The routine differs from week one

You inject Saxenda every day and Wegovy once a week. Both start low and step up, but the schedules differ and you cannot convert one dose to the other with a simple ratio. Some people like a daily habit. Others prefer one weekly reminder. Before either prescription starts, learn the device technique, needle supplies, storage and what to do about a missed dose.

What STEP 8 found

STEP 8 compared semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly with liraglutide 3 mg daily, head to head, in adults with overweight or obesity and no diabetes. At 68 weeks, mean weight change was −15.8% with semaglutide and −6.4% with liraglutide. These are study averages and do not predict your own result. Because the trial compared the two directly, it tells you more than two unrelated placebo-controlled studies.

What STEP 8 did not cover

STEP 8 did not study Wegovy tablets or the later 7.2 mg injection. Do not assume its results apply to children, pregnancy or every group of people with diabetes. A statistically significant average gap does not mean everyone will tolerate or prefer the medicine with the larger mean weight loss. Side effects and the number of people who stopped treatment belong in the comparison too.

Each brand has its own review rules

Saxenda's adult product information sets a response check after 12 weeks at 3 mg daily. Wegovy has its own instructions and clinical review framework. NHS guidance can add narrower criteria and service requirements on top of the licence. Switching brand does not carry your NHS eligibility across. A private prescription also may not follow the same continuation rules as a specialist service.

Look at the full cost of treatment

Compare the ongoing cost of the medicine, supplies and clinical reviews, and what a gap in treatment would mean. A cheap starter pack tells you little about the whole course. Ask whether the provider supports you with side effects and has a clear process for pausing or changing treatment. An affordable medicine you can use steadily with good support often works better in practice than a plan you cannot keep up.

Switch without overlapping

If a switch makes sense, get written instructions for your last daily injection and your first weekly dose. Never take both medicines together. Do not start on a high semaglutide dose because you tolerated the top liraglutide dose. Note your past symptoms and benefits for the clinician. The goal is a safe changeover that keeps the treatment benefit while your team watches how you respond.

Stopping a medicine is not a personal failure

A medicine may stop because it gave too little benefit under a set rule, or because side effects outweighed the benefit. Neither outcome means you failed. The next step is to review why the medicine did not suit you and what support or other treatment may help. A record of your weight, dose dates and symptoms makes the review fairer. The record also stops anyone using the wrong interval, such as counting a maintenance-dose check from your first starter injection.

Sources

Your own medicine leaflet and prescriber come first. A source from another country does not mean the same rule applies in the UK.

  1. Saxenda: UK prescribing information medicines.org.uk
  2. Wegovy injection: UK prescribing information medicines.org.uk
  3. STEP 8: original randomised comparison jamanetwork.com
  4. NICE TA664: liraglutide for weight management nice.org.uk

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