Manage your weight

Community Weight Management offers a free 12-week membership to either Slimming World or Weight Watchers to help you lose weight in a safe, sustainable and realistic way.

This gives you access to a blend of in-person and online support which includes:

• Weekly face to face or online sessions
• A timetable of virtual sessions
• Free access to an app offering food planners, activity and weight loss trackers
• Online, quick, simple and healthy recipes
• Equipment-free, easy workouts
• 24/7 access to a social community

Patients who have used this service say it’s been life-changing, guiding them on a journey to learn new habits that make losing weight safe, simple, and sustainable.

The Specialist Weight Management Service is delivered by a team of dieticians, psychologists and physiotherapists.

Psychological approaches and physical activity guidance are provided alongside dietary advice, tailored to your needs.

This approach will help you identify ways to overcome barriers to weight loss.

Weight loss medication and surgery may be considered as part of the programme where appropriate.

If you’d like to learn more about the Specialist Weight Management Service visit:

Self-refer now

You can self-refer to the service if you have a BMI over 25 (22.5 for patients with South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern ethnicity) and are living with diabetes, heart disease, or have experienced a stroke. To get started, simply complete the self-referral form below and our staff will be in touch to guide you through the next steps.

These medications are prescription-only and must be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional. They should only be used by the person named on the prescription and under medical supervision.

Using someone else’s medication is unsafe and illegal.

When used correctly and for the right reasons, these treatments are safe. However, using them without proper medical oversight, especially in people with a healthy or low BMI, is associated with clinical risk, as the side effects and effectiveness in these groups are unknown.

If you choose to get weight management medication from a private provider, it’s important to make sure:

• The provider is legally registered, and the medication is licensed.
• You do not buy from unlicensed sources like beauty salons or social media.
• You speak to a healthcare professional before starting treatment.

Private providers do not have access to your full medical history, so they must carry out a full risk assessment before prescribing. The safest way to make sure your medication is legal and safe is to have it dispensed by a registered pharmacy.

If you are using weight management medication from a private source, please tell your GP practice. It is the responsibility of the private provider to assess whether these are safe for you to use, your GP practice does not have capacity to double check this assessment. The practice will usually add these on to your medicines record. This helps keep your medical records up to date and ensures any other treatments you receive are safe and appropriate—especially if your weight changes or you’re prescribed other medications.

There are also reports of counterfeit versions of these medicines. These are illegal and may not contain the correct ingredients or doses. Using counterfeit medicines can be dangerous, as there is no quality control or guarantee of safety.

These treatments are being considered for people with a BMI of 38 or higher with at least one obesity-related condition (as per Scottish Government Phase 1 rollout guidance). NHSGGC are working to establish pathways for patients who will meet this criteria.

They are not suitable for weight management for people with:

• A history of pancreatitis
• Severe kidney or liver disease
• Frailty or advanced age
• Severe mental health conditions
• Diabetic eye disease which requires treatment.
• T2 diabetes on insulin unless under the supervision of a diabetes specialist team.
• T1 diabetes.

These medications should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive, or when breastfeeding.

Using these medications without proper medical supervision can worsen existing health problems and lead to serious side effects.

Some medications can interact with weight management medicines, so it is important patients are aware of the risks. As private providers must carry out a full health assessment before prescribing, this will check for any risks or interactions with other medications. Some GP practices have reported that patients were not informed about important interactions, such as with contraception.

Contraception

• Tirzepatide (Mounjaro®) may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.
• Women are advised to use a non-oral contraceptive (e.g. patch, implant, IUD) for 4 weeks after starting or increasing the dose.
• Women of childbearing age should use effective contraception during treatment and for a few months after stopping.

Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

• These medicines may affect how well oral HRT works.
• Patches or vaginal products are preferred for oestrogen, as they bypass the stomach.
• It’s unclear if progesterone in HRT is affected.

Other Medications

Because these medicines slow down how quickly the stomach empties, they can affect how other medicines are absorbed. This includes:

• Warfarin (blood thinner)
• Digoxin (used for heart conditions)

These medicines may need closer monitoring to ensure the dose remains safe. Please speak to your pharmacist for advice.

Like most medicines, weight loss medicines can cause side effects. The most common ones include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Constipation or diarrhoea
• Headache

These side effects are usually mild and go away on their own. If they don’t improve or get worse, patients should get medical advice, ideally from the healthcare professional who prescribed the medication.

Serious Side Effects

A rare but serious side effect is pancreatitis. If you experience severe stomach pain that spreads to your back and doesn’t go away, get urgent medical help.

Tips for Safe Use

To reduce side effects and support your health while on treatment:

• Stay well hydrated
• Eat small, regular meals
• Include protein in each meal
• Stay active to maintain muscle
• Eat a varied diet to avoid nutrient deficiencies

Drug Safety Updates (DSU) – Medicines and Healthcare Products
Regulatory Agency

29 January 2026

24 October 2024

You can find more information via the following resouces: