Oral semaglutide (Wegovy) was accredited by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2025 as a therapy for weight reduction in individuals with weight problems and not less than one associated well being situation. In medical trials, oral semaglutide helped members lose a mean of 13.6 p.c of their complete physique weight over about 15 months. For somebody with a beginning weight of 235 lbs, that interprets to about 33 lbs of weight reduction.
Oral semaglutide is a prescription medicine that’s meant for use at the side of a decreased calorie weight-reduction plan and common bodily exercise to assist adults with weight problems and associated well being issues shed pounds. It’s additionally used to assist decrease the danger of main cardiovascular occasions like coronary heart assault and stroke in adults who’re obese or have weight problems and still have coronary heart illness.
Wegovy is the primary oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist accredited for these functions.
GLP-1 medicine (together with semaglutide) work by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone made by the small gut, growing satiety by affecting areas of the mind that course of starvation and slowing abdomen emptying.
Facet Results and Warnings
The most typical unwanted side effects of Wegovy embody gastrointestinal points like nausea (probably the most ceaselessly reported symptom), constipation, diarrhea, abdomen ache, and vomiting. Different unwanted side effects might embody dizziness, fatigue, headache, heartburn, and runny nostril or sore throat.
Accessible in a dose of as much as 25 milligrams (mg), the Wegovy capsule is taken day by day within the morning whenever you first get up, on an empty abdomen and with not more than 4 ounces (oz) of water. You could then wait half-hour earlier than consuming, ingesting, or taking every other oral medicines.
This routine could also be a limiting issue for some: Even once-daily medicines can fail in the event that they don’t match naturally into an individual’s routine, says Auda Auda, MD, a board-certified household drugs doctor at Baker Well being in New York Metropolis.
“Oral semaglutide typically falls quick outdoors of trials as a result of adherence and unwanted side effects turn out to be limiting elements,” says Dr. Auda. “It’s probably the most difficult of those weight reduction capsules attributable to its strict fasting and timing necessities.”
Wegovy isn’t beneficial for individuals who have a private or household historical past of medullary thyroid most cancers. (In rodent research, Wegovy precipitated thyroid tumors, but it surely’s unclear the way it might have an effect on the human thyroid.) It’s additionally not beneficial for many who have or have had issues with their pancreas or kidneys, kind 2 diabetes and a historical past of diabetic retinopathy, or psychological well being points. It shouldn’t be utilized by individuals scheduled for surgical procedure that requires anesthesia, those that are pregnant or planning to turn out to be pregnant inside two months, or people who find themselves breastfeeding.
If none of those contraindications apply to you and you may adhere to its particular administration directions, the Wegovy capsule could also be an choice. “Oral semaglutide may fit for extremely disciplined sufferers who need to keep away from injections,” says Auda.
