What a UK online consultation for GLP-1 medicines involves

A GLP-1 online consultation in the UK is not a formality before checkout. Mounjaro, Wegovy, the Wegovy pill and Foundayo are prescription-only, so a pharmacy can supply them only against a prescription written after a prescriber has assessed you. Since February 2025, guidance from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulates pharmacies in Great Britain, has said a questionnaire alone is not enough for weight-management medicines online: your weight, height and/or BMI must be verified another way.

This is information only, not medical advice; a prescriber decides suitability, and we do not name or endorse any pharmacy or clinic.

Why a GLP-1 online consultation in the UK is required

The GPhC says these medicines can only be supplied once an appropriate practitioner, such as a doctor or a nurse or pharmacist independent prescriber, has prescribed them after a consultation in which you decide together. The MHRA adds that the consultation must come first so the prescriber can carry out proper checks and explain the benefits and risks. Licence criteria are in who is eligible for GLP-1 treatment in the UK; this article covers the process.

The GPhC’s February 2025 rules for weight-management medicines

The GPhC’s guidance on pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet, says some medicines are “not suitable to be prescribed by a questionnaire model alone”. They include weight-management medicines and black-triangle medicines under additional monitoring, which currently includes all four. Before one is prescribed online:

• the prescriber has robust processes to check who you are;
• the prescriber independently verifies what you say, through two-way communication, your clinical records, or your GP or another provider;
• for weight-management medicines, your weight, height and/or BMI are verified independently;
• you have given your GP’s details and consent to contact them, and the prescriber shares relevant information;
• the prescriber works within UK prescribing guidelines.

If details cannot be verified, you should be directed to another care provider. Falling short of the GPhC’s standards can lead to enforcement action.

What you will be asked, and why

The GPhC advises answering honestly, for your own safety. Expect questions on age, weight, height, medical history, allergies, all medicines and supplements, and pregnancy, conception plans or breastfeeding. You should be able to ask questions too; the GPhC says a chatbot alone would not be appropriate. Prescribers must also consider your wellbeing, as eating disorders, body dysmorphia and mental health problems can lie behind a request. The medical questions track each UK product information (SmPC):

• Pancreatitis. None of the four has been studied in people with a history of it; each SmPC advises caution, and all four also flag severe gastroparesis.
• Diabetes and other medicines. Insulin or a sulfonylurea raises the risk of low blood sugar, and rapid blood sugar improvement can temporarily worsen diabetic retinopathy. nhs.uk flags warfarin with semaglutide and tirzepatide, and levothyroxine (for an underactive thyroid) with semaglutide; some antibiotics, antifungals and St John’s wort affect Foundayo. Tirzepatide and Foundayo may make the contraceptive pill less reliable after starting and after each dose increase.
• Pregnancy. Semaglutide should be stopped at least two months, tirzepatide one month and orforglipron three weeks before trying to conceive; semaglutide and orforglipron are not used while breastfeeding.
• Kidneys, gallbladder and heart. Vomiting and diarrhoea can dehydrate you and strain the kidneys, gallbladder problems are linked to weight reduction, and three SmPCs note no experience in the most severe heart failure.

Dose ladders are on our Mounjaro, Wegovy, Wegovy pill and Foundayo pages.

How weight and height are verified

“Independently”, the GPhC says, means the prescriber “uses a different way to verify the information provided to them by the person”. Its examples are a video consultation, an in-person check, your clinical records, or contact with another healthcare provider such as your GP. This helps confirm any continued supply is clinically suitable and safeguards vulnerable people. A video weigh-in or records check is the rule working as intended.

When a prescriber may say no

A refusal is a normal outcome, for example for a BMI below the licence thresholds; pregnancy, breastfeeding or plans to conceive; past pancreatitis or another caution; a medicine that does not mix; concern about an eating disorder; or details that cannot be verified. Without a GP, or consent to contact one, the prescriber should decide whether prescribing is still safe, record why and, if declining, direct you to an appropriate care provider. It is not a reason to try a seller that asks fewer questions.

Follow-up, repeats and dose steps

The GPhC says an appropriate consultation can include carrying out or signposting to ongoing monitoring and advising on what to do about side effects. SmPCs set the pace: Mounjaro and Wegovy doses rise after at least four weeks at each level, the Wegovy pill after at least a month and Foundayo after at least 30 days. The Wegovy SmPC asks for a decision on continuing if under 5% of starting weight is lost after six months; for Mounjaro, six months after reaching the highest tolerated dose. Ask your prescriber before switching medicine, as the MHRA advises even between brands. Report suspected side effects, pen problems or suspected fakes to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. See managing GLP-1 side effects and what happens when you stop.

Red flags that a site is unsafe

• No consultation, an unchecked questionnaire, or “no prescription needed”.
• No GPhC registration number, owner, superintendent pharmacist (if there is one) or pharmacy address, or no prescriber name, registration number and country of registration; the guidance says these must be prominent.
• Sales via social media or beauty salons, which the MHRA says is illegal.
• Powder in vials to mix, which the MHRA says is not authorised. The MHRA has reports of severe side effects from fakes and of counterfeit pens; the GPhC says some UK fakes contained insulin.
• Prescribers not registered with a UK regulator, or prescribing services based abroad: significant extra risks, says the GPhC.

Private prices vary between regulated providers; the regulation matters more than the figure.

How to check the register

Every pharmacy in Great Britain, online or not, must be registered with the GPhC and meet its standards for registered pharmacies. Its registers let you search for a pharmacy by name, town, postcode or registration number and see any notices or conditions; the pharmacist register shows independent prescriber annotations. Doctors are on the General Medical Council register, nurses on the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s; in Northern Ireland, the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland regulates pharmacies. A separate prescribing service should be registered where it is based: in England, with the Care Quality Commission, which registers, inspects and rates services, including clinics. The MHRA lets you check whether a website is “Not Recommended”. Our FAQ and comparison pages cover the medicines.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Who is eligible for GLP-1 treatment in the UK?
• Managing GLP-1 side effects
• GLP-1 long-term safety