- GLP-1 education
Medication can be powerful. It should also be personal, monitored, and understood.
This page provides general education. Your clinician determines whether medication is appropriate and which option, dose, and monitoring plan are right for you.
- What are GLP-1 medications?
Medicines that affect appetite, fullness, digestion, and metabolic signaling
GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic a naturally occurring hormone involved in appetite and blood-sugar regulation. Some weight-management medicines also act on an additional pathway, such as GIP. These treatments can reduce hunger and food intake for eligible patients when combined with nutrition, activity, and ongoing care.
GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic a naturally occurring hormone involved in appetite and blood-sugar regulation. Some weight-management medicines also act on an additional pathway, such as GIP. These treatments can reduce hunger and food intake for eligible patients when combined with nutrition, activity, and ongoing care.
Who may be considered?
Eligibility commonly considers body mass index, weight-related conditions, prior efforts, medical history, current medications, pregnancy plans, contraindications, and clinician judgment. BMI is only one screening measure and does not capture the complete health picture.
- What treatment includes
More than selecting a drug
History, medications, goals, risks, and testing when appropriate.
How to use, store, and handle medication and what to do when a dose is missed.
Gradual clinician-directed dose changes based on response and tolerability.
Follow-up for progress, side effects, nutrition, strength, and safety.
- Safety first
These medications are not appropriate for everyone.
Common adverse effects can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal discomfort, reduced appetite, and reflux. Serious reactions are possible. The prescribing clinician must review current product labeling, your personal and family history, other medications, and relevant risks before treatment.
Contact your clinical team promptly for persistent or severe symptoms. Seek urgent or emergency care for severe abdominal pain, signs of dehydration, difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat, fainting, confusion, or other symptoms that feel dangerous. Do not use this website or routine messaging for emergencies.
Important
- Never share medication or use someone else’s prescription.
- Do not change dose or frequency without clinician direction.
- Tell your clinician about pregnancy, pregnancy plans, breastfeeding, surgery, or procedures requiring anesthesia or sedation.
- Report all prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements.
- Use only medication dispensed for you by an appropriately licensed pharmacy.
- What we monitor
Progress is bigger than the number on a scale
- Weight trend and rate of change
- Waist and body-composition trends when available
- Strength, mobility, energy, and physical function
- Hunger, fullness, food tolerance, and hydration
- Side effects, medication adherence, and safety concerns
- Sleep, stress, confidence, and consistency
- Relevant clinical markers and laboratory results
What happens between visits?
You are not expected to figure everything out alone. Depending on your selected program, support may include secure messaging, care coordination, nutrition check-ins, movement coaching, virtual training, reminders, and troubleshooting.
Response times, included services, and urgent-care procedures should be stated in your enrollment agreement.
- Medication duration
Can I stop after reaching my goal?
Possibly—but not always. Weight regain is common after stopping weight-management medication, and obesity can require long-term treatment. That is why our program develops nutrition, movement, and maintenance skills from the beginning.
Your clinician may recommend continuing, reducing, changing, or discontinuing treatment based on your progress, side effects, health risks, preferences, and ability to maintain results. Never stop or taper a prescription without medical guidance.
Our promise is not “you will never need medication again.” Our promise is to prepare you for the most sustainable, medically appropriate long-term plan possible.
- Approved and compounded products
Know what you are receiving
FDA-approved medications have been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, and quality for their approved use. Compounded medications are not FDA approved and are not generic versions of approved drugs. They may be appropriate only in limited, patient-specific circumstances determined by a licensed prescriber and must be dispensed in accordance with applicable law.
Be cautious of websites using phrases such as “FDA-approved compounded,” “FDA-certified pharmacy,” or “the same as” a branded product. Ask who prescribed the medication, which pharmacy dispensed it, what concentration you received, how to measure the dose, and how it should be stored.
Medication should begin with a medical decision.
Find out whether treatment is appropriate for you.