Quick answer: Ask who prescribes and where they're licensed, whether you'll get an FDA-approved brand or a compounded drug, what the total monthly cost is including the medicine, and how side effects are monitored. Walk away from any service that prescribes from a form alone, calls a compounded drug 'generic' or 'the same as Wegovy', or sells 'research use' peptides. Compare against the manufacturers' own self-pay prices first.
In this guide
Who this is for — and when to see your own clinician first
This guide is for adults in the US — with notes for Canada and the UK — who are considering an online programme for GLP-1 weight-loss medicines such as Wegovy (semaglutide) or Zepbound (tirzepatide). Some of the programmes we mention pay us a commission; ask them these same questions.
See your own primary-care clinician, family doctor or GP first if you're pregnant or planning pregnancy, have had an eating disorder, take insulin or other medicines that can cause low blood sugar, have had pancreatitis, or have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2. Your own clinician can also check whether your insurance covers the medicine, which online programmes can't always do. If you're not sure you qualify, start with who qualifies at BMI 27 with high blood pressure.
The 12 questions
1. Who will prescribe, and are they licensed where I live?
In the US, the prescriber must be licensed in your state. In the UK, check the pharmacy on the General Pharmaceutical Council register; in Canada, check your provincial college.
2. Will I have a real medical assessment?
A form alone isn't enough. A careful service checks your history and contraindications listed on the Zepbound and Wegovy labels, and verifies your weight rather than taking it on trust. In the UK, the GPhC requires independent verification by video, in person, through records or via your GP.
3. Exactly which medicine will I get — brand or compounded?
The FDA says compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and since the shortages ended in 2024–25 pharmacies may compound them only for documented individual needs. Ask for the product name and whether it's the brand.
4. Who makes and dispenses it?
The FDA has warned firms whose branding implied they made the drug when a separate pharmacy compounded it, and found labels naming pharmacies that didn't make the product. You should be told the name of the dispensing pharmacy.
5. What's the total monthly cost?
Memberships often exclude the medicine. WeightWatchers Clinic charges $74–84 a month after a $25 first month and says the GLP-1 cost isn't included; Calibrate charges $199 a month with a three-month minimum. In 2025 the FTC finalised an order against one telehealth firm for advertising memberships without making clear that drugs, labs and consultations cost extra.
6. What will the medicine itself cost me?
Compare against the manufacturers: NovoCare sells Wegovy pens at $349 a month ($199 for the first two fills for new patients until 31 December 2026), and LillyDirect sells Zepbound vials from $299 to $449 a month.
7. Will you help with insurance and prior authorisation?
Some programmes have coordinators who handle the paperwork; others are self-pay only. Ask before you pay a membership fee.
8. How will my dose be increased and my side effects monitored?
Doses start low and step up roughly every four weeks. The labels warn about severe stomach side effects, dehydration and kidney problems, gallbladder disease and pancreatitis; you should know who to contact and how quickly they'll respond.
9. What happens if I don't qualify, want to stop, or have a reaction?
Read the refund, cancellation and auto-renewal terms before paying; some memberships renew automatically for months.
10. Do you ask about pregnancy and contraception?
The Zepbound label says to stop if you become pregnant and that people using the pill should switch or add a barrier method for four weeks after starting and after each dose increase.
11. Do you make claims regulators have flagged?
The FDA lists claims it considers false or misleading: calling a compounded drug "generic" or "the same as" an approved drug, calling it "FDA-approved", or describing a pharmacy as "FDA-approved". In March 2026 it warned 30 telehealth companies over this kind of marketing.
12. Can I verify the pharmacy?
In the US, check online pharmacies with NABP's safe.pharmacy; its 2024 report found 96% of illegal online pharmacies it reviewed didn't require a valid prescription. In Canada, look for the eight-digit DIN that Health Canada says every authorised product carries.
Red flags: walk away if…
- You're offered a prescription without any assessment, or your weight isn't checked.
- The product is described as "generic Wegovy", "the same as Zepbound" or "FDA-approved compounded".
- It's sold as a "peptide" or "for research use only" — the FDA has said it will act against non-approved GLP-1 drugs.
