Take one Foundayo tablet once a day, at any time of day, with or without food and with no restrictions on water. Swallow it whole: don't break, crush or chew it. If you miss a dose, resume dosing as soon as possible, but never take more than one tablet in a day. If you miss seven or more days in a row, contact your prescriber before restarting. You start at 0.8mg and increase in steps, with at least 30 days on each dose, up to a maximum of 17.2mg. Never take extra tablets to reach a higher dose, because each strength is a separate tablet. Tell your prescriber and pharmacist about all your medicines, because a few (including some antibiotics, antifungals and St John's wort) affect how Foundayo works.
- Pick a timeAny time of day suits. Choose one you'll remember, such as with breakfast or when you brush your teeth
- Swallow it wholeTake one tablet with water. Don't break, crush or chew it
- Eat and drink as normalThere is no need to fast beforehand or wait afterwards
- Repeat dailyOne tablet each day. Never take more than one tablet in a day
Worth knowing
The UK product information states that Foundayo can be taken once daily at any time of day, without food or water restriction. Studies found no clinically relevant effect of food on how much medicine your body absorbs, even after a high-fat meal, so you can fit it around your routine rather than the other way round. To understand why, see our guide on how Foundayo works.
Because there are no timing rules, the best time is simply the one you'll stick to. Some people prefer the morning, so it becomes part of their start-to-the-day routine. Others take it in the evening with dinner. What matters is consistency: taking it at a similar time each day makes it easier to remember and helps you notice any pattern in side effects. If you find one time of day is worse for nausea, it's reasonable to try another and to mention it to your pharmacist or prescriber. Our Foundayo side effects guide covers how to manage nausea and other symptoms, and our nutrition guide has meal ideas that suit a lower appetite.
How Foundayo Compares With the Wegovy PillIf you've looked at oral GLP-1 tablets, you'll know that the Wegovy pill has a strict routine, set out in our guide to the sip & go routine. Foundayo is a different type of medicine, a small molecule rather than a peptide, which is why it doesn't need the same handling. See our full comparison in Foundayo vs the Wegovy pill.
| Foundayo | Wegovy pill | |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Any time of day | First thing in the morning |
| Food and drink | No food or water restriction | Empty stomach, with only a small sip of water |
| Waiting before eating | None | 30 minutes |
| Swallowing | Whole, not broken, crushed or chewed | Whole with a sip of water |
| Missed dose | Resume as soon as possible; never more than one tablet a day | Skip that day and resume the next morning (see our Wegovy pill missed dose guide) |
For how a tablet compares with a weekly injection, see pill or injection and Foundayo vs Mounjaro, and to understand the wider Wegovy pill, see what the Wegovy pill is. Check who Foundayo is licensed for in our Foundayo eligibility guide.
Foundayo is started at a low dose and increased gradually to help your body adjust and reduce the risk of stomach side effects. You must spend at least 30 days on each dose before it can be increased, and your prescriber decides whether to move up based on how you are responding and how well you are tolerating it. That means it takes a minimum of around five months to reach the top dose of 17.2mg. See our full Foundayo dosage and titration guide for the detail.
Earliest possible timeline if every step is taken at the 30-day minimum. Your prescriber decides your actual pace, and you may stay on a dose for longer or stop at a lower dose.
| Step | Daily dose | Minimum time at this dose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.8mg | At least 30 days |
| 2 | 2.5mg | At least 30 days |
| 3 | 5.5mg | At least 30 days |
| 4 | 9mg | At least 30 days |
| 5 | 14.5mg | At least 30 days |
| 6 | 17.2mg (maximum) | Ongoing, if you and your prescriber decide to continue |
Important
Each dose is a separate tablet strength. Never take more than one tablet a day to reach a higher dose, and never increase your dose without your prescriber's agreement. The tablets sold in the UK are also not interchangeable milligram for milligram with the capsules used in the clinical trials.
The UK product information lists an identifier imprint for each tablet strength, and also shows how each strength relates to the capsule strengths used in the clinical trials. The 9mg tablet is described as a pink, oval tablet, about 10mm by 5mm, debossed with "G4" on one side and "Lilly" on the other. If your tablets don't match what your pharmacy label says, don't take them: contact your pharmacist. Our MHRA safety guide on fake weight loss injections explains the wider counterfeit risk, and why buying from a registered pharmacy matters.
| Identifier imprint | UK tablet strength | Equivalent trial capsule |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | 0.8mg | 1mg |
| G2 | 2.5mg | 3mg |
| G3 | 5.5mg | 6mg |
| G4 | 9mg | 12mg |
| G5 | 14.5mg | 24mg |
| G6 | 17.2mg | 36mg |
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You forget your dose for the day | Take it as soon as you remember. Never take two tablets on the same day |
| It's nearly time for tomorrow's dose | Resume your normal daily routine and don't double up |
| You've missed several days | Resume dosing as soon as possible, and let your prescriber know |
| You've missed seven or more days in a row | Contact your prescriber before restarting, as you may need to restart at a lower dose |
The UK prescribing information says that if a dose is missed, dosing should be resumed as soon as possible, and that more than one tablet should not be taken per day. After a longer gap, it makes sense to speak to your prescriber rather than restart at your previous dose, because your stomach may be less accustomed to it. For how missed doses work with the other treatments, see our guides for the Wegovy pill and Mounjaro.
