Wegovy is semaglutide, the same molecule as Ozempic, labeled for weight, heart risk and a liver condition called MASH. Its label gives each dose a job: one starts treatment, two are maintenance doses, and one is the ceiling [1]. When you move between them is your prescriber's call. The drug itself is profiled on our Wegovy page, and the molecule on semaglutide.
Every Wegovy dose on the label, in one table
The weekly shot and the daily pill have separate dose lists. The injection's list also changes a little by the reason it's prescribed. Here is what the label sets for each use, without the steps in between.
| Form and use | Starting dose | Maintenance dose | Highest dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Injection, weight (adults) | 0.25 mg once weekly | 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg (2.4 mg recommended) | 7.2 mg once weekly |
| Injection, heart-risk reduction (adults) | 0.25 mg once weekly | 2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg | 2.4 mg |
| Injection, weight (ages 12 and up) | 0.25 mg once weekly | 2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg | 2.4 mg |
| Injection, MASH (adults) | 0.25 mg once weekly | 2.4 mg; 1.7 mg if 2.4 mg isn't tolerated | 2.4 mg |
| Tablets, weight or heart risk (adults) | 1.5 mg once daily | 25 mg once daily | 25 mg |
Source: Wegovy prescribing information, sections 2.2 and 2.3 [1]. The label adds that the 7.2 mg dose and the tablets haven't been studied for safety in children or in people with MASH.
Everyone starts at 0.25 mg to spare the stomach
The 0.25 mg start is about your gut, not your weight. The label tells prescribers to follow its dose increases “to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions” [1]. In the weight trials, 73% of people on Wegovy reported a stomach side effect, against 47% on placebo, and the label says these reactions “were most frequently reported during dosage escalation” [1].
So if month one feels like nothing is happening, that's by design. The starting doses are there to let your body adjust before the doses that do most of the work. What the nausea looks like and how long it lasts is covered in Wegovy nausea, and the full side-effect list is in Wegovy side effects.
1.7 mg or 2.4 mg: the two maintenance doses
For weight in adults, the label says “the maintenance dosage of WEGOVY for weight reduction in adults is either 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg (recommended) injected subcutaneously once weekly” [1]. It doesn't put everyone on the higher one. It tells prescribers to “consider treatment response and tolerability when selecting the maintenance dosage.”
That wording matters if 2.4 mg is hard on you. Staying at 1.7 mg is a labeled maintenance dose, not a failure to reach the real one. The main trials behind the label tested 2.4 mg, so that's the dose most of the published weight numbers come from. One trial in East Asian adults tested both: average weight loss at 68 weeks was 9.6% on 1.7 mg, 13.2% on 2.4 mg and 2.1% on placebo [1].
The highest dose is 7.2 mg, sold as Wegovy HD
FDA approved the 7.2 mg weekly dose for weight reduction on March 19, 2026 [3]. It comes in its own single-dose pen, labeled Wegovy HD. The label allows it for adults who already tolerate 2.4 mg and for whom more weight reduction “is clinically indicated,” which is a judgment your prescriber makes with you [1]. It isn't a dose for teens, and it isn't a heart-risk or MASH dose.
In Study 8 of the label, 1,407 adults with obesity and no diabetes were randomly assigned to 7.2 mg, 2.4 mg or placebo for 72 weeks. Average weight loss was 18.8% on 7.2 mg, 15.5% on 2.4 mg and 3.9% on placebo [1]. About 46% of people on 7.2 mg lost at least 20% of their weight, against 32% on 2.4 mg.
The extra loss comes with more side effects. The one that stands out is dysesthesia, which means changed skin sensation such as tingling, burning or skin that hurts to touch. The label reports it in 22% of people on 7.2 mg, against 6% on 2.4 mg and 0.3% on placebo, and says its rate rose with dose [1].
| Measure | Placebo | Wegovy 2.4 mg | Wegovy 7.2 mg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average weight change at 72 weeks (Study 8) | −3.9% | −15.5% | −18.8% |
| Lost at least 20% of body weight (Study 8) | 2.8% | 32.3% | 45.5% |
| Nausea | 13% | 35% | 39% |
| Vomiting | 6% | 16% | 22% |
| Dysesthesia (altered skin sensation) | 0.3% | 6% | 22% |
| Hair loss | 1.0% | 3.3% | 5.8% |
| Stopped for side effects | 2% | 5% | 5% |
Weight rows: label Table 12, Study 8 (adults without diabetes). Side-effect rows: label section 6.1, pooled 7.2 mg trials [1]. Hair loss was more common in women (8.4% on 7.2 mg).
Can you stay on a low dose of Wegovy?
Yes, if your low dose is 1.7 mg. That's the lowest dose the label names for maintenance. The doses below it appear on the label only as starting and step-up doses, so it offers no guidance on staying at them for the long run [1]. Whether you stay at a dose longer than usual is a decision your prescriber makes with you.
Some programs sell semaglutide at small doses on purpose, often called microdosing. That approach hasn't been tested in a trial and isn't on any label. The evidence gap is laid out in microdosing GLP-1s. Pharmacy-made semaglutide also has no FDA-approved dose list; its ceiling question is covered in compounded semaglutide's maximum dose.
The Wegovy pill runs from 1.5 mg to 25 mg a day
FDA approved Wegovy tablets on December 22, 2025, as a once-daily pill for weight and heart risk in adults [4]. The label starts the pill at 1.5 mg once a day and keeps people on 25 mg once a day [1]. It comes in four strengths, and 25 mg is both the maintenance dose and the most you take in a day.
In OASIS 4, the trial behind the pill, 307 adults without diabetes took 25 mg or placebo for 64 weeks. Average weight loss was 13.6% on the pill and 2.2% on placebo, and stomach side effects were reported by 74.0% vs 42.2% [5]. Novo Nordisk, which makes Wegovy, funded the trial.
The pill also has strict rules about how it's taken, set out in its label. Your prescriber and pharmacist go through them with you. How the pill's results compare with the weekly shot is covered in Wegovy pill vs Wegovy injection, and how fast it works is in how long the Wegovy pill takes to work.
The 7.2 mg dose costs more; the other pen doses cost the same
Through NovoCare, Novo Nordisk's own pharmacy, every Wegovy pen dose from 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg costs $349 a month self-pay, and Wegovy HD 7.2 mg costs $399 a month [6]. New patients pay $199 a month for their first two fills at 0.25 or 0.5 mg, through December 31, 2026. A NovoCare month is one box of four pens.
The pill is priced by strength: $149 a month for 1.5 mg, rising to $299 a month for the 25 mg maintenance dose [6]. With commercial insurance that covers Wegovy, the savings offer can bring the copay to as little as $25 a month, with savings capped at $100 a month.
Telehealth programs that prescribe brand Wegovy, such as Ro, Eden and Fridays, set their own visit and membership costs on top of the drug. The full price picture, including insurance and Medicare, is in what Wegovy costs, and brand programs are compared side by side in brand GLP-1 self-pay programs, scored.
Ozempic's doses are not Wegovy's doses
Ozempic is the same semaglutide, but it's labeled for type 2 diabetes, and its weekly shot tops out at 2 mg [2]. Wegovy's weight doses go to 2.4 mg and 7.2 mg. The two come in different pens with different strengths, so one isn't a stand-in for the other. Ozempic's doses are covered in how Ozempic is taken, and the brands are compared in Ozempic vs Wegovy.