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

Four checks for anyone already on semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic), tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or another GLP-1, plus what to read next.

GLP Guidebook teamUpdated 12 Oct 20264 min read18 sourcesWritten from published sources
The short answer

Check four things. First, that a doctor prescribed it after a real-time consultation, and that it came from an Australian pharmacy. Second, that your pen looks and works as it should, because counterfeits have been found here. Third, which side effects need a call to your doctor or healthdirect, and which need triple zero (000). Fourth, keep up regular reviews, and keep your pen below 30 °C in summer.

Read this page first. It covers the checks that matter once you've started: your prescription, fake pens, side effects and reviews. 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 reviews
  5. What to read next
  6. Sources

1. Did my prescription come the right way?

All GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only. Your GP or another registered doctor should have prescribed it after talking to you in real time.1,2

The Medical Board of Australia doesn't support prescribing without a real-time consultation, in person, by video or by phone. Prescribing from a questionnaire alone, when the doctor has never spoken with you, is not good practice.2 Ahpra says an online chat doesn't count as real time either.3

You can check any doctor, nurse or pharmacist on Ahpra's public register.4

Red flags

  • You never spoke to anyone, only filled in a form or chatted online.2,3
  • The service only ever offered you one medicine, with a linked pharmacy. Ahpra has raised concerns about services built around a "predetermined medicine".5
  • A compounded (pharmacy-made) GLP-1. These have been banned since 1 October 2024.6
  • "GLP-1" drops, patches or "peptides". The TGA tested such products and found no GLP-1 in them.7
  • Retatrutide, sold as a newer medicine. It isn't approved here, and a fake "retatrutide" held about 8 times the approved level of semaglutide.8

2. Is my pen genuine?

Counterfeit pens have been found in Australia.

  • Ozempic pens, September 2024 and April 2025. The TGA warned about counterfeit Ozempic pens, and in 2023 about counterfeit semaglutide vials.9
  • "GLP-1" drops and patches, March 2026. Sold online, with no GLP-1 medicine in them.7
  • Fake "retatrutide", September 2026. It contained semaglutide at about 8 times the approved level; the person who used it was hospitalised.8

Check the brand, strength and batch number on your pen and box. If anything looks or works differently from usual, show it to your pharmacist. If you suspect a pen isn't genuine, keep it and its packaging and report it to the TGA.10 Guide 6 covers fakes and storage.

Don't stop or switch on your own. If you're worried about your pen, ask your prescriber or pharmacist 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.11 A few symptoms need help fast.

Get help now: call triple zero (000) 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.12
  • Signs of a serious allergic reaction: swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat; trouble breathing; fainting; or a very fast heartbeat.13
  • Signs of very low sugar, like confusion or drowsiness, if you also take insulin or a sulfonylurea (an older diabetes tablet such as gliclazide).13
  • Sudden loss of vision, usually in one eye.14
Call your doctor soon, or healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice, if you have:
  • Possible gallbladder problems: pain in the upper stomach, yellow skin or eyes, fever, or pale clay-coloured stools.13
  • Vomiting or diarrhoea that stops you keeping fluids down.13
  • Changes in your vision, if you have diabetes.13
  • Possible thyroid problems: a lump in your neck, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing.12
15

Report a side effect. Tell your prescriber first. You can also report it yourself to the TGA online, or ask your doctor or pharmacist to report it.10

On Mounjaro and taking the contraceptive pill? Its product information advises switching to a non-pill method, or adding a barrier method such as condoms, for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose increase.16 Having an operation? Tell your doctor you take a GLP-1. Australian anaesthetists advise most people to keep taking it, with clear fluids only for the 24 hours before.17

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

Regularly, at times your doctor sets. Australian guidance sets weight-loss targets with you and changes the plan if they aren't reached.18

The Australian algorithm suggests a target of 10–15% weight loss for many people.18 For someone who started at 90 kg (198 lb), 10% is 9 kg (20 lb). We found no national rule for when adults should stop; for teenagers on Wegovy, the product information says to stop if BMI hasn't fallen 5% after 12 weeks on the full dose.14

Got it through telehealth? Make sure your own GP knows what you take, so your weight, blood pressure and blood sugar can be followed up.

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 remedies and anything bought online
  • Your questions about the long term, and about stopping
Life on a GLP-1StoppingBefore you see a GP

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, storing pens in the heat, travel, Christmas and fasting.
  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. Healthdirect Australia. Wegovy: medicine information ("Schedule 4: Prescription Only Medicine"). healthdirect.gov.au
  2. Medical Board of Australia. Guidelines: Telehealth consultations with patients, in effect 1 September 2023 ("Prescribing … without a real-time direct consultation, whether in-person, via video or telephone, is not good practice and is not supported by the Board"). medicalboard.gov.au
  3. Ahpra. Information for practitioners who provide virtual care ("The Boards do not consider an online chat to be a synchronous (in real time) consultation"). Updated 7 October 2025. ahpra.gov.au
  4. Ahpra. Registers of practitioners ("When a health practitioner's name appears on the list, you know that they are allowed to practise"; includes medical practitioners, nurses and pharmacists, and any conditions on registration). Checked 12 October 2026. ahpra.gov.au
  5. Ahpra and National Boards. Joint statement on prescribing and dispensing ("services designed solely to provide customers with access to a predetermined medicine"). 3 June 2024. ahpra.gov.au
  6. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Update: glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) pharmacy compounding changes (no compounding of any GLP-1 RA from 1 October 2024). Media release, 18 June 2024. tga.gov.au
  7. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Counterfeit weight loss products claiming to contain GLP-1 (laboratory testing found "no GLP-1 or any GLP-1 analogues"). Safety advisory, 2 March 2026. tga.gov.au
  8. Therapeutic Goods Administration. TGA tests counterfeit retatrutide product following serious adverse event report (contained undeclared semaglutide, "approximately 8 times higher" than approved levels). Safety advisory, 14 September 2026. tga.gov.au
  9. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Ozempic (semaglutide) safety collection, including counterfeit Ozempic pens detected (30 September 2024, 3 April 2025) and counterfeit semaglutide vials (25 May 2023). tga.gov.au
  10. Therapeutic Goods Administration. Reporting adverse events: consumers (report online, or ask your doctor or pharmacist to report). Updated 2 September 2026. tga.gov.au
  11. 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
  12. 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, not the Australian one.) PDF
  13. 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, not the Australian one.) PDF
  14. Novo Nordisk. Wegovy (semaglutide) Australian Product Information, revised 22 June 2026 (sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, 6.4). medsinfo.com.au
  15. Healthdirect Australia. How healthdirect can help you ("call triple zero (000) for an ambulance immediately"; helpline 1800 022 222). healthdirect.gov.au
  16. Eli Lilly. Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Australian Product Information, version A14.0, October 2026 (sections 4.1, 4.5, 4.6, 6.4). medsinfo.com.au
  17. ANZCA, with the Australian Diabetes Society, GESA and NACOS. Clinical practice recommendations regarding patients taking GLP-1 receptor agonists ("continue these medications"; 24-hour clear-fluid diet, then the standard six-hour fast). anzca.edu.au
  18. Markovic TP, Proietto J, Dixon JB et al. The Australian Obesity Management Algorithm. Australian Diabetes Society, with ANZOS, ANZMOSS and the RACGP, July 2024. diabetessociety.com.au

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: Australian product information, Australian guidance, TGA and PBS documents, and published trials. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to your GP or another qualified prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. In an emergency, call triple zero (000). For health advice any time, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222. Report suspected side effects to the TGA. How we write