Wegovy Pill vs Injection: Which is Better?

The Wegovy pill and Wegovy injection both contain the active ingredient semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, and are both effective for weight loss. They differ in how they are taken, their dosing schedules, and their side effect profiles.

Here we compare Wegovy pills and Wegovy injections to give you a better understanding of their effectiveness, dosage, side effects, and cost, so you can decide which type might be better for you.

Wegovy pills and injections work in the same way, but have a few key differences, such as how to take them, how effective they are for weight loss, and what side effects you may get. Here are some of the key differences between the Wegovy pill and injection:

Wegovy pill vs injection: How they work

The Wegovy pill and the Wegovy injection work in the exact same way. They contain the active ingredient semaglutide, which mimics the naturally produced hormone GLP-1. This helps you lose weight by:

• suppressing your appetite
• slowing down the time it takes for food to travel through your stomach
• keeping you feeling fuller for longer between meals

How to take the Wegovy pill vs injection

The main difference between the Wegovy pill and Wegovy injection is how and when you take them. The Wegovy pill is a daily tablet, while the injection is a self-administered weekly injection.

The Wegovy pill is a tablet that you swallow once a day, and you must take it on an empty stomach with no more than 120ml of water. You must not have had anything to drink or eat for at least 8 hours before taking it. After taking it, you have to wait 30 minutes before eating, drinking, or taking any other oral medications. This is to make sure that the medication is fully absorbed.

The Wegovy injection is one you administer yourself just under your skin. It is used once weekly. You must inject Wegovy on the same day each week to keep your semaglutide levels consistent. The pen comes filled with each dose, so you do not need to draw up any medication.

You can choose what time you inject it, as long as it is convenient and easy for you to remember. You should also rotate your injection site each week to reduce the chance of injection site reactions.

How to store the Wegovy pill vs injection

There is a difference between how you need to store Wegovy pills and how you need to store Wegovy injections.

Wegovy pills and Wegovy injections produce similar weight loss results in adults with obesity. The OASIS 4 clinical trial, which looked at oral semaglutide, found that the average weight loss after 64 weeks on the highest 25mg daily dose was 16.6%. In the STEP UP clinical trial, the 2.4mg weekly dose resulted in an average 17.5% weight loss, while the maximum 7.2mg dose resulted in an average 20.7% weight loss over 72 weeks.

Does the pill work as well as the injection for everyone?

Currently, there are no trials directly comparing the effectiveness of the Wegovy pill with the injection, but clinical trial data suggest that the 25mg Wegovy pill produces weight loss results similar to the 2.4mg injection.

Why is the Wegovy Pill less effective than the injection?

The main reason that the Wegovy Pill is less effective than the injection is because the active ingredient (semaglutide) is absorbed into the bloodstream far better when injected. When taken orally, the medication must travel through the harsh environment of your stomach, and must be broken down before entering the bloodstream. The Wegovy injection, on the other hand, bypasses the digestive system and directly enters your blood circulation.

The bioavailability of the Wegovy injection is 89%. This means that 89% of the active ingredient is absorbed into your bloodstream and is available for use. In comparison, approximately 0.4 to 1% of the semaglutide in the Wegovy pill is absorbed and available for use by the body. This is why the Wegovy pill has a special SNAC covering, to protect the active ingredient from stomach acid and digestive enzymes and to allow more of the medication to pass through the stomach lining and into your blood.

The Wegovy pill has similar side effects to the injection because they both contain the same active ingredient and work in the same way for weight loss. However, there are 2 main differences. Injection site reactions, such as pain, redness, and irritation, only occur with Wegovy injections, while feeling and being sick are slightly more common with the Wegovy pill.

For both the pill and the injection, side effects are most likely to occur at the start of treatment and each time the dose increases. Gastrointestinal side effects were common for both the Wegovy pill and injection, with 70.8% of Wegovy 7.2 mg users getting them with the injection and 74% of people taking the Wegovy pill.

Common side effects of the Wegovy pill and injection

The very common Wegovy pill and injection side effects are:

• headache
• feeling sick (nausea)
• being sick (vomiting)
• diarrhoea
• constipation
• stomach pain
• feeling weak or tired

The Wegovy pill also lists an upset stomach or indigestion as a very common side effect, which is different to the Wegovy injection.

Does the Wegovy pill have fewer side effects than the injection?

No, the side effect profiles of the Wegovy pill and injection are similar. However, there may be differences in how common specific side effects are. For example, injection site reactions do not happen with oral semaglutide.

Gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting are more common with the Wegovy pill than with the 7.2mg injection.

In trials, around 23% of people taking the Wegovy 7.2 mg injection reported altered skin sensations, such as burning, tingling, and pins and needles, also known as dysaesthesia. However, dysaesthesia was only reported in around 5% of people taking the Wegovy pill.

Is the Wegovy Pill safer than the injection?

Neither the Wegovy pill nor the injection has been shown to be safer than the other. Because they share the same active ingredient, they also share similar safety profiles. In clinical trials, the Wegovy pill caused gastrointestinal side effects in 74% of participants compared to almost 71% who took the 7.2mg Wegovy injection. While serious side effects were uncommon across the trials for both the Wegovy pill and injection.

