If you need weight-loss medication, get a prescription from a doctor — don’t buy it from online shops that ship it without one.

6. If you need weight-loss medication, get a prescription from a doctor — don’t buy it from online shops that ship it without one.

Cost: A single doctor’s visit plus a round trip to the clinic. This costs just a few dozen yuan and takes half a day.

In plain terms: By regulation, prescription drugs must be sold only with a valid prescription, and pharmacies must keep that prescription on file for at least five years. Online sellers of prescription drugs must also have a genuine prescription and verify the buyer’s identity. So when you see an online shop that doesn’t require a consultation or a prescription and ships the product right away, there are only two possibilities: either the product isn’t actually the drug it claims to be, or the shop is breaking the law. In either case, no one can be held responsible for dosage or contraindications if something goes wrong. Those few dozen yuan you spend on a doctor’s visit buys you exactly this protection.

Benefit: The “Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Quality of Drug Operation and Use” require retail pharmacies to follow a classification system that separates prescription drugs from over-the-counter ones. Under this system, one category requires a doctor’s prescription, while the other can be bought without one. Pharmacies must sell prescription drugs only with a prescription, keep it on file for at least five years, and post notices when no pharmacist or other qualified pharmacy staff member is on duty; otherwise they may not sell prescription drugs at all. Prescription drugs may not be sold from open shelves where customers can pick them up on their own. Article 9 of the “Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Drug Sales” stipulates that any online sale of prescription drugs to individuals must be backed by a verified, authentic prescription and must use real-name registration. Article 10 requires that risk warnings be clearly displayed on every product page. Before a prescription is verified, no product description may be shown and no purchase option may be offered — in other words, there should be no “Buy Now” button on such pages. Article 8 further states that drugs under special government control may not be sold online at all; this includes vaccines, blood products, narcotics, psychotropic drugs, toxic drugs for medical use, radioactive drugs, and precursor chemicals used to make illicit drugs. None of these may be sold online.

Evidence grade: B

Sources: State Administration for Market Regulation of China (2023). Measures for the Supervision and Management of Drug Operation and Use Quality (General Administration Order No. 84). <https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/2023/issue_10846/202311/content_6917322.html>; No., Articles 8 to 10). <https://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2022/content_5717002.htm>

Notes: The legal provisions can be checked word for word, but no study has ever quantified exactly how much safer it is to take prescription drugs versus buying them without one; therefore this evidence rating is recorded as “difficult to quantify,” resulting in a grade B. This rule applies to all prescription drugs, not just weight-loss medications. The same regulations govern steroids and sex hormones, as mentioned in items 5 and 7 of this section. When a patient truly needs medication to manage weight, a doctor first evaluates their BMI, any other medical conditions, and possible contraindications before deciding whether and which drug to prescribe. This professional judgment cannot be replaced by any online purchase.