Wegovy® is a once-weekly injection that’s given in the arm, leg or abdomen.
Step 1- Preparation. Prepare the pen and yourself for the injection. Check the medication is not expired, and that it contains the correct dose for you. Never share the pen with another person or use someone else's pen. Pull the cap off the pen and check through the pen window that the liquid is clear and colourless. If the medicine in the pen looks cloudy or coloured, do not use the pen.
Make sure you use a new needle for each time you inject. Each pack will contain 4 needles for each weekly dose. Tear off the paper tab from the needle and push the needle straight onto the pen. Turn the needle until it’s on tight.
Remove both caps from the needle, but keep the outer needle cap to help with disposal later. You can dispose of the inner needle cap.
New Pens - For the first injection of each new pen, you need to check the flow of the pen. Turn the dose selector until you see the flow check symbol, which looks like two dots and a dash.
Next, hold the pen with the needle pointing up. Press and hold in the dose button until the dose counter returns to -0-. A drop of Wegovy should appear at the needle tip, this shows that the pen is ready to use.
Dose Selection - Turn the dose selector until the dose counter stops and your prescribed dose is shown. When your prescribed dose lines up with the pointer, you’ve selected the dose. It is important to never select less than the full dose prescribed.
Where to Inject - Next, decide where you would like to inject the Wegovy pen. You have a few options here, the upper arm, lower stomach (at least 2 inches/ 5cm away from the belly button) or the front of your thighs (upper legs). The choice is yours, but we have a few tips for making this easier and more comfortable.
- Most importantly make sure you rotate (change) the injection sites and avoid using the same injection place too often. Do not inject into any area with scars, bruises, stretch marks, hardness or inflammation (red/warm). These tips will help reduce the discomfort significantly and prevent other complications.
- The injection for Wegovy is what’s known as a subcutaneous injection which is a medical way of saying an injection into the fat just under the skin. This means the needle is tiny, only long enough to make it through the top layer of skin. Typically these hurt much less than other injections. To make these much easier, you can pinch the area gently while you inject creating a nice firm surface. This is particularly useful for the legs and lower stomach areas as opposed to the upper arm.
- Ensure the injection site you choose is clean. You may choose to give the area a wipe with an alcohol swab or wash it with soap and water.
Step 2 – Injecting Wegovy
Insert the needle into your skin and press and hold the dose button until the dose counter shows 0. Continue to press the button and count slowly for 6 seconds before removing the needle from your skin.
Step 3 – Disposing of the Needle
After your injection, put the needle tip into the outer cap (that you removed earlier). Making sure not to touch the needle, push the outer cap completely on. Unscrew the needle and dispose of it carefully.
You must ensure you dispose of it properly to protect yourself and others. To do so you can use a sharps bin and dispose of the bin according to the NHS guidelines.