To think weight-loss injections should be prescribed in person only. The scale of abuse must be shocking.

[Thisisdrugabuse]

Hear me out here. I have had 5 friends in their 30s and 40s tell me they're using weight-loss injections from online sources. Fine. Except one is a size 8 and another a size 10. Oh, it's so easy to get, just upload a photo of a day you looked chubbier a few years ago and change your height/ weight a bit. Out of my friends that recently told me they're taking it, the size 8 is on the highest dose. She looks ill. Only 1 is over a size 14 I'd say.

Am I being unreasonable

No-to think these medicines are not licensed for normal sized people. They might be at risk of osteoporosis, liver problems and who knows what else. It all seems dangerous and completely unregulated.

Yes- jog on op. These are important medicines helping lots of people and if people lie, that's their issue.

babycatface

but we are not talking about averages, every single person on this thread including the OP is talking about individuals

My individual calorie intake needs to be 1000 to maintain my bmi of 23, that’s just fact for me.

from what I’ve seen, depending on the prescriber, people who have lost weight on it and are now a healthy BMI (or at least under 30/27) are still able to purchase the medication. If it was that dangerous to take once you hit a certain bmi then this wouldn’t be the case. There are risks for everyone, no matter their weight, it’s just that the benefits outweigh the risks for obese people. If it can be used to help overweight people to prevent the issues associated with obesity then surely that’s a good thing? Obviously if you’re a size 8 with an eating disorder this can only be bad but there will always be dodgy sellers and people will get their hands on these things any way they can.

'Lets ask Finch a question she can't say no to, that will win the argument'.

The OP is a work of fiction.

That aside, I am not suggesting people won't misuse these drugs. People misuse many drugs including painkillers. They also misuse alcohol, cigarettes & food.

But to suggest someone with a dress size 8 (who didn't start when they were obese) is getting these particular drugs in July 2025 via regulated online pharmacies is hard to believe. Anyone jumping through hoops to prove their weight right now to get it, will understand.

I buy mine from an online pharmacy (well, pills not injections). They asked some health questions and download pictures etc.

My reasons is that when I brought up my weight concerns and asked about the effectiveness of weight loss medicine. I got a lecture about eating healthier (no questions about current lifestyle) and explanation on how none of the meds work so it is a waste of time and money. I know 3 overweight family/friends who was told no because they don't work. So I turned to an online pharmacy, taking a personal risk.

Our council also had this weighloss group and an online programme. You need a referral from GP. I tried to get there but GP had never even heard about it. Thankfully the nurse said that she will find out and then she called me that she is putting in a referral but it might take a few months for the doctor to sing it. So yeah, this is the state of 'traditional' methods.

You absolutely still need nutrition advice and support on WLI drugs. I don’t weigh myself. My weight is immaterial to me (I’m a dress size 20 after 6 weeks on it and still rolling in fat - I know my BMI is horrific).

But I am on the boards here for support, and nutrition ideas for the days when I don’t feel like eating. If you use the injections and just carry on eating rubbish food, the weight WILL pile back on. Retraining your palate and food habits is a massive part of it. If you don’t drink loads of water, you WILL have horrid gastric effects. If you don’t eat on the days you don’t feel like it, you WILL become very ill over time. I can see Slimming World and WW being usefully redeployed.

I was talking to a young woman on a plane about this. She lived in London and worked in a media-type job where appearance is very important. I told her I was on MJ as I wasn't eating the food on the plane and she told me she was on it, too. She weighed 10 stone now - had been 11 - and wanted to get down to 9. She didn't know anyone in her friendship and work group who wasn't on it and didn't know anyone who, beforehand, was more than two stone overweight. She didn't get it from a pharmacy and neither did any of her friends, but got it from an aesthetics place. She had read up on how to take it but said a lot of her friends were starting on a high dose and taking it every few days, so completely abusing it and messing themselves up at the same time.

She also said she knew a guy who dealt in MJ - he was in cahoots with a pharmacist who could order it legitimately - the guy she knew was earning £75,000 per month from sales to salons etc.

I've been on it for a year and have lost 4.5 stone. It's been life changing and probably life saving, too. I think people with anorexia and bulimia will be all over the drug, though, and think it'll create disordered eating in some others.

I agree it should only be available in person but that ship has sailed. Too many pharmacies are making too much money for them to cave in on that. If the government wanted to clamp down it would be very easy to do so - they could close down 20 places in my hometown just today if they wanted to.

Spot on.

I believe from some of the women on the boards here that the latest measures put in place consist of live videos whilst standing in a door way with a tape measure to prove your height, as well as a live weigh in and something like a passport picture as ID. Of course it’s no problem at if you’re using the WLI honestly and have been from day 1, which the greater majority of people are doing. And for those who aren’t? Let them get their WLI injections from wherever they want and if they become ill or die it’s entirely their own fault but it should always be made clear when it goes public where they sourced their medication, and if they actually needed or cheated their way to. Lets call them out for what they are - fools.

Im all for stronger measures being put in place to stop cheats from getting their WLI injections medication - but only because I don’t want to be associated with the fools in the first place.

Why?

This sounds so disordered.

Maybe if it was easier to get on the NHS, the. People who really needed it could get it that way and these online pharmacies wouldn’t be doing such a roaring trade!

I was on the waitlist for the level 4 obesity clinic for 2 years. Finally reached the top a few months ago to be told that I had to attend 3 group sessions first. Hell for me as I am very shy and embarrassed about my weight. But I did it. Sent hours sitting through the first one, with them spouting the usual outdated nonsense such as low fat yoghurts, margarine, weetabix are good, butter, red meat, cooked breakfast is bad. We were then told that no weight loss injections could be offered in this clinic, only surgery….so probably 80% f us never went back and sourced our own injections online. Things will never get better until the NHS sorts out their joke of a fat-shaming obesity clinics.

I know people doing the same. Not sure where they are getting them from, but they are. My friends daughter and lots of her friends (including one of the friend’s mum in their late 60’s) all taking it. If I asked friend’s daughter today, I bet I could get hold of some, even though I am not overweight. I wouldn’t, as I have a pancreas disease already and pancreatitis is a clear risk from WLI. Life threatening, and more painful than anyone can ever imagine - not worth the risk. If I want to lose some weight, i’ll do it the traditional way, less food, move more.

I had to do a video call with my prescriber and stand on the scales during it. There’s a detailed questionnaire which gets sent to your gp so if you’ve lied about it they can notify your prescriber and they’ve just added a requirement to prove your height either on video call against a wall measure or through the nhs app or stamped confirmation from gp or pharmacy. I don’t know where your friends are getting it from or if they have any co-morbidities which meant they could get it at a lower bmi but all private pharmacies are checked and processes reviewed externally so if there are any lax policies they will get tightened up at their next appraisal.

Because they’re a fool. Or they think we are.

YANBU

They are putting themselves at risk and it’s insane that people can these drugs without a face to face consultation. I’m sure just as we’re now hearing more about the risks of Botox we will soon be hearing more about the weight loss jabs in the a few years.

I appreciate if you’re morbidly obsese, the risk is more balanced as if you don’t lose weight the more likely you are to die or suffer from a related illness, but size 14 isn’t at that level!

I suspect in a few years the side effects to this stuff will be the next scandal.

It's the non-legitimate online dealers that are a big worry. There was (for example) an item on TV a few months ago about a British woman (healthy BMI) who bought Mounjaro online from a dodgy source.

She only survived the coma her first shot put her into because her daughter was at home either her. What she had injected was pure insulin.

Reputable online pharmacists require you to be holding a piece of paper with the date hand written on it.
It’s not telemedicine that’s the issue, it’s people selling fakes.
Registered professionals risk their registration if caught selling their injections to people who don’t need them.

The side effects could also be positive though.

Really not true. I have a friend 2 friends size 8/10 she’s on it. I KNOW for a fact they are getting it from a “ legitimate” online pharmacy (cloud pharmacy, they are registered with the general pharmaceutical council) an awkwardly taken picture, with baggy clothes and belly puffed out and made to have a double chin and it was delivered the next day.

I agree OP there is a lot of abuse. In saying that I’m not sure it’s necessarily the “problem” that people think it is. Yes there are concerns about pancreatitis etc but considering the huge numbers of people using it and the relatively small number of incidents of complications (I may be wrong but I believe only one death has been attributed to it in the UK- far far fewer than paracetamol and literally thousands less than alcohol!) generally is seems quite safe. I wouldn’t advise people to use it if they don’t need it but if already slim people want to use it to lose those last stubborn few lbs that they have been struggling with, it’s nothing to do with me.

for what it’s worth, I’m an ICU nurse (10 years experience) and I work in the national pancreatic hospital, we take the worst cases of pancreatitis from over the country. We haven’t had a single case attributed to Mounjaro. Alcohol on the other hand….

It's not about size! You can wear a size 14 and still be clinically obese!

So whose fault will it be if you end up with horrific side effects, possible pancreatic problems or worse all because you're taking something you simply don't need? Will
you be one of the ones we read about in the DM bleating on about how it's ruined your body?

Yes, you're right. I am that person. I've lost over 4 stone. Down from a size 18/20 to a size 14. My BMI is still 30. I need to lose another 2 stone to be at a healthy BMI.

The 'side effects' to the obesity epidemic is already a scandal. No doubt there will be long term negative effects of WLI but eradicating obesity is a net positive whatever the negative effects for a small number of people may be.

A size 14 in some brands is an old size 18. I'm nearly 60 and have clothes from before vanity sizing. I can remember my Mum's size/weight standing out, when she got to a size 18 (1970/80s). She could easily drop to a 16 and admitted that she felt better. I was sorting through the loft, I've inherited her house and some of her 18s were smaller than my Roman clothing brand size 14s. I had old clothes (2000s) from Tesco, British homes stores, Dorothy Perkins and I stood no chance of getting into the 16s that were there. Yet I've bought size 14 from Matalan this year. Tbh, size is important. You are better using a tape measure rather than scales. Women who weight lift are heavy, but small body sized.
I have a chronic condition, via which I've had a review from a cardiologist. He's recommended WLI and can prescribe them from September. He's talked me through them, not just from a weight loss point of view, but also an anti-inflammatory pov. I'm going to go for them. If we get really tough on them, then people will just buy off line/unbranded and we'll have deaths.

Personally I think the money should be invested in nutritionalists/life style coaches/fitness instructors/psychologists, to enable people to loose weight in a healthy, natural way rather than weight loss jabs.
The food industry also needs to be dealt with re the awful upf it produces.
They sound really unhealthy and clearly open to abuse. Can see them being banned in the future due to the dire side effects.

Size 8 or 10 isn’t underweight though. This is probably more about how you feel about weight and dieting.

One of my friends often has concerns about others but they are always about things she had issues with. She doesn’t care about or notice the other stuff.