A warning has now been issued after what is being referred to as 'weight-loss patches' are spotted amidst the surge in Mounjaro popularity.
Just last month, Mounjaro became available on the NHS with an estimated whopping 220,000 people expected to receive the drug over the next three years.
However, amidst the rise in popularity are unfortunately several harmful 'alternatives', which aren't actually alternatives to the GLP-1 medication.
If you've been scrolling on social media over the past few months, you may have come across a series of posts or ads for what is being marketed as 'Mounjaro patches' or 'GLP-1 patches' which are claimed to work help you lose weight.
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A doctor has now come forward with important advice for anyone thinking of using a weight loss patch.
What are GLP-1 patches?
In short, these are sticky adhesive patches you put on your skin that are meant to help with weight loss.
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The idea behind the marketing is that the ingredients in the patch are absorbed through your skin and stimulate production of the natural hunger hormone GLP-1, which would make you feel full.
But, despite their incredibly misleading name, they do not contain any GLP-1 medicines as, in fact, GLP-1 patches are not medicines at all.
Weight loss program experts, Voy, warn: "Medicines, such as Mounjaro weight loss injections, are tightly regulated and have to go through rigorous testing to prove they are safe and effective. Weight loss patches are basically supplements."
The patches tend to include ingredients like acai berry, green coffee been extract and garcinia cambogia and are not regulated in the UK.
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"Just because ingredients are ‘natural’, it doesn't mean they are better," Voy says.
The sciencey-bit
Philadelphia-based weight loss physician Dr Charlie Seltzer told Women's Health: "Unfortunately, there isn’t substantial research showcasing that the ingredients found in these patches are effective or have any benefit, even if they were delivered through the bloodstream."
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Yale Medicine obesity medicine specialist Jorge Moreno told the same publication: "If these patches had evidence of working for weight loss, I would be using them in my obesity medicine practice, however, there is no evidence that they work."
While there was an animal study last year that suggested the patches might help with weight loss, there hasn't been sufficient studies on humans.
Similarly, while there are some studies on individual ingredients that are used in some patches, these usually look at oral supplements, which are absorbed by the body in a different way.
The bottom line
In short: GLP-1 patches do not contain an active GLP-1 drug, they have no clinical evidence, they are not regulatory approved, the delivery method of a transdermal patch is unproved, its effectiveness for weight loss is not demonstrated and its safety profile is both unknown and unregulated.
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'An utter scam'
Echoing such statements, a Reddit user posted on the 'mounjarouk' thread: "My feed has been flooded with people selling these things. Essentially they are stickers that you replace daily and they are claiming to 'reduce the snacking / cravings' in a way that mimics Mounjaro. It is nonsense.
"They are called GLP1 patches, yet the product does not have any GLP1 in it."
They went on to slam: "It is honestly vile that these sellers are promoting this as an option to potentially vulnerable people.
"Each of the videos seems to be in a similar format too… it's someone that is clearly already a healthy BMI, saying something along the lines of 'this has reduced my chocolate / snacking cravings, I’m no longer running to the snack cupboard'. Sorry - but by the looks of things you’ve never ran to the snack cupboard?"
"Clearly a complete and utterly scam," declared a second. "The only thing getting skinner with this patches is your wallet. They're infuriating and blatant false advertising."
A third lamented: "God it's awful that people can peddle this nonsense isn't it. Taking people's money for absolutely nothing. It's depressing."
"Yeah seeing those ads just p*ss me off. I just block all the scammers," a fourth chimed in.
Another stated: "They are stickers... just stickers, that’s all... not medicine. Wild that they are allowed to be advertised as GLP-1.
"I’ve seen more than a couple of people on Facebook state that they will be using these for maintenance."
And a final Redditor echoed: "It's disgusting the way they're preying on people and they must be absolutely raking in the money given the comments I've seen on their posts (or, maybe they've paid people to make those comments? Very possible)."
Topics: Advice, Health, Life, Mounjaro, News, Science, Explained, Social Media, Reddit
Rhiannon Ingle