Why do you need to take Foundayo every day?
Foundayo stays in our bloodstream for more than a day, but our liver keeps breaking it down. One tablet a day, the schedule used in the trials, replaces the amount our liver has cleared since the last tablet, so the level of Foundayo in our bloodstream stays about the same from one day to the next.1
Foundayo acts like GLP-1, a hormone that helps control blood sugar and appetite, by activating the same receptors.1
These receptors are found in the parts of our brain that regulate appetite, and in animal studies, orforglipron activated nerve cells in those areas. This helps us eat less by reducing food noise and how hungry we feel.1
Taking a tablet every other day would give our body twice as long to clear each dose, so the level of the drug in the bloodstream would fall further before the next tablet.
A drug’s half-life is the time it takes for the amount in our bloodstream to fall by half.
The UK prescribing information, the official document for prescribers, gives Foundayo a half-life of around 29 to 49 hours, or roughly 1 to 2 days, which allows it to be taken once a day.1
Weekly injections can be taken less often because they last much longer. Semaglutide, the drug in Wegovy injections, has a half-life of around 1 week, which is about 3 to 6 times as long as Foundayo’s.3
When we take Foundayo every day, some of the drug from earlier tablets is still in our bloodstream as the next one is absorbed, so the level builds up over the first week.1
The drug’s effect on our hunger levels requires a consistently higher level in the bloodstream. If we took the drug every other day, its effect on our hunger levels would be reduced.
The amount of Foundayo in our bloodstream rises in proportion to the tablet strength.1 Based on this, we’d expect halving the weekly dose to roughly halve the average level too.
Hunger and food noise (constant thoughts about food) could then return before we next take the drug.
We haven’t found any study measuring weight loss, appetite, or side effects with Foundayo taken every other day, so these expected changes are our interpretation of the published figures, not something anyone has tested.
Does a higher dose every other day work the same as a lower daily dose?
We don’t know, because no study has compared a higher-strength tablet every other day with a lower-strength tablet every day.
A higher-strength tablet produces a higher level of Foundayo in our bloodstream, but taking it every other day leaves 2 days for the level to fall before the next tablet.1
No one has measured how these higher and lower levels affect hunger or side effects, so there’s no tested way to convert the impact of a daily dose to an every-other-day dose.
Don’t take extra tablets, split tablets, or change strengths to create your own schedule. Each tablet must be swallowed whole, and the UK prescribing information says not to take more than one a day.1
What do the Foundayo trials show?
Foundayo’s trials show that people taking lower daily doses lose less weight on average. This is the closest evidence we have for what might happen when taking it every other day, because no trial has tested that schedule.1,2
ATTAIN-1, the main weight-loss trial, followed 3,127 adults for 72 weeks. They were living with obesity, or with overweight and a weight-related health condition, and none of them had type 2 diabetes.1,2
Everyone taking orforglipron started on a low dose and moved up every 4 weeks until they reached one of three daily doses (equivalent to the 5.5 mg, 9 mg, and 17.2 mg tablets). Others took a placebo, and everyone received advice on healthy eating and physical activity.1,2
The trial used capsules, and the UK prescribing information says its three doses (6 mg, 12 mg, and 36 mg) are equivalent to the 5.5 mg, 9 mg, and 17.2 mg tablets that are now available.1
People taking the dose equivalent to 17.2 mg had an average weight loss of 11.2%, compared with 2.1% on placebo. The 9 mg equivalent gave an average weight loss of 8.4%, and the 5.5 mg equivalent 7.5%.2
For someone weighing 90 kg, that’s around 10 kg on the 17.2 mg equivalent and around 7 kg on the 5.5 mg equivalent.
These weight-loss figures include everyone assigned to each dose, including people who stopped taking the medication before the end of the 72 weeks.2
If your tablet is 9 mg or lower, taking it every other day would give you less Foundayo each week than the lowest dose tested in ATTAIN-1. By our calculation, 9 mg every other day averages about 32 mg a week, compared with 38.5 mg on 5.5 mg every day.
Likewise, 17.2 mg every other day averages about 60 mg a week, slightly less than the 63 mg from 9 mg every day.
