Medication reference
Wegovy dosing schedule in Canada
The Wegovy dose steps, the maintenance dose, how to take it and the missed dose rules, as the Canadian product monograph states them.
Key facts
- Wegovy is a semaglutide injection for use once weekly, on the same day each week.
- The starting dose is 0.25 mg once weekly.
- The dose increases every 4 weeks, to 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg and then 2.4 mg.
- The maintenance dose is 2.4 mg once weekly, reached after 16 weeks.
- If you miss a dose and it is 5 days or less since it was due, use it as soon as you remember.
Strengths and form
Wegovy is a semaglutide solution for injection under the skin, in a pre-filled pen.
The product monograph describes a single-use pen and a multi-use pen (FlexTouch). Each kind delivers doses of 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1 mg, 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg.
- Single-use pen: a carton has 4 pens. Each pen has one pre-set dose and is for one use only.
- Multi-use pen: a carton has 1 pen and 4 disposable needles. Each pen contains four doses.
Dose schedule
The product monograph gives one dose schedule for adults and for patients aged 12 to less than 18 years. The dose starts at 0.25 mg once weekly and increases every 4 weeks.
The product monograph says to follow the dose steps to reduce the likelihood of gastrointestinal symptoms. If a patient does not tolerate a dose during the dose steps, the prescriber can consider a delay of the next step for 4 weeks.
The schedule is:
- Weeks 1 to 4: 0.25 mg once weekly.
- Weeks 5 to 8: 0.5 mg once weekly.
- Weeks 9 to 12: 1 mg once weekly.
- Weeks 13 to 16: 1.7 mg once weekly.
- Week 17 and on: 2.4 mg once weekly (maintenance dose).
Maintenance and maximum dose
The maintenance dose is 2.4 mg once weekly. The patient information says: when you reach 2.4 mg, keep this dose and do not increase your dose further.
For an adult who does not tolerate 2.4 mg, the dose can temporarily decrease to 1.7 mg weekly, for a maximum of 4 weeks. The product monograph says that the patient should then return to the 2.4 mg dose.
A patient aged 12 to less than 18 years who cannot reach or does not tolerate 2.4 mg may remain at 1.7 mg once weekly. The product monograph says to discontinue Wegovy if this patient cannot tolerate the 1.7 mg once-weekly dose.
How and when to take it
Use Wegovy once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals.
The injection goes under the skin of the abdomen, the thigh or the upper arm. Change the injection site for each injection. Do not inject Wegovy into a vein or a muscle.
If necessary, the day of the weekly injection can change. The time between two doses must be at least 3 days (72 hours or more).
Before each injection, look at the solution. It should be clear and colourless, with no particles. Do not use Wegovy if you see particles or colour.
Wegovy should not be used in combination with any other medicine that contains semaglutide, or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist.
Missed dose
The patient information gives two cases.
If it is 5 days or less since the dose was due, use Wegovy as soon as you remember. Then inject your next dose as usual on your scheduled day.
If it is more than 5 days since the dose was due, skip the missed dose. Then inject your next dose as usual on your scheduled day.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose.
The part for health professionals gives the rule by the time to the next scheduled dose. If the next dose is at least 2 days (48 hours) away, take the missed dose as soon as possible. If the next dose is less than 2 days (48 hours) away, do not take the missed dose. The patient can then resume the once-weekly schedule.
Some patients miss more than 2 doses in a row. The health professional then tells the patient to resume the schedule or, if needed, to start the dose steps again.
Ask a health professional
This page repeats what the Canadian product monograph says. It is not medical advice. Ask your pharmacist or your prescriber what applies to you.