Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Treatment in Portland, Oregon

Epidemic of Overweight and Obesity

Many people are unable to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight even when they try everything they can think of to lose weight.

The good news is that the clinical trials testing Ozempic™ & Wegovy™ and Monjouro™ & Zepbound™ have proven that most people who are overweight or obese and who cannot lose weight despite diet and lifestyle changes are actually suffering from a chronic severe hormone deficiency of the peptide hormones GLP-1 and GIP.

This is the reason why these medications work! What this means is that medical weight loss treatment using these medications or their generic compounded counterparts semaglutide or tirzepatide is actually a new form of hormone replacement therapy. We can now add GLP-1 and GIP peptide hormone deficiency to the long list of hormone deficiencies that are proven to cause overweight and obesity, with difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight.

For patients who suffer from GLP-1 or GIP deficiency it is unlikely that any effort to diet and lifestyle their way out of overweight and obesity is going to work. This is similar to how patients who suffer from symptoms of testosterone deficiency syndrome or menopause aren’t going to be able to diet and lifestyle their way back to having ideal hormones again.

In our experience, hormone replacement therapy with either semaglutide or tirzepatide to replace deficient levels of these peptide hormones has been a very safe and successful approach to medical weight loss treatment.

Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Treatment

Step 1 – Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation

Our successful approach to medical weight loss treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide begins with a thorough investigation of our patient’s individual root causes of difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight. Only with this understanding can we create each patient’s customized medical weight loss treatment plan.

For New Patients


Service	Description	Cost
Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Treatment Evaluation	Your doctor will spend about 1 hour with you face-to-face to review your history and perform exams, including vitals, body weight and composition analysis, and measurements. Your blood will be drawn for baseline blood testing, including hormone evaluation, since hormone deficiencies are often a major factor in weight gain and difficulty losing weight. Blood testing includes: CBC With Differential/Platelet, Total Testosterone, Estradiol, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, TSH, Free T4, Cortisol, Prolactin, Iron and TIBC, Hemoglobin A1c, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (14), Insulin, Lipid Panel, CRP-cardiac. For MEN we add Luteinizing Hormone and Prostate-Specific Ag. For WOMEN we add Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Progesterone.	For new patients, the cost for the initial medical weight loss evaluation & consultation is ONLY $500, including comprehensive baseline blood tests. For current patients who are already enrolled in either our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) membership, we have a simpler process and the cost for these patients is only $300.
Discussion of Lab Results, Diagnosis, Treatment Plan, & Prognosis	Your doctor will spend about 1 hour with you face-to-face to review your overall diagnosis and prognosis, and customize a comprehensive medical weight loss treatment plan for you.	If you decide to initiate medical weight loss treatment, then we will enroll you in our Active Medical Weight Loss Treatment Membership. This service and the costs are described in the following table below.
*COMBINE* Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation with Initial Testosterone & Hormone Replacement Therapy Evaluation & Consultation	Your doctor will spend about 90 minutes with you face-to-face to review your history and perform exams, including vitals, body weight and composition analysis, and measurements. Your blood will be drawn for baseline blood testing, including a comprehensive hormone evaluation, since hormone deficiencies are often a major factor in weight gain and difficulty losing weight. Blood testing for MEN includes: CBC With Differential/Platelet, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (14), Hemoglobin A1c, Lipid Panel, Iron & TIBC, Insulin, Cortisol, CRP-cardiac, TSH, Free T4, Luteinizing hormone (LH), Total Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, Estradiol, and Prolactin. Blood testing for WOMEN includes: CBC With Differential/Platelet, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (14), Hemoglobin A1c, Lipid Panel, Iron & TIBC, Insulin, Cortisol, CRP-cardiac, TSH, Free T4, Luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Total Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, Estradiol, Progesterone, and Prolactin.	For new patients, the cost for the COMBINATION of the Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation with the Initial Testosterone & Hormone Replacement Therapy Evaluation & Consultation is ONLY $700, including comprehensive baseline blood tests. If you decide to initiate either or both treatments, then we will enroll you in one or both of our memberships. This service and the cost of our medical weight loss treatments is described in the following table below. Click one of the below links to read about our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) service for men or our hormone replacement therapy (HRT) service for women.

