GLP-1 Course: What It Means and What to Choose (October 2026)

01 · Start here

Which kind of GLP-1 course are you looking for?

If you work in fitness, nutrition or healthcare, you want training. If you are considering treatment for yourself, you want to understand a course of medicine. The two are very different, so pick the route that fits you.

Our advice is simple. Training is for professionals who support others. A treatment course is a medical decision made with a prescriber. Do not use a training course as a substitute for a clinical assessment.

02 · What to do next

What to do next if treatment is your question

Treatment is only suitable for some adults, so the first step is a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. Our weight loss clinic explains the process. If you already know which medicine you are asking about, the Mounjaro pen page shows live prices and availability, and all six doses are in stock.

03 · Training courses

What a GLP-1 training course usually covers

A GLP-1 training course for professionals typically explains what these medicines are, who takes them and how to support clients safely. Titles and content differ by provider, so check the syllabus and the accrediting body before paying. We do not endorse or rate individual providers.

Good courses tend to cover the same themes, which matches the “what you’ll learn” headings you see on provider pages:

• How GLP-1 medicines work, in plain language
• Why appetite changes, and what that means for nutrition and energy
• Exercise programming for clients who are eating less
• Common side effects and when to refer a client back to their prescriber
• Scope of practice: what you can and cannot say about medication
• Communication that is supportive and non-judgemental

On the medicine itself, a solid course should be consistent with UK product information. For example, Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine made by Eli Lilly. In the UK it is licensed for weight management in adults and for type 2 diabetes. It comes as a pre-filled multi-dose pen (KwikPen) in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹

For a deeper look at this audience, see our guide to the GLP-1 training course landscape and our overview of the weight loss injection course options.

04 · Personal trainers

GLP-1 courses for personal trainers: what is in scope

A GLP-1 course for personal trainers should teach you to support clients, not to manage their medication. Trainers are not prescribers, and a certificate does not change that. Doses, timing, missed injections and side effects belong with the client’s prescriber or pharmacist.

What a trainer can sensibly do is practical and well within scope:

• Ask clients to tell you if they have started treatment, so sessions can be adapted
• Keep sessions achievable if the client is eating less and feels tired or nauseous
• Put resistance training and everyday movement at the centre of programming
• Encourage clients to raise any new or worrying symptom with their prescriber
• Avoid commenting on whether someone “should” be on a medicine or change their dose

Be wary of any course that promises you can “prescribe”, “recommend doses” or give dramatic outcomes. A responsible provider will teach referral red flags and the limits of your role. If a course skips those, treat it with caution.

05 · Certification and free options

GLP-1 certification and free online courses

A GLP-1 certification is a CPD certificate showing you completed a course. It is not a licence, and it does not authorise you to supply or advise on prescription medicines. Its value is in the knowledge, and in whether a recognised body accredits it.

Free options do exist. Many universities, professional bodies and health organisations publish free introductory material, and the NHS has plain-English pages on these medicines. Free content suits general awareness. Paid courses usually add structure, assessment and a certificate, which matters if your insurer or employer asks for CPD evidence.

Before enrolling, check these points:

• Who wrote it, and are they a qualified clinician?
• Does an independent body accredit or endorse it?
• Is the content consistent with UK product information, not just US marketing?
• Does it teach referral and scope limits, not only “how to coach”?
• Is it recent? This field changes quickly.

For a quick visual primer before committing to a course, our GLP-1 infographic summarises the basics, and our GLP-1 statistics page collects the key numbers.

06 · How GLP-1 medicines work

What is the GLP-1 weight loss course content about? The medicine

Whatever course you take, the core subject is how GLP-1 medicines affect appetite and digestion. GLP-1 is a natural gut hormone. Medicines that act on its receptor are often grouped as “GLP-1 medicines”, and the group includes GLP-1 activators of different types.

Mounjaro adds a second action. Tirzepatide is the first treatment of its kind to activate two natural gut-hormone receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1. Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin.¹ In practice, most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet.¹

So is GLP-1 the same as Mounjaro? Not exactly. “GLP-1” names a hormone and a drug class. Mounjaro is one specific medicine that acts on that pathway and on GIP as well. This dual action is what distinguishes Mounjaro from single-action GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic).¹

07 · A treatment course

What a course of GLP-1 treatment looks like

A course of Mounjaro treatment starts at a low dose and steps up gradually. Each pen lasts four weeks, and your prescriber decides when to move up and where to stay. Many people settle at a dose below the maximum.

Costs follow that pattern. If you step up after 4 weeks on each dose, your first four pens (2.5mg to 10mg) cost £959.96 at standard prices, and a new customer’s first order is £40 less with code FIRST40. An automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). A first year costs £2,711.88 if you settle at 5mg, up to £3,599.88 at 15mg, before discounts. Prices checked 11 October 2026.

How long you stay on treatment is a decision for you and your prescriber, and we explain it in how long a course of Mounjaro lasts. If you stop, tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4–5 weeks to clear the system — there is no way to speed this up, and nothing needs doing while it clears.¹

Treatment is only one part of the plan. It is used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.¹ Our service includes ongoing monthly reviews, dose-titration and follow-up assessments by the prescribing team, plus side-effect support. Repeat orders re-check suitability, and nothing ships automatically.

08 · Realistic results

How much weight can you lose on a GLP-1 course?

Trial averages are the honest starting point, and they come from long studies. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial of 2,539 adults, people taking tirzepatide alongside diet and exercise lost on average 15% of their body weight on 5mg, 19.5% on 10mg and 20.9% on 15mg over 72 weeks, compared with 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone.²

These are trial averages — individual results vary, and treatment works alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, not instead of them.² As a worked example, for someone starting at 100 kg, 20.9% is about 21 kg.

People often ask how quickly weight comes off, or how much they might lose in three months. Trial averages are measured over the full duration of the study and do not predict your own result, so there is no reliable figure for three months. Be sceptical of any course, seller or celebrity story promising rapid results in a few weeks. A steady, medically supervised pace is the norm.

The same trial also reports spread. At 72 weeks, 85% of participants on 5mg, 89% on 10mg and 91% on 15mg had lost at least 5% of their body weight. Half of participants on 10mg and 57% on 15mg lost at least 20% of their body weight.²

09 · Serious side effects

Serious side effects: when to get help straight away

Serious side effects are uncommon but need urgent attention. Seek immediate medical help for: severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to your back, with or without vomiting (possible pancreatitis); pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or yellowing of skin/eyes (possible gallbladder problems); or signs of a severe allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat and difficulty breathing. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea alongside Mounjaro, watch for low blood sugar (shakiness, sweating, confusion) — your prescriber may need to adjust those medicines.¹

10 · NHS access

How to qualify for GLP-1 treatment on the NHS

Mounjaro is available on the NHS, but access is being phased in over several years. NICE recommends it for adults with a BMI of at least 35 plus at least one weight-related condition, and the NHS primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first (initially BMI 40+ with four or more qualifying conditions).⁴⁶ If you are pregnant or trying to conceive: Mounjaro must not be used during pregnancy, and it should be stopped at least one month before trying to conceive. If you become pregnant during treatment, stop the medicine and tell your prescriber promptly.

Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting.⁶ Your GP is the right person to ask where you sit in your area’s phasing.

If you choose private treatment, check the pharmacy. Ours is GPhC-registered (9012878), and you can confirm it on the GPhC register. Mounjaro is a prescription-only medicine, supplied only after an online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. Anyone offering to supply without a consultation or prescription should be avoided.