However, neither the Wegovy pill nor the Wegovy injection are suitable if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or are breastfeeding. You must stop taking any form of semaglutide at least 2 months before trying to get pregnant because the medication can remain in your body for several weeks and the risks to unborn children are unknown.

Do the Wegovy Pill and injection have the same ingredients?

Although the Wegovy pill and injection contain the same active ingredient, semaglutide, they contain different inactive ingredients. It is important that you check the ingredients for the medication you are prescribed to make sure you are not sensitive or allergic to any ingredients in the Wegovy pill or injection.

The Wegovy pill contains 2 inactive ingredients. They are:

• salcaprozate sodium (SNAC)
• magnesium stearate

The Wegovy injection contains the following inactive ingredients:

• disodium phosphate dihydrate
• propylene glycol
• phenol
• sodium hydroxide/hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment)
• water for injection

One of the main differences between the Wegovy pill and injection is the dosing schedule.

For both types of medication, you will start on a low dose and gradually increase your dose until you reach a maintenance dose that is right for you. This helps your body adjust to the medication and reduces the chance of side effects.

Wegovy pill dosing schedule

The Wegovy pill is taken once a day, first thing in the morning before eating, drinking, or taking any other oral medications. You should take the pill at the same time every day so that the medication stays at a consistent level in your body.

The Wegovy pill dosage schedule is as follows:

• month 1 – 1.5mg once a day
• month 2 – 4mg once a day
• month 3 – 9mg once a day
• month 4 – 25mg once a day

Wegovy injection dosing schedule

The Wegovy injection is taken once a week on the same day each week. The dose increases every 4 weeks until you reach the maintenance dose of 2.4 mg or 7.2 mg.

The Wegovy injection dosage schedule is as follows:

What if I miss a dose?

What you’ll need to do if you miss a dose of Wegovy will depend on whether you are taking the Wegovy pill or injection.

If you miss a dose of the Wegovy pill, you should skip the missed pill and take your next dose the next day as usual. However, if it’s the same morning and you’ve still not eaten, drank, or taken any other oral medications, you can still take your dose, but try to stick to the same schedule going forward.

You must not take a double dose to make up for a missed Wegovy pill dose.

If you miss a Wegovy injection, and it is:

• 5 days or less since you should have taken it, use it as soon as you remember, and then inject your next dose as usual on your usual scheduled day
• more than 5 days since you should have used Wegovy, skip the missed dose and inject your next dose as usual on your next scheduled day – do not inject a double dose to make up for a missed dose

If you forget to take a Wegovy pill or inject Wegovy and you are unsure about what to do, contact your doctor for advice.

Yes, if you are already taking the Wegovy injection, then you can switch to the Wegovy pill, but this must happen under the guidance of a doctor. The Wegovy pill dose you can switch to will depend on your current injection dose.

Your doctor will advise how to safely switch from the injection to the Wegovy pill. For example, you need to leave a 7-day break between stopping the injection and starting the Wegovy pill for some doses. Following your doctor’s instructions will ensure you switch safely and that your weight loss progress is not affected.

Who can take the Wegovy Pill and Injection?

Because they contain the same active ingredient, the eligibility criteria for both the Wegovy pill and injection are the same. You may be eligible for Wegovy if you have a:

• BMI of more than 30
• weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, or obstructive sleep apnoea, and have a BMI between 27 and 30

Use our BMI calculator to find out if you can get Wegovy for weight loss from Superdrug Online Doctor.

It depends. Wegovy pill and Wegovy injection both start at £99 at Superdrug Online Doctor, making them both the same starting price with no difference. This is also the case for the second dose of Wegovy pill (4mg) and Wegovy injection (0.5mg) which are both £119.

However, as you titrate, these prices increase for Wegovy injection, the highest dose of Wegovy pill is £229 and the highest dose of Wegovy injection is £285. Therefore, the Wegovy pill works out cheaper on the highest maintenance dose. However, if you find that Wegovy injection is effective for you on the 2.4mg maintenance dose rather than 7.2mg, Wegovy 2.4mg is £205 which is slightly cheaper than Wegovy pill 25mg.

Neither the Wegovy pill nor the injection is better than the other, but your personal circumstances and preferences will help you decide which one might be better for you. Because they contain the same active ingredient and work in the same way, the Wegovy pill and injection have a similar effectiveness for weight loss, share many of the same side effects, and cost around the same.

Who might prefer the Wegovy pill?

You might decide that the Wegovy pill is a more suitable choice for you if you:

• prefer to swallow a pill rather than giving yourself an injection
• have a fear of needles
• think you'll be more likely to remember to take a daily pill rather than a weekly injection
• travel frequently because the Wegovy pill does not need to be kept in a fridge when it’s unopened
• get skin irritation or injection site reactions with the Wegovy injection

Who might prefer the Wegovy injection?

The Wegovy pill may not offer the flexibility you need when it comes to weight loss medication. So, you might prefer the Wegovy injection if you:

• prefer a weekly dosing schedule rather than a daily one
• cannot stick to the strict fasting schedule of the Wegovy pill
• would like a lower chance of side effects, such as nausea and vomiting
• think you might benefit from a higher 7.2mg dose, which has the highest weight loss results
• have difficulty taking or swallowing tablets