# Wegovy Pill Side Effects: What the Tablet Label Reports

By Ruth Calder, Enforcement Editor (https://glpwatchdog.org/authors/ruth-calder) | Published: 2026-09-27 | Updated: 2026-11-02

Canonical page: https://glpwatchdog.org/research/wegovy-pill-side-effects

> The Wegovy pill's side effects match the shot's: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation. The label adds one: 5% on the 25 mg tablet reported dysesthesia, an altered skin sensation, against none on placebo.

The Wegovy pill causes the same kinds of side effects as the Wegovy shot: mostly nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and stomach pain. The FDA label calls the tablet's common side effects “similar” to the injection's.[1] It also flags one side effect to know about before you start: in the tablet trial, **5%** of people on the 25 mg pill reported dysesthesia, an altered or burning skin sensation, against none on placebo.[1]

> **About this page.** Every figure here comes from the current FDA label for Wegovy, which covers both the injection and the tablets in one document (revised June 2026), and from the published OASIS 4 trial the tablet's approval rests on.[1][2] The FDA approved the pill on December 22, 2025.[4] This page describes what the label reports. Where your prescriber's advice differs, follow your prescriber.

## The most common Wegovy pill side effects

The tablet was tested for safety in one 64-week trial of 204 adults taking 25 mg a day. All had obesity, or overweight plus at least one health condition linked to weight, and none had type 2 diabetes.[1] The label does not print a separate symptom-by-symptom table for it. Instead it says the tablet's common reactions matched the injection's in both kind and how often they happened, so the injection table is reproduced below.[1]

*The label's reference table (Table 3): reactions in 2% or more of adults on Wegovy 2.4 mg injection and more often than placebo (selected rows). The label says the tablet's common reactions were similar.*

| Side effect | Wegovy | Placebo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nausea | 44% | 16% |
| Diarrhea | 30% | 16% |
| Vomiting | 24% | 6% |
| Constipation | 24% | 11% |
| Abdominal pain | 20% | 10% |
| Headache | 14% | 10% |
| Fatigue | 11% | 5% |
| Indigestion (dyspepsia) | 9% | 3% |
| Dizziness | 8% | 4% |
| Bloating (abdominal distension) | 7% | 5% |
| Belching (eructation) | 7% | under 1% |
| Flatulence | 6% | 4% |
| Acid reflux (GERD) | 5% | 3% |
| Hair loss | 3% | 1% |

The OASIS 4 trial gives one overall number for the pill: stomach and gut side effects of any kind were reported by **74.0%** of people on 25 mg oral semaglutide and 42.2% on placebo.[2] For the injection, the label's equivalent figure is 73% against 47%.[1] For how long each one usually lasts, see the [side effect timeline](https://glpwatchdog.org/tools/glp1-side-effect-timeline), and for the injection's own page, [Wegovy side effects](https://glpwatchdog.org/drugs/wegovy/side-effects).

## Wegovy pill vs. injection: side effects side by side

Where the label does give a tablet-specific figure, it can be set against the matching injection figure from the same document. The two come from different trials with different people, so treat small gaps as noise rather than a verdict on which form is gentler.[1]

*Pill figures from the 25 mg trial (OASIS 4, listed as Study 7 in the label); injection figures from the 2.4 mg weight-loss trials. All from the Wegovy FDA label, revised June 2026, except the first pill figure, which is from the OASIS 4 publication.*

| Measure | Pill 25 mg vs placebo | Injection 2.4 mg vs placebo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Any stomach or gut side effect | 74.0% vs 42.2% | 73% vs 47% |
| Severe stomach or gut side effect | 2% vs 0% | 4.1% vs 0.9% |
| Stopped treatment for any side effect | 6.9% vs 5.9% | 6.8% vs 3.2% |
| Stopped for a stomach or gut side effect | 3.4% vs 2% | 4.3% vs 0.7% |
| Gallstones (cholelithiasis) | 2.5% vs 1% | 1.6% vs 0.7% |
| Dysesthesia (altered skin sensation) | 5% vs 0% | 2% vs 1% |

Gallstones were reported a little more often on the tablet than on the injection in their respective trials, and dysesthesia was reported in 5% on the tablet against 2% on the 2.4 mg injection. The label also says heart-rate findings in the tablet trial were similar to the injection's, where resting heart rate rose by 1 to 4 beats per minute on average.[1] Whether the pill works as well as the shot is a separate question, covered in [is the pill as good as the shot](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/is-the-pill-as-good-as-the-shot). The other approved weight-loss pill has its own record on [Foundayo side effects](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/foundayo-side-effects).

