In recent years, a decision about weight loss medication in Canada usually involved talking to your doctor about whether an injectable GLP-1 medication like Ozempic or Mounjaro might be suitable. However, with several new options either available now or coming soon, the question about which weight loss drug might be ideal in your situation has become a lot more complicated.
The GLP-1 category is more diverse than ever, with both injectable and oral formulations available to Canadians right now. Generic Ozempic is on the way, and a new GLP-1 pill (orforglipron) and injection (retatrutide) are in late-stage development. Furthermore, there are even non-GLP-1 weight loss drugs that might warrant consideration.
To help you get your bearings, this article walks through the weight loss medications available in Canada today. We cover the GLP-1 family that has become the modern standard, plus the non-GLP-1 options like Contrave. We’ll also explore how the medications compare, what they cost, and how to get a prescription. As always, the right choice depends on your individual situation, so think of this as background information before a conversation with your doctor.
Quick Overview of Weight Loss Medication in Canada
Broadly speaking, a weight loss medication is a prescription drug used to help people with obesity or overweight lose weight and keep it off. In Canada, these medications are only officially approved for specific medical situations rather than general or cosmetic weight loss. Weight loss drugs are also almost always recommended to be used alongside changes to diet and physical activity.
Health Canada has approved six medications specifically for chronic weight management: orlistat (Xenical), liraglutide (Saxenda), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), semaglutide (Wegovy), tirzepatide (Zepbound), and setmelanotide (Imcivree, for rare genetic forms of obesity only). Canada’s drug agency recognises several of these — liraglutide, naltrexone-bupropion, orlistat, and semaglutide — as effective at producing clinically significant weight loss over at least a year.
It’s important to note that some of the most popular weight loss drugs in Canada aren’t approved for weight loss at all. Ozempic and Mounjaro, for example, are approved to treat type 2 diabetes and are widely prescribed off-label for weight management. Off-label prescribing involves using an approved drug for a purpose outside its official listing, and is a normal, legal, and common part of medicine when it’s backed by good evidence.
Types of Weight Loss Medications: How They’re Classified
Weight loss medications are easiest to understand by considering how they work. There are three main mechanisms relevant to Canadian patients today, plus a group of older drugs that have largely fallen out of use:
- GLP-1 and related incretin drugs — These mimic gut hormones that regulate appetite and blood sugar, reducing hunger and slowing digestion. The group includes pure GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide) and dual GIP/GLP-1 drugs (tirzepatide). This category is where most modern prescribing happens.
- Centrally-acting appetite suppressants — These act on the brain’s appetite and reward systems to reduce hunger and cravings. Contrave is the main example available in Canada.
- Lipase inhibitors — These block the gut from absorbing a portion of the fat you eat. Orlistat is the only drug in this class.
- Older stimulant appetite suppressants — Drugs like phentermine and diethylpropion once filled this role, but are no longer marketed in Canada.
We’ll explore each type of weight loss medication in more detail below.
Weight Loss Medications Available in Canada
Here is a list of the weight loss drugs available in Canada, grouped by category. The GLP-1 family is covered in summary here, with links out to dedicated articles for more information.
GLP-1 Medications: The Modern Standard
These are the weight loss medications driving the current shift in weight management across the globe. GLP-1 drugs for weight loss mimic a natural gut hormone (glucagon-like peptide-1) that signals fullness, slows stomach emptying, and helps regulate blood sugar. Together, these actions reduce appetite and food intake, leading to weight loss in a majority of people who take the medications.
Two molecules lead the GLP-1 category of weight loss drugs in Canada:
Semaglutide
In Canada, semaglutide is sold as Wegovy (approved for weight management), Ozempic (approved for type 2 diabetes), and Rybelsus (an oral diabetes tablet).
In the STEP-1 trial, people taking semaglutide 2.4 mg lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks.
Tirzepatide
Sometimes referred to as a “dual-agonist” because of its action beyond the GLP-1 receptor, tirzepatide is sold as Zepbound (approved for weight management) and Mounjaro (approved for diabetes).
In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, the highest dose of Tirzepatide produced an average weight loss of 22.5% over 72 weeks — the largest seen with any approved weight loss medication in Canada.
Note: an older GLP-1, liraglutide (Saxenda), is also approved for weight management but is being discontinued as newer options take over.
Because the GLP-1 family is large and fast-moving, we cover each drug in depth in dedicated articles. For the full breakdown of GLP-1 types, doses, devices, and how they compare, see our GLP-1 Canada article.
Contrave and Other Centrally-Acting Appetite Suppressants
Contrave is the main non-GLP-1 weight loss medication in Canada. It’s an oral tablet combining two long-used drugs (naltrexone and bupropion) and was approved by Health Canada in 2018 for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a weight-related condition.
