We can offer either Saxenda, Orlistat or Xenical as prescription treatment to help you lose weight. We expect to be able to offer Wegovy in 2023. We’ll help you decide if treatment is right for you, and how you need to take it to get the best results.

We’ll check in with you after you start any treatment we prescribe to see how you’re getting on. If it’s going well, you can potentially request repeat prescriptions for up to 12 months and we’ll check in regularly with you to see if you are on track.

We answer a lot of questions about Saxenda. For more information look at our Saxenda FAQs and our dedicated Saxenda page.

If you’re prescribed Saxenda, you’ll need to inject it just under the skin. You’ll probably find this is easier than you first think. Saxenda should be used once a day, at around the same time. Best injection sites are your tummy area (abdomen), the front of your thighs or your upper arm. Saxenda needs to be stored in the fridge.

Orlistat and Xenical are tablet medicines. You take a single tablet with water, immediately before or up to one hour after a main meal. You can take your prescribed treatment up to three times a day. If you miss a meal, or have a meal that does not contain fat, you should not take Orlistat or Xenical at that time.

These medicines have some potential side effects. These include headaches and increased anxiety.

With Saxenda the common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. There can also be an increased heart rate and an increased risk of gallstones. For more information on these side effects, see our Saxenda side effects page.

There are also some common side effects with Orlistat or Xenical that are caused by the extra fat being passed out through your stool. These include abdominal pain, oily diarrhoea, the urgent need to use the toilet, wind, and anal leakage. When used with the recommended low fat approach to your meals, these side effects can be reduced. There can also be headaches and increased anxiety.

For the full information on a medicine’s side effects and how to take it, it’s important to read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with your medicine.

Please tell us which other medicines you’re taking — whether they’re prescription or medicines you’ve bought without a prescription. We need to know so that we can prescribe treatment, if it’s suitable for you. If you’re taking certain medicines or living with certain medical conditions, this service might not be suitable for you.

We currently prescribe Saxenda, Orlistat and Xenical. We expect Wegovy to launch in 2023. You might also have heard about Ozempic or Rybelsus.

Wegovy is a weight loss treatment that works similarly to Saxenda. It’s an injection you give yourself once a week that helps to reduce hunger and aid weight loss alongside a restricted calorie diet and increased physical activity. In clinical trials, patients experienced significant weight loss. Wegovy has been available in the United States since 2021 and we expect Wegovy to come to Boots Online Doctor in 2023. Find out more about Wegovy.

Other medicines you might have heard of include Ozempic and Rybelsus. These are currently licensed to treat type 2 diabetes. These treatments have the same active ingredient as Wegovy (semaglutide) and are sometimes prescribed off-label to support weight loss. We aren’t currently offering these treatments.

There are things that you can do to manage your weight without medicine. Improving your diet and increasing your activity can both help with weight loss and help you to live a healthier, happier life.

At Boots Online Doctor, we don’t just stop with medicine. Check out our free online webinars where our Lifestyle Team offers expert advice on weight loss. We’re also developing a wide range of new support resources to help you reach and maintain your weight loss goals, including a dedicated lifestyle hub - coming soon.