GLP-1 patches for weight loss

GLP-1 injections, such as Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Nevolat, have soared in popularity recently due to their many weight loss benefits and success stories. This success has led to other products appearing on the market, which claim to be GLP-1 medications when they’re not.

GLP-1 patches are often promoted and marketed by social media influencers as cheaper versions of weight loss injections, but they do not contain any GLP-1 mimicking ingredients, and there is little scientific evidence to prove they really work. So, what are they, and should you really be buying them?

Here, we look at what GLP-1 patches are, how they work, and how they compare to GLP-1 injections so you can go forward with the knowledge to make safe, informed choices for your weight loss journey.

GLP-1 patches are adhesive patches that stick to your skin, like nicotine or contraceptive patches, and are sold online as supplements. They are sometimes known as slimming, diet, or weight loss patches. They’re often marketed under names like Mounjaro patches or Wegovy patches, but this is misleading because they do not contain any GLP-1 receptor agonist medications, such as semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Instead, the patches might contain a mix of natural ingredients such as:

• berberine – a plant compound that’s claimed to support blood sugar control
• green tea extract – reported to help with weight loss and boost metabolism
• Garcinia cambogia – a supplement from a fruit that’s said to reduce your appetite

Marketers and manufacturers of GLP-1 patches often claim that they can stimulate the body’s natural production of GLP-1, a digestive hormone that tells your brain when you are full to stop you eating too much, slows digestion, and controls blood sugar levels. They also play on the downsides of injectable medications, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, rather than proving that the patches work, such as:

• needle use
• cost
• side effects

Recent research is looking into how GLP-1 agonists could be delivered by a skin patch in the future, using new methods, because the molecules are too large to pass through the skin. However, this research is in the very early stages, and no GLP-1 medication can currently be successfully delivered through the skin.

Research into GLP-1 patch ingredients

For the GLP-1 patches currently sold online, there are no clinical trials showing they are effective for weight loss. Even the ingredients they may contain have limited evidence when they are taken orally. For example, a review of the effects of green tea preparations found that it may cause a small, but not statistically significant, weight loss in overweight or obese adults.

A review of the effects of Garcinia cambogia suggested that taking it as a supplement may lower leptin levels (a hormone produced by fat cells that helps manage energy) as a result, but more research was needed.

The effect of berberine on weight loss is more promising, but again, the results are from oral methods, such as pills and powders, rather than through the skin. A 12-week study in humans where participants were given 500mg of berberine 3 times a day resulted in:

• an average weight loss of 5lb (2.3kg)
• a 23% reduction in triglycerides (a type of blood fat)
• a 12.2% reduction in cholesterol

However, animal studies show that berberine has a very low bioavailability of less than 1% (how much of it is absorbed in your bloodstream), which may affect its effectiveness.

For these reasons, the success stories you may read in relation to these GLP-1 patches are likely due to a placebo effect, where your health improves when you receive an inactive medication because you believe it to be active, or because of other lifestyle changes, such as improving your diet or taking part in more exercise.

GLP-1 injections are strictly regulated medications which can only be prescribed by qualified healthcare professionals, and to get them, you must have a BMI of 30 or a BMI of 27 to 30 with weight-related conditions. You can calculate your BMI with our BMI calculator.

GLP-1 patches, on the other hand, are unregulated and may contain untested, unsafe ingredients. Let’s look at how they compare:

Because GLP-1 patches are unregulated, there’s no guarantee they are safe or contain the ingredients they claim to contain. They may even contain ingredients not listed.

They have also not been thoroughly tested like weight loss injections and pills have, so there is no clear list of the side effects these patches could cause, which is further complicated by different patches containing different ingredients.

Some of the potential side effects of GLP-1 patches might include:

• feeling or being sick
• diarrhoea
• headaches
• heartburn
• skin reactions

Some people choose to stop using GLP-1 injections in favour of these patches, perhaps because of the cost difference or reported success stories, but this is not recommended. If you stop your current medication:

*If you stop and restart Mounjaro or Wegovy, you must restart at the lowest dose if you have missed 2 doses (2 weeks of treatment). With Nevolat or generic liraglutide, you must restart the dosage schedule if you miss 3 days of treatment.

The only GLP-1 based treatments proven to support weight loss in the UK are prescription-only medications that have been approved by regulators such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). They work by mimicking the actions of the GLP-1 hormone to reduce your appetite, curb cravings, and slow digestion, helping you safely and effectively lose weight.

