People using weight loss medication such as Wegovy or Mounjaro have been encouraged to do their research as they could needlessly be forking out for their pills or jabs. Research suggests some are paying more than £400 more than they need to.
Research reveals widespread regret
Research from medication provider CheqUp found that six in 10 people spent money on a weight loss product that they later regretted purchasing, due to misleading, unsuitable or inaccurate advice. People paying out for weight loss help often spend hundreds of pounds on treatments they now regret having.
The group found that people spend on average £870 on treatments, but £415 of this they wish they hadn't spent. Younger respondents looking to slim down said they regretted spending on average £470, making up more than half their total expenditure of £732.
'Not always the safest'
Lisa Tookey, CEO of CheqUp, said that when comparing prices, the budget option is not always the best one. She said: “When people are unsure who to trust, price quickly becomes the deciding factor.
“But with prescription medication, the cheapest option is not always the safest one. People need to know a qualified clinical team has assessed their treatment, that their provider is legitimate and that support will continue when questions or concerns come up along the way.
“That combination of clinical oversight and real human guidance is what helps people make safer, more confident choices.”
New products on the market
New products have recently been coming on the market in the UK, with a range of weight loss pills now available as well as injections. The MHRA approved the tablet version of Wegovy back in June 2026, with the Foundayo pill then approved in August. You cannot currently get these on the NHS, as they still need to be reviewed by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), so they are only available through private prescription.
Take care what advice you get
People turning to social media should take particular care with what weight loss advice they come across. The research found TikTok was the number one source of bad advice, with a third of people who received bad advice finding it here. Over a quarter of those surveyed paid for a weight loss medication or treatment from a source they were not sure was completely legitimate.
