AIBU to ask GP for weightloss jab?

Do it. If you get the drug, you won't look back.

If you don't- c'est la vie, what have you lost?

It's not £200 per month.

Plenty of discounts on the weight loss threads.

Like other posters have stated you will spend less on food over the month.

They are really life changing!

It's really not that simple. First you'll get referred to the social prescriber who will talk to you about dieting. Tier 1 and Tier 2 are actually commissioned by Local Authority rather than NHS, although provision can be through NHS. You'll be expected to do at least 12 weeks at each Tier. Then when that fails, you get to move up to Tier 3 which is when you'll start to see the specialists - consultants, physios, psychiatrists etc and then Level 4 is surgical. Ideally, there'd be no waiting, but the reality is that the wait is long and you'll probably wait months between moving through the Tiers.

You need to reach Tier 3 for injectable even with co-morbidities. Most people report about two years to reach Tier 3. Of course by then, any motivation you might have to lose weight and improve your health has vanished as you get more depressed and unwell. I've said it before, NHS weightloss service is not fit for purpose.

We are not allowed to prescribe it in my area. We have to refer to secondary care and they are not allowed to prescribe it until the patient has engaged with the weight loss service for at least 18months. If patients want it sooner they have to go private.

You can ask - but I doubt you will get it. They’ll revert you to weight management.

There's this NHS programme you can self refer to, not sure about the qualifying criteria. They apparently can prescribe Wegovy.

https://oviva.com/uk/en/enter/free-weight-loss-programme/?utmsource=google&utmmmedium=cpc&utmcampaign=LRRGSNENNENConversionssINSNHS&utmmcontent=LRENNENConversionssINSNHSSWeight-Loss&utmterm=nhs%20weight%20loss%20support&gaddsource=1&gbraid=0AAAAA97zsI807ymxX39YH64xGqt-PssUE&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyL24BhCtARIsALo0fSCjT7Ch6Yf0M90fhSO-PHw-dbdmukCvcmnXyoc05RUXHC0TlWoyipkaAjmLEALwwcB

At our practice you have to have failed to improve your hba1c on 3 different diabetes meds before they will consider the injections.. Even with high BP, cholesterol etc.

YANBU to ask your GP for the weight loss job

However, unless you meet specific criteria they are not going to prescribe for you and so you'd have to look at buying it instead like many others seem to do in recent times

Definitely sounds like you need to speak with the GP about your recent blood results so may as well ask them

I know someone severely obese and the gp said no.

I honestly don't get the morality arguments
people don't do it for any other drug, all of which cost the NHS money to prescribe
nobody says you shouldn't get medication for depression, just pay for therapy instead
nobody says you don't need surgery on that broken leg, just bandage it up and carry on
nobody says you shouldn't get contraception for free, just buy condoms.

as for "doing it the hard way like everyone else" - the whole point is that most people DON'T do it the hard way - they try dieting and exercising but it doesn't work. very few people lose a substantial amount of weight and keep it off.

you have absolutely nothing to lose from at least asking your GP. If they say no then you can consider how to potentially fund it yourself.

Not £200 much less.
They won’t prescribe on NHS at the moment for your indication … sorry.
It would help you though - feels good to lose 3 stone ! I have spent £700 in 6 months. I have actually saved the same amount in buying food and drink .

Funny thing is.. what l wrote before...in how to qualify l do.
I was 20 stone.
Have Type 2.. tried two diabetic medications and had bad reactions to both
I'm also on statins.
I am severely disabled.
Have MH problems and see a psychiatrist every week .
I do actually qualify.
But l fund my own.
Lost 2 stone in 11 weeks.
Yes l also pay to see my psychiatrist.

Just to clarify I have lost 10kg without Mounjaro, but feel I need help to carry on and lose the rest!

You cannot get it on the NHS unless you are obese and have Type 2 diabetes and already tried at least two diabetic medications that haven't worked.
It hasn't yet been rolled out on the NHS for obesity alone.
Your diabetic nurse will keep and eye on you and monitor your bloods every month in order for the GP to prescribe it.

It's not £200 a month to start with.
2.5mg is £129
Then the price goes up in stages.

Please don’t take up GP appointments asking for weight loss injections, they cannot prescribe them unless you are diabetic. You can ask for a referral to weight loss services, but there is a three year waiting list here, even though I was recommended by the consultant at the Pain Clinic. Also as per PP they are not currently prescribing the injections in my area.

I am not prepared to wait three years so have taken the decision to pay for the jabs, I am hopeful that the NHS may be in a position to prescribe for maintenance by the time I have lost the weight. I have lost 10 kilos and kept it off and reversed being pre diabetic, but have not been able to lose any more.

When looking at cost think about the amount you will save on food. If you are anything like me you will have spent a sizeable amount on treats and extra food without really thinking about it, over a month that will add up. If it is say £20 a week then that is £80 saved for the WLI.

I'm paying £138 a month on Cloud Pharmacy.

Tbh I was probably spending that in a month on snacks/just eat/wine before mounjaro anyway.

The question is (if you want it anytime soon) 'have I got enough money to get the WL jabs privately'

I am not overweight. I do have a serious mental health condition. I keep myself sane (because the alternative is being insane) with exercise, ensuring good sleep and diet and drugs. With only the drugs it wouldn't work and I would be mostly very ill.

So go to your GP and ask for the drug you need but be super clear with yourself that you still have to do most of the work yourself. There really are very few short cuts in this life.

Not available in many places on NHS, definitely not from GP and e.g.not one tier 3 wt loss clinic in London has funding

@Tiggiwinklescousin given your weight and genetic links to diabetes, if you lose weight by taking the medication, you have a better chance of not becoming diabetic yourself.

I got offered going on to tier three for either WLS or injections.
I picked Wls because I'd heard of people waiting 3 years for a consultant appointment for injections,then being told their BMI was to high and surgery was all that would be offered
Then they went to the bottom on the surgery waiting list for another 3 years wait .
I thought that would be just my luck ,so I went on the surgery waiting list .
But I really don't want surgery,and I'm funding the injections myself,if it doesn't work for me ..as I've heard injections don't work for 15%of population...than I will accept surgery if I'm offered it

@oakleaffy I was referring to the idea that it's correct to not ask for weight loss injections via the NHS, because it would supposedly be denying appropriate support for diabetics.

People in old films are slim. Probably til 1980,s

Street scenes from before then in U.K. show slender people

Snacking and palm oil probably don’t help.