Has anyone been able to get saxenda or ozempic on NHS.

[Skye85]

Has anyone been able to get saxenda or ozempic on NHS. ?

Im 5'2 and weight 15st10lb. I NEED to lose weight. Ive had high blood pressure since 29 and been on medication for it since then (9years). Its so fucking hard. I crave sweet things all the time. I even wake in the night and go through ti the kitchen to eat food out the cupboards then go back to bed. Blood sugar levels are fine, no diabetes (yet). Im so ashamed but even that cant focus my mind to focus on cutting out the crap.

Ive tried to get reffered to a tier 3 wight loss programm in my local nhs but they say i dont fit the criteria.

Has anyone been able to get it on Nhs ? Specifically scotland? I just cant afford it privatley 😪

Thank you x

It is only licensed in the UK to treat diabetes which a GP can prescribe

A lot of people have been given false information/false hope that they will get it from Tier 3 Weight Management

I'm with my local Tier 3 service and they are livid that so many people are asking for it because GPs are telling people they can. The roles that people who run the service have mean that they simply aren't qualified to prescribe

My info is correct as of about 10 days ago.

Wegovy will launch privately exclusively to Boots at some point but they were supposed to launch in April and couldn't due to demand exceeding supply by miles. But this will not be free.

Ah I see. All information I see says it can only be offered through tier 3 weight management programmes.

I have an appointment with my renal consultant for hypertension coming up. Wonder if I should speak to him about it, the risks etc for my situation.

I have an appointment with my renal consultant for hypertension coming up. Wonder if I should speak to him about it, the risks etc for my situation

Everything helps

I mentioned to my own consultant for my condition about how much I was struggling and how haphazard Weight Management is and he immediately suggested a medication change that he thought might help (not a weight loss drug, just a drug with better side effects) and I'm in the Wait And See phase now.

@Skye85

Christ your getting a verbal bartering from
Some posters tonight.

Bet at least one of them at the minimum has been on medication of some
Sort that they haven't tried other ways to solve eh

I'm a few stone heavier than I should be ,created by a medical condition I was diagnosed with and had surgery for years ago which left me with not only a hormone imbalance but ptsd and severe anxiety so the medication combined has helped me to gain three stone in two years.

I can also say if I put my mind to it I do lose weight however at a much slower rate than average but my god it's so hard to stick at.

I have a daily battle over when I'm going to get my shot together for health reasons etc so I know that feeling of desperation.

If I could afford £150 a month I would pay privately for ozwmpic and no I can't work anymore hours to afford to pay for it due to having to help family members and dc of my own so I totally get where your coming from

There are many addiction prescriptions available for drug addicts,alcoholics,prescription medications etc but not for help with food addiction.

I’ve been under the NHS Tier 3 service for nearly a year. Initially I was told that a possibly wonderful treatment should become available in Spring 2023. A few months ago I was put in the waiting list for Wegovy/semaglutide.

I had a letter from one of the dieticians less than 24 hours ago saying that they had hoped to be able to prescribe it this summer, following the release of the NICE technical appraisal in March. However, there’s an international supply issue with the injectable device and they have been told (by the makers) that it won’t be available for prescription until at least 2024.

I assume you are talking about ozempic and not saxenda? The OP asked about both.

Saxenda is specifically licensed for weight loss and its use to help obesity is fully within its licence and the NHS itself state that it is available but only from tier 3 weight clinics. There are people that have it on NHS prescription for weight loss. It also has shortages impacted by the demand for ozempic, it’s made by same company same family of drugs and injectable but uses more pens as it’s daily rather than weekly dose. The NHS may in practice have paused prescribing it because of the shortages but the info GPs are working to definitely says that saxenda is available because it is supposed to be - demand is just too high and more people are willing to pay private prescriptions for it, and particularly whilst waiting for wegovy to be available as it does the same thing

Yes I meant Ozempic or Wegovy

I don't believe Saxenda is being prescribed in my local area as I was told no prescribing in my area at all, but, I'm ruled out of Saxenda on medical grounds so haven't looked deeply

OP I'm sorry you are struggling.

Could you possibly take out a small loan to cover the private cost for a few months, if even just to see if it does work for you?

Obviously if this is not financially viable then don't do it, but if it is, could you frame it as an investment in your health, and ti kickstart your weight loss.