## Dysesthesia: the skin side effect on the Wegovy pill

Dysesthesia is an abnormal sensation in the skin. The label groups it with “related events of altered skin sensations including paresthesia, pain of skin, sensitive skin, and burning skin sensation.”[1] In plain terms: tingling, burning, or skin that hurts or feels unusually sensitive to touch.

> “The incidence of dysesthesia with WEGOVY increased with increasing dosage and drug levels in the blood.” … “In a clinical trial with WEGOVY 25 mg tablets, 5% of WEGOVY-treated patients and no placebo-treated patients reported dysesthesia adverse reactions.”
>
> — Wegovy FDA label, Section 6.1

The label's most detailed data on it come from the higher 7.2 mg injection, where 22% reported it. In that group most people whose dose was paused, lowered or stopped recovered, and the symptoms cleared sooner in people whose dose was changed than in people whose dose was left alone.[1] The label does not report recovery data for the tablet. Retatrutide, still in trials, shows the same effect at higher rates; see [retatrutide side effects](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/retatrutide-side-effects). If you notice new burning or tingling skin on the pill, tell your prescriber rather than waiting it out.

## When Wegovy pill side effects start and ease

The pill starts low and steps up every 30 days. According to the label, that slow climb is there to lower the chance of stomach and gut side effects.[1]

*Wegovy tablet dose schedule, FDA label Table 2 (one tablet a day).*

| Days | Daily dose | Stage |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 to 30 | 1.5 mg | Starting dose |
| 31 to 60 | 4 mg | Escalation |
| 61 to 90 | 9 mg | Escalation |
| 91 onward | 25 mg | Maintenance |

- **Expect the most trouble around each step up.** For the injection, the label says stomach side effects were reported most often during dose escalation.[1] The tablet steps up at day 31, day 61 and day 91.
- **A step can wait.** The label says that when a patient cannot tolerate a dose while stepping up, the prescriber can consider holding off on the next increase.[1]
- **If 25 mg is too much,** the label suggests considering a switch to the 1.7 mg weekly injection.[1]
- **Side effects can outlast the last pill.** The label estimates that semaglutide takes 5 to 7 weeks to clear once the final 25 mg tablet is taken.[1]

The full ladder, including what happens after a missed day, is on the [Wegovy dose ladder cheat sheet](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/cheat-sheets/wegovy-dose-ladder-cheat-sheet).

## How to take the Wegovy pill to limit stomach upset

The pill is absorbed mainly in the stomach, and only about 1% to 2% of each dose reaches the blood, so the way you take it matters more than it does for most tablets.[1] The label's rules are below; night dosing, missed tablets and staying on a lower dose are covered in [how to take the Wegovy pill](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/how-to-take-the-wegovy-pill):

1. Each morning, before any food, swallow one tablet with a small amount of plain water, 4 ounces at most. Coffee and juice do not count as water.[1] When coffee is fine is covered in [coffee on a GLP-1](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/coffee-and-caffeine-on-a-glp1).
2. Keep the tablet intact: no splitting, crushing, chewing or dissolving.[1]
3. Hold off on breakfast, other drinks and any other pills for 30 minutes or more.[1]
4. One tablet a day is the ceiling. Missed a morning? Let it go and resume the next day.[1]

Store the bottle at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F, and keep the tablets in their original bottle to protect them from moisture.[1] The injection's refrigeration rules are different; see [Wegovy storage](https://glpwatchdog.org/drugs/wegovy/storage).

## Serious Wegovy pill side effects and warnings

The tablet carries the same boxed warning and the same warnings as the injection, because it is the same drug.[1]

- **Thyroid C-cell tumors (boxed warning).** Semaglutide caused these tumors in rodents; whether it does in people is unknown. It is not for anyone who has had medullary thyroid carcinoma, has a close relative who has, or has MEN 2. Report a neck lump, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath or lasting hoarseness.[1]
- **Pancreatitis.** Persistent severe stomach pain, sometimes spreading to the back, with or without vomiting. Stop the drug and get checked.[1] More in [GLP-1 pancreatitis and gallbladder risk](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/glp1-pancreatitis-and-gallbladder-risk).
- **Gallbladder disease.** Gallstones were reported in 2.5% on the tablet and 1% on placebo.[1]
- **Dehydration and kidney injury.** Heavy vomiting or diarrhea can dry you out; the label ties most kidney-injury reports to that.[1]
- **Low blood sugar**, a risk that rises on top of insulin or a sulfonylurea.[1]
- **Faster resting heart rate**, and **serious allergic reactions**.[1]
- **Surgery and sedation.** Tell whoever is sedating you that you take it, because it slows stomach emptying.[1]

