How to Get the Most Out of GLP-1 Treatment (October 2026)

01 · The short version

What helps most on a GLP-1 medicine

The habits that matter most are following the dose schedule, injecting consistently, combining treatment with diet and activity, and reviewing progress with a prescriber.

Mounjaro is licensed for use alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.¹ Tirzepatide activates two gut-hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1. Most people feel fuller sooner and less hungry between meals, which makes a reduced-calorie diet easier to keep up.¹ The medicine supports the diet; it does not replace it.

02 · Getting started

How to start properly

You start with a free online consultation, reviewed by a GPhC-registered prescriber, who assesses your BMI, medical history and current medicines before deciding whether treatment is suitable.¹ If you want to begin, you can start your free consultation with no charge and no obligation. Payment is taken when you place the order; if the prescriber decides the treatment is not suitable, the order is refunded automatically in full.

Your first 2.5mg pen costs £129.99 with code FIRST40 (standard price £169.99) on the Mounjaro pen page. Every later order is £25 off the standard price (code DOSE25). All six doses are in stock, and prices were checked 12 October 2026. If you step up after 4 weeks on each dose, your first four pens (2.5mg to 10mg) cost £959.96 at standard prices, before the first-order and reorder discounts.

We order directly through official LillyDirect supply, and dispensed pens arrive by free next-day tracked delivery in temperature-controlled packaging. Orders placed by 3pm are dispatched the same day.

Related guide: Buy Mounjaro.

03 · Dose ladder and pace

Respect the dose ladder

Everyone starts on 2.5mg once a week, and that dose is about letting your body adjust rather than weight loss itself.¹ After at least 4 weeks the dose goes to 5mg. It can then rise by 2.5mg at minimum 4-week intervals (7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg) up to a maximum of 15mg weekly, depending on how you respond and tolerate it.¹

Many people settle at 5mg, 10mg or 15mg. Higher is not automatically better, and your prescriber guides the pace.¹ Across a first year, the total is £2,711.88 if you settle at 5mg, up to £3,599.88 at 15mg, before discounts.

04 · Injection routine

Build a simple injection routine

The easiest way to stay consistent is to fix one day a week. Mounjaro is injected under the skin once a week, at any time of day, with or without food.¹ There is no best time of day: it works the same in the morning or evening. Many people choose a weekend morning so early side effects fall on days off.

Rotate the site each week between the stomach area (at least 5cm from the belly button), the front of the thigh, or the back of the upper arm if someone else gives the injection.¹ Each KwikPen holds four weekly doses.

Missed dose or a change of day

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can within 4 days (96 hours) of the scheduled time, then carry on as usual. If more than 4 days have passed, skip it and take the next dose on your normal day. Never take two doses within 3 days of each other.¹ You can change your injection day if at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since your last dose.¹³

05 · Storage and travel

Store and travel with your pens correctly

Keep pens in a fridge at 2–8°C and never freeze them.¹³ Once in use, a pen can be kept out of the fridge not above 30°C for up to 30 days, after which it should be discarded. Keep the cap on to protect it from light, and never use a pen that has been frozen.¹³

You can fly with Mounjaro. Carry pens in hand luggage, because hold luggage can fall below freezing, ideally in a cool bag with the prescription label or a copy of your prescription. Most holidays need no special arrangements, but use an insulated pouch in hot climates and check destination rules for prescription injectables before you fly.¹³

Unopened pens stay in the fridge until first use and keep until the expiry date printed on the box. If an unopened pen has been out of the fridge, check with the pharmacy before using it rather than relying on a figure you have seen online, which often comes from other countries' labels.

06 · Realistic results

How much can you lose, and how fast?

Weight loss on Mounjaro is gradual by design, so think in months, not days. The first weeks on 2.5mg are an adjustment phase and losses are usually modest. Most measurable progress builds from 5mg onward, month by month.¹

In SURMOUNT-1 (2,539 adults), people on tirzepatide alongside diet and exercise lost on average 15% of body weight on 5mg, 19.5% on 10mg and 20.9% on 15mg over 72 weeks, compared with 3.1% with lifestyle changes alone. These are trial averages, and individual results vary. For someone starting at 100 kg, 20.9% is about 21 kg and 15% is about 15 kg.² At 72 weeks, 85% on 5mg, 89% on 10mg and 91% on 15mg had lost at least 5% of body weight.²

Some people notice appetite change and early loss in week one; others feel little until a higher dose. Both are normal. Early loss includes water weight, so judge progress by the trend rather than any single weigh-in.¹

Your response is reviewed by your prescriber. If you have lost less than 5% of your starting weight after 6 months on the highest dose you can tolerate, they will discuss whether continuing or stopping is right for you.¹ If progress slows, our guides on getting out of a GLP-1 stall and breaking a GLP-1 plateau go through what to check.

07 · Diet, activity and side effects

Diet, activity and early side effects

The licence requires a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity alongside treatment.¹ Your prescriber can tailor it during your monthly reviews. Our guide to working out on a GLP-1 covers activity in more depth.

Mild nausea, altered appetite and tiredness in the first days after each injection are the commonest early effects, and they usually settle.¹ If symptoms are troubling, tell your prescriber rather than changing your dose yourself. You can also report any suspected side effect through the Yellow Card scheme.¹⁹

Many people also find it useful to log injections, doses and weight trends. Our free companion app, GLPTrackr, is available on iOS and Android for exactly that.

08 · Natural boosters and shortcuts

Natural GLP-1 boosters and shortcuts

No supplement is an established replacement for a prescribed GLP-1 medicine. Products sold as "nature's Ozempic" are low-cost supplements with no clinical oversight, dosing is not standardised, and dramatic weight-loss claims should be treated with caution. Our guide to natural GLP-1 approaches explains this in more detail.

Nor is there a way to speed up the medicine. Tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, so after a final dose it takes roughly 4–5 weeks to clear, and nothing needs doing while it clears.¹ The pen holds four weekly doses and the licence sets the schedule.

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 · Who it is for

Is it right for you, and what about the NHS?

Mounjaro is licensed for adults with a BMI of 30 or above, or a BMI between 27 and 30 with at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.¹ A prescriber decides whether it is suitable after reviewing your history and current medicines.

Mounjaro is also 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 primary-care rollout began in June 2025 with the highest-need groups first, initially BMI 40+ with four or more qualifying conditions.⁴ Full rollout is expected to take years, which is why many people who meet the licensed criteria choose regulated private treatment.

Whichever route you take, use a regulated source. Mounjaro is a prescription-only medicine, and anyone offering to supply it without a consultation or prescription is a warning sign. You can check our registration (GPhC 9012878) on the GPhC register.¹² Mounjaro is a prescription-only medicine used alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity; individual results vary, and this page is information, not a substitute for medical advice. You can also browse all weight loss treatments we offer.