The average level of Foundayo in the bloodstream would be closer to 9 mg every day than to 17.2 mg every day, with larger rises and falls between tablets. We can’t say what weight-loss outcomes this would lead to, as no one has tested it.
| How you take Foundayo |
What does the evidence say? |
What does this mean in practice? |
| One prescribed tablet every day |
The UK licence and trials support daily tablets |
You follow the schedule tested in the trials, and your prescriber can change your dose if needed |
| A lower-strength tablet every day |
The UK licence and ATTAIN-1 support doses equivalent to the 5.5 mg and 9 mg tablets |
You take less Foundayo on the tested schedule, and people taking these doses had an average weight loss of 7.5% to 8.4% |
| The same tablet every other day |
No published trial has tested this schedule |
You take half as much Foundayo each week, but no one has measured how this affects weight loss or side effects |
| A higher-strength tablet every other day |
No published trial has tested this schedule, and there’s no tested way to convert the dose |
We’d expect the level to rise higher and fall lower than on a lower daily dose, but no one has measured this or how it affects weight loss or side effects |
| A missed tablet |
The UK prescribing information explains what to do |
Take it as soon as you can, but never take more than one tablet in a day |
What can I do if I’m struggling to take Foundayo every day?
You may be able to stay on one tablet a day by moving to a lower strength, taking longer before your next increase, or linking your tablet to your daily routine.
Foundayo comes in six strengths: 0.8 mg, 2.5 mg, 5.5 mg, 9 mg, 14.5 mg, and 17.2 mg. Everyone starts on 0.8 mg, and each dose increase comes after at least 30 days.1
In the weight-loss trials, people took the doses equivalent to the 0.8 mg and 2.5 mg tablets for 4 weeks each before moving up, and the lowest dose anyone stayed on in ATTAIN-1 was the 5.5 mg equivalent.1,2
We’d recommend telling your prescriber what the problem is, when it started, whether it got worse after a dose increase, how your hunger and weight have changed, and whether you’ve missed any tablets, so they can check whether your dose still suits you.
What to do if side effects are impacting quality of life
If you’re experiencing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or other side effects that are impacting your quality of life, we recommend asking your prescriber to review your dose before your next increase. These side effects are most common while the dose is being increased, and become less frequent over time.1
Stomach, digestive, and bowel problems are common at every dose. In the weight-loss trials, they affected 60.1% of people on the 5.5 mg equivalent, 67.4% on the 9 mg equivalent, and 68.7% on the 17.2 mg equivalent, compared with 36.3% on placebo.1
Most were mild or moderate. They led 3.7% of people on the 5.5 mg equivalent to stop treatment, compared with 6.8% on the 17.2 mg equivalent.1
Side effects were less common at the lowest dose, but there was little difference between 9 mg and 17.2 mg.
These figures compare separate groups of people, not people who reduced their dose because of side effects, so we can’t say how much a lower dose would help you.
Above 5.5 mg, whether you move up to the higher doses depends on how well Foundayo is working for you and how well you’re coping with any side effects, so you may be able to stay on a lower strength or take longer before increasing the dose.1
We recommend aiming to lose around 1 lb a week, as losing weight too quickly can increase the risk of losing excess lean tissues, such as muscle and bone.4
We also recommend staying on the lowest effective dose for as long as possible. If you’re losing weight sustainably and managing side effects well, there’s no clinical reason to increase your dose.
Even if you’re experiencing side effects, we recommend eating 3 balanced meals a day based on whole foods. Eat a protein-rich snack in-between meals if you start losing weight at a rate of over 1 lb per week.
Protein helps us maintain muscle and other lean tissues during weight loss.4 We recommend a serving the size of the palm of your hand at each meal.
It can be challenging to eat enough protein to maintain muscle mass while losing weight on GLP-1 medications because they reduce hunger. In this scenario, we recommend eating easier-to-digest protein sources like minced meat, scrambled eggs, tofu, white fish, or yoghurt.
Speak to your prescriber if you keep finding it hard to eat or drink, as you may need a lower dose. Our Foundayo side-effects guide explains how to manage symptoms in more detail.
Vomiting and diarrhoea can leave us dehydrated, which can affect how well our kidneys work.1 Drink plenty of fluids, such as water, taking small sips if you feel sick, and avoid fruit juice and fizzy drinks, which can make diarrhoea worse due to their high sugar content.5
Signs of dehydration include dark, smelly urine or urinating less than usual. A pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration powder, which you mix with water.5
Contact NHS 111 if you still have signs of dehydration after using rehydration sachets, you keep being sick and can’t keep fluids down, you have bloody diarrhoea or bleeding from your bottom, or vomiting lasts more than 2 days or diarrhoea lasts more than 7 days.5
An inflamed pancreas (acute pancreatitis) is a serious but uncommon side effect, affecting up to 1 in 100 people.6
See a doctor immediately if you have severe stomach pain that doesn’t go away, which may also reach your back, and don’t take another tablet until you’ve been checked.1,6 Call 999 or go to A&E if the pain is sudden and severe.5
If you’re struggling to afford your treatment
If you’re struggling to afford Foundayo, ask your prescriber about a lower daily dose before your current pack runs out, so you don’t have a gap in treatment.
