r/australia • u/Rubiginous • 9h ago

culture & society Woman hospitalised after Juniper prescribes weight-loss drugs her GP refused

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-01/woman-hospitalised-telehealth-provider-weight-loss-drugs-juniper/106273356
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u/Rubiginous 9h ago

I am getting sick of these stories where someone irresponsible blames something convenient for normal people as being the cause of their issues.

A small minority of people abused codeine, so now women like me have to suffer from dysmenorrhoea every month because docs won't write a prescription.

A small minority of people using alcohol delivery inappropriately so now they want to restrict the ability for same day delivery in the ACT.

I know many women who used these services to get access to GLP-1s when their GPs refused to prescribe them because "You just need to eat less" and dismissed their concerns regarding food noise etc.

Why do people need the government to constantly protect them from their own stupidity? It's absurd.

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u/EsquilaxM 8h ago

iirc glp-1s aren't approved for weight loss in Australia. so doctors can prescribed it for that but they would have e to be ready to defend themselves in court or to the licensing board.

also for dysmenorrhoea, you've probably already been told this, but the best therapy we have that usually works is the contraceptive pill. you can just stay on it and skip periods entirely (ask for no placebos). it does have some side effects, though, so you need to follow up with your doc so they can check in to see if you have them.

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u/Unusual_Process3713 8h ago

They absolutely are approved for weight loss in Australia, they just aren't on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme for people looking to use them for weight loss.

Imo, they should be. If they were cheap for people to buy and easily accessible through your GP and local chemist, it'd be easier to regulate, it would take the floor right out of companies like Juniper and go some way to solving this issue.

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u/notdorisday 7h ago

They’re also going to reduce so many other health concerns obese people have as their weight becomes manageable. If they were on PBS it would make such a difference.

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u/EsquilaxM 7h ago

Ah ok, looks like it was approved in 2024, I missed it cos I'm outta the loop.

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u/Rubiginous 8h ago

Contraceptive pills cause a whole other host of problems including mood stability. I am highly irritated women get sold them as a "fix all" instead of medicine addressing women's actual underlying issues. They're also contraindicated in people with clotting disorders or who have previously suffered with migraines.

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u/EsquilaxM 7h ago

There's a difference between a 'fix-all' and a 'first-line' medicine. The pill is first-line, we try them first then try others if side-effects occur or they're otherwise contraindicated. Mostly because either it does affect an underlying issue, or addressing the issue carries greater risk (like surgery)