Website last updated 29/06/2025
Weight Loss Injections (Wegovy and Mounjaro)
- Mental Health. Mounjaro and Wegovy can cause changes in mood.
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- Delayed Gastric Emptying. Monitor patients on oral narrow therapeutic index drugs.
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- Risk of acute pancreatitis. Signs include sudden severe abdominal pain, nasuea and/or vomiting and fever. Refer patient to A&E if these symptoms develop.
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- Contraception. Potential risk of reduced efficacy with oral contraception. Switch to non-oral contraception or use barrier method.
- Licensed for use in patients with a BMI of at least:
30kg/m²
27kg/m² with weight related co-morbidities (such as hypertension, pre-diabetes etc)
27.5kg/m² and a BAME background
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- It may take up to 8-12 weeks before patient's have noticeable weight loss
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- Licensed for use up to 2 years
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- Patients can switch between Wegovy and Mounjaro, however should be started on the lowest dose of the new medication
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- No wash- out period is needed when switching between these two medications
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- Patient's should be advised on the symptoms of acute pancreatitis:
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suddenly getting severe pain in the centre of your tummy (abdomen)
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feeling or being sick
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a high temperature of 38C or more
- Advise patients to go to A&E or call 111 if these symptoms develop
- Advise patients to stop using Mounjaro/Wegovy and call 111 or book an appointment with their GP if they notice negative changes in their mental health
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- Mild side effects can be managed with OTC medication, such as cyclizine for nausea, loperamide for diarrhoea. ​​
What dose should the patient be on?
It is recommended that patients increase their dose every 4 weeks until they reach a dose where they have sufficient appetite suppression with minimal or no side effects
Do you have to titrate down to stop Mounjaro/Wegovy?
No, patients can simply stop injecting at any time, regardless of the dose they are on
How long should the patient stay on Wegovy/Mounjaro?
They should continue until they reach a healthy BMI for their ethnicity
How much risk does acute pancreatitis carry?
80–85% of people with acute pancreatitis will have mild self-limiting disease, with a mortality rate of 1–3%