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How can I get weight loss pills?
You can get weight loss pills both over-the-counter and on prescription. Before you go down the weight loss medication route, you may want to think about whether weight loss pills are right for you. Looking at the various prescription and OTC options - which will help you to achieve your weight loss goal in the safest and most effective way?
Medically reviewed by
Daniel Atkinson, Clinical Reviewer
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The best way to find out the answer to this question is to speak to a medical professional. Whether that be your family practicioner, an online registered doctor or a pharmacist. Both prescription weight loss medication and the over-the-counter weight loss medication have certain criteria that are used to assess someone’s suitability for the treatment. You’ll likely be asked a number of questions and have your BMI calculated.
If you come across weight loss pills that are available without a pharmacist’s or doctor’s supervision then they might not work as expected and in some cases may not even be safe. Speaking to an expert, like a doctor or pharmacist, is the best way to get the best advice. Here at Treated, we can offer a number of different weight loss medication options through an online consultation where we’ll help you choose the best one for you.
Which weight loss pills are on prescription?
There are quite a few different weight loss treatments available on prescription. As well as prescribed weight loss pills, there is also injectable weight loss medication. The treatment options are:
- Xenical tablets use the active ingredient orlistat to prevent some of the fat you consume from being absorbed by your body. This is a branded version of Orlistat, and as a result it tends to be a pricier option.
- Orlistat is a generic version of Xenical, so it works in the same way but can usually be picked up for a lower price.
- Contrave tablets contain two active ingredients: bupropion and naltrexone. And works by reducing your appetite and cravings.
- Saxenda is not a weight loss pill, it’s an injectable medication that uses the active ingredient liraglutide to reduce your appetite and to make you feel fuller faster.
- Wegovy is also an injectable medication that uses the active ingredient semaglutide to reduce your appetite and to increase your insulin productivity, which can make you feel fuller for longer after meals.
How to get prescribed weight loss medication
If you’re looking to get prescription weight loss medication you’ll need to follow a few basic steps:
- First up, you need to speak with a doctor or pharmacist, as they’ll be able to make the decision on whether weight loss medication is suitable for you.
- A clinician will talk to you about your current health and your medical history. They’ll also consider your current weight and your history with dieting and other weight loss medications or procedures you may have tried in the past. This will allow them to build a picture so that they offer you the best treatment options.
- If you and the clinician agree that weight loss medication can be used to help you lose weight long-term and in a healthy manner, they’ll go ahead and help you choose your treatment.
- Once you have some treatment options, you can weigh the pros and cons of each and look at their risks and possible side effects. It’s important to make an informed decision about any medication.
- If you’ve had an in-person appointment with a doctor then you’ll need to pick up your prescription from a pharmacy or arrange for it to be delivered. If you’ve had an online consultation your treatment will be dispensed and delivered to your door the next day.
- At Treated we’ll keep in contact with you to see how your treatment is going, and to make sure that the medication is right for you. If you come across any bumps in the road we’ll be on hand to offer support and even offer alternative weight loss medication options if needed.
Which weight loss pills are available from a family practitioner?
Yes you can get Orlistat from your family practitioner, but they’ll need to make sure that certain criteria are met before they prescribe any weight loss medication. The process is simple:
- You need to be fully assessed by a healthcare professional who will decide if Orlistat is right for you or not.
- You need to start a low-fat diet and exercise program before starting treatment with Orlistat, and you’re expected to continue this program while you take the pills, and after you stop taking them.
- It will only be prescribed if you’ve already made a significant effort to lose weight in the past and nothing has worked.
- You’ll need to have a BMI of 30 or above, or 28 to 29 if you have health conditions associated with obesity, like diabetes and high blood pressure. Sometimes pre-diabetes is also considered.
Can you get Saxenda from your family practitioner?
Saxenda is an injectable weight loss medication, and yes, you can get it from a clinician. But, you need to meet certain criteria:
- Your BMI must be at least 35, which is higher than the BMI necessary to get weight loss pills. So if your BMI is 30-35, you can use Saxenda but it won’t be available to you on the NHS.
- You suffer from comorbidities such as pre-diabetes, diabetes or hypertension.
- You must follow an exercise plan as well as a reduced-calorie diet for the duration of the treatment, and ideally after the treatment is over.
Are weight loss pills available at stores?
Technically yes, but you can’t go to the store and just pop it in your basket off the shelves. If the supermarket has an in-house pharmacy, you might be able to get weight loss pills there. The pharmacist will want to make sure that the people buying them meet the criteria for treatment.
If you find weight loss pills on the shelves, it’s likely that any claims to help you lose weight are not substantial. It’s unlikely that those products have any clinical evidence to support their claims, so use them at your own risk. It’s always better to just speak to a clinician or pharmacist and get a legitimate product under medical supervision, otherwise you risk losing your money, or even getting unnecessary or unpleasant side effects.
Can I get weight loss pills online?
You can get weight loss pills online safely through our service here at Treated. Depending on which product you choose and what we prescribe to you, you may need monitoring to make sure that your body is reacting well to the medication and it’s working as expected. To make sure that happens, we’ll check in with you throughout the treatment.
If you want to find out more, contact us and one of our clinicians will suggest which medications might be suitable for you.
Reference Popover #ref1
Treated trusted source
Drew, B.S., Dixon, A.F. and Dixon, J.B. (2007).
Obesity management: Update on orlistat. Vascular Health and Risk Management, 3(6), pp.817–821.
Reference Popover #ref2
Treated trusted source
Onakpoya, I.J., Lee, J.J., Mahtani, K.R., Aronson, J.K. and Heneghan, C.J. (2020).
Naltrexone–bupropion (Mysimba) in management of obesity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of unpublished clinical study reports. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 86(4), pp.646–667.
Reference Popover #ref3
Treated trusted source
NICE
NICE recommends new treatment option for adults with obesity and non-diabetic hyperglycaemia who have a high risk of cardiovascular disease. 2020.
This page was medically reviewed by Dr Daniel Atkinson, Clinical Reviewer on September 30, 2022. Next review due on September 30, 2024.
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