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Weight loss management clinic
Medical Weight Loss Injections

Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection
Weekly injection pen plus support from our team to help you achieve healthy, sustainable weight loss

Medical Weight Loss Injections

Who Is This Service Suitable For?
Anyone aged 18-75 who:

Has a BMI of 30 or above
Has a BMI of 27 or above AND has a weight-related underlying health condition, eg. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea

What Are The Benefits Of Losing Weight?
Weight loss can reduce risk of:

Heart disease
High cholesterol
Type 2 diabetes
Joint pains

Book an appointent

Experienced clinician

Dr Carole McAlister

Medical Weight Loss Injections

aka "skynny jabs"

Cost 

TBA

HOW DOES WEGOVY WORK?

While it isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, Wegovy can be very effective in helping many people to develop dependable eating habits and reach a healthy weight. It does this in several ways:

Regulates appetite
Wegovy mimics a naturally occurring hormone that targets the areas of your brain that control appetite.

Helps you feel fuller
It slows down your digestive system, helping you feel fuller and more satisfied between meals.

Supports healthy eating
Fewer cravings can help you to develop a reliable eating routine for long-term, healthy habits.

FAQ
Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection

WEGOVY® (semaglutide) injection 2.4 mg is an injectable prescription medicine that may help adults and children aged ≥12 years with obesity (BMI ≥30 for adults, BMI ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex for children), or some adults with excess weight (BMI ≥27) (overweight) who also have weight-related medical problems to help them lose weight and keep it off. Wegovy® should be used with a reduced calorie meal plan and increased physical activity

Wegovy® contains semaglutide and should not be used with other semaglutide-containing products or other GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines
It is not known if Wegovy® is safe and effective when taken with other prescription, over-the-counter, or herbal weight loss products
It is not known if Wegovy® can be used safely in people with a history of pancreatitis
It is not known if Wegovy® is safe and effective for use in children under 12 years of age

Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, Wegovy® and medicines that work like Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people
Do not use Wegovy® if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
Do not use Wegovy® if:
you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in Wegovy®
Before using Wegovy®, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:
have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant
are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

What are the possible side effects of Wegovy®?
Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:

inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy® and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools
increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those who also take medicines for type 2 diabetes such as sulfonylureas or insulin. This can be both a serious and common side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy®
increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you

The most common side effects of Wegovy® may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.

Your brain gets signals from different places in your body. Some of these signals are called appetite hormones that help regulate how much food you eat. Wegovy® works similarly to one of these natural appetite hormones, so you eat fewer calories, and lose weight.

You inject Wegovy under the skin once a week using an injection pen. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds and we are here to answer any questions.

You’ll start with a dose of 0.25mg, which will increase every four weeks until you reach the maximum maintenance dose of 2.4mg.

If you struggle with side effects or find a lower dose of Wegovy helps you to achieve your healthy weight loss goal, you may not need to continue to increase the dose as per the recommended guidelines. 

The recommended maintenance dose for Wegovy weekly injections is 2.4mg semaglutide. Treatment will begin with a low dose, which will gradually be increased over the first 16 weeks to the maximum dose. This will help your body to adjust to semaglutide and allow for the monitoring of any side effects.

Your starting dose of Wegovy will be 0.25mg, injected once a week. The weekly dose is increased every 4 weeks until you reach the maintenance dose of 2.4mg, injected once a week. You’ll then stay at the 2.4mg dose for the rest of your treatment until you reach a healthy body mass index (BMI) or if our doctor advise you otherwise.

The dose escalation schedule is:

Weeks 1-4: 0.25mg
Weeks 5-8: 0.5mg
Weeks 9-12: 1mg
Weeks 13-16: 1.7mg
Week 17 and onward: 2.4mg

Each Wegovy pen will contain four doses. You will use each pen four times as you’re moving through the dose increase schedule. For example, the first Wegovy pen will contain a total of 1mg of Wegovy, which will give you four doses of 0.25mg to use over weeks 1-4. You will need to set the pen to the right individual dose each time and should use a new needle for each injection.  

If you experience any side effects, you should not increase the dose you are using until they have settled.

If you accidentally inject more Wegovy than you should, you must contact our doctor. You may experience nausea or vomiting and may require medical treatment.

For most effective results, it’s important to try and administer your Wegovy dose on the same day each week. Setting an alarm on your phone can help. If you do miss a dose (or doses), follow these instructions depending on how many you’ve missed and how long it is until your next scheduled injection:

If your next dose is due within two days (48 hours), then do not take the dose you missed. Just take your next dose as scheduled.

If your next scheduled dose is more than two days away, inject your missed dose as soon as possible then take your next dose as planned.

If you miss doses for more than two weeks, please send us a message via your online account for advice on how to proceed.

