What do we REALLY think about the weight loss jabs?

Really? Why are people so aggressive about people having a discussion about health?

Many of us who are completely unbothered by or uninterested in our own weights or those of other people and pay no attention to this have friends or family who are taking/ are considering taking these drugs so we are concerned about the risks.

People also rightly may have concerns about the costs to taxpayers of treating side effects especially in cases where there have been private prescriptions without proper medical oversight and outside the NHS criteria, so no detailed cost/ benefit analysis has been done of the savings to the NHS of moderately overweight people using the drugs versus the cost of treating those who develop side effects which sometimes can be very severe. It’s obviously pertinent that there’s emerging evidence that these are more prevalent in cases where they are used only for weight loss not just to treat diabetes, if the findings of the study quoted by the PP are accurate.

It’s also of general public concern that pharmacies are able to prescribe medication based on self-reported forms which may be inaccurate/ misrepresent/ omit information because that is a safety issue that could affect prescribing of many other drugs as well. Perhaps there should be a better system where patients need to download an actual copy of their medical records from the NHS app to submit with online prescription requests, as a safeguard.

There are clearly various reasons why people who do not need or want these drugs have a legitimate interest in this discussion. It’s quite a leap to assert we are all “jealous” of obese/ severely overweight people who are feeling so desperate and worried about their weight that they feel taking drugs is the only way they can successfully address this. Why would anybody be jealous of someone in that situation?!

Really? Why are people so aggressive about people having a discussion about health?

Many of us who are completely unbothered by or uninterested in our own weights or those of other people and pay no attention to this have friends or family who are taking/ are considering taking these drugs so we are concerned about the risks.

People also rightly may have concerns about the costs to taxpayers of treating side effects especially in cases where there have been private prescriptions without proper medical oversight and outside the NHS criteria, so no detailed cost/ benefit analysis has been done of the savings to the NHS of moderately overweight people using the drugs versus the cost of treating those who develop side effects which sometimes can be very severe. It’s obviously pertinent that there’s emerging evidence that these are more prevalent in cases where they are used only for weight loss not just to treat diabetes, if the findings of the study quoted by the PP are accurate.

It’s also of general public concern that pharmacies are able to prescribe medication based on self-reported forms which may be inaccurate/ misrepresent/ omit information because that is a safety issue that could affect prescribing of many other drugs as well. Perhaps there should be a better system where patients need to download an actual copy of their medical records from the NHS app to submit with online prescription requests, as a safeguard.

There are clearly various reasons why people who do not need or want these drugs have a legitimate interest in this discussion. It’s quite a leap to assert we are all “jealous” of obese/ severely overweight people who are feeling so desperate and worried about their weight that they feel taking drugs is the only way they can successfully address this. Why would anybody be jealous of someone in that situation?!

What’s really sad is that they aren’t available to everyone who might benefit.

No. But it is a potential side-effect.

Are you all right?

My DD has been on MJ for 12 months now, she's lost over 5 stone and looks and feels great. Still a bit of a way to go as her BMI is currently in the overweight category. She has PCOS and despite a healthy lifestyle, careful diet and lots of exercise, her weight unfortunately continued to increase.

there is an inner glow about her that I've noticed with other women who have recently lost a fair bit of weight (and I'm assuming are also on the jabs) where they clearly feel really good about themselves...

I've put this on AIBU rather than weight loss jab because I want a neutral audience rather than people who are all using the jab.
What are peoples thoughts on the jab? I'd love to hear from someone educated in the medical field about whether these are actually safe for people without diabetes.
I'm obese and I have lost a stone so far by dieting although it's taking me a long time! I know if I keep trying hard I can lose what I need to. Lots of people I know have started dropping weight from using the jabs and I am tempted however, can't shake a feeling that there's something not quite right.
What I mean by this is... these jabs have been around for years for diabetic people, so why have they only just been 'released' to people despite obesity effecting the NHS for years?
I know a woman who fainted in work the other day with gallbladder issues, she's on the jab.
Also, I'm going to sound a little conspiracy theorist now, but, isn't it odd these jabs became popular straight after people starting refusing to have more covid jabs..?.. I'd love to hear from people with a bit of background info or medical professionals to tell me whether I'm overthinking or if I'm onto something?