Who can get Saxenda® on the NHS? Saxenda® can be prescribed on the NHS, but only through a specialist weight management service. Typically, it would only be prescribed if:

• Diet and exercise haven’t made a change on their own
• A treatment like Orlistat (Xenical) hasn’t worked
• Weight loss surgery isn’t an option

On top of these criteria, to qualify for the NHS service, you’d also have to have all of the following:

• A BMI of 35 or more or a BMI of 32.5 or more and be of south Asian, Chinese, black African or African-Caribbean origin
• Pre-diabetes
• A high risk of cardiovascular disease, e.g., heart attacks or strokes

This is the current NHS criteria, so you have to have all 3 of them to be eligible for it and even then it's not guaranteed that they will prescribe it if they think it's not suitable for you

Sorry, not sure why it added the link too

Approved but they don't prescribe it "post code lottery " I was told . They will however refer me to the gastric surgery department 🙄

I am paying £50 per month for weight loss medication (tablets) via a private well-being nurse practitioner. To be fair it is £100 a month but I am taking half dose per day. It is worth it to me to safeguard my health. Keep looking perhaps there is someone similar near you?

Wegovy or however its spelt is due to be available on the NHS soon, until then nope you can't get it through them. Quite rightly the NHS won't prescribe something off license until its been tested for the purpose its being prescribed for. Frustrating maybe as a patient but better than the roll of the dice it is getting it privately- there are potential long term effects that if you're using it for diabetes for example are worth it on risk balance and might not affect the body in the same way.

It's worth also seeking a binge eating disorder support group and seeing if you can get on the (long) wait list for therapy to address the underlying issue- or invest in this.

That is Tier 3

My friend got the injection on NHS. Not sure which one but she has other health issues including diabetes and was really struggling losing weight naturally.

I take one of the medications listed on the thread due to diabetes. I've lost about 6lbs in 12 months. It works by making you feel fuller (and giving you D+V!) If you eat out of habit/even when you feel full then it won't work

@Mylandra i had contact with the weight management service a few months ago and was offered free subscription to weight watchers but there were no other options available to me as my BMI was about 42/43. Their criteria had changed to needing to be BMI 60 before other options explored. It had increased from 40-60 because of demands on services.
Another poster on a different thread is prescribed ozempic from NHS for weight but they started with a BMI of 60.

Thanks everyone. I wonder if there's a binge eating disorder group near me.

Growing up, I hated food. Was a battle to get me to eat as I was so fussy. I had to 'eat it all up ' I remember my younger sibling eating more than me for tea and being sort of almost shamed into eating. This wasn't done maliciously, my parents were obviously worried about my weight etc.

Then I got bullied. Then I found sugar. Spiraled from there really.

Funnily enough, the only time I've never felt the Need to binge eat was when I was pregnant. Not because I was trying to be particularly healthy but I got an aversion to junk food

Moneys tight just now, but not sure if I could maybe pick up agency work specifically for the medication.

Does anyone know what rules you out of taking saxenda ?

Sounds like you would be better spending your money on therapy to address the root cause of your eating rather than just trying to get medication to make you feel full that might help you drop a few pounds that you’ll then likely just put back on.

Hi OP

Sorry to hear you're feeling so low about your weight.

Someone once told me that it's an addiction to refined carbohydrates that causes this extreme desire to eat. Once you can kick that the weight loss is a lot easier. You kind of have to go cold turkey but it only takes a few days and then your body doesn't crave it any more. Maybe give that a try?

So basically no sugar, no white bread, white pasta, cakes, crisps chips, etc, etc

Just set a limit of doing it for 3-4 days and it'll seem easier. After that you probably won't crave these things as much.

@Skye85 could you try Orlistat or similar?
Cheaper and you can get them over the counter.

Hi I have before and struggled with it. I stuck to the guidance and nearly shat myself at work. It was awful.

6 lbs?

I totally understand what you are saying about addiction @Skye85 . I love carbohydrates and sugars. Can't get enough of them. Love chocolate, cake, pastries, ice cream...love it all. Hate exercise.

I've come off sugar before but partly because of a weak will, and partly because of external pressures, I got back on it again.

I hate exercise. It's a chore.

I lost a stone last year by eating much less & taking up cycling (see my un) but I've put a bit of that back on.

What I need is someone to support me with motivation and addiction. But all you get from the NHS is lose weight and I'll refer you to a dietitian/weight loss club which doesn't help a jot. I find that when you want to lose weight you are immediately patronised, like being fat makes you stupid or something.

Anyway I am 17st 9lb. I am 5 foot 5 inches tall. The GP says I should be 10st 7lb. 😂 I would be happy to reach 12st, which half a stone leeway for winter. I am cycling again and trying to eat better. But it's so so hard without support. There is hypertension, heart disease and cancer in the family so I really need to address it, but, without a professional ear, I'm totally on my own.