Am I eligible for weight loss injections?

The biggest myth: 'You have to be severely obese to qualify'

Many people put off asking because they assume weight loss injections are reserved for the very heaviest patients. That assumption is wrong, and it keeps people from getting treatment that might genuinely help them. The licensed criteria for both Mounjaro and Wegovy cover adults with a BMI of 30 or above (that is a large share of UK adults) as well as adults whose BMI sits between 27 and 29.9 if a weight-related condition is present. Qualifying conditions in that second group include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea and osteoarthritis, among others.

There is also an important ethnic-background adjustment. UK clinical guidance applies thresholds that are 2.5 kg/m² lower for people from South Asian, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, reflecting differences in how excess weight affects cardiometabolic risk. So a person from one of those backgrounds with a BMI of 27.5 and a weight-related condition may well meet the criteria, even though that number looks modest on a standard chart. The NHS BMI calculator is a useful starting point, but it is the starting point, not the verdict.

The myth persists partly because NHS access to these medicines is far more restricted than private eligibility. NICE's criteria for NHS tirzepatide, set out in technology appraisal TA1026, require a BMI of 35 or above alongside at least one weight-related comorbidity, plus a phased rollout tied to how many conditions are present. Private criteria follow the licensed SmPC thresholds instead, which are broader. The two routes are genuinely different.

Which conditions affect whether you qualify, in either direction

Eligibility is not just about which conditions help you meet the threshold. Some conditions are also relevant to whether the medicine is appropriate at all, and a prescriber weighs both sides.

On the positive side, the weight-related conditions that lower the BMI bar include prediabetes and established type 2 diabetes, raised blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, and certain joint conditions. If you have one or more of these alongside a BMI above 27, you are in the licensed population for private treatment. You can read a more detailed breakdown of how different health profiles affect the picture on our eligibility for weight loss injections page.

On the caution side, a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome requires specific prescriber discussion. A history of pancreatitis is another flag. Severe or uncontrolled gastrointestinal conditions may also be relevant. These are not automatic disqualifications in every case, but they are precisely why a clinical assessment exists. People with type 1 diabetes have a separate set of considerations, our page on type 1 diabetes and weight loss injections addresses those directly.

Pregnancy rules out treatment entirely, as does breastfeeding, and women actively trying to conceive are advised not to use these medicines. Anyone under 18 is outside the licensed population.

How the assessment actually works at a regulated online pharmacy

Understanding the criteria is one thing. Knowing what happens in practice is another, and for many people the process is simpler than they expected. At nume (sorry, at nume) a free consultation captures your medical history, current medicines, and the measurements needed to assess your eligibility. A GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber then reads your answers personally. Not software, not an automated filter: a real clinician who can weigh up the full picture and make a clinical decision about suitability.

Weight is verified live on video, and photo ID is checked, before any treatment is approved. If you are already on treatment elsewhere and considering moving your prescription, evidence of your current dose and recent clinical review is part of that process too. Our clinical team oversees this infrastructure directly. Once approved, treatment is dispatched the same day for orders placed before 12pm, arriving free with DPD the next working day in plain, unbranded packaging, the kind of box that gives nothing away to a curious flatmate.

The cost of treatment varies by medicine and dose. You can see a plain breakdown of what is included on our weight loss injection prices page. No consultation fee, no prescription fee, no delivery charge on top.

What to do if you are not sure you meet the criteria

Sitting on the edge of the threshold (or unsure which of your health conditions counts) is exactly the kind of situation a prescriber is there to assess. If you want a quick sense of where you might stand before starting, our page on whether you would be eligible for weight loss injections is a helpful place to begin. A weight loss injection is a prescription-only medicine, and that prescription process is where clinical nuance lives.

If you have general questions before starting, our FAQs cover the most common ones. You can also find practical guidance on how to be eligible for weight loss injections, including the steps you can take ahead of your consultation. Or you can go straight to the consultation. The free consultation asks the relevant questions in plain language and puts your answers in front of a prescriber the same day. There is no obligation to proceed, and finding out where you stand costs nothing.