Learn more about Testosterone & Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men
Learn more about Testosterone & Hormone Replacement Therapy for Women

For Current Patients


Service	Description	Cost
Fasting Blood Draw	For current patients for whom we are already managing their testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) we either schedule an additional fasting morning blood draw or we add the following tests to a regularly scheduled blood draw: Hemoglobin A1C, Insulin, Lipid Panel, CRP-cardiac, and Cortisol.	This is our new patient process for current patients who are already enrolled in either our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) membership. The cost including the additional blood tests is ONLY $300.
Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation	Your doctor will spend about 75-90 minutes with you face-to-face to review your history and perform exams, including vitals, body weight and composition analysis, and measurements. They will then discuss their overall diagnosis and your prognosis, and customize a comprehensive treatment plan for you.	If you decide to initiate medical weight loss treatment, then we will enroll you in our Active Weight Loss Treatment Membership. This service and the costs are described in the following table below.

Step 2 – Active Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide

Our approach to medical weight loss treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide is guided by our long history of success working together to help patients lose weight and maintain weight loss. We often prescribe semaglutide or tirzepatide alongside other medications, supplements, or other medical services. We always incorporate diet and lifestyle recommendations. We create a customized medical weight loss treatment plan for each patient with the goal of fully addressing the root causes of their weight gain and difficulty losing weight to improve their chances of long-term successful weight loss.


Service	Active Medical Weight Loss Treatment Services
Follow-up Evaluation and Consultation Every Two Months with Additional Support Included Between Appointments	Follow-up office appointments are scheduled for 15-30 minutes every two month, which allows our team to monitor for a healthy rate of weight loss and avoidance of adverse effects. Vitals, body weight and composition analysis, and measurements are checked every two months. Every four months a blood draw and a 15 minute phone call is added to check and review fasting CMP, insulin, hemoglobin A1C, and lipids. We talk about progress and prognosis and treatment plan during each appointment. Our doctors are also available for phone calls or office visits or online messaging in between appointments for patients who need additional support.
Semaglutide or Tirzepatide	We currently ONLY prescribe compounded, generic semaglutide or tirzepatide due to the ongoing national shortage of the brand name drugs Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Mounjaro™, and Zepbound™. When the national drug shortage is resolved and these brand name versions become available, we will begin to prescribe them. We source these medications from a state-of-the-art US-certified compounding pharmacy that guarantees the safety and purity of these products. These compounding pharmacies have been given permission by FDA to compound generic versions of these medications while there is a national shortage, and they are on FDA's "drug shortage list." Patients will usually spend $140- $210 per month on semaglutide or $185-$387 per month on tirzepatide once they reach their therapeutic dose. There are outliers that pay more or less than that.
Other Weight Loss Therapies	Our patients appreciate that we are able to do more for them than simply prescribe the most popular weight loss medications. Often other treatments such as treatment for hypothyroidism or hypogonadism are simple and can significantly enhance the safety and efficacy of these medications. We also recommend and discuss other approaches to weight loss, including diet, exercise, stress, sleep, and other lifestyle counseling.
Summary & Cost	Monthly membership dues are $150 monthly. These dues are reduced by $50 per month when active medical weight loss patients also enroll in either our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) membership. This does NOT include the cost of the weight loss medications or other weight loss treatments. Additional credit card fees do apply for patients who use a credit card rather than a debit or HSA card.

Step 3 – Maintain Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide

Once our patient has reached their desired or healthy weight, their doctor will discuss with them whether they should simply discontinue the semaglutide or tirzepatide or be transferred to our Maintain Medical Weight Loss Treatment Membership. What we have observed during the last few years is that our patients do best when they spend another 6 – 12 months gradually decreasing the dose of their semaglutide or tirzepatide while making sure that they are maintaining their weight loss before they completely discontinue the medication. This increases the likelihood that the patient will be able to maintain their lost weight after discontinuing the medication. Also keep in mind that patients who initiate TRT or HRT are more likely to be able to discontinue their weight loss medication without regaining their lost weight.


