Free GLP-1 starter guide
GLP-1 weight loss: the one-page starter guide
Plain-English basics to read before you book. Educational only, not medical advice. Your clinician decides what's right for you.
1. Cost basics
- Ask for the total monthly cost: the visit, the medicine, shipping and any lab tests.
- Ask whether the price changes as your dose goes up.
- Ask whether it's an FDA-approved brand (like Wegovy or Zepbound) or a compounded version. FDA notes compounded drugs are not FDA-approved.
- Ask about cancellation and whether you're billed if you aren't prescribed.
2. Common side effects
The FDA labels for Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) list stomach and digestive effects among the most common, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and stomach pain. The labels list others too, so read the full label or ask your clinician.
3. What month one usually looks like
- An online health form and review by a licensed clinician.
- If prescribed, both labels start at a low dose that is raised step by step over several weeks to help your body adjust.
- Injections are once a week. Your clinician tells you how and when to increase.
- Results and side effects vary from person to person.
4. Red flags
Get medical help for warning signs listed on the labels, such as severe stomach pain that won't go away (possible pancreatitis), signs of an allergic reaction, or a lump or swelling in your neck. Both labels carry a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors.
Seller red flags from the FDA: no screening or prescription required, no licensed doctor to answer questions, prices that seem too good to be true, claims a compounded drug is "the same as" an FDA-approved one, or medicine that arrives warm or damaged.
Questions to ask a provider
- What is my full monthly cost, now and at higher doses?
- Is the medicine FDA-approved or compounded, and from which pharmacy?
- Who do I contact with side effects, and how fast do they reply?
- Do I need labs, and are they included?
- How do I pause or cancel?
Sources
Wegovy prescribing information (DailyMed, FDA label)
Zepbound prescribing information (DailyMed, FDA label)
Zepbound on Drugs@FDA
FDA: Concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss