Pharmacy-driven weight management, the science and support available?

What is this new service?

The new weight management service is a drug-assisted option for our patients to help them lose and manage their excess weight. As a registered pharmacy, we have a high level of professional responsibility to provide effective care for our patients. Drug-assisted care is only one of the effective (evidence-based) options. We provide much more than injections to help with your weight management. “Drug-assisted” and not “Drug-dominated” is the key difference. Our qualified prescribing pharmacist, Antonio Magno, will provide nutrition and health advice to work in tandem with any medication to provide a longer-lasting solution for weight management. This has numerous benefits that we will cover in more detail later in this blog, but patients using this service will have plenty of support available throughout treatment and beyond.

What drugs are used?

For people who use this service, we will recommend medication to assist in their weight loss journey, but they will not all use the same drug as they can have varying effects and will not always be suitable for individual patients. Depending on your needs and any existing medical conditions, Antonio will discuss which (if any) medication will be most suitable for you on an individual basis. Options may include:

• Mounjaro
• Mysimba
• Xenical
• Saxenda
• Wegovy

Each of these medications acts in a slightly different way, but all with the same goal to help you achieve weight loss. When used alongside appropriate lifestyle and dietary advice these methods are FAR more effective than simply using drugs alone. Please don’t make the mistake of assuming that the medication alone will deliver the results you hope for. The pill-for-every-ill approach has been tried and failed. All medications have upsides and downsides (aka risks and benefits). Our role is to help you maximise the benefits and minimise the risks. Our pharmacist will help ensure that your weight loss is achieved in a healthy way for you.

Looking for a drug-free approach? We offer the ProLongevity Service too, which can achieve similar or even better results without the use of any medication: Here’s one of our many recent success stories: 

What are the side effects?

Side effects can vary between medications. However, some side effects you may experience include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhoea
• Reduced appetite
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Indigestion
• Stomach pains

N.B. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list though these are the most common side effects that you might experience. Do talk to our pharmacy team if you need more information.

Some medications can cause more side effects than others, but they are nothing to be overly concerned over as our pharmacist knows medication like the “back of their hand.” Any side effects will be discussed in detail during your first consultation.

What are the risks?

The risks associated with weight management medications primarily stem from improper use, potential interactions with other medications, and the body's response to these drugs. One significant risk but relatively uncommon one, is that a patient may develop an over-reliance on medication, thus leading to potential “bad weight loss”, such as losing weight from muscle mass instead of fat. Unchecked it can lead to more severe health conditions like sarcopenia (muscle loss).

That said, with our safety-first approach and with the supervision of our pharmacist, overreliance on medication and side effects being ignored is very unlikely. Just as we want to minimise potential side effects, we also want to reduce the chances you may simply regain all the weight once the medication is stopped. Without implementing more permanent measures to prevent weight gain such as those through lifestyle and dietary changes, most people will regain the weight lost from medication and more. So, if want to avoid a temporary “quick fix” approach and instead you are looking for health benefits that last, we can help. This is why our weight management service utilising both medications (where appropriate) and always based upon sustainable lifestyle improvements is so effective at Pierremont Pharmacy!

Interested in this service? Book a consultation with our pharmacist:

There always remains the potential for more serious side effects, if the medication is not suited to a patient. Additionally, patients could experience nutritional issues, particularly with drugs like Xenical, which can impact the absorption of vitamins. Again, regular monitoring and a comprehensive approach that includes lifestyle changes are again crucial to mitigate these risks.

What else does the service provide?

Beyond just medication, our weight management service offers a mixed approach to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Including personalised nutritional consultations with our pharmacist, who will work with you to develop a balanced diet & lifestyle plan that complements medication. We can also provide regular health check-ups to monitor progress and make any necessary adjustments. We also offer invaluable advice on exercise and lifestyle modifications that can enhance the effectiveness of the medication. Our goal is to support you not only in losing weight but in sustaining that loss through healthy habits. Unlike other weight loss plans that simply give you the medication and wash their hands of any further responsibility.

Conclusion

Pharmacy-driven weight management offers a promising and tailored approach to patients struggling to achieve and maintain weight loss. This approach goes beyond just prescribing medication: it integrates the use of appropriate medication with tailored nutritional advice and lifestyle support, recognising that successful weight management is a complex and multifaceted problem. By addressing various aspects of weight loss from metabolic factors to lifestyle changes this service provides a comprehensive solution that can significantly enhance traditional methods of over-relying upon medication to help achieve weight loss.



It is crucial to understand that while medication can play a valuable role in assisting weight loss, it should not be seen as the sole solution. The true success of any weight management plan lies in its ability to combine multiple strategies, including a balanced diet, regular physical activity (this does not need to be long, strenuous exercise), and the ability to receive support. These components work together to create a sustainable lifestyle change, ensuring that people are not only able to lose weight but also to keep it off in the long run.

Pierremont Pharmacy is dedicated to offering more than just medication; we provide a full spectrum of support designed to empower our patients throughout their weight loss journey. From personalised consultations to regular follow-ups, we ensure that our patients receive the guidance they need to make informed choices about their health. By fostering a supportive environment, we help our patients build healthy habits and routines necessary to maintain their weight loss and overall well-being for a lifetime. If this service does not appeal to you, we also offer a completely drug-free alternative, that can provide similar and often better results. All without the use of medication.