Service	Maintain Medical Weight Loss Treatment Services
Follow-up Evaluation and Consultation Every Four Months	Follow-up office appointments are scheduled for 15-30 minutes every two month, which allows our team to monitor for a healthy rate of weight loss and avoidance of adverse effects. Vitals, body weight and composition analysis, and measurements are checked every two months. Every four months a blood draw and a 15 minute phone call is added to check and review fasting CMP, insulin, hemoglobin A1C, and lipids. We talk about progress and prognosis and treatment plan during each appointment. Our doctors are also available for phone calls or office visits or online messaging in between appointments for patients who need additional support.
Semaglutide or Tirzepatide	We currently ONLY prescribe compounded, generic semaglutide or tirzepatide due to the ongoing national shortage of the brand-name versions of these medications. We source these medications from a state-of-the-art US-certified compounding pharmacy that guarantees the safety and purity of these products. These compounding pharmacies have been given permission by FDA to compound generic versions of these medications while there is a national shortage, and they are on FDA's "drug shortage list." Patients will usually spend $140- $210 per month on semaglutide or $185-$387 per month on tirzepatide once they reach their therapeutic dose. Once our patient has reached their healthy or desired weight the next step is working to taper our patient off of the medication while maintaining weight loss. Most of the time the medication needs to be gradually tapered over the same amount of time it took our patient to lose the weight. Sometimes more or less time is required before the medication can be completely discontinued. Many times the patient must continue to take the medication at some dose amount in order to maintain their healthy or desired weight loss.
Other Weight Loss Therapies	Our patients appreciate that we are able to do more for them than simply prescribe semaglutide or tirzepatide. Often other treatments such as treatment for hypothyroidism or hypogonadism are simple and can significantly enhance the safety and efficacy of these medications. We also recommend and discuss other approaches to weight loss, including diet, exercise, stress, sleep, and other lifestyle counseling.
Summary & Cost	Maintain Weight Loss Treatment monthly membership dues are $100 monthly. These dues are reduced by $60 per month when maintain medical weight loss patients also enroll in our testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) membership. This does NOT include the cost of semaglutide or tirzepatide or any other medications or treatments. In order for patients to be eligible for our Maintain Medical Weight Loss Treatment membership our patient must have been a member of our Active Medical Weight Loss Treatment membership for at least six months. Additional credit card fees do apply for patients who use a credit card rather than a debit or HSA card.

Step 4 – Discontinue Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide

Part of what makes our approach to medical weight loss treatment special is our goal throughout the initiation and treatment process of working to improve the chances that you will be able to successfully wean yourself off of medically supervised weight loss treatment. This is accomplished by the manner in which we prescribe either semaglutide or tirzepatide in conjunction with a multi-faceted approach to medical weight loss treatment that includes other medical and naturopathic treatments as well as diet and lifestyle methods in order to address your root causes of weight gain and difficulty losing weight. If you begin to regain your lost weight, you can always restart medically supervised weight loss treatment with our clinic again. As long as it’s been less than 12 months since you discontinued Maintain Medical Weight Loss Treatment it is most likely that there is no need to repeat the initial medical weight loss evaluation and consultation process.

Schedule Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation – Call Now or Complete Online Form for a Call Back Later

What Else Makes Our Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Treatment in Portland, Oregon Special?

Our approach to medical weight loss treatment with either semaglutide or tirzepatide is guided by our clinical experience and the expertise we have developed while working together with thousands of patients during the last ten years.

Our Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide is More Successful Because We Determine Other Common Causes of Difficulty Preventing Weight Gain or Difficulty Losing Weight

Our successful approach to medical weight loss treatment begins with the investigation and identification of our patient’s various causes of difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight. We know that our prospective medical weight loss treatment patient most likely has a significant deficiency of the peptide hormones GLP-1 or GIP and that treatment with either semaglutide or tirzepatide to replace those deficient peptide hormones will most likely work. However, we also work to identify other common causes of difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight with our comprehensive initial semaglutide or tirzepatide medical weight loss evaluation and consultation, including:

Thyroid hormone deficiency

Cortisol deficiency

Testosterone deficiency

Growth hormone deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency

Excessive cortisol

Excessive prolactin

Excessive insulin due to insulin resistance caused by metabolic syndrome or diabetes mellitus type 2

Liver congestion or inflammation

Nutrient deficiencies, including iron deficiency

Excessive generalized inflammation

Food addiction or other eating disorder

In addition to baseline comprehensive blood testing we also perform general physical exams and baseline body weight and composition analysis, and measurements to show how much fat tissue is present in relation to other important metabolically active tissue such as muscle and bone and other organ tissue. We discuss history of dieting, exercising, stressors and stress management, sleep hygiene or disorders, and more. Equipped with all of this diagnostic information we are able to determine other causes of difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight for our patient, besides just a deficiency of semaglutide or tirzepatide, so that we can create a comprehensive customized medical weight loss treatment plan to help them safely and successfully lose weight and maintain weight loss.

