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I'm already taking a GLP-1. What should I check?

Four checks for anyone in the UAE already on semaglutide, tirzepatide or orforglipron, plus what to read next.

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 20264 min read14 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

Check four things. First, that a UAE-licensed doctor prescribed it and you know exactly what you're taking. Second, that your pen is genuine and came from a licensed pharmacy. Third, which side effects need a call to your doctor, and which need 998 (ambulance) or 999. Fourth, plan a review at about 6 months.

Read this page first. It covers the checks that matter once you've started: your prescription, fakes, side effects and when to review how it's going. At the end, three guides take you further, in order.
On this page
  1. Check your prescription
  2. Check your pen is genuine
  3. Side effects to watch
  4. Your 6-month review
  5. What to read next
  6. Sources

1. Is my prescription from the right doctor?

It should come from a doctor licensed in the UAE. In Abu Dhabi, a doctor certified in obesity management decides when to start one for weight.

GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only, to be used under medical supervision.1 Doctors are licensed by the DHA in Dubai, the DoH in Abu Dhabi, or the Ministry of Health and Prevention in the Northern Emirates. In Abu Dhabi, the decision to start a medicine for weight rests with a doctor certified in obesity management.2

If you were prescribed online in Abu Dhabi, the doctor should have spoken to you on a live audio or video call first, and the prescription should be in your medical record.3

Red flags

  • You don't know the doctor's name or which authority licenses them.
  • You never spoke to a doctor, only filled in a form.3
  • "No prescription needed." These are prescription-only medicines.4
  • Pens from social media, an influencer or an unknown website.4,5

2. Is my pen genuine?

Fake Mounjaro and Ozempic have been found in the UAE. Most were sold through social media.

  • October 2024: the Ministry of Health and Prevention found fake Mounjaro 15 mg single-dose pens; its lab could not find tirzepatide in them.6
  • February 2025: Abu Dhabi's Department of Health warned of fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through an Instagram account and a website.4
  • July 2026: the drug regulator acted against 71 sellers of unapproved weight-loss products, including "peptides" such as retatrutide, which is not approved.5

Check the box is sealed, the batch number and expiry are printed, the strength matches your prescription, and it came from a licensed pharmacy at the official price. Prices are fixed nationally, so a much cheaper pen is a warning sign.7 Guide 6 has the full pack check.

Don't stop or switch on your own. If you think your pen is fake, stop using it, keep the pack, and ask your doctor what to use instead and how to restart.

3. Which side effects should I watch for?

Stomach upsets are common early on and usually fade.8 A few symptoms need help fast.

Get help now: call 998 for an ambulance (or 999), or go to an emergency department, if you have:
  • Possible pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas): severe stomach pain that won't go away, sometimes spreading to your back, with or without vomiting.9
  • Signs of a serious allergic reaction: swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat; trouble breathing; fainting; or a very fast heartbeat.10
  • Signs of very low sugar, like confusion or drowsiness, if you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea (an older diabetes tablet such as glimepiride).10
Call your doctor soon if you have:
  • Possible gallbladder problems: pain in the upper stomach, yellow skin or eyes, fever, or pale clay-coloured stools.10
  • Vomiting or diarrhoea that stops you keeping fluids down.10
  • Changes in your vision, if you have diabetes.10
  • Possible thyroid problems: a lump in your neck, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing.9

Report a side effect. Tell your doctor or pharmacist first. In Abu Dhabi, you can also email the Department of Health's medicine-safety team at [email protected].1 Guide 5 explains how to report elsewhere in the UAE.

On Mounjaro and taking the contraceptive pill? Its label advises switching to a non-pill method, or adding a barrier method such as condoms, for 4 weeks after starting and after each dose increase.11

4. When should I review how it's going?

At about 6 months, with check-ins as the dose goes up.

Abu Dhabi's obesity standard says to continue beyond 6 months only if you've lost at least 5% of your starting weight.2 For someone who started at 90 kg (198 lb), 5% is 4.5 kg (about 10 lb). In Abu Dhabi's Thiqa obesity programme, the first check comes at 4 months, and includes an activity target.12

If you have diabetes, your doctor will also watch your HbA1c (a blood test of your average sugar over 2 to 3 months). For insurance cover through Daman, it should fall by at least 1 point by 12 months, or related conditions should improve.13 If you fast in Ramadan, plan your doses with your doctor before it starts.14

Take this to your review

  • The brand, strength and dose you're on, and the batch number
  • Your weight and waist notes since you started
  • Any side effects, and when they happen
  • All your other medicines, including herbal ones and supplements
  • Your questions about the long term, and about stopping
Life on a GLP-1StoppingSpotting a fake

What to read next, in order

These three guides go deeper. Each one ends with a link to the next, so you can read them one after another.

  1. 1Side effects and risksGuide 5 of 9DecideWhat's normal in the first weeks, what isn't, and what helps.
  2. 2Life on a GLP-1Guide 8 of 9Live with itEating enough protein, missed doses, storage in UAE heat, and Ramadan.
  3. 3Stopping and the long termGuide 9 of 9Live with itWhat happens if you stop, and how to plan for the long term.
Was this page easy to understand?

Sources

  1. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026, relaying an alert on fake GLP-1 products ("GLP-1 receptor agonists … are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision"; unregistered products sold online and on social media; report to [email protected]). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  2. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard for Non-Surgical Management of Obesity, DOH/ST/HPS/Non-Surgical-MO/V1/2025, February 2025 (GLP-1 starting criteria: BMI 30 or more with a weight-related comorbidity, or over 40; "The obesity certified physician determines the initiation time of pharmacological treatment"; continue beyond 6 months only with at least 5% weight loss; Asian origin and BMI over 23). Checked 12 October 2026. doh.gov.ae
  3. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Standard on Tele-Medicine, DOH/SA/TLM/0.9/2020, effective 16 September 2020 (DoH-licensed facility; "The physician must have real-time audio/video communication with the patient before issuing the prescription"; prescription recorded in the medical record; refer for a face-to-face visit in cases of uncertainty). doh.gov.ae
  4. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 10/2025, 4 February 2025, "Alert Against the Use of Counterfeit Version of Ozempic and Mounjaro" sold through social media; the public should not buy them without a prescription, online or through adverts. Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  5. Gulf News. UAE weight-loss drug crackdown: 71 sources, 14 influencers face action (Emirates Drug Establishment action against sellers of unapproved peptides, 14 of them registered facilities; 14 influencers referred to the National Media Office; retatrutide "remains under clinical investigation"). 25 July 2026. gulfnews.com
  6. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 208/2024, 25 October 2024, relaying a Ministry of Health and Prevention alert on a counterfeit Mounjaro 15 mg/0.5 ml single-dose pen pack, labelled in English and Arabic (the Ministry's lab could not identify tirzepatide). Summarised, not reproduced. doh.gov.ae
  7. Mondaq (law firm analysis). Pricing of pharmaceutical products in the United Arab Emirates (prices fixed at registration by a Ministry committee, with "fixed margins for the distributors and pharmacies"). 29 September 2016; older than the 2025 medicines law. mondaq.com
  8. Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). NEJM, 2021;384:989–1002. 1,961 adults without diabetes, 68 weeks. DOI
  9. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) US prescribing information, revised June 2026. Sections 1, 2.2, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5, 8.3, 17. (US label.) PDF
  10. Novo Nordisk. Ozempic (semaglutide) injection, US prescribing information and Medication Guide, revised May 2026. Sections 4, 5.3, 5.5, 5.6, 7.2, 8.5. (US label; the UAE label is not published online.) PDF
  11. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) US prescribing information, section 7 (oral contraceptives). (US label.) PDF
  12. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Thiqa reimbursement policy for obesity medications, DoH/Policy/TRP-OMM/HPS/V1/2025, effective 11 June 2025 (adults 18+; BMI bands and listed complications; certified prescribers; more than 5% weight loss plus "75 min vigorous exercise per week", "150 min moderate exercise per week" or "10,000 steps per day on average", tracked through the Sahatna app; 1-month trial, up to 3 months' supply at a time, review at 4 months). Checked 12 October 2026. doh.gov.ae
  13. Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor agonist, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026 (table of GLP-1 brands and approved uses; diabetes cover needs HbA1c 6.5% or more, cardiovascular disease or risk factors, and at least 6 months on metformin or other agents; prior approval; first supply one month; prescribers in internal medicine, endocrinology, family medicine or cardiology; obesity medicines covered only within the Thiqa obesity programme). Checked 12 October 2026. PDF
  14. Gulf News. Can you take Ozempic while fasting during Ramadan? UAE experts weigh in (plan dosing with a doctor before Ramadan; pause dose increases; drink 2–3 litres between Iftar and Suhoor; seek review for persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain or dehydration). 16 February 2026. gulfnews.com

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due Jan 2027

How this page was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above: drug labels, published trials, UAE health-authority documents and alerts, and named news reports. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. In a medical emergency, call 998 for an ambulance, or 999. How we write