Side effects
When to call your doctor on the Wegovy pill
The Medication Guide names the moments. Severe stomach pain that does not go away, with or without vomiting, sometimes felt through to the back: stop and call right away. Upper stomach pain with fever, yellow skin or eyes, or clay colored stools: call. Vomiting or diarrhea you cannot keep up with: drink fluids and call. A lump in the neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing or breathing: call. A rash, swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing: stop and get help.
DM, the one who read the label
Sources checked Sep 28, 2026
Published Oct 26, 2026
Updated Sep 28, 2026 · 2 min read
The short answer
The Medication Guide names the moments. Severe stomach pain that does not go away, with or without vomiting, sometimes felt through to the back: stop and call right away. Upper stomach pain with fever, yellow skin or eyes, or clay colored stools: call. Vomiting or diarrhea you cannot keep up with: drink fluids and call. A lump in the neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing or breathing: call. A rash, swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing: stop and get help.
What the Medication Guide says
Every box of the pill comes with a Medication Guide, and its list of serious side effects is the list to keep. These are its words, shortened only where the guide repeats itself.
Pancreatitis. Stop using the pill and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area that will not go away, with or without nausea or vomiting. Sometimes the pain is felt from the abdomen to the back.
Gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Call your healthcare provider if you have pain in your upper stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, fever, or clay colored stools. Some gallbladder problems need surgery.
Dehydration leading to kidney problems. Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting can cause a loss of fluids, which can cause kidney problems. The guide asks you to drink fluids to reduce the chance of dehydration.
Low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, especially with insulin or a sulfonylurea. Signs: dizziness or light-headedness, sweating, shakiness, blurred vision, slurred speech, weakness, anxiety, hunger, headache, irritability, confusion or drowsiness, fast heartbeat, feeling jittery.
Thyroid tumors. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath.
Serious allergic reactions. Stop using the pill and get medical help right away for swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, a severe rash, fainting or a very rapid heartbeat.
The prescribing information adds one line for the heart: patients should tell their healthcare provider about palpitations or a racing heartbeat.
What this page is not
It is not a way to decide whether a symptom is serious. The guide's rule is simpler than any decision tree: the symptoms above are calls, and a doubt is a call. If you think you have an emergency, call your local emergency number.
What people actually do
The forums are full of ordinary side effects and short on the serious ones, which is as it should be. What people describe struggling with is the line between a bad nausea day and the pancreatitis warning, and the answer they give each other is the guide's: pain that stays, that is not just nausea, that reaches the back, is a call.
Oolite's journal keeps the days, so a symptom that is getting worse over a week is visible as a line rather than a feeling. It never judges a symptom. The Medication Guide's list is printed in the app, word for word, and the number to call is the prescriber's.
Questions people ask
How do I tell ordinary nausea from pancreatitis?
The Medication Guide describes pancreatitis as severe pain in the stomach area that will not go away, with or without nausea or vomiting, sometimes felt from the abdomen to the back. Ordinary nausea comes and goes and has no such pain. If you are unsure, the guide's answer is to stop and call.
What are the gallbladder signs?
The guide lists pain in the upper stomach, yellowing of the skin or eyes, fever, and clay colored stools, and says to call your healthcare provider if you have any of them.
I have type 2 diabetes. What about low blood sugar?
The guide says the risk is higher in people with type 2 diabetes, especially with insulin or a sulfonylurea, and lists the signs: dizziness, sweating, shakiness, blurred vision, weakness, hunger, fast heartbeat, confusion. It asks you to check your blood sugar and to talk to your prescriber about recognising and treating a low.
Is a racing heart something to report?
The label asks patients to tell their healthcare provider about palpitations or feelings of a racing heartbeat, and prescribers to monitor heart rate.
Sources
- Wegovy Medication Guide, Novo Nordisk, revised 06/2026 · Serious side effects: pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, low blood sugar in type 2 diabetes, dehydration leading to kidney problems, thyroid tumor symptoms, allergic reactions.
- Wegovy prescribing information, §5.9 Heart Rate Increase, 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.
How these pages are madeOolite
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