Our Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide is More Successful Because We Treat Other Common Causes of Difficulty Preventing Weight Gain or Difficulty Losing Weight

Another reason why our approach to medical weight loss treatment with semaglutide and tirzepatide is so successful is because we treat more than just a deficiency of GLP-1 or GIP peptide hormones. We often prescribe other medications and treatments in addition to diet and lifestyle recommendations to address OTHER common causes of difficulty preventing weight gain or losing weight, including:

Testosterone and comprehensive hormone replacement therapy, including growth hormone therapy when indicated to treat hormone deficiencies or excesses
Vitamin, micronutrient, and herbal therapies to treat vitamin amd micronutrient deficiencies & other generalized metabolic syndromes, including generalized inflammation and diabetes
Regenerative injection therapies to heal damaged and painful joints and muscles that can make exercise difficult or impossible

We don’t force these additional therapies on our medical weight loss patients, but we do consider our ability to prescribe these other therapies to be a part of our approach to successful medical weight loss treatment because they make semaglutide and tirzepatide more effective. Patients who are interested in these additional medical weight loss therapies can more successfully lose weight loss and maintain lost weight, and as a side-benefit they also improve their quality of life and general health. Some patients do have to incorporate some of these other adjunctive medical weight loss treatments in order to reach their desired or healthy weight, especially patients who suffer from hypothyroidism, menopause or testosterone deficiency.

Our Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide is More Successful Because We Prescribe Other Treatments to Reduce Side-Effects of These Medications, so Patients Can Better Tolerate Them, & Get the Benefits of Higher Doses in Order to More Successfully Lose Weight & Maintain Weight Loss

We are able to prescribe simple treatments to prevent and treat the most common side-effects of semaglutide and tirzeaptide, which include loss of appetite, nausea, and indigestion, as well as diarrhea and vomiting. We are able to prescribe certain treatments to improve digestion and liver function in order to prevent more significant problems these medications can cause for the liver and pancreas. We are able to prescribe thyroid hormone, testosterone, and other hormone therapies to prevent potentially serious problems such as fatigue, poor concentration, depression, loss of muscle, bone, and other good and metabolically active tissue that can be caused by semaglutide and tirzepatide.

Our Approach to Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Reduces the Potential for our Patients to Become Addicted to or Dependent on The Medications in Order to Maintain Weight Loss

We work to reduce the potential for our patients to become addicted or dependent on semaglutide or tirzepatide to maintain weight loss by employing various methods, including:

Increasing the dose of semaglutide or tirzepatide carefully so that patients aren’t losing too much weight too quickly, which can cause the body to go into a starvation mode where the body intentionally slows down its metabolism which reduces the long-term efficacy of the medications.
Incorporating other medical weight loss therapies that make semaglutide and tirzepatide more effective at lower doses. Lower doses reduce the potential to over-stimulate GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which can cause potential downregulation of those receptors, and cause addiction or dependence on the medications.
Decreasing the dose of semaglutide or tirzepatide carefully once our patient has reached their desired or healthy weight, so that the body isn’t triggered back into a state of GLP-1 or GIP peptide hormone deficiency.
Encouraging and coaching our patients to make positive and healthy changes to their diet and lifestyle to set up a strong foundation routine to prevent regaining their lost weight.
Treating patients with regenerative injection therapies so that they are able to have an active lifestyle which includes a healthy amount of exercise to maintain a metabolic state that helps them to prevent regaining their lost weight.

Our Approach to Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide and Tirzepatide is Equally Focused on SAFETY as well as SUCCESSFUL weight loss.

