Wegovy at Pandora Family Medicine

Wegovy is an injectable medication taken once a week. Its active ingredient is semaglutide, which works by mimicking a hormone your body already makes, one that signals fullness, slows digestion, and reduces appetite. At the higher doses used in Wegovy, most people eat significantly less without feeling deprived.

Clinical trials showed an average weight loss of around 15 percent of body weight over 68 weeks. That is a meaningful result, and it is why Wegovy has gotten so much attention. But the medication works best when it is part of a broader plan that includes follow-up, monitoring, and honest conversations about what is and is not working.

That is what Dr. Gougian provides. You are not getting a prescription and a goodbye. You are getting a doctor who tracks your progress, adjusts the plan when needed, and is available for follow-up care.

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   What that means in practice

   You do not need to prove you are sick enough. You do not need to have failed a specific number of diets. If you are carrying weight that is affecting your health or your quality of life, that is a legitimate reason to ask about treatment. Dr. Gougian will have a straightforward conversation with you about whether Wegovy makes sense, and if it does not, whether something else might.

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   No judgment here

   Weight is complicated. Genetics, hormones, stress, sleep, medications, and life circumstances all play a role. Dr. Gougian approaches weight as a medical issue, not a willpower issue. If you have tried other things before and they did not stick, that is worth talking about, not something to be embarrassed about.

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   We stay with you after the prescription

   Getting the prescription is just the beginning. Dr. Gougian monitors how your body is responding, adjusts your dose on the standard Wegovy schedule, and checks in on side effects and labs at follow-up visits. This is physician-guided care, not a subscription box that ships and disappears. If something isn't working, we figure out why.

This comes up constantly, and it is a fair question. Wegovy and Ozempic contain the same active ingredient: semaglutide. The difference is what they are FDA-approved for and how they are dosed.

Ozempic is approved to treat type 2 diabetes and to reduce cardiovascular risk in people with diabetes. Wegovy is approved specifically for chronic weight management and uses a higher maximum dose. Prescribing Ozempic off-label for weight loss is common and sometimes appropriate, but Wegovy is the version designed and studied for that purpose.

If you came in asking about Ozempic because that is the name you know, that is fine. Dr. Gougian will help you understand which medication fits your situation and why. Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide, are also available and may be a better fit depending on your health history.

Our office is at 6300 Baltimore Ave, University Park, MD 20782, on Route 1 between Hyattsville and College Park, a short drive from Washington, DC and close to Metro’s Green Line.