Can I get weight loss drugs from NHS in Scotland?

According to a study by the BBC Scotland News, few people are prescribed for weight loss at NHS in Scotland.

Drugs like Mounjaro and Wegovy are welcomed as “game changers” to deal with obesity.

This injection makes people feel faster by suppressing people’s appetite, but it is not suitable for everyone and can have side effects.

Doctors say that the cost of prescriptions and the number of Scotlands affected by obesity cannot be provided free of charge to most patients who can now benefit.

Two -thirds of Scotland are classified as overweight. 1/3- A million adults -obesity. That is, it means that the body mass index (BMI) has more than 30.

Pharmaceuticals agreed that the drug was safe and cost efficient.

Last year, Semaglutide was approved to treat obesity under the name Wegovy brand. In addition, in some situations, licenses were given according to the brand name Ozempic for diabetes treatment, but it is not weight loss of this country.

At the same time, another drug called Tirzepatide was specially approved by the weight loss of Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) according to the brand name Mounjaro.

Since 2022, the third drug, Liraglutide, has been approved under the name Saxenda.

But all these drugs have a strict standard for prescriptions for NHS as part of their current step -by -step introduction.

In the first stage, it can be prescribed only for patients with BMI over 38 years old and patients with existing weight -related health, such as hypertension.

If the evidence of the data and result prescription is analyzed, the additional step will be planned.

The Scottish government said that the goal of the step -by -step introduction is to “guarantee a sustainable approach to the most needed patients.”

The use of the drug is limited in NHS, but it can be purchased personally, but pharmacists and doctors have warned of the risk of patient safety through online sales.

Last month, strict inspections were raised last month to request direct or video consultation with the information of GP or medical records.

Most Scottish health boards do not prescribe MOUNJARO or WEGOVY at the current weight loss, so few are currently receiving drugs in NHS.

The BBC NEWS requested information requests by 5,866 people in Scotland’s professional weight service.

The other 8,756 people were listed on the waiting list, and doctors said they had a much higher number of qualified people to receive weight loss drugs.

However, the Health Bureau could not tell how many people were receiving MOUNJARO or Wegovy for NHS’s weight loss.

After SMC was approved, all health boards did not have a weight management service model to support the recommendations, and there was a concern that potential absorption levels could be challenged with the ongoing supply problem.

Patients who will be prescribed by the NHS must meet experts before starting the injection and wait for the weight management service for a long time.

We have asked all 14 local health committees to inform the number of patients receiving Wegovy or Mounjaro for weight loss.

The majority have said that they can be prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes, so they cannot distinguish whether they are prescribed only for weight loss purposes.

Addy Mohammed, co -founder of Simple Online Pharmacy, suggested that more than a million people in the UK can personally access the current weight loss drug, according to the latest data of pharmacy wholesalers.

Angela Chesworth, a 51 -year -old Dumpris, said he has experienced physical and shoe abuse for her appearance for 30 years.

“I’m terrified to go back to 24 stones (153 kilos). It’s the greatest fear in life,” she said.

When she went to the first thrill test, she was not safe, so she was asked to lie on the floor instead of a test table.

Angela said, “It took 20 years to go back to the second exam because I couldn’t face humiliation again.

She had obesity in 2013 and lost 12 stones in 12 months. But over the next decade, four stones have been regained and the side effects of previous surgery have begun to suffer painful cramps in the stomach.

In June last year, before using the weight loss drug through NHS, Angela began a personal prescription for Mounjaro.

It made a big difference in her pain.

She has already been prescribed by the NHS in an exceptional situation because she has already had a different medical condition.

She said she rolled her eyes and puffed her cheeks when she walked the street, but he said she made her “invisible” because of the weight loss drug.

Angela said, “What is considered a healthy weight is still living in a body with obesity, so it still requires that treatment and support for the rest of my life.”

Her husband, Paul (60), also takes the same medicine for weight loss, but pays 150 pounds a month through a personal prescription.

The couple says they should pay attention to finances, but they always say that they need drugs because they live with obesity.

Paul has a type 2 diabetes, which has been alleviated before undergoing obesity.

He recently started injections after diabetes had shown signs of recurrence.

But he was told that he could not get MOUNJARO through NHS unless he was diabetes again.

Paul said the drug reduced the risk of other diseases with high heart problems and high cholesterol.

The couple acknowledged the serious risks of drugs, including nausea, vomiting or pancreatitis, but said they needed help to manage weight.

Dr. John Montgomery represents Deep End GPS, a network of doctors working in the most deprived area in Scotland.

He warned that if a weight loss drug is prescribed to everyone who needs, he will bankrupt NHS overnight.

“We have no resources to pay for the drug, and there are no employees who can safely manage the drug.”

Dr. Montgomery says that in areas such as Govan in Glasgo, they are more obese than richer areas.

He says the drug plays an important role in dealing with obesity, but it should be accompanied by a significant investment in dealing with the root cause of obesity.

He met a patient who did not meet the recommended guidelines for personal prescriptions.

Dr. Montgomery said that some of these people were “very vulnerable,” including a long history of eating disorders that had to be intervened because the drug was not safe.

He also frustrated that his diabetics had difficulty in getting JAB due to NHS supply problems, while other patients who did not need drugs were personally getting them.

Dr. IAIN MORISON, chairman of the BMA Scottish General Practitioners Committe, said that if the drug is prescribed to all Scotlands, the other area of ​​health services will be lost.

He said he needed a “much better strategy than looking at the drug as an answer.”

Dr. Morrison added a problem that contributed to the problem of easily approaching the community sports facilities and the healthy foods.

Naved Sattar at Glasgow University is the chairman of the British government.

He said that statins were expensive at first, but the price began to fall when a new innovation came out about 30 years ago.

They could afford to provide weight loss drugs to the highest dangerous people at the moment, but they expected to “expand the nets,” of those who could be prescribed to NHS after expected to be expensive for the next few years.