Choosing where to get treatment is a personal decision. Here's how Bolt Pharmacy compares to MedExpress, from support hours to what's included.
If you're comparing UK weight loss providers, Bolt Pharmacy and MedExpress will both come up. Both are UK registered pharmacies, both assess you online, and both post treatment to your door. On paper they can look similar.
Bolt Pharmacy does weight loss and nothing else. MedExpress is a general pharmacy that treats more than 30 conditions, and weight loss is one of them.
Most people have questions in the first few weeks. Whether a side effect is normal, whether to change dose, what to do if you miss one. Weight loss is the only thing our care team handles, so it's the conversation they have all day. MedExpress covers dozens of conditions, which is handy if you'd rather keep everything with one pharmacy.
Here's how the two compare on the things you'll notice day to day.
Bolt Pharmacy is a UK registered pharmacy that does one thing: weight loss. We're registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council under number 9013085, our clinical and prescribing services come from AIOS Technology Ltd, a CQC registered provider, and our own pharmacists dispense every order from our pharmacy in Blackburn.
You start with an online assessment. A clinician reviews it, and if treatment is right for you it's approved within 24 hours and posted free, tracked and in discreet packaging. After that you get monthly check-ins with a clinician, and a care team you can reach 24/7 by phone, WhatsApp or chat. There's no contract, and you can pause whenever you like.
MedExpress is a UK registered pharmacy that has been running since 2013 and is part of the HeliosX group. Weight loss is one category among many, sitting alongside skin and hair, sexual health, digestive health, allergies and travel health. They say they've treated over 2.3 million people.
Treatment works in three steps. You complete a free online consultation, a UK registered clinician reviews it and recommends treatment if it's suitable, and your order is posted discreetly or held for you at a Post Office. Delivery is charged per order, and support runs through chat and email inside your account.
Most people hit a week where something feels off. A side effect that won't settle, a question about the next step, a dose you're unsure about. Side effects are common early on, and left unmanaged they're one of the main reasons people stop before treatment has had a chance to work.
So the question worth asking of any provider isn't how good the sign-up is. It's who picks up when you need them.
You'll also have monthly check-ins with a clinician, so a change to your plan is a conversation rather than a form.
Both providers will get you an answer. Ours is there whenever you need it: phone, WhatsApp and chat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the person you reach only works on weight loss.
Sign up for our newsletter to get essential news, clinical updates, and key insights delivered straight to your inbox.
Both providers assess you online, and in both cases a clinician makes the decision. Meeting a threshold doesn't mean you'll be approved, and a clinician can decline.
At Bolt Pharmacy we'll usually consider you from a BMI of 27, or from 25 if you have a related condition such as raised blood pressure, sleep apnoea or prediabetes. If you're from a background at higher metabolic risk those figures come down to 25 and 23, because risk starts earlier.
MedExpress publishes a threshold of BMI 30, or 27 with a related condition, and considers 25 to 30 case by case.
Bolt Pharmacy is currently rated
out of 5 on Trustpilot across
reviews. Every one of them is from someone who used the service, and they're worth reading before you decide anything on this page.
We're a UK registered pharmacy. Our GPhC number, 9013085, is on every page of this site, along with the name of our superintendent pharmacist. You can check both on the GPhC register in about a minute, and it's worth doing for any provider you're considering, including us.
Bolt Pharmacy does weight loss and nothing else. MedExpress is a general pharmacy covering many conditions. In practice that shows up in how you reach someone, what's included, and how much of the service is built around one thing.
Yes. Both are pharmacies on the General Pharmaceutical Council register, and both use CQC registered providers for clinical and prescribing services. Bolt Pharmacy's registration number is 9013085. You can check any pharmacy on the GPhC register yourself.
Yes. You'll complete a new assessment with us, and it helps to have evidence of what you're currently taking, such as a previous prescription or a dispensing label, so a clinician can pick up where you are rather than starting you over.
Approval within 24 hours. Once approved, your order is dispatched with free tracked delivery in discreet packaging.
No contract. Cancel whenever you like, from your account. If you want to come back later, your details are still there.
At Bolt Pharmacy you can reach the care team 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by phone, WhatsApp or live chat, and you'll have monthly check-ins with a clinician. At MedExpress, contact goes through chat or email in your account. There's no published phone line.
Please visit the relevant website here for information about how to check the registration status of the pharmacy and the superintendent pharmacist.
Phuong Nguyen (2204151)
Bolt Healthcare Ltd
team@boltpharmacy.co.uk
Bolt Pharmacy, Unit 3C, Frontier Park, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 3AL
