Appetite-suppressing weight loss jab now available at Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy
A weight-loss injection which suppresses the appetite is now available at all Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy branches.
After Britain was confirmed as the most obese nation in Europe, the jab – which is named Saxenda, or is sometimes referred to as Liraglutide – is intended to suppress a person’s appetite and works by mimicking a hormone called GLP1, which is the hormone that is released after you eat to let you know you’re full.
When combined with a low-fat food plan and moderate levels of activity, users of Saxenda should expect to lose 5% of their body weight over three months.
According to the NHS, Saxenda is “suitable for adults aged up to 75”.
It is not recommended if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, or have certain health conditions, such as liver or kidney problems.
On Saxenda’s website, it says that common side effects for those taking the injection include nausea, tiredness, constipation and low blood sugar, among other things, and among the serious side effects it lists “thyroid tumours, including cancer”.
It is important to note, however, Saxenda is a weight-loss aid and not a cure that works without major dietary and lifestyle changes.
First approved in the UK in 2017 and initially only available through private prescription, Saxenda was recently rolled out on the NHS under strict criteria, which means that to get access to the jab at the likes of Boots and Lloyds Pharmacy, you will have take an online questionnaire and match such criteria that changes depending on the individual.
In most cases, you have to be 30 or above on the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale and have tried other methods of losing weight before being accepted for Saxenda.
During the online consultation, you will be asked about your medical history and symptoms, and your answers help assess your suitability for treatment.
If accepted, you can pick up your jabs in store or have them delivered for free to your home. Saxenda comes in a 3ml pre-filled injection pen, with a single pen lasting 17 days and a pack of three covering 4.5 weeks.
A pack of three pens costs £150 and a pack of five is priced at £240.
Saxenda® (liraglutide 3mg) is a once daily prescription medicine and always needs to be prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional.
Boots Saxenda® prescriptions are issued by a doctor and collected in store. Lloyds pharmacy dispense their prescriptions under a Patient Group Directions (PGD). PGD’s are documents in the U.K. National Health Service that permit the supply of prescription-only medicines to groups of patients, without individual prescriptions.
Featured Image – Spencer Davis (via Unsplash)