Wegovy, Ask Me Anything - I’ll Organize the Questions We Often Hear in the Exam Room for You (2)

To patients who have started Wegovy,

the most common question we receive is

“what should I do in this situation?”

For example,

when you suddenly feel unwell,

or when a health checkup is coming up,

there are moments that can make you feel confused in real-life situations.

In this post,

I’ve gathered the practical questions we often hear in the exam room,

and organized them clearly.

Q. I have a health checkup coming up. Can I keep using Wegovy?

A. To put it simply,

generally,

using Wegovy (semaglutide)

until right before a health checkup

is not likely to cause major problems.

However,

depending on the items being checked,

temporary discontinuation may be recommended,

so before the checkup,

it is safest to make sure by checking with your primary doctor

or the health checkup center.

🔍 Key factors to consider

1. Whether fasting is required among the health checkup items

Wegovy suppresses appetite

and slows gastrointestinal motility,

so it may affect tests such as

gastroscopy,

abdominal ultrasound, and liver function tests.

→ Because gastrointestinal motility slows down,

food may remain in the stomach,

which can also affect the fasting requirements before gastroscopy.

2. It may affect checkup results such as weight, blood sugar, and liver values

Because Wegovy

has effects that improve

weight, blood sugar, cholesterol,

and liver values,

the numbers from a health checkup may come out

better than your actual condition.

In particular, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar,

and weight-related values

may reflect the medication state.

→ If you want an accurate assessment of your health condition,

be sure to tell the doctor in charge of the checkup

that you are taking Wegovy.

Q. I always inject it on Monday, but recently I’ve had enteritis, my inflammation markers are high, and I’m not feeling well. I want to skip this week. Is that okay?

A. If your health is temporarily poor, or if you have enteritis or elevated inflammatory markers,

delaying or skipping the injection schedule

may actually be safer.

Skipping one dose by itself

will not cause major problems.

However, next week,

it is best to return to the original day (Monday)

as much as possible.

Explanation: If you missed a dose and less than 5 days have passed,

take it as soon as possible.

If 5 days or more have passed, skip the missed dose,

and resume taking it on the next scheduled day.

In other words, within 5 days → take it immediately

If more than 5 days have passed → skip it and continue on the next schedule

In the Wegovy dosing instructions provided by Novo Nordisk,

the company that developed and manufactures Wegovy,

the guidance above is given.

However, if you are at a higher dose

(for example, 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg),

dose adjustment may be necessary,

so consultation with your doctor is recommended.

As you can see,

unexpected situations

often come up while using Wegovy.

What matters most is to respond without panicking,

taking both the official dosing instructions

and your current health condition

into account.

In special situations such as a health checkup

or a temporary decline in condition,

consulting your primary doctor,

who has plenty of experience,

is the safest choice.

We’ll continue organizing questions like “what should I do in this situation?”

so please look forward to the next installment!