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Weight loss injections/treatments

Discuss weight-loss injections and treatments, including personal experiences. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any treatments.

Do people lie to get the jabs?

92 replies

Z0rr0 · 13/09/2025 12:48

It’s taken me several years to lose three stone. All my own effort. Got down to 11 stone 4, about half a stone more to drop me below 11 stone and I’d be pretty happy. But it’s such hard work and if I slip off a very rigid diet for a few days the pounds start piling back on. What with holiday and then struggling to get back on the wagon I gained a stone. I feel vile and bloated but am struggling to get back in the diet mindset and even if I do it will be such hard work to try to fight my way back and then try to lose that final half a stone.
So I thought sod it, I’ll look at the jabs. Did the online assessment. Have a BMI of 27.5 and osteoarthritis but it said they can’t prescribe. Not sure why. So now I’m wondering if people tell porkies about their weight and / or health conditions to get the jabs prescribed online?

OP posts:
SilenceInside · 13/09/2025 12:56

Of course some people probably do or did, but most places do photo and video verification of weight and height these days. Hopefully it’s getting harder for people to get through those checks.

With your BMI and health condition you could likely get prescribed via some pharmacies, so if you want to take WLI I would keep trying different pharmacies.

Z0rr0 · 13/09/2025 13:03

Ok thanks. I’m not sure tbh. I’m completely befuddled by all the numbers of different strengths people talk about and how you take it and what you eat with it. Plus I’m a bit skint currently. Will think about it and see if I can bend my head around all the numbers.

OP posts:
SilenceInside · 13/09/2025 13:31

There’s currently two types of weight loss injections that you inject yourself with weekly - Mounjaro and Wegovy. You always start them at the lowest strength dose, 2.5mg for Mounjaro or 0.25mg for Wegovy. You can’t start at any other dose. After 4 weeks you can either stay on that dose or move up to the next dose. If you’re losing weight well and feeling the effects of the medication then you can stay on the current dose. If you’re not losing weight then you can move up to the next dose.

It’s worth being aware of non-discounted prices for all the dose levels as you may find you need higher doses to lose weight. The cost of those should be taken into account before starting, in case you end up needing them. There are price comparison websites like https://monj.co.uk which make it easier to get an idea of overall costs.

You normally only get a decent discount for your first order as a new customer, although you can change pharmacy each order to take advantage of other new customer discounts.

Each pen contains 4 doses so will last you 4 weeks. Self injecting is easy enough, and there are full instructions with the medication. You eat a normal healthy diet, usually in smaller quantities as the medication affects your appetite and makes you full quicker. Most people tend to find they don’t want to eat processed carbs or fatty things and tend to prefer protein and veg/fruit.

Mysticmaiden · 13/09/2025 14:13

A lot of people in the UK are clinically obese, 30 and above bmi, so they wouldn't need to lie to get weight loss injections. There are also qualifying health conditions like pcos, high blood pressure, diabetes that many people have been living with, so they would only need to be bmi 27 and above to qualify for WLI.
I'm sure some people lie but many don't need to.
FYI anyone who uses WLI also has to put in a lot of effort, for many it's restricting calories but also changing the type of food they eat, exercising, being on a consistent low calorie diet is tiring too, some users have suppression so they aren't hungry all the time but not everyone does and it often wears off too.

BrownJenkins · 13/09/2025 15:09

I know at least 3 people who have lied.
One gets friends to order it for her.
Another wore clothes that were too small for her, for the initial assessment.
According to the 3rd, there are pharmacies that don't ask for photos and don't contact the GP.
All 3, women, are so painfully thin.
Personally, I think there needs to be even more checks before being given the jabs.

LondonLasss · 13/09/2025 15:14

You need a bmi of 27 plus a health issue (PCOS?) or a bmi of 30 plus

HereIGoOnceMore · 13/09/2025 16:10

As PP have said you need a BMI of 30 or a BMI of 27 and a qualifying health condition; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, dyslipidaemia, sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes mellitus.

If you have any of the qualifying conditions it may be something to look into, as lots of people are also reporting improvements in their OA and inflammatory conditions as an additional benefit. Choose a decent provider and they can guide you.

morbidcuriosity · 13/09/2025 17:57

Yes.. but think its much harder too now as more want pics and video calls etc.
A friend started same time as me and she definatly didn't have a bmi of 30 let alone 27. Probably about 24 or 25

NoelFurlong · 13/09/2025 18:03

My starting BMI was 28.6. So while I was very overweight, I was not in the obese category of 30 or above. I don’t have any health issue that would qualify me either.

So I knocked 2.5 inches off my height and that was enough to give me a BMI of 30.

PutThe · 13/09/2025 18:19

Have you checked your blood pressure recently? Easy to order a monitor for home use, and they're a useful enough thing to have in anyway.

HelloHattie · 13/09/2025 18:22

Yes.

IsItSnowing · 13/09/2025 18:46

You're fairly close to being eligible. How/when do you weigh?
My BMI was way over 30 when I started. However, I had to do a video consult and that was in the afternoon and obviously weighed with clothes on - I was 7lbs heavier than when I weighed in the morning.
If you go to the GP/hospital and they weigh you it's also with clothes on so always heavier than at home.
I would never lie. Just saying, you might find your BMI is over 30 after all if you weigh at the right time.
And you could always put on a few lbs if you're that keen.

CasualDayHasGoneTooFar · 13/09/2025 18:48

BrownJenkins · 13/09/2025 15:09

I know at least 3 people who have lied.
One gets friends to order it for her.
Another wore clothes that were too small for her, for the initial assessment.
According to the 3rd, there are pharmacies that don't ask for photos and don't contact the GP.
All 3, women, are so painfully thin.
Personally, I think there needs to be even more checks before being given the jabs.