We know it is important for our patients that their medical weight loss treatment plan with either semaglutide or tirzepatide actually helps them to lose weight. We also know that it is more important that the medical weight loss treatment is as SAFE as possible. For this reason that we prescribe semaglutide and tirzepatide in a way that we are also working to prevent adverse effects and long-term risks.

Our Goal is Safe and Consistent and Maintained Weight Loss:

We initiate treatment with either semaglutide or tirzepatide at a safe starting dose and very carefully increase the dose to help our patients to lose weight at a rate of about 1-2 pounds per week until they reach their desired or healthy weight. Oftentimes, patients will lose weight more rapidly than this during the first month or so of treatment before slowing down to a rate of 1-2 pounds per week. Sometimes patients who have significantly more weight to lose will be able to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week for many weeks or even for many months before slowing down to a rate of 1-2 pounds per week.

It is important to avoid increasing the dose of these medications too rapidly to achieve more rapid weight loss, because we have seen this cause patients to require higher doses to lose the same amount of weight and to maintain weight loss. It also increases the risk that all of the weight lost will be regained, or that even more weight may be regained if the medication is decreased or discontinued.

It is also important to avoid more rapid weight loss, because this has been proven to cause potentially severe short-term adverse effects and long-term risks.

Our Goal is to Prevent Minor Potential Short-Term Adverse Effects:

Abnormal loss of appetite

Nausea

Indigestion (bloating, flatulence, etc)

Fatigue

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Hypersensitivity or allergic reactions

Our Goal is to Prevent Serious Potential Short-Term Adverse Effects:

Pancreatitis

Our Goal is to Prevent Serious Potential Medium-Term Adverse Effects:

Cholestasis (decreased bile flow through biliary system)

Cholelithiasis (gallstones caused by poor bile flow)

Cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder due to obstruction of bile)

Our Goal is to Prevent Serious Potential Long-Term Risks:

Slowed / damaged metabolism (may regain all and more weight than was lost)

Muscle or bone or other organ tissue loss (may regain all and more weight than was lost and have poorer health than prior to weight loss)

Development of an eating disorder

Fatigue, depression, or worsening of fatigue or depression

We Follow up with our Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Treatment Patients Regularly to Improve Safety & Success

Most clinics that provide medical weight loss treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide are not following up with their patients sufficiently. Often they’re not even seeing their patients in person. This means they’re not performing physical exams, vitals, body weight and composition analysis, or body measurements. This increases the chances that they are losing muscle or bone or other important metabolically active body tissue rather than the fat tissue they’re trying to lose. This increases the likelihood that patients will be unable to maintain their weight loss and that they will regain all or more of their lost weight later when they work to try to reduce their dose of the medication or discontinue the medication altogether. This also increases the chances that patients are losing too much fat too quickly, which increases the likelihood of other serious adverse effects.

While our medical weight loss treatment patients are in active weight loss we follow up with them in office every two months. Once they have transitioned to maintain weight loss we continue to follow up with them in the office every four months. If they discontinue our maintain weight loss treatment and have trouble preventing weight gain they can restart either active or maintain medical weight loss treatment.

We Strive to Provide our Medical Weight Loss Patients With Outstanding Customer Service

Customer service is something patients may not realize is important until they realize they’re not getting it. We provide outstanding customer service in addition to our medical service and for a great value. Our ability to provide outstanding customer service comes from our team working together for 10 years at our southwest Portland, Oregon clinic.

We Prescribe the Dose of Semaglutide or Tirzepatide Weight Loss Medication that is Ideal for Our Patient

Many clinics that offer medical weight loss treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide will make it seem like the medications are included in their monthly dues, but when you read the fine print they cap the dose of the medication at a dose that is not sufficient for many patients. Our monthly membership dues cover our cost for the medical service including the regular and responsible ongoing evaluation and management needed. We provide our patients with semaglutide or tirzepatide at discounted prices because we are able to negotiate lower prices from our compounding pharmacy partners. If our patient needs more of the medication we will prescribe more of the medication.

We are a Real & Local Medical Clinic in SW Portland, Oregon

We live in a day and age when there are unfortunately many so-called online “clinics” that pay a lot of money for fancy websites and online marketing services paid advertising on Google Adwords to try to convince patients to have virtual or telehealth medicine. The trouble with these online “clinics” is that they are almost never owned and operated by medical professionals. They are usually operated by salespeople or business people who hire doctors to fit as a cog in their wheel following cookie cutter protocols that are not as safe or effective as would be ideal. These online “clinics” will stick around for a year or two and then they’re gone just as quickly as they showed up.

