What you need to know about Wegovy injections for weight loss
If you’ve tried everything to lose weight but nothing is working, you may have looked into wegovy injections for weight loss, to help you shift the extra pounds.
It can be difficult to know which weight loss medication is right for you, and which will help you achieve your goals in the safest, most healthy way possible.
Wegovy is just one of the options you’ll have come across, and in this post, our expert weight loss doctors here at The Slimming Clinic explain all you need to know about this revolutionary weight loss drug.
Wegovy Explained
Wegovy is a fully licenced weight loss medication used to help overweight or obese people with their weight loss journey.
Available as pre-filled injection pens, it should be taken once a week via a self-administered needle, injected into the layer of fat under the skin on either your stomach, thigh or upper arm.
As with all weight loss injections it should be used in conjunction with a healthy, balanced diet and increased physical activity to help patients successfully lose weight.
It’s a prescription-only weight loss medication, meaning it can only be obtained after a medical professional has assessed your suitability and written a prescription for the medication.
It can be prescribed to patients with a BMI of greater than 30, or 27 if they have a medical issue causing weight-related issues – such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or a raised waist circumference.
How does Wegovy work for weight loss?
It contains an active medication called semaglutide, which is a type of GLP-1 receptor antagonist.
The medication mimics a natural hormone produced by the stomach when we have eaten, GLP-1, which sends signals to the appetite-suppressing nerves in the brain.
Not only does this reduce hunger, but it also has an effect on the stomach – slowing down how quickly the food leaves the stomach after being eaten, thereby increasing the level of fullness you feel to further regulate appetite.
What is the dose of Wegovy?
The weekly Wegovy dose is gradually increased over the course of several weeks as the gut needs time to get used to the medication to prevent unwanted side effects. But the weight loss benefits of the medication begin straight away.
The dose will be increased based on a discussion with your medical professional about how you are tolerating the medication, how well your appetite is controlled, whether you have any side effects and how your weight loss is progressing.
At The Slimming Clinic, we currently offer the following Wegovy doses:
- 25mg – taken during the first 1-4 weeks of your programme
- 5mg – taken during week 5-8 of your programme
- 1mg – taken during week 9-12 of your programme
- 7mg – taken during week 13-16 or your programme
- 4mg – taken for the rest of your programme
How much weight can you lose with Wegovy?
This is one of the questions we get asked the most.
There’s no one answer to this question, though, and whilst the treatment has been successful for the majority of patients so far, the exact amount of weight you can lose with Wegovy varies.
In the clinical trials and medical studies performed, patients have achieved very good rates of weight loss.
In one trial of nearly 2000 patients with a body mass index over 27, who had tried unsuccessfully to lose weight in the past, on average they lost 15% of their starting body weight over 68 weeks of taking the medication, compared to only 2% in the group taking placebo medication.
The results from this trial, and others on Wegovy, demonstrate some of the best weight loss results, compared to other weight loss medications, that have been achieved with weight loss medication to date.
How is Weogvy different to Saxenda?
Both Wegovy and Saxenda are GLP-1 receptor antagonists. Wegovy contains the medication semaglutide, and Saxenda contains the medication liraglutide.
Whilst both Wegovy and Saxenda are injectable GLP-1 weight loss drugs, the benefit of semaglutide is that it only needs to be injected once a week for effective weight loss – Saxenda (liraglutide) requires administration each day.
As well as this, the medical studies and clinical data show that semaglutide leads to slightly better results than liraglutide, but both are effective weight loss drugs.
Can weight loss medication like Wegovy help me achieve my weight loss goals alone?
Prescription weight loss medication is able to help with regulating appetite, however, it is not able to stop the environmental, social and psychological factors in our lives that can sometimes lead us to eat.
Whilst taking this weight loss drug, it is important to remember that the medication alone will not give you all the results you want.
You’ll still feel the urge to eat, even when you’re not hungry. But by combining the hunger reduction support it provides with a healthy, balanced diet and increased physical activity – as well as working on changing your mindset and behaviours – you can lose the weight and keep it off.
But knowing where to start is often the most difficult step.
Our treatment programmes offer all the support you could ever need to make those all-important changes so that you can have lasting results.
We have a team of doctors, nurses, and dieticians who can give you individualised support – curating diet plans and exercise routines – to ensure you get the most out of your treatment.
What are the risks of Wegovy?
As with all medication, there is a risk of side effects, which every person may experience differently.
Usually, the side effects of Wegovy are transient, lasting only a few days to weeks as your body gets used to the medication.
The most common are gut-related – such as feeling nauseous, bloated, constipated and mild abdominal discomfort.
You may also experience headaches, dizziness and some flu-like symptoms.
Any more serious side effects would need discussing with your doctor, but often a dose adjustment can help to rectify the issue.
If after reaching the maximum dose of Wegovy and taking it for 12 weeks you have still not achieved a weight loss of at least 5%, you could be one of a small number who do not respond to the medication.
Your doctor will review this with you as well as your diet and lifestyle plan to make sure you are on the most suited and appropriate medication for you.
Book an appointment at The Slimming Clinic
Whether you’ve got a weight-related health condition, or you’re suffering mental health issues – such as low self-esteem and anxiety as a result of being overweight, Wegovy could help.
Used alongside our specialist weight management services, Wegovy aids weight loss in the healthiest, safest way possible.
Book a weight loss consultation with us today to find out more. We look forward to chatting with you, and finding out more about how we can help you achieve your weight loss goals!