Wegovy injections start at 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks, then step up every 4 weeks: 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg, reaching the usual maintenance dose of 2.4 mg from week 17. Since March 2026 adults can go up to 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) after at least 4 weeks on 2.4 mg if more weight loss is needed.
The Wegovy pill is taken daily and climbs from 1.5 mg to 25 mg over 90 days. Ozempic, for type 2 diabetes, tops out at 2 mg a week. Compounded semaglutide is measured from a vial, and the number of "units" for a dose depends on the vial's concentration; we show the math and the FDA's dosing-error warning below.
Wegovy injection schedule (FDA label, revised June 2026)
| Weeks | Weekly dose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 0.25 mg | Starting dose |
| 5 to 8 | 0.5 mg | |
| 9 to 12 | 1 mg | |
| 13 to 16 | 1.7 mg | Can be a maintenance dose |
| 17 onward | 2.4 mg | Recommended maintenance dose for weight reduction |
| After 4+ weeks on 2.4 mg | 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) | Adults only, if more weight reduction is clinically indicated; maximum dose |
If a dose step is not tolerated, prescribers can slow the increase. Source: Wegovy prescribing information, revised 06/2026.
Prefer compounded semaglutide at a low monthly price? WellMedr lists it from $49 a month.
See WellMedr's semaglutide plan ↗Affiliate link. Final pricing and prescription eligibility are confirmed by the provider.
What this covers
Wegovy, Wegovy HD and the Wegovy pill
All three are semaglutide from Novo Nordisk. Wegovy is approved for weight reduction in adults and children 12 and older, to lower cardiovascular risk in adults with heart disease and excess weight, and for MASH, a form of fatty liver disease. The 7.2 mg Wegovy HD dose was approved on March 19, 2026, and the once-daily Wegovy pill on December 22, 2025.
| Form | Strengths | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Single-dose pen | 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg (in 0.5 mL); 1.7, 2.4 and 7.2 mg (in 0.75 mL) | One pen per weekly dose |
| FlexTouch pen | 9.6 mg in 3 mL | Four 2.4 mg doses; never share, even with a new needle |
| Wegovy tablets | 1.5, 4, 9 and 25 mg | 1.5 mg for days 1 to 30, 4 mg for days 31 to 60, 9 mg for days 61 to 90, then 25 mg daily |
How to take the pill: one tablet each morning on an empty stomach with up to 4 ounces of plain water, swallowed whole. Wait at least 30 minutes before eating, drinking or taking other oral medicines, and never take more than one tablet a day.
Ozempic doses (type 2 diabetes)
Ozempic is the same molecule approved for type 2 diabetes. It starts at 0.25 mg weekly for 4 weeks, then 0.5 mg. If blood sugar needs more control, the dose can rise to 1 mg after at least 4 weeks, and then to 2 mg after at least 4 more weeks. The maximum is 2 mg a week, and adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease use 1 mg. Ozempic pens hold 2 mg, 4 mg or 8 mg in 3 mL and deliver 0.25 or 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg doses.
How much weight people lost at each dose
| Trial | Dose | Average weight change | Placebo |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEP UP (72 weeks) | 7.2 mg weekly | −20.7% (−18.7% counting everyone, including those who stopped) | −2.4% (−3.8%) |
| STEP UP (72 weeks) | 2.4 mg weekly | −17.5% (−15.6%) | same placebo group |
| OASIS 4 (64 weeks) | 25 mg pill daily | about −13.6% | about −2.2% |
These are averages from trials that also included diet and activity advice. The higher 7.2 mg dose brought more side effects: in STEP UP, 22% of people on 7.2 mg reported altered skin sensations such as tingling or sensitive skin, against 6% on 2.4 mg. See our guide to how much weight loss to expect.
Missed doses
Wegovy injection: if your next dose is more than 2 days away, take the missed dose as soon as possible. If it is less than 2 days away, skip it and inject on your usual day. If you miss two or more doses in a row, the label says to restart at a lower dose, so talk to your prescriber.
Wegovy pill: skip the missed tablet and take the next one the following day.
Ozempic: take it within 5 days of the missed dose; after 5 days, skip it and go back to your usual day.
Compounded semaglutide: converting mg to mL and units
Compounded semaglutide usually comes in a multi-dose vial, and pharmacies make it in different strengths. Two numbers decide how much you draw up: your dose in milligrams and the concentration in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL) printed on the vial.