Our team has worked together at our clinic here in SW Portland – technically we’re in Tigard and ALMOST in Lake Oswego – for almost ten years. You can drive here. We can draw your blood here. We have real doctors, medical assistants, and administrative assistants who you can actually see and meet and get to know you. We will do our best to make sure that you lose weight safely as well as successfully and that your medical weight loss treatment is aimed at helping you to maintain your lost weight.

Schedule Your Initial Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Medical Weight Loss Evaluation & Consultation. Call 503-406-8066 now or complete our online form for a call back later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Semaglutide? What is Tirzepatide?

Compounded semaglutide or simply “semaglutide” contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic™ & Wegovy™. Compounded tirzepatide or simply “tirzepatide” contains the same active ingredient as Monjouro™ & Zepbound™.

Don’t take our word for it. Read the active and inactive ingredients list on page 17 and 36 of the FDA label for WEGOVY™ and on page 24 of the FDA label for Zepbound™ to read for yourself. If you want more information, read the FDA PR release for WEGOVY™ and FDA PR release for Zepbound™.

Is Semaglutide the Same Thing as Ozempic™ & Wegovy™? Is Tirzepatide the Same Thing as Monjouro™ & Zepbound™?

Ozempic™ and Monjouro™ are the brand name versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide that are FDA-approved for diabetes. Wegovy™ and Zepbound™ are the brand name versions of semaglutide and tirzepatide that are FDA-approved for weight loss. Due to their blockbuster success and popularity, there is an ongoing national shortage of these brand name versions that is unlikely to resolve in the foreseeable future, so FDA has permitted certain qualified facilities to compound generic versions for the time being.

Does Full Potential HRT Clinic Prescribe the Brand Versions?

Not at this time. Due to the national shortage of the brand name drugs Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Mounjaro™, and Zepbound™, we currently prescribe ONLY compounded generic semaglutide and tirzepatide. We are NOT WILLING to spend our time and energy to source the brand name versions of these medications. When the national drug shortage is resolved and these brand name versions become available, we will begin to prescribe them. We currently source these medications from a state-of-the-art US-certified compounding pharmacy that guarantees the safety and purity of these products. These compounding pharmacies have been given permission by FDA to compound generic versions of these medications while there is a national shortage, and they are on FDA’s “drug shortage list.”

Will the National Shortage of Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Mounjaro™, and Zepbound™ Continue?

Unfortunately there is no way to know for sure whether the national shortage of these medications will continue. Right now the demand for these medications has seriously outpaced the production and supply. Most individuals working in the industry currently expect that the national shortages of these medications will continue for the foreseeable future. It is fair to say that at some point eventually the production will catch up with the demand. Once there is enough of the brand name versions available FDA will remove them from the “drug shortage list” and the compounding pharmacies will no longer be permitted to compound their generic equivalents. This will unfortunately increase the cost of these medications for patients.

How Effective is Semaglutide: Clinical Trials Results

The largest randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled adults without diabetes who were on average 46 years old and who had on average a body weight of 231 lbs to receive either Wegovy™ or placebo for 68 weeks. The patients taking Wegovy™ lost on average 12.4% of their body weight, which was about 28.6 lbs or 0.42 lbs per week. 50.5% of the participants in the Wegovy™ group lost more than 34 lbs. 69.1% of the participants lost more than 28 lbs. 14% did not lose more than 12 lbs. Unfortunately, this means that semaglutide by itself isn’t going to work for everyone. The good news is that semaglutide doesn’t need to be prescribed by itself. This is why we prescribe semaglutide in conjunction with a comprehensive weight loss treatment plan.

Does Semaglutide Work for Everyone?

