{"id":307998,"date":"2026-02-20T12:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/307998\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T12:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:32:13","slug":"boots-ireland-offering-simple-prescription-weight-loss-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/307998\/","title":{"rendered":"Boots Ireland offering simple prescription weight loss service"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Helping people manage their weight with professional guidance<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_boots.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Boots on St Patrick Street\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Boots on St Patrick Street(Image: Google)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Boots stores across Ireland are offering a &#8220;convenient&#8221; weight loss service, which combines professional support with the option to collect prescription medications to help people manage their weight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Being <a aria-label=\"overweightLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.corkbeo.ie\/all-about\/weight-loss\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">overweight<\/a> affects more than 60% of adults in Ireland and can increase the risk of serious <a aria-label=\"healthLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.corkbeo.ie\/all-about\/health-and-wellbeing\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">health<\/a> problems including heart disease, diabetes and stroke. The pharmacy giant says its service &#8220;can help you to lose your extra weight, which sometimes includes taking medication if your doctor thinks it&#8217;s suitable and of benefit for you in achieving your weight loss goals&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The service is aimed at adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg\/m2 or higher, or for those with certain weight related health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure or breathing problems with a lower BMI of 27kg\/m2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Boots said: &#8220;If you have a BMI of 30kg\/m2 or over we recommend you have a conversation with your doctor who will let you know what weight loss programme is suitable for you and may also recommend some weight loss treatment and Weight Check Consultation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The process begins with a weight management consultation with a doctor, either through a GP or online services, the <a aria-label=\"Irish MirrorLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irishmirror.ie\/lifestyle\/health\/boots-ireland-offering-convenient-prescription-36748190\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Irish Mirror<\/a> reports. This is followed by 10 minute in store Weight Check Consultation, where a trained Boots healthcare professional measures BMI, waist circumference and blood pressure, and provides personalised advice. If medication is prescribed, it can be collected at this stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">After this, ongoing pharmacy weight checks are scheduled at times recommended by the doctor to help patients stay on track. Boots says &#8220;consistency is key&#8221;, and follow up appointments make sure patients receive the guidance they need to achieve sustainable results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Prescription options include treatments that either influence appetite or reduce fat absorption. Boots explained: &#8220;One medicine treatment option, is similar to a naturally occurring hormone in the body called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and works by controlling your appetite, making you feel fuller. It can be prescribed by doctors for persons aged 18 to 74 years, who have a BMI of 30kg\/m2 or greater, or if you have certain weight related health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal levels of fats in the blood or breathing problems during sleep called &#8216;obstructive sleep apnoea&#8217; your doctor might prescribe this medication with a lower BMI from 27kg\/m2. This medication is given for 12 weeks to start with, and the dose injected increases gradually over the first few weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;Another medicine treatment option works in the digestive system blocking about a third of the fat in food eaten from being digested. This undigested fat cannot be absorbed in the body and is indicated in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet if you have a body mass index (BMI) greater or equal to 30kg\/m2, or with weight related health problems and a BMI more than 28kg\/m2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">&#8220;At 12 weeks after starting, in order to continue with medication, you need to have lost 5% of your initial body weight as measured at the start of treatment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Costs vary depending on the prescription, but tools such as sharps disposal bins and consultations are included at no extra charge when recommended.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Want to see more of the stories you love from CorkBeo? <a aria-label=\"Making us your preferred source on GoogleLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=corkbeo.ie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add us as a preferred source, simply <a aria-label=\"click hereLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=corkbeo.ie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Helping people manage their weight with professional guidance Boots on St Patrick Street(Image: Google) Boots stores across Ireland&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307999,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,86040,397,396,1350,61,60,2114],"class_list":["post-307998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-and-wellbeing","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-healthy-eating","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}