How to get Mounjaro from your GP — and what to do if you can't

You ask your GP, here is what happens at that appointment

Picture the scene: you have read about tirzepatide, you think you might qualify, and you have booked a ten-minute appointment to discuss it. Your GP will weigh up whether you meet the NHS England phased eligibility criteria, which tightened considerably at launch. From June 2025, NHS prescribing opened to adults with a BMI of 40 or above who also have four or more of five specific conditions: high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. A second cohort (BMI 35 to 39.9 with the same four conditions) became eligible in June 2026. Lower BMI thresholds apply for some ethnic backgrounds under UK guidance; the full eligibility picture for Mounjaro explains these adjustments in detail.

Even if you meet the numbers, your GP's practice must have opted in under the 2026/27 GP contract. Participation is voluntary, so availability genuinely varies by surgery and area. Your GP may also refer you to a specialist weight management service rather than prescribe directly. NICE's guidance on tirzepatide (TA1026) sets out the clinical framework both commissioners and prescribers work from. In practice, many people who are clinically suitable find their surgery isn't yet set up to prescribe, or that they fall just outside the current cohort.

If your GP says yes, treatment is prescribed and dispensed through the NHS (cost-free to you) alongside mandatory diet and activity support. That wraparound care is a formal requirement, not optional. If your GP says not yet, that is not a closed door; it means the NHS timeline has not caught up to your situation.

The private prescription route, what a regulated online pharmacy actually does

A private prescription from a GPhC-registered pharmacy covers a wider group of adults than the NHS criteria currently reach: broadly, anyone with a BMI of 30 or above, or 27 or above with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, prediabetes, high cholesterol, or obstructive sleep apnoea. The prescriber assesses the whole clinical picture, not just a BMI figure, so meeting the threshold does not guarantee approval.

At nume, the process is designed to be both fast and genuinely thorough. You complete a medical consultation online; a GPhC-registered Independent Prescriber reads it the same day. Alongside that, you verify your identity with a photo ID and confirm your weight on a live video check, steps that matter, because counterfeit pens are a real problem. The MHRA has warned publicly about fake Mounjaro pens sold online and via social media, and in October 2025 raided the UK's first illicit manufacturing site producing counterfeit tirzepatide pens. Buying from a seller you cannot verify on the GPhC pharmacy register puts you at genuine risk. A price that seems too low and an offer to supply without a prior clinical assessment are both red flags worth heeding.

If you are already on treatment elsewhere and considering a transfer, our prescribers ask for evidence of your current dose and recent weight history before continuing, a detail worth knowing upfront. More on the process is set out on how to get Mounjaro in the UK.

How to check any online pharmacy is legitimate before you order

This is the step most people skip, and it is the most important one. Every pharmacy legally supplying prescription medicines in the UK must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council. You can check any pharmacy (including nume) directly on the GPhC register. Our premises registration number is 9012878, and the record is publicly searchable at the GPhC's own site.

Beyond the register check, look for an NHS-approved internet pharmacy logo, a UK address, and a process that asks you real medical questions before offering a prescription. If a site offers Mounjaro or any GLP-1 medicine without asking you anything clinical, or claims you can buy it the way you would buy a supplement, that is not a legitimate supply chain. The MHRA's Yellow Card scheme lets you report suspect sellers directly, and the regulator has published clear public guidance on what safe supply looks like.

For more context on what distinguishes a regulated service from the alternatives, our about us page explains how nume, sorry, how nume is structured, including the pharmacy registration and the clinical oversight that sits behind every prescription. You can also read about our clinical team on our prescriber profile page.

What to do if you are not sure which route applies to you

Start with your GP if you think you might meet the NHS criteria, it costs nothing and establishes a clinical baseline. If your surgery is not yet set up, or your BMI or conditions do not yet reach the current NHS threshold, a regulated private service is the practical alternative. The private licence for Mounjaro covers a broader group, and there is no referral or waiting list.

Either way, the medicine itself works the same. What differs is the assessment pathway, the cost, and how long it takes. Some people find speaking to a private doctor or prescriber is simpler and faster for their situation; others want to exhaust the NHS option first. Both are legitimate decisions. If you fall somewhere less straightforward (perhaps your BMI is under 30, or you are asking about a specific dose step) the pages on getting Mounjaro outside the standard BMI criteria and on making treatment work well once you start are worth reading before your consultation.

If you are ready to find out whether you qualify through nume, the next step is a free consultation. You can order by midday on a working day and, if our prescriber approves treatment, your pen is dispatched the same afternoon. Check your eligibility and start your free consultation here.