Jump to: What’s the best weight-loss jab? | How do GLP-1 weight-loss jabs work? | Are there any new weight-loss jabs being released? | How much do weight-loss jabs cost? | How do I buy weight-loss jabs? | Why should I buy weight-loss jabs from Second Nature?
As of June 2024, there are three weight-loss jabs currently available in the UK:
- Semaglutide: more commonly known by their brand names, Ozempic and Wegovy
- Liraglutide: more commonly known as Saxenda
- Tirzepatide: more commonly known as Mounjaro
All of these weight-loss jabs are what they say on the tin: you have to inject them into your body.
In terms of injecting yourself, the main difference between semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) is that with liraglutide, you have to jab yourself every day. With semaglutide and tirzepatide you only have to jab yourself once per week.
What’s the best weight-loss jab?
Based on data from randomised controlled trials (the gold standard of medical research), the best weight-loss injection that’s available in the UK in 2024 is called tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro in the UK.
Research has shown that Mounjaro supports an average weight loss of around 25% after one year.
Other options available in the UK are semaglutide and liraglutide. Below, we’ve ranked the top three weight-loss injections that are available in the UK in 2024.
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro): Average weight loss of 25%
- Semaglutide (Wegovy): Average weight loss of 15-17%
- Liraglutide (Saxenda): Average weight loss of 5-7%
How do GLP-1 weight-loss jabs work?
To explain in the most simple manner, both semaglutide and liraglutide mimic a hormone in the body called GLP-1.
Under normal circumstances, GLP-1 is released by your small intestine when food passes to it from the stomach. The GLP-1 hormone travels back to the stomach and tells the stomach to reduce the flow of food to the small intestine.
Why? To avoid all the food from your stomach moving to the small intestine in one go, potentially leading to blood sugar spikes and generally too much food in the small intestine at once.
The natural GLP-1 in your body only lasts for a few minutes before being broken down. When this happens, the stomach is free to then release more food into the small intestine.
In short, the GLP-1 hormone controls the rate of food movement from your stomach to your small intestine. GLP-1 does also have some satiety-managing effects on your brain as well as modulating the release of the insulin and glucagon hormones in your body.
As a side note, higher levels of insulin reduce the levels of blood sugar in your blood. Glucagon has the opposite effect, so higher levels of glucagon increase the levels of blood sugar.
So if you want to maximise the reduction in blood sugar levels you’d want to simultaneously increase insulin levels and also lower glucagon levels, which is exactly what the GLP-1 hormone also does.
Getting back on track: weight-loss jabs like semaglutide and liraglutide mimic the natural GLP-1 hormone, so they also slow the rate of food moving from the stomach to the small intestine.
The key difference is that the GLP-1 drugs last for much longer in the body than the natural GLP-1 hormone. Instead of lasting for a matter of minutes, the drugs in weight-loss jabs last for hours/days.
All-in-all, this leads to you feeling less hungry because you have food in your stomach for longer.
This also explains why a small proportion of people have GI side effects for the first few weeks of taking semaglutide and liraglutide, as their bodies get used to the new slower rate of digestion and food passing from the stomach to the small intestine.
The biology of GLP-1s is quite interesting when you understand it a little more.
How much do weight-loss jabs cost?
Weight-loss jabs are not cheap. For a monthly prescription of semaglutide, you can probably expect to pay at least £299 per month in 2023.
These prices may come down in 2024 as more semaglutide manufacturing plants are produced, but at the moment everything is in very short supply due to the weight-loss jab’s popularity.
We’d generally always recommend trying Second Nature’s weight-loss programme first before considering a weight-loss jab. Changing your habits is the most sustainable way to achieve long-term weight loss, and it’s also less expensive.
How do I buy weight-loss jabs?
You can buy weight-loss jabs from online pharmacies and providers, like Second Nature. Other providers in the UK include companies like Boots, Superdrug, Manual, Numan, myBMI, and Juniper.
You’ll typically have to take an online quiz to understand if you’re eligible. Please don’t lie about your details on these quizzes, as if it’s found out that you’re a lower BMI than the eligibility criteria, then the pharmacists will likely stop your prescription after one month.
Most reputable online pharmacies will double-check your details with your NHS records.
Why should I buy weight-loss jabs from Second Nature?
Second Nature has two medication-supported programmes: a Wegovy weight-loss programme and a Mounjaro weight-loss programme.
If you’ve made the decision to try Wegovy or Mounjaro (assuming you’re eligible), why should you choose Second Nature over other medication providers?
For peace of mind.
Second Nature has worked with the NHS for over 6 years providing weight-loss programmes across the UK.
Whilst our Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes are private and not currently used by the NHS, we’ve built the programmes with a focus on scientific evidence, patient safety, and data security.
We hope that our 6+ years of working with the NHS and building a track record of effective weight-loss results will give you peace of mind to give us a try.
