Side effects
Constipation and reflux on the Wegovy pill
Both are on the label's list. Constipation was reported by 24 percent of people on the injection against 11 on placebo, reflux by 5 against 3, indigestion by 9 against 3, and the tablet trial found the same profile. The label's mechanism sentence explains all three: the drug slows the emptying of the stomach.
DM, the one who read the label
Sources checked Sep 28, 2026
Published Oct 12, 2026
Updated Sep 28, 2026 · 2 min read
The short answer
Both are on the label's list. Constipation was reported by 24 percent of people on the injection against 11 on placebo, reflux by 5 against 3, indigestion by 9 against 3, and the tablet trial found the same profile. The label's mechanism sentence explains all three: the drug slows the emptying of the stomach.
What the label says
The side effect table has a cluster of lines that belong together.
| Reported by | Placebo | Wegovy 2.4 mg injection |
|---|---|---|
| Constipation | 11 % | 24 % |
| Dyspepsia (indigestion) | 3 % | 9 % |
| Abdominal distension | 5 % | 7 % |
| Eructation (burping) | under 1 % | 7 % |
| Gastroesophageal reflux disease | 3 % | 5 % |
The tablet trial, the label says, found the same types and frequencies. And the sentence that ties them together is in the drug interaction section:
From the labelWEGOVY causes a delay of gastric emptying.
A stomach that empties more slowly stays full longer. That is the appetite effect, and it is also the burping, the pressure, the reflux at night, and the constipation further down.
What the label does not offer
A remedy. It lists the effects and leaves the management to the prescriber. It does say one thing about timing: anything swallowed, a fibre supplement, a reflux tablet, waits until the 30 minutes after the tablet are over.
What people actually do
Night reflux is one of the forum's signature complaints on 4 mg: waking at three, antacids on the nightstand, sleeping propped up. Constipation is described in days rather than in degrees, and it is one of the main reasons people ask for fibre and magnesium. Burping, often with a sulphur taste, gets its own threads.
What people connect these effects to is what and how much they eat once the appetite drops: bigger gaps between meals, less water, less fibre. The advice they give each other is a food log, which is also the advice for nausea, and the reason is the same: the trigger is easier to see written down.
Oolite's journal keeps it in two taps a day, by step, and the Medication Guide's warning signs are in the app word for word. Remedies are the prescriber's.
Questions people ask
Why does the pill cause constipation?
The label's own explanation is delayed gastric emptying: food moves out of the stomach more slowly. The label says it in the drug interaction section, as the reason other oral medicines may absorb differently. Slower transit is also why constipation and indigestion are on the list.
Does the reflux get worse at a particular step?
The label does not report effects by step for the tablet. On the forums, night reflux is described most at 4 mg. That is description, not a rate.
What can I take for it?
The label lists the effects and prescribes no remedy. Anything taken by mouth waits until the 30 minutes are over. What to take is your prescriber's or pharmacist's call.
When is stomach trouble a reason to call?
The Medication Guide separates ordinary effects from severe stomach pain that will not go away, sometimes felt through to the back, which is the pancreatitis warning, and from vomiting or diarrhea that does not stop, which can dehydrate. Both are calls.
Sources
- Wegovy prescribing information, Novo Nordisk, §6.1, Table 3 and Study 7, and §7.2, revised 06/2026 · Constipation 24 percent vs 11; dyspepsia 9 vs 3; gastroesophageal reflux disease 5 vs 3; abdominal distension 7 vs 5; eructation 7 vs under 1; tablet trial similar; delayed gastric emptying.
- Wegovy Medication Guide, Novo Nordisk, revised 06/2026
Sources checked Sep 28, 2026. This page is information, not medical advice: read the medical disclaimer, and talk to your prescriber or pharmacist about your own treatment.
Written by
DM, the one who read the label
I make Oolite. I read every label revision the day it comes out and rewrite these answers when they change.
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