Weight management
Weight management treatment, online
Weight management medication can help when diet and activity alone have not been enough. It is not a shortcut, and it is not for everyone: these are licensed medicines with real side effects, used alongside changes to how you eat and move, and they are only licensed above a certain BMI.
Around 30% of adults in England are living with obesity, and a further third are overweight. Carrying extra weight raises the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnoea, liver disease and several cancers.
A consultation does not guarantee a prescription. A prescriber decides what, if anything, is appropriate for you.
When weight becomes a health problem
- A BMI of 30 or above, or 27 and above alongside a weight-related condition
- Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
- High blood pressure or high cholesterol
- Breathlessness, or snoring and daytime sleepiness that may be sleep apnoea
- Joint pain that limits what you can do
Why weight is harder to shift than people are told
Physical causes
- The body defends its highest sustained weight, lowering energy use as you lose
- Appetite hormones shift after weight loss and push towards regaining
- Some medicines cause weight gain, including certain antidepressants and steroids
- Underactive thyroid, and conditions such as Cushing's syndrome
- Poor sleep and obstructive sleep apnoea
Psychological causes
- Stress and raised cortisol
- Depression, and the appetite changes that come with it
- Eating patterns established long before adulthood
- Using food to manage difficult feelings
Treatment options
This is the full range, including the options we don't provide. Which one is right is a decision for you and a prescriber together — not something to choose from a list.
Changing what you eat
Via your GP or a specialistStill the foundation. A sustained calorie deficit is what produces weight loss; everything else makes it easier to hold.
Physical activity
Via your GP or a specialistDoes less for weight loss than most people expect, and more for keeping it off, for blood pressure and for mood.
NHS weight management services
Via your GP or a specialistTiered support, free, and often including the same medicines. Worth asking your GP about before paying privately.
GLP-1 receptor agonists
Available through this serviceA class of prescription-only medicine given as a weekly injection. They slow stomach emptying and reduce appetite. Licensed above a BMI of 30, or 27 with a weight-related condition. Nausea, constipation and reflux are common early on, and weight is usually regained after stopping.
Weight loss surgery
Via your GP or a specialistThe most effective option for sustained loss at higher BMI, and the most invasive. Arranged through a specialist bariatric service.
Treating an underlying cause
Via your GP or a specialistWhere thyroid disease, sleep apnoea or a medicine you take is contributing, addressing that comes first.
What helps day to day
Protein and resistance work
A quarter to a third of weight lost on these medicines is muscle. Enough protein and some resistance training is how you keep it.
Go up slowly
Most of the sickness people report comes from increasing the dose too fast. There is no prize for rushing it.
Plan for stopping
Weight is usually regained once treatment ends. What you build while on it is what you keep.
Keep it cold
These medicines are refrigerated. Check the cold pack on arrival, and get it into the fridge.
When to see a doctor instead
Book an appointment if any of these apply
- Weight you are losing without trying
- A BMI below 27, where medication is not licensed and would do more harm than good
- Any history of an eating disorder
- Type 1 diabetes, or diabetes managed with insulin
- Severe or persistent abdominal pain, which needs ruling out before and during treatment
Common questions
Why do you need to verify my height and weight?
Because the regulator requires it, and because the alternative is unsafe. The General Pharmaceutical Council expects prescribers to confirm weight and height independently rather than relying on a questionnaire, after finding people obtaining these medicines at BMIs where they were never licensed. We confirm yours before anything is prescribed.
What BMI do I need?
A BMI of 30 or above, or 27 and above if you also have a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. For people of South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background, those thresholds drop by 2.5, because metabolic risk rises at a lower BMI.
What are the side effects?
Nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, reflux and tiredness are common, usually worst after a dose increase and usually settling. Serious but uncommon effects include pancreatitis and gallbladder problems. Severe or persistent abdominal pain means stopping and seeking medical advice the same day.
Will I put the weight back on if I stop?
Most people regain a substantial part of it. Trials following people after stopping show roughly two thirds of the lost weight returning within a year. That is worth knowing before starting rather than after.
Can I get this if I have had an eating disorder?
If you currently have one, or think you might, we will not prescribe — and we will point you somewhere more useful. If it is in your past, a prescriber will want to talk it through and involve your GP. It is not an automatic no, but it is not something to leave off the form either.
Related conditions
This page is for information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by the clinical team.
Ready to see where you stand?
The consultation takes about five minutes and costs nothing. You'll only pay if a prescriber decides treatment is right for you.