Rather than working through gut hormones, Contrave acts on the brain. Bupropion stimulates the appetite-regulating centres, while naltrexone blocks a feedback loop that would otherwise blunt that effect — together reducing hunger and the cravings that drive overeating. That makes Contrave a useful option for people whose eating is driven more by cravings and reward than by physical hunger.
In its clinical trial program, people on Contrave lost roughly 5–9% of their body weight over a year when it was combined with diet and exercise. This result is more modest than the GLP-1 drugs, but meaningful, and in an oral form for people who’d rather not inject (or for whom GLP-1s aren’t a good fit).
For a full breakdown of how the medication works, its side effects, and what it costs, see our Contrave article.
Orlistat (Xenical): The Fat-Blocker
Sold under the brand name Xenical, orlistat takes a completely different approach than GLP-1s or Contrave. Instead of acting on appetite, it blocks an enzyme (lipase) in your gut so that about 30% of the fat you eat passes through undigested rather than being absorbed. It has been available in Canada by prescription since 1999.
Orlistat is the most modest of the approved options in terms of weight loss. In the four-year XENDOS trial, people taking it lost an average of 5.8 kg versus 3.0 kg on placebo, and had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Orlistat’s main drawback is digestive: because the unabsorbed fat has to go somewhere, side effects like oily or loose bowel movements are common (especially after fatty meals).
One Canadian-specific point worth knowing is that orlistat is prescription-only here. The lower-dose over-the-counter version sold in the United States as alli (approved by the FDA in 2007) has never been authorised for non-prescription sale in Canada.
A Note on Rare Genetic Obesity
One further drug, setmelanotide (Imcivree), is approved by Health Canada, but only for a small group of patients with rare genetic causes of obesity (such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome). Setmelanotide isn’t a general weight loss option and is prescribed by specialists, but it’s worth knowing it exists if severe obesity has run in your family from a very early age.
Off-Label and Adjacent Options
Metformin, a common and inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug, is sometimes used off-label where weight is tied to insulin resistance, including in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Metformin isn’t a dedicated weight loss drug — the effect tends to be modest, around a 3–5% reduced body weight — but it can play a supporting role for the right patient.
A couple of other drugs (the anticonvulsant topiramate, and bupropion on its own) have weight-reducing tendencies and are occasionally used off-label, though neither is approved for weight management as a standalone treatment in Canada.
Weight Loss Drugs No Longer Available (or Never Approved) in Canada
A few weight loss drugs you might come across online or in older articles aren’t realistic options in Canada today.
Phentermine and Diethylpropion
These older stimulant appetite suppressants were once used for short-term weight loss, but both have been discontinued in Canada (phentermine’s brand Ionamin was cancelled in 2007, and diethylpropion’s Tenuate Dospan in 2009). They were only ever approved for short-term use and have largely been superseded.
Sibutramine (Meridia)
Withdrawn from the Canadian market in 2010 after the SCOUT trial linked it to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in higher-risk patients.
Lorcaserin (Belviq)
Never approved in Canada (the manufacturer’s application was withdrawn in 2018). It was approved in the United States but pulled from the market there in 2020 over a possible cancer risk.
Qsymia (phentermine-topiramate)
Approved in the United States but not by Health Canada, so it isn’t available here.
What’s on the Horizon: Newer Weight Loss Medications
The pace of development of new weight loss drugs has only increased since GLP-1s became available, and two in particular are worth watching.
Retatrutide is a “triple agonist” in late-stage trials that acts on three hormone receptors at once. Early results have shown an average weight loss of around 24% — the most seen so far in obesity trials. Retatrutide isn’t approved yet, but it could become the most effective option available if and when it reaches the Canadian market. See our Retatrutide article for more information.
Orforglipron is an oral GLP-1 pill in development that, unlike the existing oral option (Rybelsus), wouldn’t require a strict fasting routine. In a late-stage trial, participants lost an average of 11.2% of their body weight. See our Orforglipron article for a deep-dive.
Both retatrutide and orforglipron are still working their way through the regulatory process, and approval timelines remain uncertain.
Oral vs Injectable Weight Loss Medications
A common question is whether you can avoid needles when being treated with weight loss medication.
Here’s how the oral vs injectable options break down:
- Injectable — The most effective drugs (measured by weight loss in clinical trials) are weekly injections, including Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. They use a small pen with a fine needle, which most people don’t find uncomfortable or inconvenient.
- Oral (pill) — If you’d prefer a tablet, the options are Rybelsus (oral semaglutide, which has a strict morning fasting routine), Contrave, and orlistat. An easier-to-take oral GLP-1 (orforglipron) is in development.
- Over-the-counter — There is no approved over-the-counter weight loss drug in Canada. Products sold online as “natural Ozempic,” weight loss patches, or fat-burning supplements are not approved medications and aren’t a substitute for medical weight loss management.
What Is the Best Weight Loss Medication in Canada?
For most patients, GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide and tirzepatide) generally offer the most favourable combination of weight loss and tolerability among approved options. This is why Canada’s 2025 obesity guidelines and most clinicians treat them as first-line for many patients seeking weight loss treatment.