I am quite surprised at the tone of it all even when people are asking reasonable questions and just responding to the OP’s request and stating their views and concerns. There are also some really awful and upsetting stories and clearly a lot of people who have suffered through terrible experiences.

Yo think you will lose your gallbladder if you take weigh loss meds?

Oh sure. But not everyone using these drugs is 20 stone, or even particularly overweight.

I personally would like to keep my gallbladder. It does have a purpose. People are exceptionally cavalier about losing an organ that will have flow-on effects for the rest of their lives.

but again....the same question. Which is better? Possibly (and it is possibly, not a definite) experiencing a problem with the gall bladder or remaining at 20stone plus? Because remaining at 20 stone plus is a ticking time bomb, isn't it?

No I’m not saying you’re morally degenerate? You can do whatever you want to do, as can every other adult commenting on this thread. It sounds like you’re very happy with what you’re doing, in which case just crack on with it!

I am quite surprised at the tone of it all even when people are asking reasonable questions and just responding to the OP’s request and stating their views and concerns. There are also some really awful and upsetting stories and clearly a lot of people who have suffered through terrible experiences.

I'm more concerned about the NHS' un-nuanced approach to weight in general.

I was briefly prescribed Trulicity and dropped 10kg in a month. I felt like I was dying, developed gastroparesis that has persisted since stopping the jab, and had migraines basically the whole month.

The GP I saw congratulated me and didn't care how terrible I felt. Kept describing this as a "massive success". As someone with a historic eating disorder (that the GP knows about) it was very triggering to be so celebrated for losing weight no matter what it did to me as a whole. It felt like my suffering didn't matter as long as I wasn't fat anymore.

Sigh? So the BMJ is publishing incorrect info, about early trial data, in January 2026? There was no new warning sent to doctors, as stated? How very odd.

Nobody is offended at this being discussed. However when it is discussed with a lot of misinformation, people are bound to come in with some facts. The science is very clear in the case of WLI, and a lot of takers have had to do a lot of research and become very knowledgeable about the subject.

I was responding after a slew of posters declared that it was nothing to do with the WLI themselves, that it was just a side-effect of rapid weightloss.

It is clearly not just that, according to the meta-analysis.

Sigh. Nope that was early trial data, recent wide clinical review shows no increased risk, you can google there is many studies and reviews.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40358430/

https://www.ccjm.org/content/92/8/483

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.19.26348844v1.full

Why are people so aggressive about people having a discussion about health?

The aggression always appears on these threads. I find it baffling.

Sneering, mockery, weird accusations.

Yeah well I have been honest enough to say yes I can be insanely jealous of the wonder switch of these drugs that I am unable to afford or have prescribed 🤷‍♀️

I'm more concerned about the NHS' un-nuanced approach to weight in general.

I was briefly prescribed Trulicity and dropped 10kg in a month. I felt like I was dying, developed gastroparesis that has persisted since stopping the jab, and had migraines basically the whole month.

The GP I saw congratulated me and didn't care how terrible I felt. Kept describing this as a "massive success". As someone with a historic eating disorder (that the GP knows about) it was very triggering to be so celebrated for losing weight no matter what it did to me as a whole. It felt like my suffering didn't matter as long as I wasn't fat anymore.

I lost loads of weight on Mounjaro, developed gall stones, & had my gallbladder removed in an operation that was much easier because of the weight loss. There is a tiny possibility some kind of serious long term effects we don't know about yet will happen because of GLP 1s, but I was happy to risk it. I was never able to lose weight naturally & keep it off because I have a ridiculously large appetite, which I may have been born with, as my parents remember me being obsessed with food even as a tiny child.

No, they showed there is a slightly increased risk, but that the overall risk is low.

From January this year

A new safety warning to doctors and patients around a rare but potentially fatal side effect of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists has been issued by UK regulators.

Sold under brands like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, GLP-1 injections are for weight loss and to treat type 2 diabetes.

But their use has been linked to a rare risk of developing pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation of the pancreas that can prove fatal in extreme cases.

GLP-1 drugs: New warning after rise in reported deaths from pancreatitis | The BMJ