Weight-loss injections are now bought online, from pharmacies abroad and from friends. When a patient mentions one, ask the name, source and dose, and look at the pen. Unregulated products can contain the wrong drug, the wrong dose or contaminants, and their side effects may be blamed on something else.
- Ask by name: which product, where it came from and how much is taken.
- Record it in the medication list as you would any prescription drug.
- Consider an unregulated injection when you see unexplained vomiting, pancreatitis or hypoglycaemia.
Why it matters
Drugs still in trials are already being sold to the public, and side effects reach clinicians who do not know the source.
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