GLP-1 Training Course: What to Look For (October 2026)

01 · The core answer

Is a GLP-1 training course right for you?

A GLP-1 training course is right for you if you work with people who take, or are considering, weight-management injections. That includes personal trainers, health coaches, dietitians, nurses, pharmacists and other clinicians. It is not right if you want to start treatment yourself, because a course gives knowledge, not a prescription.

The first decision is which kind of course matches your role. A coaching course should teach you to support clients safely and know when to refer. A prescribing course is for people who are already legally able to prescribe, and it focuses on assessment, titration and monitoring. Mixing the two up is the most common mistake we see in how these courses are described online.

The second decision is what to do next if you are really here as a patient. If so, you do not need a course. You need a conversation with a prescriber who can check whether treatment suits you. Our weight loss clinic explains how that works, and the Mounjaro pen page shows current prices and the consultation.

02 · What a course should teach

What a good GLP-1 training course should teach

A good course starts with the basics of what these medicines are and what they are licensed for. 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.¹ It comes as a pre-filled multi-dose pen in six strengths: 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg.¹

It should then teach the product information that clinicians rely on: the summary of product characteristics and the patient information leaflet. If a syllabus never points you back to those documents, treat it with caution. Marketing summaries and social media posts are not a substitute.

Look for these topics on the syllabus:

• Licensed indications and who the medicines are intended for
• How the medicines work and what that means for appetite and digestion
• Dose escalation and why it happens gradually
• Common side effects and when to seek advice
• Interactions, including oral contraception and diabetes medicines The SmPC advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method (such as condoms), for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.¹
• Storage and handling of pens
• Reporting suspected side effects through the Yellow Card scheme
• Referral boundaries: what is and is not your role

03 · How the medicines work

The science a course should explain

Any course on this topic should explain the mechanism clearly, without hype. 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.

That dual action is what distinguishes Mounjaro from single-action GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide, which is sold as Wegovy and Ozempic. A course that lumps every product together under one label is oversimplifying. Our Wegovy pen page shows the difference in the product itself.

Also check that a course explains that the medicines work alongside lifestyle changes. Treatment is used with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity, and individual results vary.¹ A course promising dramatic outcomes should worry you.

04 · Reading trial results

Reading trial results without overstating them

Courses often quote trial results, and a good one quotes them accurately. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, 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.

Notice what a careful course does with that. It names the trial, states the duration, and says averages do not predict your own result. It does not set the figures of different trials side by side as if they were a head-to-head contest. A course that compares unrelated trials, or promises clients a specific outcome, is not teaching evidence-based practice.

05 · Supporting clients safely

Supporting clients safely: scope and referral

The most valuable thing a coaching course teaches is scope. You can encourage activity, talk about food choices and listen. You cannot change a client's dose, tell them to stop, or diagnose a side effect. Those decisions belong to the prescriber.

A course should teach you what to say when a client mentions a new symptom: encourage them to speak to their prescriber, and explain that suspected side effects can be reported through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹ It should also flag that Mounjaro slows stomach emptying, which can reduce how well oral contraceptive pills are absorbed. The SmPC advises switching to a non-oral method, or adding a barrier method (such as condoms), for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each dose increase, so clients should discuss contraception with their prescriber.⁷ For clients on insulin or sulfonylureas, doses may need adjusting because of the risk of low blood sugar, which is again a prescriber decision.

If a course tells you to improvise on any of these, choose a different one.

06 · Exercise and nutrition

Exercise and nutrition modules

Sensible exercise courses cover strength work, protein-conscious eating and appetite changes. Our article on weight training on GLP-1 medication covers the practical side from the client's point of view.

A decent module will tell you that people on these medicines often feel full quickly, so meal planning becomes about making smaller portions count. It should also remind you that tolerance varies, and that anyone struggling to eat or exercise should speak to their prescriber rather than push through.

07 · Free and paid options

Free versus paid courses

Free courses can be a useful introduction, and paid courses usually add depth and a certificate. Judge any course by the same points, whatever it costs: accreditation, currency, sources, scope and tone.

If you want to explore the free route, see our guide to a free GLP-1 training course online. If you work specifically with tirzepatide, our pages on a Mounjaro training course in the UK and a free Mounjaro training course online are more specific. For a general overview, our weight loss injection course guide explains the wider landscape.

• Accreditation: is it endorsed by a recognised professional body or CPD scheme?
• Currency: is the content revised as licences and guidance change?
• Sources: does it cite the product information and regulator guidance?
• Scope: does it say clearly what your role can and cannot do?
• Tone: does it avoid promising results?

08 · NHS and private access

What professionals should know about access

Clients will ask how people get these medicines, so you should know the honest picture. 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 Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment rather than waiting.

When a client asks where to go, the safe answer is a registered prescriber or a GPhC-registered pharmacy. You can check any pharmacy on the GPhC register; ours is registration 9012878.

09 · Where we fit in

Where EverydayMeds fits

We do not run a training course. We are a GPhC-registered online pharmacy, and every Mounjaro order starts with a free online consultation reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber. Mounjaro is supplied through official LillyDirect supply, sourced directly from Eli Lilly, with free next-day tracked delivery and ongoing monthly clinical reviews included.

New customers save £40 on their first order with code FIRST40, and an automatic £25 reorder discount applies to every future order (code DOSE25). If you advise clients, you can point them to a regulated route without telling them what to take. Their prescriber makes that decision.

10 · 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