- The price looks far below the manufacturers' self-pay prices.
- Nobody can tell you which pharmacy dispenses it.
Compare your options
| Route | Typical cost | What you get | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own clinician, with insurance | Co-pay, if your plan covers it | Assessment, prescription, prior authorisation | Many plans exclude weight-loss drugs |
| Manufacturer self-pay plus a prescriber | Wegovy $349 a month; Zepbound vials $299–449 | The approved brand | You still need a prescription |
| Telehealth membership | About $74–199 a month plus the medicine | Online prescriber, coaching, sometimes insurance help | Auto-renewal; what's included |
| Compounded-drug sellers | Often lower | A product the FDA hasn't approved | Dosing errors; claims the FDA calls false |
Prices checked . In the UK, see NHS criteria vs private prescriptions; in Canada, what's covered and what isn't.
We may earn a commission if you sign up through these links. It never changes our advice. How we're funded
What to do next
- Check whether you qualify and whether your insurance covers the medicine.
- Price the brand directly with NovoCare or LillyDirect as your benchmark.
- Ask any programme these 12 questions in writing before paying.
- Verify the pharmacy and keep the product name and lot number.
- Report side effects to the prescriber, and to the FDA's MedWatch, the MHRA's Yellow Card or Health Canada.
The medical weight-loss check works out your BMI, applies the prescribing thresholds, flags anything that needs your own clinician first, and shows covered routes before paid ones.
Check my eligibilityCommon questions
Is it legal to get Wegovy or Zepbound through telehealth?
Yes, if a licensed prescriber assesses you and a licensed pharmacy dispenses an approved product. What regulators object to is prescribing without a proper assessment, compounded copies marketed as the real thing, and 'research use only' peptides sold without a prescription. Since 2025 the FDA has sent dozens of warning letters to telehealth firms.
Why is compounded semaglutide cheaper?
Compounded versions aren't FDA-approved, so they haven't met the testing and manufacturing standards the brands meet, and since the shortages ended in 2025 pharmacies can only make them for documented individual needs. The FDA has logged more than 1,700 adverse-event reports for compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide. Brand self-pay prices have also fallen.
How much should a GLP-1 programme cost?
Budget for two things: the programme and the medicine. Memberships we checked run from about $74 to $199 a month and usually exclude the drug. Self-pay Wegovy costs $349 a month through NovoCare, with a $199 introductory price for new patients until the end of 2026, and Zepbound vials $299 to $449 through LillyDirect.
What should a good programme check before prescribing?
Your height and weight verified rather than just typed in; your history, including medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2 in you or your family, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease or eating disorders; pregnancy plans and contraception; other medicines, especially for diabetes; and blood tests where needed. Then regular check-ins as the dose increases.
Related guides
Sources
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss. Current as of 1 October 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA warns 30 telehealth companies against illegal marketing of compounded GLP-1s. 3 March 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration. For telehealth companies: what to know when promoting compounded drugs. 15 June 2026.
- US Food and Drug Administration. FDA intends to take action against non-FDA-approved GLP-1 drugs. 6 February 2026.
- US Federal Trade Commission. FTC approves final order against telehealth provider NextMed. December 2025.
- DailyMed. Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information. Revised August 2026.
- DailyMed. Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information. Revised June 2026.
- NovoCare. Wegovy self-pay pricing. Accessed 18 October 2026.
- Fierce Pharma. Lilly lowers self-pay prices for Zepbound single-dose vials.
- WeightWatchers Clinic. Membership pricing. Accessed 18 October 2026.
- Calibrate. Pricing. Accessed 18 October 2026.
- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Buy safely — check an online pharmacy.
- NABP. Rogue Rx activity report: injectable weight-loss drugs. 2024.
- General Pharmaceutical Council. Providing weight management services — FAQs.
- Health Canada. Thinking about buying GLP-1 drugs? Beware of fake or unauthorized products. 21 January 2026.
General information, not medical advice — see our medical disclaimer. Written to the WhereToStart editorial policy. Next scheduled review: .