A weight loss patient has declared it is "about time" the National Health Service introduced a significantly higher dose of the Wegovy injection, revealing she has seen no results on current lower doses and needs the "mega-dose" to witness her children grow up.
NHS Greenlights Triple Strength Wegovy Amid Controversy
The NHS has approved the use of a triple strength Wegovy jab, a decision that has sparked considerable debate within medical circles. Two clinical trials compared the existing 2.4mg dose of semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, with an elevated 7.2mg dose. Findings indicated that the higher dosage enabled some patients to shed a quarter of their total body weight.
Specifically, the 7.2mg dose resulted in an average weight reduction of nearly 19 percent, surpassing the 16 percent loss associated with the standard 2.4mg Wegovy dose. Despite these figures, critics remain sceptical, labelling the move a step "too far" in pharmaceutical intervention for weight management.
A Patient's Struggle: Plateauing on Lower Doses
For individuals like Louise Temlett, however, the higher dose represents a crucial lifeline. The 42-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainer and podcast host has been on weight loss medication for twelve months but reports hitting a frustrating plateau after switching from Mounjaro to Wegovy.
"I haven't seen any results for the past few months while on Wegovy, despite still paying £99 a month," Louise explained. She originally used Mounjaro but was forced to switch due to a dramatic price increase from £99 to £329 monthly. "There was no way I could continue, so I had to switch to Wegovy for £99 a month, but it felt unfair they were putting the prices up and I didn't have the funds to progress with Mounjaro."
Louise, a mother of two, began her journey weighing just over 15 stone 7 pounds. She described a lifelong struggle with overeating, rooted in childhood habits. "I was brought up in the 80s and 90s and my parents were quite Victorian, so anything on my plate I had to eat. During my weight loss, I had to unpick this mindset about leaving food on my plate and now I don't feel guilt for leaving food, I am no longer over-eating."
The Drive for Longevity and Family
Combining Jiu-Jitsu training with medication, Louise has lost five stone overall, with 20 kilos (approximately 3.1 stone) shed in the last year. She believes her progress would have been greater had she remained on Mounjaro. Her clinicians noted the reduced effectiveness after switching to Wegovy, with blood tests confirming the issue was the medication change itself.
"I just want to be fitter and more active in my later years for my kids, fighting women who are younger than me and being able to do more of what I want to do now in my 50s, 60s, and 70s," Louise stated passionately. "Longevity is about strength and wellbeing and the less weight I am holding now means more years to live for my children."
She emphasised that the new triple dose merely brings Wegovy in line with higher doses of Mounjaro. "Everyone is stalling on Wegovy with 0 success, so I think it's a good idea it's coming up to the levels of what Mounjaro does."
Safety Profile and Expert Analysis
The trial for the higher 7.2mg dose concluded it was generally safe. Reported side effects included nausea, diarrhoea, and some sensory symptoms like tingling. Crucially, there was no increase in "serious adverse events" at the elevated dosage.
Dr Simon Cork, Senior Lecturer in Physiology at Anglia Ruskin University, commented on the findings. "This suggests that patients with higher body mass, who would benefit most from more substantial weight loss, may benefit more from high dose semaglutide than that which is currently available."
He added, "It is noteworthy, but not surprising that more patients on the higher dose experienced side effects such as nausea and vomiting compared to the lower dose." Researchers also investigated whether serious but rarer side-effects—like acute gallstone disease, pancreatitis, and serious allergic reactions—were more probable at the increased dosage. Most side effects were manageable, resolved over time, and did not cause participants to withdraw from the trials.
Addressing Criticism and Misconceptions
Despite NHS approval, some voices argue the healthcare system is "going too far" with such pharmaceutical interventions. Louise firmly disagrees with this perspective. "I don't think it's going too far. It's only going as far as the highest dose of Mounjaro. It's still a legitimate dose."
She also highlighted that these medications are not a magic solution. "By having these drugs, it doesn't just magically change everything, you still have to change your lifestyle habits too." Louise pointed out a gap in understanding, stating, "When people have opinions without experience of these drugs, there's lots of misinterpretation, but until you suffer from obesity and see what difference it makes that's when you can have an opinion."
For patients like Louise, the approval of the higher Wegovy dose is not about pushing boundaries recklessly, but about accessing necessary tools for health and longevity, fundamentally altering their quality of life and future with their families.
