GLP-1 Image Guide: What GLP-1 Medicines Look Like (October 2026)

01 · Quick answer

What does GLP-1 medication look like?

Most prescribed GLP-1 medicines look like a slim, pre-filled pen with a cap, a needle that you attach yourself, and a printed label showing the brand and strength. Mounjaro is the brand name for tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine made by Eli Lilly. It comes as a pre-filled multi-dose pen (KwikPen) in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹

Wegovy is also a weekly pen, but it follows its own ladder: 0.25mg, 0.5mg, 1mg, 1.7mg and 2.4mg. You can compare it on our Wegovy pen page. Liraglutide (Saxenda, and products such as Erly) is supplied at 6mg/ml and is a daily injection, unlike the weekly pens.

Tablets exist too. Wegovy tablets and Foundayo are taken by mouth, so they look like ordinary film-coated tablets. See current Wegovy tablet prices on the product page.

02 · Next step

What to do with an image

Use a picture only to recognise the device, never to judge whether it is real. Counterfeit pens can be photographed to look identical. If you want treatment, the safe route is a consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, with supply from a registered pharmacy (ours is GPhC 9012878).

If you are ready to look at treatment, start with the Mounjaro pen prices and consultation. Your first 2.5mg pen costs £129.99 with code FIRST40 (standard price £169.99), and all doses are in stock. For wider options, see our weight loss clinic.

03 · Molecule diagrams explained

What the molecule and gut diagrams show

Molecule images show the hormone or drug as a chain of building blocks, and gut diagrams show where receptors sit. They are teaching graphics, not photos of a medicine. Tirzepatide is the first treatment of its kind to activate two natural gut-hormone receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1.¹

Together these help regulate appetite, slow how quickly the stomach empties, and improve the way the body responds to insulin. In practice, most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which supports a reduced-calorie diet. Our GLP-1 physiology explainer walks through the diagrams step by step.

04 · Results images and the GLP-1 face

Before-and-after images and the "GLP-1 face"

Before-and-after pictures show individual results, not what you should expect. 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, and individual results vary.

"GLP-1 face" is a social-media phrase, not a diagnosis. It is not a listed side effect in the UK patient leaflet.¹³ If you notice any new symptom, tell your prescriber and report it through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ Get medical help straight away for severe, persistent stomach pain that may spread to your back, with or without vomiting, pain in the upper right abdomen, fever or yellowing of the skin or eyes, or signs of a severe allergic reaction.

05 · Lookalikes and scams

Lookalike products and genuine supply

Many images online are of products that only borrow GLP-1 language. Patches, smoothies and supplements marketed as "nature's Ozempic" are low-cost items with no clinical oversight, and dramatic weight-loss claims attached to them are not backed by the licensed-medicine evidence. See our guides to the GLP-1 plaster and GLP-1 smoothies, and ask is GLP-1 a con if you are unsure.

Be wary of any seller offering to supply a pen without a consultation or prescription. The MHRA publishes counterfeit medicine alerts and runs the Yellow Card scheme.⁷ Our Mounjaro is sourced through official LillyDirect supply and arrives as a genuine KwikPen with free next-day tracked delivery.

06 · Mounjaro and GLP-1

How Mounjaro relates to GLP-1

GLP-1 is a gut hormone and a drug class, while Mounjaro is one specific medicine that acts on it. Its dual action is what distinguishes Mounjaro from single-action GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic).¹ Novartis is often mentioned in this space too; our Novartis GLP-1 page covers that.

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.⁴⁶

07 · 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