Weight Loss

When looking for a weight loss medication these days, mot people are turning to the GLP-1 class which has been around since 2005. Saxenda was the first one to be FDA approved for weight loss, but it was very cost prohibitive , and usually not covered by insurance.

Fast forward to when Ozempic came out in 2017. It worked wonderfully for diabetes and patients lost weight too. However it was only FDA approved for Type II diabetes. Everyone remembers the shortages and the advent of compounding medications. That industry exploded and not necessarily in a good way. Quality and safety were big issues especially from products produced overseas and patients weren’t managed appropriately, resulting in several complications.

Now in 2026 we have FDA approved, brand name GLP-1 medications for weight loss that are safe when prescribed correctly and can be mailed directly to your home. Semaglutide for weight loss is called Wegovy. It comes in a weekly injectable and daily oral preparation. Semaglutide works on the GLP1-RA in the brain to regulate appetite.

Next came tirzepatide. Zepbound is the weekly injectable preparation FDA approved for weight loss that works on two receptors GIP and GLP-1. Eli Lilly has also released Foundayo (orfoglipron) an oral weight loss tablet.

With any of the weight loss medications it is important to eat a high protein diet. I prefer 1 g/kg of body weight each day. This, along with exercise, will help maintain muscle mass. The goal is not to get to the highest dose of medication, but to reach a dose where you steadily lose weight but still have an appetite.

There is a third GLP—1 called retatrutide. It works on three receptors - GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It is not commercially available except through compounding pharmacies. An abundance of caution must be exercised if going this route. It is available through Nuvamed, a compounding pharmacy in the U.S. that I trust and where I purchase peptides. It is quite expensive and I recommend for now that we stick with the brand name products from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. As of May 2026, I do have samples of the starting doses of these medications and we can enroll you in the Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk programs that ship the medications directly to your house at an affordable price.

Initial visit with lab $275

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