Weight loss jabs "lifechanging" says Medway Man

But medical professionals warn there could be side effects.  Kristin Hawthorne reports

Transcript

00:00The new mechanism for prescribing these drugs has really come about because we need to make sure

00:07that they're used safely, that the right people get them at the right dose and they're monitored

00:12to make sure they stay safe whilst they're taking them. Weight loss jabs will now require

00:16stricter prescribing criteria for online pharmacies. They will now have to use stricter

00:22checks like in-person or video consultations to verify body mass index along with an assessment

00:29from a GP or with past medical records. In the UK just a small percentage of people are taking the

00:35weight loss jab but it could soon become less as the NHS have announced that it will be more

00:40difficult to get to protect those who may want to take it unhealthily. I've been speaking to

00:45people who have their own story with the treatment. There's got to be a line, there are people using

00:49it who don't need it, there are people who've got a couple of pounds extra on them thinking I need

00:53to lose this and taking the injection. It's pointless those kind of people using it but

00:57I was struggling, my health was bad, really bad. Walking up and down stairs, putting my socks on,

01:01doing my shoes up was hard work so for me it's fantastic. The fact that I can bend down and do

01:06my own shoes up is amazing. At my age it's been a fantastic thing. Should they make it a bit harder?

01:11Probably yes but for the right people. There should be more hoops you have to go through,

01:16you shouldn't just be able to go here you go, there it is because you could just get someone

01:22else to stand on a scale, send it to wherever you're going to get it from online and they're

01:27not going to know any different, they're just going to think that's you. Any pharmacist who

01:31provides the drug without following the new guidelines could face investigations. While the

01:36drug has many benefits such as helping with diabetes, heart health and blood pressure,

01:41many people use it for its weight loss side effects which has since led to global shortages

01:46and counterfeit versions of the product. By making the jab harder to get,

01:51what benefits if any will this have on public health? Until now the danger has been that people

01:57have been able to circumvent those safety mechanisms either by being untruthful when

02:05they're talking to online pharmacists or because online pharmacists have issued without carrying

02:09out the correct checks. Neil and Debbie from Gillingham Street Angels get their information

02:14and support from online groups and influencers but say that while this has its benefits,

02:19it's not enough. A whole community of people taking these injections on TikTok and you look

02:23at some people you think why, why are you doing it? You don't need to do it, you know you're just

02:27normal kind of size. You don't get any support, there is no, there's no support they just send

02:32you the injection that's it and basically you're just left to get on with it. So if you're thinking

02:37of trying the medication you will now have to speak to a GP instead of filling out an online

02:42form. Kristen Hawthorne for CAM TV in Ranom.