Blockbuster weight loss jabs relied on by millions of slimmers could be more effective on a certain day of the week, an expert has suggested.
More than a million Britons are now injecting themselves weekly with drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy—bought online or through private clinics—lured by promises of rapid results.
Known collectively as GLP–1s, the once a week injections can help users lose up to a fifth of their body weight in a year and have upended the obesity treatment playbook.
Now, one expert in metabolic medicine has suggested Thursday may be the optimal time to inject the drug to ‘control’ the urge to binge calories at the weekend.
According to Dr Zoe Lees, who specialises in GLP-1s for MedExpress, this is because people ‘may notice stronger effects shortly after their injection’.
The injections spur weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating—GLP-1.
As well as telling the pancreas to make more insulin, GLP-1 feeds back to the brain and makes us feel full—stopping patients from over-eating.
Dr Lees told the Daily Mail: ‘While some people may notice stronger effects shortly after their injection, this varies from person to person and is most noticeable early in treatment or when increasing the dose.
Once aimed at diabetes patients, Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro are now famous for fast weight loss – reducing appetite and helping users slim down rapidly
‘Injecting on a Thursday, for example, might help some people feel more in control during weekend social events.
‘However, for others it might increase the chance of side effects disrupting those plans.
‘It’s all about balance and choosing a day that works for your body and your routine.
‘Many people may find it helpful to take their injection ahead of a rest day, such as the evening before a day off or the start of the weekend.
‘This gives a buffer to manage any side effects in the early stages of treatment or when moving up a dose.
‘Over time, as your body adjusts, these side effects often ease and you may not need to plan around time off as much.’
According to the patient information leaflets, tucked inside Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro packaging, the drug should be injected at ‘any time of day’.
Instead, it advises patients to take it once a week, on the same day each week.
Experts have suggested this helps maintain stable levels of the medication in the body.
In the UK Ozempic, Mounjaro and similar drugs are supplied in pre-filled injector pens, with doses typically increased gradually under medical supervision.
It comes as Mounjaro manufacturer Lilly yesterday revealed it would hike up the price of the drug in the UK from September, costing patients up to an extra £2,704 a year.
The pharmaceutical giant also cited clinical research into the effectiveness of the injections, saying it demonstrates its ‘value’.
The mammoth rise also comes after US President Donald Trump complained that Americans pay more for drugs than other nations, saying they ‘subsidise the health care of foreign countries’.
But despite patients being eager to take the drugs, the jabs are not without side effects.
Users commonly complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea after taking the medication.
A Mail on Sunday investigation earlier this year also revealed almost 400 Brits had been hospitalised since the rollout of jabs such as Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda.
Some doctors also warned they were seeing patients with ‘serious, life-threatening complications’ including seizures, bowel obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas, known as pancreatitis.
Under NHS guidelines, only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35 and at least one weight-related health problem like high blood pressure, or those who have a BMI of 30 to 34.9 and meet the criteria for referral to a specialist weight management service, should be prescribed Wegovy.
UK law forbids the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