At Second Nature, tablets up to 5.5 mg cost £129 a month, 9 mg costs £149, and 14.5 mg and 17.2 mg cost £179. These prices include the medication and support from our registered dietitians and nutritionists.
Moving from 17.2 mg to 9 mg would save £30 a month, and moving to 5.5 mg would save £50. The likely trade-off is less weight loss on average, but this also depends on whether you introduce healthy habits alongside the medication, which can support more weight loss.
Taking a tablet every other day would make a 30-tablet pack last around 60 days, but no study has tested how much weight people lose on that schedule.1
Prices vary between providers, and our Foundayo cost guide also gives our 12-month plan prices.
Foundayo isn’t available on the NHS for weight management yet. Our guide to Foundayo on the NHS covers who’s likely to qualify if it’s approved in the future.
What to do if you forget to take your medication
If you find yourself forgetting to take your medication, we recommend linking your tablet to something you already do every day.
For example, you could keep the pack beside your toothbrush, take your tablet after brushing your teeth each evening, and tick it off on a calendar, so you can check whether you’ve already taken it. We’d also recommend setting a phone reminder.
You can take Foundayo at any time of day, with or without food or water, so choose a time that fits your daily routine.1
Keep the tablets in their blister pack rather than a weekly pill organiser, because Foundayo is sensitive to light.1
If shift work or caring for someone makes your mornings unpredictable, an evening routine may be more reliable than taking it at breakfast.
If you take Foundayo for type 2 diabetes
Foundayo is also licensed to treat type 2 diabetes, so taking less of it could affect your blood sugar levels as well as your weight.
Higher doses lowered blood sugar more in ATTAIN-2, a trial of 1,613 adults living with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight.1
HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar over the past 2 to 3 months) fell by 1.2 percentage points on the lowest dose and 1.7 on the highest, compared with 0.5 on placebo. These figures include everyone assigned to each dose.7
The Foundayo patient information leaflet also warns that blood sugar levels can rise if you stop taking it.6 No study has tested what happens to blood sugar levels if you take Foundayo every other day, so we’d recommend speaking to your diabetes team before changing how often you take it.
If you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea (diabetes tablets that make the body release more insulin), ask your team whether those doses need changing if your Foundayo routine changes, because combining these medications can cause low blood sugar.1
What should I do if I miss a Foundayo dose?
If you miss a dose, the UK prescribing information says to take it as soon as possible and not to take more than one tablet in a day.
If you forget Monday’s tablet and only remember on Tuesday, take one tablet on Tuesday and carry on as normal, rather than taking two.1
This advice is for a tablet you’ve forgotten, not for leaving planned gaps between tablets.
The UK prescribing information doesn’t say what to do after several missed days. The U.S. prescribing information says to restart on a lower dose after 7 or more missed doses in a row, then build back up to reduce the risk of stomach side effects.1,8
This guideline is likely in place because most Foundayo would have left your bloodstream after about a week, so going straight back to your usual strength would be like skipping the gradual dose increases.
If you’ve missed several days, contact your prescriber before restarting. Tell them how many days you’ve missed, what strength you take, and any side effects you’ve had.
If you take the contraceptive pill, Foundayo may make it less effective. The UK prescribing information advises adding a barrier method, such as condoms, or switching to a non-oral method, such as an implant or coil, for 30 days after starting and for 30 days after each dose increase.1
If your prescriber restarts you on a lower dose and builds it back up, follow this advice after each increase.1
If you’ve already been taking Foundayo every other day
Speak to your prescriber before going back to one tablet a day. Tell them exactly what you’ve been doing, including which strength you take and for how long, so they can work out whether any changes in your weight, hunger, or side effects are linked to the gaps between tablets.
Going back to one tablet a day after weeks of taking it every other day doubles the amount of Foundayo you take each week. For example, 17.2 mg every other day is about 60 mg a week, and 17.2 mg every day is about 120 mg. That’s a bigger increase than any licensed dose step above 5.5 mg, so you might experience digestive side effects, as it would be a significant increase in the amount of the drug in your system.
Ask your prescriber whether to restart on a lower strength. If you take the contraceptive pill, ask whether the 30-day advice applies, and follow it after any dose increase.1
Take home message
We don’t recommend taking Foundayo every other day, because it halves your weekly dose and no study has tested this schedule. People taking lower daily doses in ATTAIN-1 lost less weight on average, so we’d expect you to lose less.1,2
If you’re concerned about ongoing costs and side effects, you may be able to move to a lower daily dose of 5.5 mg or more, which is the tested way to take less Foundayo, so speak to your prescriber before leaving gaps between tablets.2
We recommend staying on the lowest effective dose for as long as possible. If you’re introducing healthy habits and losing weight sustainably, there’s no clinical reason to increase your dose.
