Experts warn against ‘worrying’ rise in dangerous weight-loss ‘jab hacks’
Experts have warned those taking weight-loss shots not to try “jab hacks” such as taking small doses or buying drugs from illegitimate sources.
According to a survey by LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, almost half of the 1.6 million people using weight loss drugs in the UK say they have either dabbled in dangerous techniques such as “microdosing” (32%) or turned to unlicensed drugs and dealers as the price of drugs has increased (28%).
A woman named Amy, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, explained that she took small doses of Wegovy, meaning she used each shot twice, to make the pen last longer and save money.
The 55-year-old from West Sussex said: Independent: “I pay £150 for a 1-milligram pen, which lasts four weeks if you use the full dose, eight weeks if you halve it. I up the ante so a full pen can last me eight to 10 weeks, maybe even 12.”
Buying Wegovy from beauty therapist since March 2025. However, weight loss medications cannot be purchased without a prescription and must be prescribed after consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned against sourcing weight loss drugs from unregulated suppliers, with Wegovy’s manufacturer calling it a “direct danger to health”.
LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor’s chief medical officer, Dr. Kieran Seyan said: Independent: “I am increasingly concerned by reports that some people are accessing prescription-only weight loss medications through unregulated sources such as beauty therapists or salons.
“Medication from an improperly regulated source increases the risk of incorrect dosing, expired or improperly stored medication, and in some cases, counterfeit products.”
Amy said she trusted her beauty therapist and believed she would have difficulty accessing weight loss medication on the NHS.
“I was taken to Weight Watchers by my mother from the age of 10 and eventually had gastric bypass surgery privately 15 years ago and it didn’t work,” she said.
“I started Wegovy in March through my beauty therapist who does aesthetics and botox. She goes to the doctor and writes a prescription, so I buy it from her.”
Amy revealed she had made the call and had to have a body mass index of over 30 to access the weight-loss drug, but admitted the process needed to be “more stringent”.
Weight loss injections such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking the natural hormone that regulates blood sugar, appetite, and digestion.
These are a prescription medicine and to access them on the NHS a patient must have a BMI of 40 or more, although private providers offer them to those with a BMI over 30.
Amy started with a low dose of 0.5 mg and slowly increased to 1 mg. After she lost two and a half stone and her BMI reached 25, she was told to halve her dose with the intention of quitting.
“I haven’t actually stopped, I’ve just kept going and I’m almost afraid to snap out of it. I feel like I could probably totally get on with this,” he added. “I need to keep a pen in the fridge at all times, and I think this is something I’ll be using for the foreseeable future.”
The trick, known as “microdosing,” involves taking smaller doses than the weight-loss vaccine was designed for.
Dr Seyan warned that using smaller doses to make the drug last longer was “not an exact science” and had not yet been tested. He explained there was a risk that administering “unequal doses” could make the vaccine less effective.
He explained that the dose is determined by the pharmacist or doctor on an individual basis, and that “chopping and changing” the dose does not give the body a chance to adapt and can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, abdominal pain and constipation.
He also warned that the pen was only supposed to last for four weeks, so using it after that point could mean the drug had expired, making it less effective.
Amy faces the risk of infection because she uses a Wegovy injection, which only comes with four needles, and sometimes uses the needle twice to get eight or more doses.
Leyla Hanbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacists Association, warned: “Patients should always use a clean and sterile needle for each injection.
“There is a significant risk of bacterial contamination as a used needle is no longer sterile and can introduce bacteria into the body.
“There is also the risk of giving an incorrect dose if there is residue left in the old needle, which will prevent the full dose of the medicine from being given. In addition, old needles can break and become damaged and cause damage to the skin.”
An MHRA spokesman said: “Wegovy (semaglutide) is a prescription-only medicine, meaning it should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a prescription from a healthcare professional.
“Sourcing weight loss medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving a counterfeit or unapproved product. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict safety and quality standards and may expose patients to incorrect dosages or dangerous ingredients.”
Wegovy’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, also warned against buying the drug from unregulated suppliers, adding that it does not condone practices such as “microdosing” and that drugs should be taken in recommended doses.
A spokesperson said: “At Novo Nordisk, patient safety is our top priority. The illegitimate supply of GLP-1 medicines without a prescription poses a direct danger to health. Medicines obtained from sources other than a registered healthcare professional may have completely different ingredients than the original medicine and should not be used.”
“We advise patients to obtain appropriate medications by prescription only from legal sources and after consulting a healthcare professional. If the patient suspects they have been administered a counterfeit product, they should seek medical attention immediately.”