> **Two warnings specific to the tablet.** When the semaglutide tablet was tested alongside levothyroxine, blood levels of the thyroid drug came out 33% higher, so people on thyroid medicine may need closer monitoring.[1] More on that in [levothyroxine and a GLP-1](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/levothyroxine-and-a-glp1). And the label advises against breastfeeding while taking Wegovy tablets, because the absorption enhancer they contain (SNAC) passes into human milk.[1] How that compares with the injection and the other GLP-1s is in [GLP-1s while breastfeeding](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/glp1-while-breastfeeding).

## Compounded 'oral semaglutide' is not the Wegovy pill

Many telehealth sellers offer compounded semaglutide as tablets, dissolving tablets or drops. These are not Wegovy. They are made by compounding pharmacies, and the FDA says compounded drugs lack FDA approval: the agency does not check them for safety, effectiveness or quality before sale.[3] The Wegovy tablet is made with a specific absorption enhancer (SNAC), and the label's side-effect figures describe that product, not a compounded one.[1] For the differences in full, see [compounded vs. brand semaglutide](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/compounded-semaglutide-vs-brand-semaglutide). To compare sellers who prescribe the branded drug, see [brand semaglutide providers](https://glpwatchdog.org/best/semaglutide-providers/brand), or the shorter list of [sellers that price the Wegovy pill](https://glpwatchdog.org/best/semaglutide-providers/wegovy-pill), and for the pill's price at each dose, [what the Wegovy pill costs](https://glpwatchdog.org/research/wegovy-pill-cost).

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the most common Wegovy pill side effects?

Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and stomach pain, followed by headache, fatigue, indigestion and dizziness. Per the FDA label, the tablet's common side effects resembled the injection's, where nausea affected 44% against 16% on placebo.

### Does the Wegovy pill have fewer side effects than the injection?

Not clearly. Stomach and gut side effects were reported by 74.0% on the 25 mg pill against 42.2% on placebo in OASIS 4, and by 73% against 47% on the 2.4 mg injection. The figures come from different trials, so they cannot settle which form is gentler.

### What is dysesthesia on the Wegovy pill?

An altered skin sensation such as tingling, burning, or skin that is painful or unusually sensitive to touch. In the tablet trial 5% of people on 25 mg reported it against none on placebo, and the label says it becomes more common at higher doses and drug levels.

### How long do Wegovy pill side effects last?

For the injection, the label says stomach side effects were reported most often while the dose was being raised; the pill's increases fall at day 31, day 61 and day 91. The label estimates semaglutide takes 5 to 7 weeks to clear after a final 25 mg tablet, so effects can linger after stopping.

### Can I take the Wegovy pill with coffee?

No. Only plain water, 4 ounces or less, should go down with the tablet. Coffee, food and other pills should wait 30 minutes or more, because the label's absorption studies found more semaglutide reached the blood when people waited longer before eating.

## References

1. Novo Nordisk Inc. WEGOVY (semaglutide) injection and WEGOVY (semaglutide) tablets: US Prescribing Information (revised June 2026), Sections 2, 5, 6.1, 7.2, 8.2, 12.3 and 16. DailyMed (FDA-approved labeling). 2026. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b
2. Wharton S, Lingvay I, Bogdanski P, et al.; OASIS 4 Study Group Oral Semaglutide at a Dose of 25 mg in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2025. PMID: 40934115. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2500969. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40934115/
3. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA's Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss. FDA. 2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss
4. Novo Nordisk. FDA approves Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill, the first and only oral GLP-1 for weight loss in adults. PR Newswire. 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fda-approves-novo-nordisks-wegovy-pill-the-first-and-only-oral-glp-1-for-weight-loss-in-adults-302648344.html

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Cite as: GLP Watchdog, Ruth Calder, "Wegovy Pill Side Effects: What the Tablet Label Reports", published 2026-09-27, updated 2026-11-02. https://glpwatchdog.org/research/wegovy-pill-side-effects

Canonical HTML page: https://glpwatchdog.org/research/wegovy-pill-side-effects

Medical disclaimer: Nothing here is medical advice. We report on this subject; we do not treat anyone. Whether to begin a medication, supplement, or treatment, whether to adjust it, and whether to stop are questions for a clinician licensed to answer them, who knows your history.