How Long Does Semaglutide (Wegovy) Take To Work?

If you’ve recently started weight loss treatment with Wegovy, you’ve likely been told it gets to work right away, but you want to know how long before you’ll see the benefits. Studies show that many people begin to lose weight within four weeks of starting treatment with semaglutide (Wegovy), and weight loss is expected to continue, taking around a year to reach your target weight.

According to The New England Journal of Medicine, the following is the weight loss percentage over time. 

• The average weight loss after 6 weeks with Wegovy was 6%.
• The average weight loss after 28 weeks was 12% with Wegovy.
• At 68 weeks, the average weight loss on Wegovy was 15%.

How long does Wegovy take to work?

Wegovy starts to work from the initial weekly dose of 0.25 mg but requires several weeks to reach maximum effectiveness at a dose of 2.4 mg. During the first few days of treatment, you may experience a reduced appetite. After several weeks, you will feel fuller, less hungry and fewer food cravings – all of which can contribute to weight loss. 

A gradual increase in dose is mainly to reduce the chances of severe stomach and digestive effects, such as stomach pain, constipation, and diarrhoea. These side effects are more likely if the dose is increased too quickly.

Research shows that Wegovy users typically start to lose weight within the first four weeks of treatment, with an average body weight loss of 15% achieved after 68 weeks.

How fast can you lose weight on Wegovy?

The total body weight you can lose on Wegovy can be significant but requires time, patience and persistence. Instant weight loss shouldn’t be expected, but rather a gradual decrease over time. 

A double-digit percentage weight loss is more likely to occur after 6 months or beyond of regular treatment. It’s essential to note that this average weight loss may not apply to everyone. How well your body responds to semaglutide will depend on several factors, including:

• How well do the receptors in your brain respond to Wegovy?: As each person’s genetic makeup is different, you could be more sensitive to the medicine, which results in more appetite suppression and leads to greater weight loss. 
• The lifestyle changes you make alongside weight loss treatment: Three important lifestyle changes that affect weight loss include dietary changes, physical exercise, and behavioural changes, such as adopting habits, e.g., sufficient sleep. 
• Your dosing schedule: This includes remembering to take the medicine each week, knowing when it’s appropriate to increase the dose and discussing side effects with your doctor. Wegovy’s effectiveness is reduced when doses are missed or administration is inconsistent.

Wegovy dosage schedule

The typical Wegovy dosing schedule for adults is shown below:

Source: Wegovy

Wegovy pens are available in 5 doses, each injected once per week, and their semaglutide concentration increases every 4 weeks. However, some people take longer to reach the maintenance dose of 2.4 mg, while others may stick to the 1.7 mg dose. That’s because different people react differently to Wegovy and may experience side effects that prolong the titration process.

Want to know more? Read about the Wegovy Dosage Schedule.

How long do I need to take Wegovy for?

The duration of time you need to take Wegovy depends on your weight loss goals, individual medication response and recommendations from your clinician. 

Individual response to Wegovy is important because if you haven’t lost at least 5% of your starting body weight after 6 months, your clinician needs to weigh the benefits against the risks of continuing treatment. One potential outcome is that they recommend trying an alternative weight loss medicine, such as:

• Mounjaro
• Saxenda
• Orlistat

These are all available from Prescription Doctor.

For achieving your weight loss goals, it’s essential to consider both the short-term and long-term benefits. With short-term use of 6 months to 1 year, you may achieve significant weight loss results and consider discontinuing. For others, long-term use is more beneficial because it sustains weight loss. Weight regain can occur when treatment is stopped, making continued treatment necessary. However, this decision should be made in consultation with your clinician.

Is Wegovy safe for long-term use?

Recent research has shown that Wegovy injections can help overweight and obese people achieve significant and clinically meaningful weight loss for at least 4 years.

The same study also found that semaglutide lowered the risk of major cardiovascular events in 17,604 adults with pre-existing cardiovascular disease by 20%.

The results showed that Wegovy reduced:

• Heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death by 20%
• Heart attacks in people taking statins by 28%
• Non-fatal strokes by 7%
• Cardiovascular-related death by 15%

Therefore, semaglutide (Wegovy) may offer even more benefits in addition to weight loss.

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How to improve the effectiveness of Wegovy

As you increase your dose, Wegovy will become more effective in helping you lose weight; however, there are steps you can take to enhance its effectiveness further.

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet
• Lower the amount of fatty or high-sugar foods you eat
• Swap sugary or fizzy drinks for water with a slice of lemon or lime
• Avoid alcohol
• Increase the amount of exercise you do
• Make long-lasting lifestyle changes to help keep the weight off once the Wegovy treatment finishes

At Prescription Doctor, we’ve compiled an in-depth guide to help you get the best out of Wegovy treatment. Check out our ‘5 Ways to Increase Weight Loss with Wegovy’ guide.

Summary

Wegovy contains the active ingredient, semaglutide, which has been proven to be an effective weight loss treatment in overweight and obese people. Although it starts working right away, weight loss isn’t instantaneous. 

Some research indicates that the average weight loss in the first four weeks of Wegovy treatment is 2%, while achieving a 15% body weight loss can take up to 68 weeks.

If you're looking for weight loss treatments, you can use our weight loss service to find the most suitable medication for you.

Authored By

Mohamed Imran Lakhi

MPharm - Lead Pharmacist

Imran Lakhi is the superintendent pharmacist and founder at Prescription Doctor. He has been at the core of our team.

Published on: 12/10/2023

Reviewed By

Dr Giuseppe Aragona

Doctor

Dr. Giuseppe utilises his extensive experience in general practice to ensure the accuracy and safety of the website's content.

Reviewed on: 05/06/2025