Life happens; anyone can forget to take their Wegovy dose. But what happens if you miss a dose? Can you skip a week of Wegovy (semaglutide)? Learn more.

Can You Skip a Week of Wegovy (Semaglutide)?

You started taking Wegovy to support your weight loss journey, and you’ve followed your prescribed schedule, taking care not to miss a dose. But life happens. Whether it’s forgetting a dose to traveling without your medication, running into Wegovy shortages, or needing a break due to side effects. You may face these challenges when taking your dose. But what happens if you miss a dose? Can you skip a week of Wegovy without consequences?

While it might seem like skipping a dose won’t make much difference, consistency is key for Wegovy to work effectively. Skipping a week can affect your appetite, slow down your progress, and even increase the chances of experiencing side effects when you resume treatment.

This post will explain what happens if you miss a week of Wegovy, what to do if you skip a dose, and answer all your questions about skipping a Wegovy dose.

How Wegovy Works

Wegovy helps you lose weight in several unique ways. It slows down gastric emptying, the process by which food leaves your stomach. You may not need to eat as often because this prolongs feelings of fullness after eating. Consuming fewer calories over time can lead to weight loss.

Wegovy also affects parts of your brain that control your hunger and feelings of fullness. This can decrease appetite, increase satiety, and decrease food intake. Some Wegovy users also report that it reduces food noise, which is defined as thoughts about food that keep popping up in mind.

Because Wegovy accumulates in your system over time, maintaining consistent dosing is important for sustaining steady appetite control and weight loss. Skipping a dose can lead to fluctuations in hunger levels, making it harder to stay on track. It can also decrease the medication’s effectiveness, which may make it more difficult for you to lose weight.

Can You Skip a Week of Wegovy (Semaglutide)?

Wegovy is a medication designed to be injected weekly, not as needed. Hence, it isn’t recommended that you intentionally miss your Wegovy dose.

When you miss a dose, your body’s concentration of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, begins to drop. This can reduce the medication’s appetite-suppressing effects, leading to increased hunger and overeating. Over time, skipping doses may also delay your weight loss progress, making it harder to achieve your goals.

Wegovy has a half-life of 7 days, which is why it’s injected weekly. Half-life refers to the time it takes for the amount of a drug in your body to decrease by half. This principle helps healthcare providers determine the optimal dosing schedule for a medication to work effectively. For Wegovy, weekly injections ensure that semaglutide levels remain stable in your system, allowing the drug to deliver its full benefits.

While some of the medication may remain in your body beyond its half-life, the amount can vary depending on factors like age, metabolism, and the dose you’re taking. Skipping doses disrupts this balance, reducing the drug’s effectiveness.

When starting on Wegovy, you may experience side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, which may go away as your body gets used to the medication. Skipping doses and restarting later could cause these symptoms to reappear. This is especially true if you’ve missed several weeks and restarted at a higher dose.

In some cases, depending on how long you’ve skipped Wegovy, your provider may recommend restarting at a lower dose to minimize side effects and help your body readjust. However, this could also delay your weight loss progress.

What to Do If You Miss a Dose

Everybody sometimes forgets to take their medication, and that’s okay. If you miss a dose of Wegovy, you should take it as soon as you remember. This should be within five days of the missed dose. After that, you can carry on with your regular schedule. If it has been more than 5 days, skipping the missed dose and taking it on your regularly scheduled Wegovy day is advisable.

It’s also crucial to avoid taking two doses at once or too close together, as this may result in a sharp or severe drop in blood sugar levels. Again, it is advisable to skip the missed dose and take it on your regularly scheduled Wegovy day if it has been more than 5 days.

However, contacting your healthcare provider is important if you’ve missed two or more of your weekly doses. They may prescribe a lower dosage and ask you to increase it gradually.  Returning to a high dosage after a break of several weeks may be more than your body can tolerate, which can cause diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and vomiting.

What Happens When You Stop Taking Wegovy?

When you stop taking Wegovy, you will no longer experience any positive or side effects from the medication. Your full appetite may return within a week, causing you to consume more calories and gain weight.

One trial examined patients a year after they stopped taking semaglutide and engaging in lifestyle interventions that included 150 minutes of physical activity each week and diet counseling every four weeks. According to the study, they gained back two-thirds of the weight they had lost while on the medication.

Once you stop using Wegovy, any common, mild side effects you may be having, such as injection site reactions or gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, diarrhea, or stomach pain, should also stop. These negative effects are usually temporary and disappear after you reach your regular prescribed weekly dosage.

There are several reasons why people may want to stop using Wegovy. Cost may be a concern, or some patients find the side effects intolerable. Others simply don’t want to take medication for a long period. For others, Wegovy is just unavailable due to the current shortage.

How Long Does Wegovy Stay in Your System Once Stopped?

Wegovy remains in your system for 5-7 weeks after your last dose, but this can vary depending on your current dosage and other factors. According to research, almost half of the medication is retained in the bloodstream a week later for the highest dose of Wegovy, 2.4 mg.

While the highest dose of Wegovy is detected in the bloodstream for around 5-7 weeks after the last dose, it doesn’t mean the levels are high enough to suppress appetite. For example, Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures the medication, advises discontinuing semaglutide two months before trying to conceive because the active ingredient remains in your system for a long time.

FAQs About Skipping a Week of Wegovy

Can I double up on Wegovy doses if I miss one?

You should not double up on Wegovy doses or take two doses within a 5-day period. This may lead to overdosing on the medicine and an increased risk of side effects. If you skip your Wegovy dose for more than 5 days, take the next dose on your regular day, and call your provider to discuss starting Wegovy again if it has been more than 2 weeks.

How long can I go without Wegovy before starting over?

If you miss Wegovy for more than 2 weeks, you may need to restart at a lower dose to minimize side effects and help your body readjust. Consult your provider before returning to guide you on the best approach.

Can I restart Wegovy after 3 weeks?

Call your provider if it has been 2 or more weeks since your last dose of Wegovy. After this long gap, your body may need to readjust to the medication, and your provider may recommend restarting at a lower dose to reduce the risk of side effects.

Is it okay to skip a week of Wegovy?

Skipping a week of Wegovy is not recommended, as it can disrupt the medication’s effectiveness. Wegovy works best when taken every week to maintain steady levels of semaglutide in your body. Skipping a dose may reduce appetite control and delay weight loss progress.

Why Choose NP2GO?

Life happens, and anyone can forget to take their medication. At NP2GO, we understand that, and that’s why our team of licensed medical professionals is always available to guide you, whether you have questions about your medication, need help refilling a prescription, or are traveling and need advice on managing your treatment.

We know how important it is to stay consistent, especially when working toward weight loss or managing diabetes. That’s why we’ve designed our semaglutide programs to fit into your life, not vice versa. Contact us today to discuss your Wegovy dosage and make your health journey a little simpler.