Who qualifies to buy Xenical? NHS vs Private prescription

Xenical is a drug used to aid weight loss in obese and overweight people and can be bought on prescription. It is in fact the only prescription medication available in the UK to treat weight related problems. Many overweight patients could medically qualify for treatment, but most are not granted the prescription to buy Xenical. Prescribing guidelines dictated by NICE only allow physicians to prescribe to obese patient that is people with BMI 30 or more, so the irony is that many patients will find that their GP cannot prescribe unless they put more weight on!

For general information on weight loss click here

Xenical

How to get Xenical on the NHS

Eligibility: patients must be of BMI 30 or BMI of 28 with weight related health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.

You also need to have shown commitment to losing weight, so tell your doctor about any changes you have made to your diet or exercise regime and how this has helped you.

Prescription rules your GP has to follow

Like all healthcare offered on the NHS it can be a real postcode lottery, however general guidelines for prescribing Xenical are:
Record initial weight and target weight following 12 weeks of prescription. Patients must lose 5% of their initial body weight within this period.
Patients should weigh-in every 2 weeks for the first 12 weeks, to make sure they lose between 1lb to 2lbs (0.5kg to 1kg) per week.
After 12 weeks, continue to weigh patient each month.
No repeat prescriptions to be issued and no more than one month’s supply should be prescribed at any one time.
At 12 weeks check weight is less than 5% of initial weight and discontinue if not.
At 12 weeks set a 6 month weight loss target of 10% of initial weight.
Discontinue after 6 months if weight loss goal not reached.
Discontinue after 6 months if any weight gained.
Discontinue if the patient decides to interrupt treatment

The stark reality is that whilst many of us find it easy to approach our GP for healthcare advice it is both difficult to qualify for free or subsidised treatment on the NHS and the barriers to getting long term support are also high. This means that some patients who desperately need help losing weight are forced to go private and buy Xenical themselves.

Private prescription for Xenical

Xenical can be prescribed privately either online or face to face following a doctor’s consultation to assess patient suitability for treatment. Your consultation will result in a simple yes or no decision and treatment will go from there.

As most of us are not used to paying for medical treatments going private can seem expensive; though often it can be the only way to get the right medical help. MyOnlineDoctor will prescribe medications to you based on your medical history and not based on the relative cost of your treatment within a constrained budget. This ensures you get the treatments you deserve. We will monitor your weight loss progress to make sure you are benefitting from treatment and can offer general medical advice and the chance to contact the doctor for more personally tailored information.

Before you seek a prescription for weight loss medications it is advised that you try to lose weight through more conventional means such as diet and exercise to kick-start your weight loss programme and put you on the right track to succeed in reaching your goal with Xenical.