The math: volume in mL = dose in mg ÷ concentration in mg/mL. On a standard U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units, so units = mL × 100. The three concentrations below are examples to show the math, not a recommendation.
| Dose | At 1 mg/mL | At 2.5 mg/mL | At 5 mg/mL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | 0.25 mL = 25 units | 0.1 mL = 10 units | 0.05 mL = 5 units |
| 0.5 mg | 0.5 mL = 50 units | 0.2 mL = 20 units | 0.1 mL = 10 units |
| 1 mg | 1.0 mL = 100 units | 0.4 mL = 40 units | 0.2 mL = 20 units |
| 1.7 mg | 1.7 mL = 170 units* | 0.68 mL = 68 units | 0.34 mL = 34 units |
| 2.4 mg | 2.4 mL = 240 units* | 0.96 mL = 96 units | 0.48 mL = 48 units |
* More than a standard 1 mL (100-unit) syringe holds. The same "25 units" is 0.25 mg in one vial and 1.25 mg in another, five times as much.
What each dose costs
Prices as shown on each provider's site on October 25, 2026.
| Option | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Wegovy pens (NovoCare self-pay) | $349 a month for 0.25 mg to 2.4 mg; $399 for Wegovy HD 7.2 mg. New patients pay $199 for the first two fills of 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg through December 31, 2026 | Branded, FDA-approved |
| Wegovy pill (NovoCare self-pay) | $149 (1.5 mg), $199 (4 mg), $299 (9 mg and 25 mg) a month | Branded, FDA-approved |
| WellMedr | From $49 a month (shown as a pre-Black Friday sale price) | Compounded |
| CoreAge Rx | From $79 a month (other parts of its site say $99), "same price at every dose" | Compounded |
| Strut Health | $129 a month injected; $99 as a lozenge | Compounded |
See every provider we track in our compounded semaglutide price comparison, and our tirzepatide dosage chart if you are weighing the two drugs.
CoreAge Rx lists compounded semaglutide at the same price for every dose, with supplies included.
See CoreAge Rx's semaglutide plan ↗Affiliate link. Final pricing and prescription eligibility are confirmed by the provider.
Side effects and safety notes
Stomach side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation are the most common, and they are usually worst in the weeks after a dose increase, which is why the doses rise slowly. Semaglutide carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents and should not be used by people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
Because semaglutide stays in the body a long time, the Wegovy label says to stop it at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy. More in our guide to GLP-1 side effects.
Strut Health lists compounded semaglutide injections at $129 a month, or a buccal lozenge at $99, with visits and shipping included.
See Strut's semaglutide plans ↗Affiliate link. Final pricing and prescription eligibility are confirmed by the provider.
Quick answers
What is the starting dose of semaglutide? 0.25 mg once a week for 4 weeks for both Wegovy and Ozempic, or a 1.5 mg tablet daily for 30 days for the Wegovy pill.
What is the maximum dose? 7.2 mg a week for Wegovy HD in adults, 2.4 mg for standard Wegovy maintenance, 2 mg a week for Ozempic and 25 mg a day for the Wegovy pill.
How long until the full dose? The Wegovy injection reaches 2.4 mg at week 17 at the earliest, and the pill reaches 25 mg on day 91.
How many units is 0.25 mg of compounded semaglutide? It depends on the vial: 10 units at 2.5 mg/mL, 5 units at 5 mg/mL. Always use the concentration on your own vial and your pharmacy's instructions.
How we sourced this
Dosing, forms and administration come from the current Wegovy and Ozempic prescribing information. Trial figures come from published reports of STEP UP and OASIS 4. Prices were read from each provider's site on October 25, 2026.
- Wegovy prescribing information (revised 06/2026): novo-pi.com/wegovy.pdf
- Ozempic prescribing information (revised 05/2026): novo-pi.com/ozempic.pdf
- NovoCare: Wegovy self-pay prices: novocare.com/obesity/products/wegovy.html
- HCPLive: FDA approves Wegovy HD 7.2 mg (March 19, 2026): hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-higher-dose-semaglutide-wegovy-hd-injection-7-2-mg-for-obesity
- HCPLive: STEP UP results for semaglutide 7.2 mg: hcplive.com/view/semaglutide-7-2-mg-displays-20-7-weight-loss-in-phase-3b-step-up-trial
- Pharmacy Times: FDA approves first oral GLP-1 for weight management (December 2025): pharmacytimes.com/view/fda-approves-first-oral-glp-1-for-weight-management
- FDA: Dosing errors associated with compounded injectable semaglutide products (July 26, 2024): fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-alerts-health-care-providers-compounders-and-patients-dosing-errors-associated-compounded
- WellMedr: get started: wellmedr.com/pages/get-started-weight-loss
- CoreAge Rx: coreagerx.com
- Strut Health: compounded semaglutide injection: struthealth.com/weight-loss/semaglutide/injectable
- Strut Health: oral semaglutide lozenge: struthealth.com/weight-loss/semaglutide/oral
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