Prescription Weight Loss
Do you struggle to lose weight and then keep it off? Tired of yet another fad diet promising the world but finding yourself back at square one a few months down the line?
We’ve all been there. And if you’re anything like us, sure, we can eat a bit better, take a little more exercise, but try as we might, the battle doesn’t seem to end.
We all know that if you consume fewer calories than you burn through physical activity, you lose weight, but reducing it to a simple equation often doesn’t change lives for the better. Weight loss is a lot more complex, so what are some of the other contributing factors?
Ageing - once you hit 30, your lean muscle mass starts to decline. Lean muscle uses more calories than fat, so as it drops, you can gain weight simply by going about your day as normal. Then, as we reach middle age, decreasing oestrogen (women) and testosterone (men) causes your body to manage fat distribution quite differently - particularly around the belly.
Stress - when you have prolonged or chronic stress, your cortisol levels rise, leading to an increased appetite and craving for high-energy/fat foods.
DNA - it’s thought that a large percentage of the population may have a genetic predisposition to obesity resulting from an evolutionary adaptation allowing humans to survive famine.
So it’s not a simple matter of sheer willpower. It’s also biology, and that’s something we can treat.
Here at FrownDocs, we’re proud to offer a range of weight loss treatments, including prescription-only injectable medications, such as Wegovy.
Book your Free Weight Loss Consultation today, where our trained clinicians will guide you through the options and advise what will work best for you.
You’re safe in our hands.
-
Approved by The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Wegovy is a weight loss medicine that can help to regulate your appetite and reduce cravings. It can be a very effective medicine to achieve sustained weight loss when used alongside a reduced calorie diet, increased physical activity, and healthy lifestyle choices.
-
The active ingredient in Wegovy is called semaglutide. It’s a synthetic version of the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is released from the gut after you eat and helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
This tells your brain you’re full and leads to the stomach emptying more slowly, which helps you feel fuller for longer.
-
Wegovy has been proven to be an effective tool for weight loss. In a 68-week medical study of 1961 adults living with obesity or excess weight with a related medical problem, approximately one in three achieved a 20% reduction in weight (in conjunction with a plan of reduced-calorie meals and increased physical activity).
83% of adults taking Wegovy lost 5% or more weight (vs 31% taking placebo)
66% of adults taking Wegovy lost 10% or more weight (vs 12% taking placebo)
48% of adults taking Wegovy lost 15% or more weight (vs 5% taking placebo)
30% of people taking Wegovy lost 20% or more weight (vs 2% taking placebo)
-
If you’re prescribed Wegovy, you’ll need to self-inject the medicine just under the skin using the pre-filled injection pen. It’s convenient, discreet, and not nearly as uncomfortable as you might think. Wegovy should be injected once a week, on the same day and at around the same time.
There are five doses available with a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg once a week. You will start on the lowest dose (0.25mg) and then slowly build up to the maintenance dose to see how well your body tolerates the treatment and reduces the risk of side effects.
Doses typically increase every at the end of each four-week cycle. You can stay on your current dose for longer than four weeks if you’re experiencing side effects, or if you’re happy with your weight loss, though you’ll lose most weight on the maintenance dose.
-
Wegovy treatment can only be started in adults with at one or more weight-related conditions and a body mass index (BMI) of ≥27 or in people with a BMI of ≥30. Our Doctors will take your BMI (check yours at frowndocs.co.uk/bmi) and your medical history into consideration when making a decision about treatment.
Should Wegovy be prescribed, it should be used together with a reduced calorie meal plan and increased physical activity.
-
Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, heartburn and headache. There can also be an increased risk of gallstones.
Uncommonly, there is a risk of pancreatitis, and rarely, allergic reactions.