Can’t get approved - v overweight

[Pavolvaa]

I am v overweight size 16 I cannot get approved I have tried increasing my bmi they say I look too slim in pics! I am over 82kg !!?? Help!

Go to a private GP. They can prescribe for under 30 bmi too but it will be more expensive

Good question!!

Pharmacies are now offering maintenance programmes.

The theory being, I need to continue treating my illness (obesity) to stay well. Just like my dad still takes his BP meds to keep his BP normal.

I don't know if I will take it forever, but I definitely don't plan to stop anytime soon.

BP meds have tight prescribing criteria - eg in my place of work, we commence meds at 150/100 but not at 149/99. It's the same idea really, as annoying as it is for someone who is borderline and would benefit from treatment. Everything has to have a guideline and criteria and cutoffs.

I hope that makes sense!

Sorry, just to add that my anxiety has also massively reduced since I started MJ - that's actually the main reason that I don't want to stop!

Some of the prescribers are doing maintenance plans not for this situation e.g. Oushk, see https://www.oushkpharmacy.com/maintenance

now, not not

I had BP meds at 137/90 from the GP, maybe it is different, in different places,

@Orangesandlemons77 I have to keep my blood pressure at 125/75 or under. I am on two types of different blood pressure meds, so it's definitely not across the board!

Yes, I did ask for them to be fair, mine is now like yours too - possibly could be off the meds soon if mounjaro helps as well. They said I could try the lowest dose and see how it went.

Ooops, I was trying to make the point that prescribers have to stick to specific guidelines - I wasn't trying to start a debate on BP prescriptions 😂😂

I get that @NewLifter but clearly - from our experiences - they don't!

OP, I get your frustration. Hard cut offs are always unfair. I don’t know you or your medical history, but I was obese when I started Ozempic, just on the lower end of obese. I’d consider seeing your doctor for bloodwork- if your weight is affecting your health then they may be able to have a private practitioner prescribe a wright loss injection. My bloodwork wouldn’t have qualified me for weight loss meds if I wasn’t obese but it was going in that direction which is really scary.

I haven’t researched Mounjaro much, but at least for Ozempic they are researching a lot of the conditions it seems to help, and it might be prescribed for those in the future - but maybe at different doses. The weight loss and diabetes prescriptions for semaglutide have different doses. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future it’s available if you are overweight but maybe only at certain doses.

Keep doing the healthy lifestyle things you are doing and good luck.

perfect sense, thanks very much for answering (and @SnacklessWonder too).

That's good, it would be a bit ridiculous really if they stopped the second you were out of obese range, because realistically everyone's weight fluctuates that tiny bit so you could be back over again next week. Plus the longer the time you have that additional help the longer you have for the healthier routines/diet to bed in and become automatic so hopefully even once I am at a healthier weight and don't want to/can't get a prescription I won't slip back.

I am with Numan and they don't ask for photos, ID or anything like that.

I cannot believe the advice you’re getting here. Has the doc told you you have metabolic problems? Are you pre diabetic? Do you even know? Take this seriously. This is a drug and guidelines are there for a reason.

I sincerely hope that the rules around prescription for this drug are tightened up because it's pretty clear from this and other threads that it is being massively abused. We potentially have another health crisis on our hands with people using it incorrectly / off book.

@RhubarbAndCustardSweets
They will be, without doubt. Some prescribers are already tightening up eg requesting access to medical records, on-line consultations. The rest will have to follow suit when the regulations inevitably change.
Most responsible users welcome this as they don't want the massive benefits of WLMs to be overshadowed by a handful of 'misusers'.
Some of us have been begging people on here and other SM sites, not to share tips on how to dupe the system for months now and been accused of being ridiculous or selfish or some other such nonsense. Yet here we are, with people still offering irresponsible advice such as which prescribers don't check starting weights.
It's infuriating.

Agree @KrankyKumquat I've seen many people complain on here about having to send photos or getting questioned/reviewed etc by companies like MedExpress. To be honest, it makes me stick to those companies more as I know they are being more stringent.

@SnacklessWonder
Indeed. I don't relish the thought of having to get my GP to agree to me being privately prescribed, for example, but if that's what it takes, so be it. I know I met the criteria when I was first prescribed but, tbh, was pretty surprised that it was so easy to get, having never had any experience of private medicine previously. I know my prescriber sent a letter to my GP as it's on my notes and I can see that it has been checked and noted by a practice nurse (and presumably would have been followed up if they were concerned) but it's really worrying that other prescribers don't even do these most basic of safeguarding measures (this doesn't even need to be about starting weight; it could be about existing health conditions, or contra-indicated medication, for example - how many people lie about these too I wonder?).

It's comments like these that makes me certain nobody is actually paying attention to these injections. Think I'm adding kidney damage to my gallstones predictions in a year or so.

At least there's a light shining on this industry now. They need banning from private sale the way it is now.