Yes, store Wegovy in a fridge (with a temperature between 2°C and 8°C) before first use. Once you start using the pen, you can keep it for 6 weeks either at room temperature (below 30°C) or in a fridge (with a temperature between 2°C and 8°C). Do not freeze Wegovy.

Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:
Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, Wegovy® and medicines that work like Wegovy® caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if Wegovy® will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people
Do not use Wegovy® if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
Do not use Wegovy® if:
you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any of the ingredients in Wegovy®
Before using Wegovy®, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:
have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Wegovy® may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using Wegovy® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant
are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Wegovy® passes into your breast milk
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Wegovy® may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Wegovy® works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin. Wegovy® slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

What are the possible side effects of Wegovy®?
Wegovy® may cause serious side effects, including:

inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Wegovy® and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
gallbladder problems. Wegovy® may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay-colored stools
increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially those who also take medicines for type 2 diabetes such as sulfonylureas or insulin. This can be both a serious and common side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take Wegovy®. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
serious allergic reactions. Stop using Wegovy® and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Wegovy®
increased heart rate. Wegovy® can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you

The most common side effects of Wegovy® may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.

Wegovy can be prescribed for adults with a BMI over 30, or a BMI over 27 with weight-related conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or sleep apnoea.

You should not use Wegovy if you’re pregnant and should stop treatment at least two months before trying to get pregnant. If you become pregnant while taking Wegovy, stop using it immediately and talk to your GP or midwife.

It must not be used if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in Wegovy (such as semaglutide). A full list of ingredients can be found in the Patient Information Leaflet.

Wegovy (semaglutide 2.4mg) aids weight loss by helping you feel fuller, reducing hunger levels and cravings, resulting in improved control of eating habits.

Its active ingredient is semaglutide, which is a synthetic version of the naturally occurring hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 plays an important role in regulating appetite and calorie intake. After eating, GLP-1 is released from the gut to help regulate your blood sugar levels and reduce the amount of glucagon in your body. As a result, it slows down the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel fuller for longer.

While using Wegovy you should feel as though your appetite is reduced so you should eat less, as you should feel fuller for longer.

The most important thing is to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable manner. Alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity, the aim while using Wegovy should be for healthy weight loss at a rate of 1-2 pounds (roughly 0.5 to 1kg) per week.

While Wegovy isn’t guaranteed to work for everyone, it has been very effective for a large number of users. 90% of patients in clinical trials lost at least 5% of their starting body weight after using Wegovy for six months. After just over a year of using Wegovy, 60% of patients lost more than 15% of their starting body weight. Nearly 40% of patients lost more than 20% of their starting body weight. All patients in the trial were on a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity throughout.

Clinical trials by Novo Nordisk, who manufacture Wegovy, revealed significant success rates for people using Wegovy for weight loss, stating that “patients experienced significant weight loss; this started from the first week and was sustained beyond one year”. See full details about STEP 1 trial here and STEP 4 trial here.

A 68-week trial by Novo Nordisk, who manufacture Wegovy, showed that patients using Wegovy achieved a mean change in body weight of 14.9% (compared to 2.4% in the placebo group). Of those, almost 85% achieved weight loss of ≥5%, 66% achieved weight loss of ≥10%, and almost 50% achieved weight loss of ≥15%.

During the trial, both groups (those using Wegovy and those taking a placebo) followed a reduced-calorie diet (~500 kcal/day deficit) and increased physical activity (recommended to a minimum of 150 min/week).

The trial included 1,961 patients who were classed as either obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2) or overweight (BMI 27 kg/m2-29.9 kg/m2) and had at least one weight-related comorbid condition, such as dyslipidemia or hypertension.

Wegovy does not burn fat but instead helps to regulate your appetite and make you feel fuller for longer, therefore helping to reduce how much you eat. It should be used alongside diet and exercise programmes for healthy and sustainable weight loss.

Wegovy is not yet available in the UK, but you can use this page to register your interest in the service.

Wegovy is manufactured by US pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk Inc. 

Wegovy’s active ingredient, semaglutide, is currently used as a type 2 diabetes treatment under the brand name Ozempic. Ozempic isn’t licensed as a weight loss treatment in the UK. It is also delivered as a weekly injection but contains a much lower dose of semaglutide. The starting dose of Ozempic is generally 0.25mg, which is gradually increased to a maximum dose of 1mg. Wegovy also begins at 0.25mg but the dose is increased to a maximum of 2.4mg over 16 weeks.

Ozempic is the brand name for the molecule Semaglutide.
Until the end of 2020, the Ozempic weekly injection was the only form of Semaglutide available. Since then the manufacturers, Novo Nordisk, have also launched a daily Semaglutide tablet, called Rybelsus. Wegovy, which is the higher strength 2.4mg Semaglutide is expected to be launch soon which is licensed for weight loss.

As Wegovy isn’t yet available in the UK, we don’t know what the price will be. If you sign up to register your interest, you’ll be among the first to know when it’s available in our clinic. 

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