The Weight Loss Clinic is a monthly programme designed to help people who are overweight or obese to  achieve a healthier weight. We use an injectable medication called Mounjaro® at Clarendon. The active ingredient is called tirzepatide. Wegovy® is an alternative medication, that we sometimes use instead. Your Clarendon Health clinician can discuss the differences and help you decide which medication is best. Our clinicians will assess your suitability for the programme (and medication) on a case-by-case basis. Lifestyle and dietary changes will also be discussed to facilitate long term weight loss during and after treatment. Treatment is currently unavailable if you are under 18yrs, or over 75yrs, or if you have certain medical conditions.

The programme involves initial online registration, followed by a face-to-face appointment with a clinician to initiate the injectable weight loss medication (Mounjaro® or Wegovy®). We are a CQC registered healthcare clinic, and not a pharmacy, and so we cannot keep injectable medicines on the premises. If you are eligible, at the end of your consultation, you will be provided with a private prescription that can be collected (at no extra cost) from a one of several community (high street) pharmacies in the Bournemouth and Poole area.

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Clarendon Health will review you every 4 weeks to continue treatment with Mounjaro or Wegovy® if you and your clinician agree.

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The clinic is a private service, and you must pay in advance for your face-to-face consultation. A single charge each month covers all aspect of your treatment, including any email enquires, which are typically answered within 2-3 working days.

Currently, Clarendon Weight Loss Clinic generally uses Mounjaro®. This medication has the best results and is usually associated with a low incidence of side effects. This comes in the form of an injection pen, designed for you to inject yourself once a week. This is straightforward to do; we’ll provide full instructions at your face-to-face clinic and a link to a YouTube video. You should use Mounjaro on the same day each week, at around the same time. Choose a day and a time of day that works best for you.

The best places for injection are areas with the most fat, such as your tummy (but not within 5cm of your belly button) or the front of your thighs. You should change your injection sites to prevent the area becoming sore over time.

Mounjaro® comes in six different injection pen doses. The starting dose will always be the lowest, which is 2.5mg. The dose can then be increased every four weeks, depending on side effects and tolerance of the treatment. Clarendon Weight loss clinic does NOT generally use the very highest doses (12.5mg and 15mg), as very little additional weight loss is achieved with these doses, however the incidence of side effects tends to be more prevalent.

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Wegovy® is slightly less effective in helping weight loss than Mounjaro®. However, it remains a valid clinical alternative, with the benefit of costing less. It is never appropriate to use both at the same time, but your Clarendon Health Clinician can change your medication from one to the other following a face to face consultation if appropriate or necessary.

Put simply, the medication reduces the amount of food (calories) that you eat over time. This is because the medication makes you feel fuller for longer after you eat. Signals are sent to your brain to make you feel less hungry and prevent cravings. Mounjaro® also slows down the emptying of the stomach to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Mounjaro® is considered to be amongst the most effective of all injectable weight loss medications.

This will be discussed with you at your face-to-face consultation. In summary, the most common side effects are nausea, stomach discomfort and diarrhoea or constipation. These side effects usually improve as you adjust to medication. For a full list of side effects, including the less common ones, always read the patient information leaflet, that comes with your injectable medication, or ask your Clarendon Health Clinician, or the pharmacist when you physically collect your Mounjaro® or Wegovy®.

Results will vary from individual to individual. Typically, you should see results within the first 3-6 months (and sometimes quicker). Continued weight loss can continue for up to 18 months. Clarendon incorporates dietary, lifestyle and behaviour change to reinforce and promote sustained weight loss in the medium and long term. The ‘published’ data suggests a typical individual will lose about 10%-20% of their starting weight in a little over a year.

Clarendon Health is a registered health care clinic, and so your treatment is private and confidential. Therefore, your GP is not automatically made aware of your treatment. However, we strongly encourage you to make your surgery aware of your weight loss treatment, and every 3 months (or when requested by you) we can provide a written report for you to provide to your surgery. If your surgery were to contact us requesting further information, we would need your permission to share any information with them.