The pen has changed. Here's exactly what you need to know.
This guide is for VSC patients who have been prescribed the 7.2mg dose. It reflects the manufacturer's prescribing information and sits alongside — not in place of — the patient information leaflet in your pack. If you're still deciding whether the higher dose is right for you, start with our companion guide, Wegovy 7.2mg: a guide for patients moving to the new higher dose, which covers the trial evidence, who it suits, and how a clinical review works. This page picks up afterwards: the decision is made, the pen has arrived, and you'd like to know exactly what to do with it.
One. But there's a reason people ask.
The 7.2mg dose comes in a single-dose, pre-filled pen — one pen, one injection, the full dose (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
If you've come across talk of three injections, that wasn't wrong. When the 7.2mg dose was first authorised, it had to be given as three separate 2.4mg injections using the standard pen. The single-dose pen was approved in April 2026 (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, 2026), and it's what you'll be using — one injection, once a week.
Which brings us to the part that genuinely catches people out.
The pen isn't the one you're used to
Up to 2.4mg, you've been using a multi-dose pen with a needle you attach yourself. The 7.2mg pen is a different device: single-dose, pre-filled, no needle to attach (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
It's simpler, not more complicated. But it doesn't behave identically to the pen you know, so it's worth five minutes of your attention now rather than five minutes of uncertainty while you're holding it.
Your clinician will talk you through the device before you start, and the instructions for use come in the pack. If anything about what's arrived doesn't match what you expected, don't improvise — message the clinical team. It takes two minutes to check, and it's the single most useful thing you can do.
Before your first 7.2mg dose
Two things will already be true: you'll have been established on 2.4mg for at least four weeks, and your clinician will have reviewed you and approved the step up (Novo Nordisk, 2026). That isn't box-ticking — it's how this medicine is licensed, and the gradual climb is precisely what keeps side effects manageable.
Taking your dose, step by step
Wegovy is injected under the skin once a week, on the same day each week. Time of day doesn't matter. Neither does whether you've eaten (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
- Check the pen. Take it out of the fridge and confirm the label reads 7.2mg. Look through the window — the liquid should be clear and colourless. If it's cloudy or has anything floating in it, don't use it (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
- Wash your hands.
- Choose your spot. Your abdomen, thigh, or upper arm. You can use a different area each week (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
- Press and hold. Push the pen firmly against your skin and keep it there until the yellow bar stops moving. The injection takes around five to ten seconds (Novo Nordisk, 2026) — longer than you might expect, so don't lift it early.
- Dispose of it properly. The used pen goes straight into your sharps bin. Never reuse a pen, and never share one.
Always follow the instructions for use in your own pack. This guide is a companion to them, not a substitute.
Rotate where you inject
Vary the exact point within your chosen area each week rather than returning to the same spot. Left thigh, right thigh, left side of the abdomen, right side — a simple rotation is all it takes. It looks after your skin and keeps absorption consistent, which matters more than it sounds.
If you need to move your day
Life doesn't always respect a Tuesday. You can shift your weekly dose to a different day, provided there are more than 72 hours — three full days — between one dose and the next (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
If you miss a dose
- Five days or fewer since the missed dose: take it as soon as you remember, then carry on with your usual day (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
- More than five days: skip it and take your next dose on your normal day (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
- Never take two doses to make up for a missed one.
- Missed several in a row? Message the clinical team before restarting. Depending on the gap, your clinician may want to bring you back at a lower dose and build up again — a safety measure, not a setback (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
Storing your pens
Keep them in the fridge, between 2°C and 8°C, away from the freezer compartment. Never freeze a pen — once frozen it can't be used, even after thawing. Keep the cap on to protect the medicine from light, and check the expiry date before use (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
The first few weeks at 7.2mg
Stepping up a dose can briefly reintroduce side effects you thought you'd left behind. Nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation are the most commonly reported, mainly during the escalation period, and typically mild to moderate and short-lived (Novo Nordisk, 2026). Our companion guide sets out the trial figures in full if you want the detail.
What genuinely helps: smaller portions, eating slowly, stopping when you're full rather than when the plate is empty, keeping your fluids up, and going gently on rich or fried food for a few weeks. None of it is dramatic advice. All of it works.
Two effects are reported more often at this dose than at lower ones — altered sensation in the skin, such as tingling or numbness, and some hair thinning. Both are usually mild, and most people recover while continuing treatment (Novo Nordisk, 2026). If either is bothering you, tell us rather than quietly putting up with it.
When to message us — and when it's urgent
Message your clinical team if side effects are getting in the way of your life, if they aren't settling after a few weeks at the new dose, or if you're simply unsure about something. There is no such thing as a question too small. Asking is the point of supervised treatment, not an imposition on it.
Seek urgent medical help — call 111, or 999 in an emergency — if you experience:
- Severe, persistent stomach pain, with or without vomiting, which can be a sign of pancreatitis
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat, or difficulty breathing (Novo Nordisk, 2026)
Your patient information leaflet lists the full range of possible side effects and warning signs. Keep it with your medicine, where you'll actually find it.
Reporting side effects
This medicine is under additional monitoring, which means the regulator is actively collecting information about it. You can report any suspected side effect yourself through the Yellow Card scheme at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk or via the Yellow Card app. You can also tell your clinical team, who can report on your behalf (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
Questions people ask
So is it one injection or three?
One. The 7.2mg dose comes as a single-dose, pre-filled pen (Novo Nordisk, 2026). The three-injection method belonged to the earlier route, before the single-dose pen was approved.
How is the 7.2mg pen different from my current one?
It's single-dose and pre-filled, with no needle to attach. You press it against the skin and hold until the yellow bar stops moving — around five to ten seconds (Novo Nordisk, 2026). Same injection sites, same weekly schedule, same flexibility on timing.
Can I go straight to 7.2mg?
No. The dose is only reached after at least four weeks at 2.4mg, and only when your clinician judges it appropriate (Novo Nordisk, 2026).
Should I be on 7.2mg at all?
A different question, and a good one. Our guide to moving to the higher dose covers the evidence, who it suits, who it doesn't, and how to request a review.
What if the side effects are worse than I expected?
Tell your clinical team. Adjusting a dose — including stepping back down — is an ordinary part of treatment, not a failure of it. What you shouldn't do is quietly change things yourself.
Can I just stay on 2.4mg?
Of course. 2.4mg remains a fully licensed higher dose and the right long-term.
Every dose decision at VSC is made by a clinician who has read your full medical history — never generated by a form. If anything about your treatment is unclear, your clinical team is one message away.
References
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (2026) Single-dose 7.2mg semaglutide (Wegovy) pen approved to treat adult patients with obesity. 14 April. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/single-dose-72mg-semaglutide-wegovy-pen-approved-to-treat-adult-patients-with-obesity (Accessed: 14 July 2026).
Novo Nordisk Limited (2026) Wegovy 7.2 mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen — Summary of Product Characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/102093/smpc (Accessed: 14 July 2026).
See also: Wegovy 7.2mg: a guide for patients moving to the new higher dose — the trial evidence, who the dose suits, and how a clinical review works.
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