Foundayo is processed by liver enzymes and transporters, so certain other medicines can raise or lower its levels. Always tell your prescriber and pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies and over-the-counter products.
| Type of medicine | Examples | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors | Clarithromycin, ketoconazole, itraconazole | Max 9mg Maximum Foundayo dose is 9mg |
| OATP1B inhibitors | Ciclosporin | Max 9mg Maximum Foundayo dose is 9mg |
| Strong CYP3A4 inducers | Rifampicin, phenytoin, carbamazepine, St John's wort | Avoid Avoid taking with Foundayo, as they can reduce its effectiveness |
| Some HIV and hepatitis C medicines | Ritonavir, telaprevir | Avoid Should be avoided with Foundayo |
| Statins | Rosuvastatin, simvastatin | Adjust Caution with rosuvastatin above 20mg; simvastatin dose should be halved |
| Diabetes medicines | Sulfonylureas, insulin; metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors | Adjust Sulfonylurea or insulin doses may need reducing to avoid low blood sugar; metformin and SGLT2 doses can usually continue |
| Oral hormonal contraceptives | The combined and progestogen-only pill | Extra precaution Switch to non-oral or add a barrier method for 30 days after starting and after each dose increase |
Foundayo also slows how quickly the stomach empties, especially after the first dose, which can slightly affect how fast some other tablets are absorbed. In studies, paracetamol absorption was a little slower, but no clinically relevant effect on commonly used medicines is expected. For more on contraception, see our Mounjaro and contraception guide, which compares the precautions across treatments, and our guides to Foundayo for women over 40 and Foundayo and PCOS. If you take diabetes medicines, see Foundayo and type 2 diabetes.
Before Surgery, Dental Work or AnaesthesiaGLP-1 medicines delay stomach emptying, and cases of food or liquid entering the lungs (pulmonary aspiration) have been reported in people on GLP-1 medicines who had general anaesthesia or deep sedation. If you have any planned procedure, tell the clinical team that you take Foundayo well in advance and follow their instructions about when to stop and how to prepare. Don't stop or restart on your own initiative.
Alcohol, Pregnancy and Other Points- Alcohol isn't prohibited, but it can worsen nausea and dehydration; see our guide to Foundayo and alcohol
- Foundayo must not be used in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and should be stopped at least three weeks before a planned pregnancy because of how long it takes to leave your body
- Use effective contraception throughout treatment, with extra precautions around starting and each dose increase if you use the pill
- Don't combine Foundayo with another GLP-1 medicine, including a Wegovy or Mounjaro injection or the Wegovy pill
- Storage: the UK product information doesn't specify special temperature storage conditions; keep tablets out of children's sight and reach
Stomach-related side effects are the most common, and they tend to be most noticeable when you start and after each dose increase, then fade over time. In the weight-management trials, stomach and bowel side effects occurred in roughly 60 to 69% of people on Foundayo compared with 36% on placebo, and were mostly mild (about 62%) or moderate (about 34%), with around 4% severe. Between about 4 and 7% stopped treatment because of them, compared with under 1% on placebo. Our Foundayo side effects guide covers how to manage them, and what results to expect is covered in our before and after guide.
| How common | Side effects |
|---|---|
| Very common More than 1 in 10 | Nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal pain |
| Common 1 in 10 to 1 in 100 | Dizziness, headache, faster heart rate, low blood pressure, bloating, belching, reflux, wind, gallstones, hair loss, tiredness |
| Uncommon 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000 | Altered taste, abnormal skin sensations, acute pancreatitis |
Important
Seek immediate medical attention for persistent, severe abdominal pain, which can be a sign of pancreatitis, and for signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face, lips or throat. Contact your prescriber if vomiting or diarrhoea is persistent, as dehydration can affect your kidneys.
If your weight loss slows as treatment goes on, our Foundayo plateau guide explains what is normal, our muscle preservation guide covers protecting lean mass, and our guide to maintaining weight loss after Foundayo covers what comes next.
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Our GPhC-registered pharmacy team can talk through how to take your tablets, your dose plan and any medicines you're already taking.
Start Your Free Online Consultation → Use code SWITCH10 if you're switching from another provider Happy Pharmacy is a GPhC-registered pharmacy (No. 9013192) — Superintendent Pharmacist: Palvinder Deol — Rated 4.8★ Excellent on Trustpilot- Foundayo® (orforglipron) film-coated tablets, UK Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic Medicines Compendium (emc), last updated August 2026.
- MHRA. UK first in Europe to authorise orforglipron for weight management and type 2 diabetes, 10 August 2026.
- Wharton S, et al. Orforglipron for adults with obesity (ATTAIN-1). N Engl J Med. 2025.
- MHRA. Yellow Card scheme, reporting suspected side effects of medicines.