen, next dose less than 48 hours away: skip it ^[1].
• 2 or more pen doses missed in a row: contact your provider; you may restart at a lower dose ^[1].
• Pill: skip the missed tablet and take the next one the following day ^[1].

Two doses at once can mean severe nausea, severe vomiting and severe low blood sugar ^[4]. Call your prescriber if it happens.

Pens, doses per pen and clicks

Wegovy pens hold fixed doses. The single-dose pen delivers one injection, and NovoCare sells a month as a box of 4 pens ^[2]. The FlexTouch pen holds 9.6 mg in 3 mL (3.2 mg/mL) and delivers four 2.4 mg doses ^[1]. We do not give click-counting instructions for making other doses; use the dose your prescriber ordered and ask your pharmacist about your pen. Never share a FlexTouch pen ^[1]. Pen technique is on how to use Wegovy.

Metabolism, blood pressure and other dose questions

The label does not describe Wegovy as raising metabolism. We did not find blood pressure figures in the label sections we reviewed; it does report a resting heart rate rise of 1 to 4 beats per minute ^[1]. Side effects by dose are on Wegovy side effects.

What each dose costs

Self-pay through NovoCare, checked October 17, 2026: pens $349 a month at 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg, $199 for the first two fills of 0.25 mg or 0.5 mg through December 31, 2026, and $399 for 7.2 mg; pills $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg) and $299 (9 mg or 25 mg) ^[2]. Self-pay payments do not count toward insurance deductibles ^[2]. The full breakdown is on Wegovy cost.