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The weight management programme is an ongoing medical pathway: initial assessment, quarterly review and adjustments as you progress. It is always guided by a licensed doctor’s judgment, never by algorithms. A licensed doctor reviews your case through an online questionnaire and, if appropriate, prescribes an EU-authorised medicine for weight management.

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Who it is for

The programme is designed for adults whose BMI and health history make a medical approach potentially appropriate. A doctor reviews your BMI, any weight-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnoea or cardiovascular disease, and your overall medical history before deciding whether treatment is suitable.

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One process, every category

The journey is identical in every category Hi Doctor covers — choose what fits your case.

Weight loss

A medical consultation on your weight goal, with treatment if appropriate.

Sexual health

An absolutely discreet consultation for intimate concerns.

Hair growth

Medical assessment and tailored treatment for hair loss.

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How it works

Every path starts with the same online consultation and the same standard of doctor review, wherever you live in the EU: a questionnaire, a licensed doctor’s assessment, and — if appropriate — an electronic prescription. From there, the weight-loss pathway becomes an ongoing programme rather than a single visit.
1

Initial assessment

The doctor reviews your questionnaire, medical history and weight goal.
2

Treatment, if appropriate

An EU-authorised medicine may be prescribed based on your case.
3

Quarterly review

The doctor reviews progress and tolerance at regular intervals.
4

Adjustments as you progress

The plan is adjusted by the doctor as you respond to treatment — never by an automated rule.
This programme structure applies specifically to weight-loss treatment. Hair loss runs the same way: for both, an ongoing plan is the only way to start. Sexual health and the other treatment areas are one-off consultations. See treatment areas for how each pathway differs.

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What a doctor might prescribe

The medicines a doctor considers for weight management include EU-authorised GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP options such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide, and non-injectable alternatives such as orlistat. Some widely advertised US brands — such as Qsymia and Zepbound — have no EU-wide marketing authorisation and are not something a doctor here can prescribe under those names; the EU-authorised equivalent, where one exists, is what the doctor discusses instead.

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Mechanism and evidence

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. It binds selectively to GLP-1 receptors in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, stimulating pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) neurons — the anorexigenic pathway — while indirectly inhibiting neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons that drive hunger (EMA Wegovy SmPC; Spotlight on Semaglutide, PMC11674233, 2025). The result is reduced energy intake, increased satiety, and diminished food cravings. Tirzepatide, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, produces additional weight reduction by activating GIP receptors, which are also expressed in the brain and pancreas, though the exact synergism is still under investigation (NEJM 2022;387:205–216).
GLP-1 receptors are expressed on parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid. In rodent studies, pharmacological GLP-1 receptor agonism promoted C-cell proliferation and, at high doses, medullary thyroid tumours (PMC10563602, 2023). Although human C-cells express fewer GLP-1 receptors than rodent C-cells, the theoretical risk — combined with the rodent data — means that GLP-1 receptor agonists are contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2). The reviewing doctor checks for this before prescribing.
The landmark STEP 1 trial (NEJM 2021;384:989–1002; NCT03548935) was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. 1,961 adults with BMI ≥30 (or ≥27 with ≥1 weight-related comorbidity) and no diabetes were assigned 2:1 to once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg or placebo for 68 weeks, both with lifestyle intervention. Co-primary endpoints were the percentage change in body weight and the proportion losing ≥5% of baseline weight. Semaglutide produced a mean weight loss of 14.9% (vs 2.4% with placebo); 86% of participants lost ≥5% (vs 32%). Weight loss plateaued around week 60.
SURMOUNT-1 (NEJM 2022;387:205–216; NCT04184622) was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of 2,539 adults with BMI ≥30 or ≥27 with ≥1 weight-related complication, excluding diabetes. Participants were assigned 1:1:1:1 to once-weekly tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg or placebo for 72 weeks, plus lifestyle intervention. Co-primary endpoints were the same as STEP 1. Mean weight loss at 72 weeks was 15.0% (5 mg), 19.5% (10 mg), and 20.9% (15 mg), vs 3.1% with placebo. More than half of participants in the 10 mg and 15 mg groups lost ≥20% of baseline weight.
No dose adjustment is needed for mild to moderate renal or hepatic impairment, but experience in severe renal impairment (eGFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²) is limited, and GLP-1 receptor agonists are not recommended in this group. Gastrointestinal adverse events — nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea — are most common during dose escalation and are usually transient. Semaglutide and tirzepatide should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding, because weight loss offers no benefit and the safety data are insufficient.

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Common questions

The doctor reviews your progress and tolerance at regular intervals — approximately every 3 months. They assess whether the current medicine and dose remain appropriate and adjust the plan as needed. Adjustments are never made by an automated rule.
If the doctor decides treatment is not appropriate for your case, the consultation fee is refunded. You are not charged for a medical decision that goes against treatment.
The doctor considers EU-authorised GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP options such as semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide, as well as non-injectable alternatives like orlistat. Some widely advertised US brands have no EU-wide marketing authorisation and are not available here under those names.
Weight management is an ongoing programme rather than a single visit. It includes doctor-reviewed renewals rather than automatic repeat prescriptions, quarterly reviews, and adjustments as you progress. Hair loss also runs as an ongoing plan; sexual health and the other treatment areas are one-off consultations.
Yes. Every path starts with the same online consultation and the same standard of doctor review wherever you live in the EU. If treatment is approved, the doctor issues an electronic prescription valid at any EU pharmacy.
The weight management programme is billed as an ongoing plan. See pricing for how the plan is billed and what it covers. Medication is paid separately at the pharmacy at the price it sets.

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How Hi Doctor handles it

Every consultation, in every category, follows the same standard: a licensed doctor reviews your case, and if the doctor does not approve treatment, the consultation fee is refunded. Ongoing weight-loss care includes doctor-reviewed renewals rather than automatic repeat prescriptions. See how a Hi Doctor consultation works, treatment areas for how each pathway differs in what it asks, and pricing for how the ongoing plan is billed.

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Start a consultation

Weight-loss consultation

Answer the weight-loss questionnaire and a registered doctor reviews it. They decide whether treatment is appropriate, which one, and at what dose — and declining is a normal outcome. See what it costs and how the review works.
This page is reference information, not medical advice and not a prescription. Whether a medicine is appropriate for you is decided by a registered doctor after reviewing your consultation.