So for the woman who gets a friend to order, how do you see the checks being done?

JudeyJudey · 13/09/2025 19:01

NoelFurlong · 13/09/2025 18:03

My starting BMI was 28.6. So while I was very overweight, I was not in the obese category of 30 or above. I don’t have any health issue that would qualify me either.

So I knocked 2.5 inches off my height and that was enough to give me a BMI of 30.

2.5" is pretty significant.

MeridaBrave · 13/09/2025 21:58

So I didn’t lie but I said I have PCOS.

I had a BMI of 26.5 so I ate a large carb meal the day before the video call, plus a litre of water before the call during which I stood on the scales. So yes it did show 72kg which was a BMI of 27. But 2 days earlier my morning weight was 70kg.

The truth is that I was diagnosed with PCOS in my 20s when I wasn’t having periods / having trouble TTC. But I’ve had a mirena IUD for years and no other symptoms…

Do either of these count as lying? Prob both more a case of stretching the truth a little.

MeridaBrave · 13/09/2025 22:01

MeridaBrave · 13/09/2025 21:58

So I didn’t lie but I said I have PCOS.

I had a BMI of 26.5 so I ate a large carb meal the day before the video call, plus a litre of water before the call during which I stood on the scales. So yes it did show 72kg which was a BMI of 27. But 2 days earlier my morning weight was 70kg.

The truth is that I was diagnosed with PCOS in my 20s when I wasn’t having periods / having trouble TTC. But I’ve had a mirena IUD for years and no other symptoms…

Do either of these count as lying? Prob both more a case of stretching the truth a little.

i’d add that whilst I have the letter diagnosing the PCOS the online supplier didn’t ask for it, and it’s not on my NHS records as it was diagnosed privately.. so presumably any woman could just say they had PCOS?

Wildgoat · 14/09/2025 09:05

Yes, op, some lie, some buy fake crap, some buy on the black market, for many drugs this has always been the case, presricption painkillers is a key example. Drug abuse is not some new thing, it’s always been thus. If there is a drug that gives a desired outcome for someone, there is always someone who will lie, cheat, or buy illegally to get their hands on it.

however the overwhelming majority don’t lie, as they don’t need to. And you can’t have a situation where it becomes too difficult for those in need to get them, due to the idiots who lie or buy crap. Same for all drugs people abuse. You make it too difficult and the black market explodes, and you deny people life changing and saving medication as the wait is so long due to logistics.

So so many people are eligible for these drugs, you need to find a way to prescribe that works, and accept the risk that yes some people who aren’t eligible will do whatever it takes to get them,

doesn’t matter if it’s diazepam or mounjaro , Christ some folks even go round pharmacies buying multiples of cold medicine so they can abuse codeine.

there is nothing new here. If a drug exists that will give someone whay they want, and they can’t get it legitimately then some will lie, cheat, buy illegally and abuse it.

NewLifter · 14/09/2025 11:13

Speak to Oushk, I think they will support you given your history.

Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:31

SilenceInside · 13/09/2025 13:31

There’s currently two types of weight loss injections that you inject yourself with weekly - Mounjaro and Wegovy. You always start them at the lowest strength dose, 2.5mg for Mounjaro or 0.25mg for Wegovy. You can’t start at any other dose. After 4 weeks you can either stay on that dose or move up to the next dose. If you’re losing weight well and feeling the effects of the medication then you can stay on the current dose. If you’re not losing weight then you can move up to the next dose.

It’s worth being aware of non-discounted prices for all the dose levels as you may find you need higher doses to lose weight. The cost of those should be taken into account before starting, in case you end up needing them. There are price comparison websites like https://monj.co.uk which make it easier to get an idea of overall costs.

You normally only get a decent discount for your first order as a new customer, although you can change pharmacy each order to take advantage of other new customer discounts.

Each pen contains 4 doses so will last you 4 weeks. Self injecting is easy enough, and there are full instructions with the medication. You eat a normal healthy diet, usually in smaller quantities as the medication affects your appetite and makes you full quicker. Most people tend to find they don’t want to eat processed carbs or fatty things and tend to prefer protein and veg/fruit.

Thank you so much Silence for taking the time to write that. That’s so helpful to me. I will do some more research and also use the link you shared.

OP posts:
Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:39

Thanks @MysticmaidenI also have PCOS and have struggled all my life with gaining weight around my middle, especially if I eat any carbs. I just get so down with having to cut basically everything out of my diet all the time to make any difference to my weight. I see friends losing tonnes of weight just by cutting out sweet stuff and eating more sensibly but I already cut all that stuff out years ago so have nowhere else to go. (I could do more at the gym, but I’ve also had periods where I was working out three or four times a week and still not losing.) So I do get that I also need to put work in. But anyway it’s moot if I can’t get the prescription.

OP posts:
Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:40

Oh gosh @BrownJenkinsthat’s very worrying if people are using it to support their disordered eating. I definitely am not thin.

OP posts:
Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:43

Thanks @LondonLasss My BMI is apparently 27.5. I didn’t get asked about PCOS which I do have, but osteoarthritis was an issue which I also have and that didn’t get me through either. Maybe I answered one of the questions wrong. I did it twice though and got the same outcome.

OP posts:
Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:44

Lol @NoelFurlong that might have to be my route too!

OP posts:
Z0rr0 · 14/09/2025 11:46

Thanks @PutThe I did think about checking my blood pressure as I have had high BP in the past and we do have a monitor. Might be worth a look.

OP posts:
Whyherewego · 14/09/2025 11:48

JudeyJudey · 13/09/2025 19:01

2.5" is pretty significant.

My DP did the same. He had a very large beer belly but skinny legs and arms so was around BMI 28 IIRC. He sailed through with the photo. He wasn't even wearing tight clothes !!