Injectable Weight loss medications are becoming increasingly available and can be an effective tool in supporting people to manage their weight effectively and for certain related health conditions including type 2 diabetes.
The government has published the latest guidance on weight loss injections including who is eligible for weight loss medications and how they can be safely and effectively used.
People are reminded that:
Injectable weight loss medications including brands such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are prescription only medications. They should only be provided under the direction of a GP, registered pharmacist or health care professional as part of a personal weight management plan or for specific health conditions.
Injectable weight loss medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media, or from anywhere without a prior consultation with a healthcare professional. There are reports of people experiencing severe side effects from fake weight loss medications.
Always have a conversation with your GP or health care professional bout the benefits and risks of weight loss medications before you start taking them
What are injectable weight loss medications?
There are currently 3 injectable medications for weight loss that are approved by the national regulator The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use in the UK. These are Liraglutide (Saxenda®), Semaglutide (Wegovy®) and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®). Liraglutide is given as a daily injection, whilst semaglutide and tirzepatide are weekly injections. Liraglutide and semaglutide are used for up to 2 years. Tirzepatide may be used for longer.
These medications contain Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) inhibitors. GLP-1 helps people living with obesity to lose weight by reducing their appetite therefore, decreasing the amount of food or drinks a person may have in a day. This makes food choices extremely important and therefore medication must be used alongside a balanced, varied and healthy diet. Due to the weight loss effect of the medication, people lose fat but also muscle. This can lead to increased weakness and frailty as well as poor bone health in the long term. Moving your body and doing resistance training can combat this effect and improve your overall body composition.
It is also common for weight to increase once you stop using the medicine. This can negatively impact mental health and self-confidence, and may contribute to a cycle of repeated dieting, known as diet cycling.
The Role of Healthcare Professionals. Weight loss drugs should only be used under the supervision of a qualified healthcare provider. This may include your GP, a local weight management service, or a pharmacist. A healthcare professional can:
- Assess your needs and determine if the medication is appropriate based on your health status, goals, and preferences.
- Support lifestyle changes: Combine medication with healthy eating and physical activity for best results.
- Monitor side effects: Help you understand and manage any adverse reactions.
- Plan for long-term success by discussing whether long-term use is necessary and how to maintain weight loss after stopping the medication.
- Provide a reporting process and encourage you to report any issues to your provider or through the Government’s MHRA Yellow Card scheme. Yellow Card | Making medicines and medical devices safer
The Risks of Unsupervised Use.
The MHRA has not assessed the safety and effectiveness of these medicines when used outside of their licensed use, for example when used for weight loss in people who are not obese or overweight. It is also not licenced to use in adolescence unless prescribed by a specialist weight management service and can cause serious side effects and long-term complication for adolescent if used unsupervised. GLP-1s are medicines licensed to treat specific medical disorders and should not be used if you are not overweight or diabetic or want to lose weight for aesthetic or cosmetic purposes. While these medications can be effective tools in a weight loss programme, they are not a magic bullet. You will need a comprehensive medical assessment to ensure you are safe to use this medication.
There are many pharmacies, including online pharmacies that are licenced to sell this medication and they will do the initial assessment and communicate back to your own GP. Many of these do not provide dietary and physical activity support. If you intend to buy these medication you need to access it through a registered pharmacy. The NHS provides a list of online licenced pharmacies which can be found here: Internet Pharmacies
There are a lot of unregulated companies selling counterfeit products. This can be bought on social media, Amazon etc. These products are unregulated and not proven to be effective or safe and can have dangerous interactions with existing medications or health conditions. We would urge you to avoid buying any weight loss drugs from unregulated sites or businesses.
Free Weight Management Support in Bolton
ABL provide support that adapts to your lifestyle, offering flexible advice on nutrition and fitness that’s specially designed for you. We understand that your challenges can influence your path to wellbeing. Instead of offering the same solution to everyone, we provide a more flexible and balanced approach. You won’t find any strict diets or rigid routines here. We focus on sustainable changes that work well with your daily life, ensuring you maintain good health and energy.
ABL is available to support individuals who are currently using or have previously used weight loss medications. They can assist in maintaining weight loss and in developing or re-establishing healthy habits that may have been disrupted during medication use.
However, Your Health Bolton is not able to prescribe weight loss medications or request a prescription from your GP on your behalf.
Join online today Weight Loss – Your Health Bolton or call 01204 570999
Frequently Asked Questions
- Which drugs have been approved by MHRA to be safe for prescribed purposes
- Be aware of scams: Be cautious of online advertisements and websites offering weight loss medications without a prescription, as they may be fake or unsafe.
- What should these drugs look like ? Legitimate GLP-1 medicines are provided in pre-filled injection pens. Products supplied as a powder in vials which must be mixed with a liquid prior to injection are not authorised and pose significant health risks. There have also been reports of counterfeit pre-filled pens that closely mimic the appearance of the licensed products. These may look genuine but can also be dangerous. Not only does buying from unregulated sellers expose people wanting to lose weight to serious health risks – it is also against the law to sell these medicines in this way.
- The only way to guarantee you receive a genuine GLP-1 medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy, including those trading online, with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional. GLP-1 medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media, or from anywhere without a prior consultation with a healthcare professional. We have had reports of people experiencing severe side effects from fake GLP-1 medicines.
- Can I take weight loss drugs while breastfeeding? GLP-1 medicines should not be taken by people who are breastfeeding. This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking a GLP-1 medicine can cause harm to the baby. If you have any concerns, speak to a healthcare professional.
- Can I take weight loss drugs if I have mental health issues? A safety review, the MHRA concluded that there is no association between GLP-1s and depression, suicidal ideation and suicide. The MHRA will continue to closely monitor the risk of severe psychiatric reactions associated with these medicines and will assess new data as it becomes available.
- Can I take weight loss drugs if I am about to have a surgical procedure or an operation? If you are taking a GLP-1 medicine, make sure you inform your healthcare team including the anaesthetist about this prior to your surgical procedure. This medicine slows the emptying of your stomach, increasing the risk that stomach contents (e.g. food and drink) could enter into your airways and lungs during surgery or procedures whilst you are under general anaesthesia or deep sedation. This means that a modification to the pre-procedure instruction and anaesthetic technique may be required.
- Continue to take your prescribed medicine(s) as usual and do not stop your treatment without first discussing this with your doctor.
- Contraception. All individuals of child-bearing potential (who are able to become pregnant) using GLP-1 medications should take steps to ensure they do not become pregnant.
- Pregnancy. GLP-1 medicines should not be taken during pregnancy or just before trying to get pregnant. This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking a GLP-1 medicine can cause harm to the baby. In some animal studies, GLP-1 medicines were found to be harmful to the unborn foetus, although more information is needed to see whether or not this same effect would be seen in humans. If you are using a GLP-1 medicine and think you might be pregnant, speak to a healthcare professional straight away.
- Ensure you dispose of needles safely that can be a danger to other people. You should be given a sharps box from your provider and then look for a local pharmacists who can destroy them safely.