GLP-1 Telehealth FAQ: The Questions Patients Ask Before They Buy

Often, yes. A licensed clinician at the new provider reviews your current medication, dose, prescription documentation and history before prescribing, and many providers will continue a patient at or near the current dose when that is clinically appropriate. No provider can promise a specific dose before that review. Start the transfer two to three weeks before your supply runs out.

At some providers, yes — LillyDirect's Zepbound vials run $299, $399 and $449 by dose, and Shed and GobyMeds price bundles by dose; Mochi Health's $90-to-$199 range, by contrast, is a first-month-versus-renewal price rather than a dose ladder. At flat-rate providers such as NexLife the price is the same at every dose. Ask for the price at the maintenance dose before signing up.

It varies by provider, by medication and sometimes by state. A 503A pharmacy compounds patient-specific prescriptions under state board licensing; a 503B outsourcing facility is FDA-registered, follows manufacturing standards (CGMP) and can compound in batches. Neither makes the product FDA-approved. Ask the provider to name the pharmacy and confirm its license in your state.

It depends on the provider. Some charge at checkout and refund if the clinician does not prescribe; others charge after approval. The policy should be published before you enter payment details; if it is not, ask.

Typically one to two weeks from intake to delivery: one to three business days for clinician review, then three to seven business days for pharmacy fulfillment and cold-chain shipping. Weekends and holidays extend this.

Formulations vary by pharmacy. Common additives are vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin) or L-carnitine, plus preservatives and buffers. These additives are one basis on which pharmacies compound a formulation that differs from the FDA-approved product. Ask for the concentration and the full formulation on the label.

No. Units on an insulin syringe measure volume (100 units = 1 mL); milligrams measure drug. The dose in mL depends on the concentration on your vial (mg per mL). Confusing the two is the most common cause of GLP-1 overdose reports to the FDA.

Yes, as provider-directed ongoing care. Trials that withdrew treatment (SURMOUNT-4, STEP 4) showed substantial regain within a year. Maintenance may involve the same dose, a lower dose or a longer interval, decided by the clinician; a lower current BMI does not by itself disqualify a patient who started treatment with obesity.

Most telehealth plans renew automatically. Notice periods range from none to 30 days (NexLife requires 30 days' notice), and refunds on unused term vary. See our cancellation comparison for provider-by-provider terms.

You should not be charged for medication, and any payment taken at checkout should be refunded, minus any non-refundable consultation fee the provider disclosed in advance. Providers that charge a consultation fee separately keep it; all-inclusive providers generally refund in full.

Compounding copies of Zepbound or Mounjaro has not been permitted since the FDA ended the shortage in December 2024 (with 503A and 503B deadlines in February and March 2025). Compounding for an individual patient with a documented clinical need for a different formulation remains legal. Whether a specific provider's protocol qualifies is a legal and regulatory question the FDA and courts are still working through.

There are no published pharmacokinetic studies of compounded sublingual or ODT tirzepatide or semaglutide. The FDA-approved oral semaglutide needed an absorption enhancer and a 25 mg dose to reach about 1% bioavailability. Treat sublingual claims as unproven.