Colleen O’Connor arrived at a luxurious hotel in Nice, France, her excitement palpable as she finally disembarked from a lengthy six-hour flight from Long Island, New York.

She meticulously planned her adventure, ensuring she chose a hotel that promised the convenience of an in-room refrigerator. This was crucial for storing her weekly Wegovy injections, which required refrigeration.

However, O’Connor shared with the Daily Mail that upon checking into her hotel, she discovered that the promised refrigerator was missing.

“I decided it was safer to skip a dose than to inject something that had been at room temperature,” she explained. “Discarding the dose was frustrating and disheartening. It felt like a waste of money and progress, adding unnecessary stress to what was meant to be a joyful trip.”

Wasting that $49 dose was her first indication that the much-hyped treatment, which boasted the potential to help users lose up to 15 percent of their body weight, might not be the right fit for her.

Initially, the injections were effective. Since starting them in February 2025, she had lost approximately 30 pounds, and her constant food cravings had diminished. Yet, she soon hit a plateau where, despite a suppressed appetite, her weight loss stagnated.

‘I had been hearing for a while that an oral option might be coming [to the market], and that immediately caught my attention,’ O’Connor said. ‘Given my lifestyle, especially how much I travel, a pill just seemed more practical and less stressful.’

Since starting her weight loss journey last year, Colleen O’Connor has shed roughly 40lbs and is nearing her goal of 50 to 60lbs gone

In January, O’Connor began taking the daily Wegovy pill for weight loss, which contains the main ingredient semaglutide. 

It first became available in US pharmacies starting January 5 and has since taken the country by storm. By January 23, more than 50,000 prescriptions were being filled a week and more than 170,000 people were taking the drug. 

O’Connor gets the FDA-approved Wegovy pills from online pharmacy Ro, and pays $149 for a month’s supply.

The daily oral medication is taken 30 minutes before eating so that it is absorbed in the empty stomach where there is no food to interfere with how the medication gets into the bloodstream. 

Previously, O’Connor was paying $199 a month for compounded versions of weight-loss injections from the online pharmacy Hers. Like many American adults, her insurance would not cover brand-name jabs which, under the six-month paid-up-front sum, cost about $49 per pen.

But after her weight plateaued, she began to develop a feeling she dubbed ‘shot anxiety.’

She was so confused by the stagnant weight that she worried whether the pens she was using actually had the correct amount of medication inside. 

‘I didn’t mind giving myself shots,’ she added, ‘but it just got tedious and worrisome.’ 

It’s not uncommon for people taking Wegovy, Ozempic or compounded versions of either to see their weight loss progress come to a standstill. 

Plus, as weight drops, so does the body’s resting metabolism. 

People taking semaglutide often move less without realizing it because their lower calorie intake can subtly drain their energy. And a lack of energy can lead to a reduction in daily movement that adds up over time.

It’s also crucial to remember that not all weight being lost is from fat.

Studies show that up to 40 percent of semaglutide-related weight loss comes from lean muscle mass, which directly impacts how efficiently the body burns energy.

O’Connor had desperately struggled to lose weight and said that while she did shave off some pounds, they always crept back on 

O’Connor had previously tried dieting and Weight Watchers, but found calorie-counting stressful

This plateau can be confusing for a person who seems to be doing everything right.

Up until then, her path to losing weight had not been easy.

She tried the famed Weight Watchers to no avail. She tried Optavia – the rigid, prepackaged meal program she said she absolutely hated – also with no lasting luck.

Along her journey, she said the weight would come off, but it always crept back the moment she stopped whatever program she was on. Dieting felt like a punishment comprised of a joyless cycle of deprivation and calorie counting that made socializing and sharing meals with loved ones a source of stress.

Now, on medication, she said she doesn’t have to choose between enjoying her life and managing her weight. 

So far, the pill has allowed her to eat normally, go out with friends and actually savor food without the constant mental math of calorie restriction.

While some customers have reported lackluster results, O’Connor’s have been nothing but positive.

‘It’s only been about a month since I switched to the pill,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘I signed up for a prescription almost immediately when it became available because I was eager to try it.

‘In this first month, I’ve lost about 8lbs, which feels significant especially after going a few months on the shots without losing anything. It feels like forward momentum again, which is motivating.’

O’connor has lost 8lbs in a month after switching from weight-loss shots to the Wegovy pill

A pill form of Wegovy hit the market on January 5 and demand has since skyrocketed. By January 23, weekly prescriptions had topped 50,000, with more than 170,000 people now taking the drug

‘I didn’t experience any noticeable side effects,’ she added. ‘What I did notice was that at dinner, I was naturally taking smaller portions without feeling deprived. That was reassuring because it felt like the medication was working without making me feel sick or uncomfortable.’

For patients who have hit a plateau on weekly Wegovy injections, switching to the daily pill may offer a solution. 

It provides a steady daily dose that keeps appetite and food noise consistently suppressed throughout the week, unlike the weekly injection that can wear off before the next dose is due.

For O’Connor, the new oral iteration is a game-changer.

‘The biggest positive is that I no longer have to give myself a weekly injection,’ she said. ‘That alone feels huge.

‘Pills just fit more seamlessly into daily life and feel more discreet overall. So far, I’m feeling optimistic. It feels simpler, more aligned with my lifestyle and I’m genuinely excited to see how this journey continues.’

There is little difference between the pill and the injection when it comes to side effects. Both versions of the medication overwhelmingly affect the digestive system, leading to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and stomach cramps.

Because the oral version of Wegovy is still so new, researchers and clinicians don’t yet have enough real-world data to say definitively whether its side effects will prove better, worse or largely the same as the injectable.

The clinical trials offer early clues that the profile is nearly identical, but those trials cannot always capture what happens when millions of patients take a medication long-term.