Jory says she was upfront about her pre-existing conditions with a GP in New Zealand but alleges there weren\u2019t any follow up questions about them. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn’t mention any side effects to do with the mental health or retriggering of eating disorders,\u201d she says. \u201cI don’t think that there’s enough safeguards at all.\u201d <\/p>\n
Within weeks of using the medication, she says her disordered eating habits were back. She would weigh herself excessively and says some days there was no hunger at all. Sometimes she wouldn’t eat all day and then have a cheeseburger at night. <\/p>\n
\u201cI did get worried because this is exactly what my eating disorder did. It was restricting all day and then bingeing,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
This comes as weight loss jabs are becoming increasingly popular within New Zealand. Since Wegovy, the newest weight loss jab to arrive in the country, became available in 2025, more than 47,000 New Zealanders have been prescribed it. <\/p>\n
How Wegovy works <\/p>\n
Wegovy is an injectable medication that contains Semaglutide, the same active ingredient as Ozempic. It works by mimicking a hormone (GLP1) your body naturally releases after eating. It tells your brain it\u2019s full, helps release insulin and slows down how quickly you digest food. You lose weight because you eat less and don\u2019t crave food like normal. <\/p>\n
In New Zealand, patients need a BMI of at least 30 to be eligible (classified as \u201cobese\u201d), or 25 if you have a chronic health condition like diabetes. <\/p>\n
Clinical psychologist Louise Adams, who specialises in helping people with eating disorders and weight concerns in Sydney, says one of her patients with restrictive anorexia and a BMI of 18 was prescribed a weight loss jab online using a fake photo. <\/p>\n
![\"Clinical](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/jory-adams-CH6FCDE3HBHX3OZTVSSI2YU7BE.png\")
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Clinical psychologist Louise Adams. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have had quite severe reactions, huge relapses into restrictive eating practices, and in some cases, some more disturbing mental health problems as well, including suicidality,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I am seeing is people in the aftermath of this needing quite a lot of help.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2018Prescribe and forget\u2019 <\/p>\n
Adams says one of the problems she is seeing among her clients who have been prescribed Wegovy is \u2018prescribe and forget\u2019 – where patients are quickly onboarded onto the medication but there are minimal safeguards or education about how to use it safely. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we’re going to medicalise it [weight loss jabs], medicalise the whole thing. Do really careful screening of who’s going to take it, look at people’s mental health histories, people’s eating disorder risk,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more informed consent about how this is a long-term medication and then we need aftercare. We need close monitoring from a dietitian because intake is significantly reduced and some people may need psychological support as well.\u201d <\/p>\n
Need for better education <\/p>\n
Jory says she quickly lost about 10kgs in four months while using weight loss jabs for the first time. But then her weight plateaued so eventually she came off the medication. But over the next year, the weight rebounded. <\/p>\n
![\"Wegovy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/weight-loss-physician-explains-how-wegovy-reduces-food-noise-NZMB3OE4CVFGFITFIVHQQWYXX4.png\")
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Wegovy and similar drugs have become popular globally. (Source: Breakfast)<\/p>\n
She says this isn\u2019t surprising because she hadn\u2019t made any changes to her eating habits or lifestyle. The next time Jory used the medication she received guidance from a social worker who specialised in eating disorder management. <\/p>\n
The social worker educated her on coping strategies with food and how she needed to prioritise eating protein dense meals and doing strength training while on weight loss jabs to avoid losing muscle mass. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat was something I was completely unaware of,\u201d Jory says. \u201cNo one had told me this before.\u201d <\/p>\n
In fact, the doctor who prescribed her the medication had allegedly given her opposite guidance. Jory says at one point she warned the doctor she wasn\u2019t eating all day while on the medication. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe feedback given was like, \u2018Yeah, that’s OK because you’re not going to starve. The drug is doing what it’s intended to\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no guidance about pulling the dose back or saying I should eat something, even if I am not hungry,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
What should a proper assessment involve? <\/p>\n
Rinki Murphy is an endocrinologist and one of New Zealand\u2019s leading obesity experts. She also trains health professionals in obesity and diabetes care, which can include the use of weight\u2011loss injections like Wegovy. <\/p>\n
![\"Endocrinologist](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/endocrinologist-and-obesity-expert-rinki-murphy-TGOO3RSUMVHCTHTF33HVUTVVTQ.png\")
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Endocrinologist and obesity expert Rinki Murphy. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
She says patients are being prescribed these drugs without proper guidance on how to use them. \u201cPeople are really risking side effects that can be prevented just by having optimum information.\u201d <\/p>\n
She says a full assessment for obesity should cover diet and exercise history, mental health, current medications and medical conditions, screening for eating disorders, a patient\u2019s goals, and what they\u2019ve already tried to lose weight. <\/p>\n
She recommends the prescriber should also educate the patient on how to eat the right portions of food, prioritising hydration, protein, fibre and non-starchy vegetables and avoiding processed or spicy foods to help with potential constipation. <\/p>\n
She says these assessments are often too complex for telehealth and can be better suited to in-person appointments for safe prescribing. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith some commercial online models, there isn\u2019t always the time spent checking whether this is safe, or how much monitoring and follow\u2011up is needed, and that\u2019s a real concern,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s calling for stronger safeguards and better training for health workers prescribing weight loss jabs. \u201cThis really does need the right checks and balances.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2018As long as I was willing to pay\u2019 <\/p>\n
Jory\u2019s social worker warned her about the risk of using weight loss jabs with a history of an eating disorder and advised her not to. But when Jory went to back to the doctor to get re-prescribed, the doctor allegedly prescribed it again without any follow up questions about her eating disorder. <\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t feel like that was really taken into consideration at all. It felt like as long as I was willing to pay, it was going to be given to me,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI would, go as far to say… there isn’t any support put in place to ensure that people aren’t being retriggered.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Olivia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/olivia-jory-2-Q2KWYUADGFD4JEEZ5NV56K5IUU.png\")
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Olivia Jory wants to see better education around these drugs. (Source: Re: News)<\/p>\n
With her social worker\u2019s support, Jory says she used the medication more safely and in a controlled way. She credits her success on the medication to counselling, education and a strong support network, but says she had to find that help herself, without a referral from the doctor. <\/p>\n
\u201c[Weight loss jabs] have had some really positive effects, but that wouldn’t have been possible without the other work that was done. It’s not a quick fix. And if you’ve got an eating disorder, it’s going to be there until you work through it,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just hope moving forward there can be some more education around it.\u201d <\/p>\n