If you take Foundayo for type 2 diabetes, speak to your diabetes team first, because taking less could also affect your blood sugar.
If you’ve missed several days, or you’ve been taking it every other day, speak to your prescriber before going back to one tablet a day.
At Second Nature, our registered dietitians and nutritionists help members eat well when nausea makes meals difficult and build a daily routine around their tablet, alongside medication support.
Our published research found an average weight loss of 19.1% at 12 months among active subscribers on our semaglutide-supported programme.9
Among members with recorded 12-month weights, 77.7% lost at least 10%.9
Second Nature's Mounjaro and Wegovy programmes
Second Nature provides Mounjaro or Wegovy as part of our Mounjaro and Wegovy weight-loss programmes.
Why choose Second Nature over other medication providers, assuming you're eligible?
Because peace of mind matters.
We've had the privilege of working with the NHS for over eight years, helping people across the UK take meaningful steps toward a healthier, happier life.
Our programmes are designed to meet people where they are, whether that means support with weight loss through compassionate one-to-one health coaching, or access to the latest weight-loss medications (like Mounjaro and Wegovy) delivered alongside expert care from a multidisciplinary team of doctors, psychologists, dietitians, and personal trainers.
At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: real, lasting change comes from building better habits, not relying on quick fixes. We're here to support that change every step of the way.
With over a decade of experience, thousands of lives changed, and a long-standing record of delivering programmes used by the NHS, we believe we're the UK's most trusted weight-loss programme.
We hope to offer you something invaluable: peace of mind, and the support you need to take that first step.
Frequently asked questions
Can Foundayo still work if I take it every other day?
It may still reduce your appetite and help you lose some weight, but no study has measured this. You’d take half the weekly dose, and we’d expect less weight loss because people taking lower daily doses in ATTAIN-1 lost less weight on average.2
How long does Foundayo stay in your system?
Foundayo has a half-life of around 29 to 49 hours, meaning the level takes roughly 1 to 2 days to halve.1
A drug has mostly cleared after 4 to 5 half-lives, so we’d estimate that most of the Foundayo has gone roughly 5 to 10 days after your last tablet. This doesn’t tell us how long the effect on appetite would last.
If you’re planning a pregnancy, the UK prescribing information says to stop Foundayo at least 3 weeks beforehand.1 That’s a separate safety instruction, so follow it rather than our estimate.
Can I take a higher-strength Foundayo tablet less often?
We don’t recommend this, as the UK licence is for one tablet a day and no study has tested a higher strength taken less often. If daily tablets are hard to manage, ask your prescriber about a lower daily strength instead.
What if I forget one Foundayo tablet?
Take it as soon as you remember, and don’t take more than one tablet in a day. If you only remember the next day, take one tablet that day and carry on as normal.1
Should I restart at a lower dose after missing several days?
Ask your prescriber before restarting, and tell them how many days you’ve missed and what strength you take.
The UK prescribing information doesn’t cover this, but the U.S. prescribing information says to restart on a lower dose after 7 or more missed doses in a row.1,8
Can I cut a Foundayo tablet in half?
No. Foundayo tablets should be swallowed whole, without breaking, crushing, or chewing them.
If you’re struggling with side effects at your current dose, ask your prescriber about a lower dose.1
Can I take Foundayo at night instead of in the morning?
Yes. You can take Foundayo at any time of day, with or without food or water.1
We’re not aware of any evidence that one time of day leads to more weight loss or less side effects, so choose the time you’re most likely to remember.
Can I skip a tablet if my hunger and food noise are under control?
We don’t recommend skipping tablets. Foundayo may be keeping your hunger and food noise under control, but the level in our bloodstream falls when you miss a tablet.
Can I take Foundayo every other day once I’ve reached my target weight?
We don’t recommend this. Foundayo is also approved for weight maintenance, but with the instruction to take one tablet a day.1
In the ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial, people who had lost weight on Mounjaro or Wegovy injections maintained more weight loss on orforglipron (Foundayo) than on a placebo.
The trial used the two highest doses, taken every day, so it doesn’t tell us whether a lower dose or gaps between tablets would maintain weight loss as well.10
If you’re at a weight you’re happy with, we recommend asking your prescriber about reducing your dose to a level where you can still manage hunger and cravings for weight maintenance.
Is a lower daily dose an option if I get side effects?
Yes. You can stay on your current dose for longer or lower it, and you may be able to stay below 17.2 mg. Tell your prescriber which symptoms you’ve had and whether they started after a dose increase. Don’t change the dose yourself.1