That being said, there is no single “best” weight loss medication that’s right for everyone. The most effective drug in clinical trials may not be the best drug for you. The right choice depends on what you’re being treated for, your other health conditions, which drugs you can tolerate, whether you can self-inject, what your insurance covers, and your personal goals.
Deciding on the best weight loss medication is always a conversation you should have with a doctor who knows your full medical history.
How to Get Weight Loss Medication in Canada
Every weight loss medication in Canada is prescription-only, so the first step is a consultation with a licensed doctor.
Under Canada’s adult obesity guidelines, drug therapy is generally considered appropriate for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, or sleep apnea). Medication is meant to work alongside changes to diet, activity, and behaviour, not to replace them.
At your appointment, the doctor will typically:
- Review your medical history and current medications
- Check your BMI
- Order baseline bloodwork (if needed)
- Talk through your goals and preferences
Many of these steps can now be done through an online or telehealth doctor’s visit, which has made starting weight loss treatment considerably more convenient.
How Much Do Weight Loss Medications Cost in Canada?
Price is an important consideration, since most weight loss drugs are generally not covered by provincial public plans. Private insurance is the main route to coverage, but coverage varies widely between insurers and plans, so it’s worth checking your specific policy.
The cost of weight loss drugs in Canada varies by drug, dose, pharmacy, and province. However, here are some broad monthly guidelines:
- Orlistat (Xenical) — Generally the lowest-cost approved option.
- Contrave — Roughly $250–$270 per month at the full dose.
- GLP-1 drugs (Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, Zepbound) — The most expensive, generally ranging from a few hundred dollars to over $500 a month depending on the drug and dose. When available, generic Ozempic (semaglutide) will likely be the cheapest of the GLP-1 drugs in Canada.
The prices above are approximate. Always confirm current pricing with your pharmacy, as the amount you pay depends heavily on your coverage.
Side Effects of Weight Loss Drugs
Side effects of weight loss drugs depend on the type of medication. Most are manageable, especially when treatment starts at a low dose and builds up gradually.
- GLP-1 drugs — The most common side effects are digestive, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Where they occur, these are usually worst in the first few weeks and then easing over time.
- Contrave — Common side effects include nausea, constipation, headache, and trouble sleeping. Importantly, Contrave isn’t suitable for everyone. It shouldn’t be used by people with uncontrolled high blood pressure, a history of seizures, or anyone taking opioids.
- Orlistat — Side effects are mainly digestive, including oily or loose stools, urgent bowel movements, and gas, particularly after high-fat meals. A daily multivitamin is usually recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions About Weight Loss Medications
What’s the best thyroid medication for weight loss?
There isn’t one. Thyroid medications like levothyroxine treat an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism); they aren’t weight loss drugs. If your thyroid is normal, taking thyroid hormone won’t produce meaningful weight loss and can be dangerous, raising the risk of heart rhythm problems and bone loss. If you suspect a thyroid issue, get tested rather than self-treating.
Is there an anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication that causes weight loss?
Most antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are weight-neutral or tend to cause some weight gain. The main exception is bupropion, which tends to be weight-favourable, and is one of the two ingredients in Contrave. If weight is a concern with a mental-health medication, that’s a conversation to have with your prescriber rather than a reason to seek out a weight loss drug.
What weight loss medication is used for PCOS?
Metformin is commonly used in PCOS and can modestly help with weight when insulin resistance is part of the picture. Increasingly, GLP-1 drugs are also used off-label for weight in PCOS. The right approach depends on your symptoms and goals, so it’s best worked out with your doctor.
Can a diabetes medication be used for weight loss?
Yes, several are. The most effective weight loss drugs, like Ozempic and Mounjaro, are approved as diabetes medications and prescribed off-label for weight management. Metformin, another diabetes drug, has a smaller effect. This overlap exists because the same hormones that control blood sugar also influence appetite.
What’s the safest weight loss medication?
All approved weight loss drugs in Canada have passed Health Canada review, but each has its own risks and isn’t suitable for everyone. The safest option is the one chosen to fit your health profile, which is why a proper assessment and advice from a doctor matter more than any single drug’s reputation.
Is Weight Loss Medication Right for You?
Weight loss medication in Canada has come a long way, and for many people it can be an effective tool. The GLP-1 drugs have set a new standard for what’s possible, while options like Contrave and orlistat still have a real place for the right patient. But every one of these medications works best as part of a broader plan that includes diet and activity, and none is right for everyone.
Which one might suit you comes down to your health, your goals, and your personal circumstances, and that’s best worked out with a doctor who can see the full picture. If you’re weighing up your options, speaking with a healthcare provider is the best first step. At Walk In, Canadian-licensed doctors are available for virtual consultations to discuss your weight loss options and build a plan that fits your situation, all from the comfort of home.
Speak With a Doctor About Weight Loss Treatment
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