They are generally available as injections, which you can give yourself in your thigh, upper arm, or stomach, but GLP-1 pills for weight loss, such as orforglipron, are currently in development. The Wegovy pill was also launched in the US as of early 2026, which is an oral version of the injection. However, this is not yet available in the UK.

If you are considering weight loss injections, you should only choose safe and approved treatments from a trusted and regulated provider, like ZAVA.

Wegovy

Wegovy contains the active ingredient semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that can help you lose an average of 21% of your starting body weight over 72 weeks at the highest dose: 7.2mg.

Mounjaro

Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, a dual GLP-1 and glucose-independent polypeptide (GIP) agonist that is thought to enhance its effects on weight loss and blood sugar control. Research shows that the highest dose of 15mg per week over 72 weeks can result in an average weight loss of 22.5%.

Nevolat

Nevolat is a generic liraglutide injection, which was available under the brand name Saxenda, and can help you lose an average 8% of your starting body weight over 56 weeks at the strongest dose. The key difference between Nevolat and other GLP-1 injections, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, is that it is taken daily rather than weekly.

Weight loss tablets

Weight loss injections are not for everyone, so weight loss pills can be a suitable alternative. People may turn to patches because they find the idea of weight loss injections to be uncomfortable. Currently, the weight loss tablets available do not contain GLP-1 medications, although some are in development and undergoing phase 3 clinical trials. For example, the Wegovy pill, which is a daily pill version of semaglutide, may be available later in 2026 in the UK, and launched in the US at the start of 2026.

Weight loss tablets, like orlistat and Mysimba, have been shown to help people lose weight over time. At ZAVA, our doctors can prescribe the following clinically tested weight loss pills:

1. Orlistat – Also available as the branded version, Xenical, this pill contains 120mg of the active ingredient orlistat, which works by blocking the absorption of dietary fat. Clinical trial data show it helps 37% of people lose at least 5% of their starting body weight in 12 weeks.
2. alli – alli contains 60mg of orlistat and works in the same way as generic orlistat and branded Xenical, but because of its lower dose is available over the counter without a prescription.
3. Orlos – Orlos capsules are similar to alli because they are available without a prescription, contain 60mg of orlistat, and work in the same way to block fat absorption.
4. Mysimba – A weight loss pill that contains naltrexone and bupropion and works by reducing appetite, resulting in an average 8.1% weight loss after 56 weeks.

All of these weight loss medications are regulated and must be prescribed or authorised by a healthcare professional. They have established dosing schedules, and their safety profiles and side effects have been monitored, unlike GLP-1 patches.

GLP-1 patches are not approved or legitimate weight loss medications. Despite their name, they do not contain any GLP-1 receptor agonists and have no scientific evidence to back up their weight loss claims. At best, these GLP-1 patches are a waste of money, but at worst, they could expose you to unsafe and unregulated ingredients.

If you are considering GLP-1 treatments, choose those that are safe, approved, and effective.

• Approaching strategy to increase the oral bioavailability of berberine, a quaternary ammonium isoquinoline alkaloid: Part 1. Physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Green tea for weight loss and weight maintenance in overweight or obese adults, Cochrane Library [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Lipid-lowering effect of berberine in human subjects and rats, Phytomedicine [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Mounjaro KwikPen 10mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen, electronic medicines compendium (emc) [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Mysimba 8 mg/90 mg prolonged-release tablets, emc [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Nevolat 6 mg/ml solution for injection in pre-filled pen, emc [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity, The New England Journal of Medicine [accessed 06 February 2026]
• The effect of Berberine on weight loss in order to prevent obesity: A systematic review, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy [accessed 06 February 2026]
• The effect of berberine supplementation on obesity parameters, inflammation and liver function enzymes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Clinical Nutrition ESPEN [accessed 06 February 2026]
• The effects of Garcinia cambogia (hydroxycitric acid) on serum leptin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Complementary Therapies in Medicine [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Transdermal Semaglutide Administration in Mice: Reduces Body Weight by Suppressing Appetite and Enhancing Metabolic Rate, Biology [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Weight Reduction in Adults With Obesity: The SURMOUNT-4 Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) [accessed 06 February 2026]
• Xenical 120 mg hard capsules, emc [accessed 06 February 2026]