Wegovy injection sites: where to inject and rotate

Where to inject Wegovy

The New Zealand FlexTouch instructions show three body areas. The injection goes into the tissue under the skin, not a vein or muscle. Your clinician’s demonstration helps you choose a suitable spot within an area.

Choose healthy skin. Ask your pharmacist or nurse to assess a spot that is sore, bruised, inflamed or scarred, rather than repeatedly injecting into irritated skin.

The manufacturer’s FlexTouch instructions include the injection-site diagram and illustrated steps. Keep that leaflet available during your first injections.

The best place to inject Wegovy

The best practical choice is an approved area where you can follow the instructions reliably. The New Zealand datasheet reports similar semaglutide exposure after injections into the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, so there is no reason to choose a site on the promise of faster weight loss.

Think about reach, visibility and the condition of your skin. If you cannot see the dose counter or keep the pen steady at one site, discuss another approved area or trained help. You do not need to force an awkward upper-arm injection simply to use all three areas.

Changing area does not require a dose adjustment. Your prescribed dose stays the same unless your prescriber changes it. See our Wegovy dosage guide if you are checking the strength on your pen.

A simple injection-site rotation record

You may use the same body area each week, but do not use the exact spot from your previous injection. A short record helps you remember where you injected, especially if someone helps you.

This is a record format, not a requirement to follow a fixed anatomical sequence. For stomach injections, keep the 5 cm distance from the belly button each time. Show your record to the pharmacist or nurse if you are unsure whether you are spacing sites appropriately.

Before using your FlexTouch pen

Check that the instructions match Wegovy FlexTouch, the four-dose pen supplied in New Zealand. A video for a different pen can show a different mechanism. Before first use, have a doctor, pharmacist or nurse demonstrate the pen and watch you practise the routine.

• Check the medicine name, prescribed strength and expiry date.
• Check the solution is clear and colourless and the pen has been stored correctly.
• Have a new compatible needle and a sharps container ready.
• Choose an appropriate injection spot and make sure you can see the dose counter.
• Have the illustrated instructions beside you for the complete sequence.

For FlexTouch, a new needle is attached before the flow check. The flow check is done before the first injection from each new pen, not as a replacement for selecting the prescribed dose. Select the dose using the counter, not by counting clicks.

The full instructions explain pressing the dose button, checking the counter has returned to zero and keeping the needle in the skin while slowly counting to six. They also show safe needle removal. Do not store the pen with a needle attached.

Watch Stela’s Wegovy pen demonstration, then use the leaflet supplied with your own pen for the detailed sequence and troubleshooting.

If an injection does not go as expected

If the counter, needle or pen does not behave as the instructions describe, stop and check the manufacturer’s troubleshooting steps with your pharmacist or nurse. Do not guess that you need an extra dose because you saw a drop of liquid or think some medicine was missed.

Tell the pharmacist what the counter showed, whether the needle was removed early and whether any liquid leaked. The leaflet distinguishes a normal drop at the needle tip from problems that can prevent a full dose. The right next step depends on what happened.

For a forgotten injection rather than a pen problem, use the missed-dose section of our dosage guide. For a pen exposed to freezing or excessive heat, read the storage guide and seek pharmacy advice before using it.

Skin reactions and when to ask for help

Keep a note of redness, swelling, itching or pain at a site, particularly if it persists or gets worse. Ask your pharmacist or clinician to review the area and your technique. Use another suitable spot rather than injecting into irritated skin again.

A widespread rash, swelling of the face or throat, difficulty breathing or collapse is a different situation from a small local reaction: call 111 for emergency help. Our Wegovy side effects guide explains other symptoms that need medical attention.

Your questions