No, semaglutide doesn’t work for everyone. According to the above study for example 14% of patients who took Wegovy™ for 68 weeks did NOT lose more than 12 lbs during that period of time. Unfortunately, this means that semaglutide by itself isn’t going to work for everyone. The good news is that semaglutide doesn’t need to be prescribed by itself. This is why we prescribe semaglutide in conjunction with a comprehensive medical weight loss treatment plan. When it comes to medicine, unfortunately there is never a guarantee that any medical treatment is going to work for everyone. That’s just not the way medicine is. The reason is because each person’s chemistry is a little bit different and sometimes it can be a lot different. This is the reason why cookie cutter approaches to weight loss (or testosterone or hormone replacement therapy) don’t work. The doctor must be able to consider the patient as an individual and determine a customized plan that is best for the individual. When this is done there is a much greater chance of successful and maintained weight loss.

How Effective is Tirzepatide: Clinical Trial Results

The largest randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled adults without diabetes who had on average a body weight of 231 lbs to receive either Zepbound™ or placebo for 72 weeks. The patients taking Zepbound™ lost on average 18% of their body weight, which was about 41.5 lbs or 0.58 lbs per week. Enrollees taking the highest dose (15 mg) once weekly lost on average 48 lbs, while those on the lowest dose (5 mg) once weekly lost on average 34 lbs. 1 in 3 enrollees taking 15 mg once weekly lost more than 58 lbs (>25% body weight). Unfortunately, this means that tirzepatide by itself isn’t going to work for everyone. The good news is that tirzepatide doesn’t need to be prescribed by itself. This is why we prescribe tirzepatide in conjunction with a comprehensive weight loss treatment plan.

Does Tirzepatide Work for Everyone?

No, tirzepatide doesn’t work for everyone. According to the above study for example there were some patients in the study who didn’t lose a significant amount of weight after being on Zepbound™ for 72 weeks. Unfortunately, this means that tirzepatide by itself isn’t going to work for everyone. The good news is that tirzepatide doesn’t need to be prescribed by itself. This is why we prescribe tirzepatide in conjunction with a comprehensive medical weight loss treatment plan. When it comes to medicine unfortunately there is never a guarantee that any medical treatment is going to work for everyone. That’s just not the way medicine is. The reason is because each person’s chemistry is a little bit different and sometimes it can be a lot different. This is the reason why cookie cutter approaches to weight loss (or testosterone or hormone replacement therapy) don’t work. The doctor must be able to consider the patient as an individual and determine a customized plan that is best for the individual. When this is done there is a much greater chance of successful and maintained weight loss.

How Do Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Weight Loss Medications Work

Semaglutide is known by the brand name Ozempic™ or Wegovy™. It is a synthetic version of the peptide hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1). Tirzepatide is known by the brand name Monjouro™ or Zepbound™. It is a synthetic version of the peptide hormone called GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). In normal and healthy and lean individuals both of these peptide hormones are immediately produced in abundance naturally in intestinal cells in response to eating, and they stimulate the brain, stomach, pancreas, liver, and other tissues of the body to help people to feel full mentally, emotionally, and physically full, and over time this causes people to eat less and to produce less overall glucagon and insulin while becoming less insulin resistant, and therefore to burn more fat and lose weight and maintain weight loss.

How is Semaglutide Taken? How is Tirzepatide Taken?

Because the half-life of both semaglutide and tirzepatide is about one week it is possible to reach stable levels of these peptide hormones after only two months with just one easy subcutaneous injection each week. The medications are in your system for the entire week and are activated and have their beneficial effects as soon as someone starts to eat!

Sometimes we split the dose in half and have a patient self-administer their subcutaneous injections of semaglutide or tirzepatide twice weekly in order to increase safety and efficacy.

Will I Have to Keep Taking Semaglutide or Tirzepatide in Order to Maintain Lost Weight?

Some patients are able to discontinue the medication once they have reached their desired or healthy weight, while other patients need to gradually decrease their dose of the medication over a period of 6 – 12 months.

Once our patient has reached their desired or healthy weight, their doctor will discuss with them whether they should simply discontinue the semaglutide or tirzepatide or be transferred to our Medical Weight Loss Maintenance Treatment Membership. What we have observed during the last few years is that our patients do best when they spend another 6 – 12 months gradually decreasing the dose of their semaglutide or tirzepatide while making sure that they are maintaining their weight loss before they completely discontinue the medication. This increases the likelihood that the patient will be able to maintain their lost weight after discontinuing the medication. Also keep in mind that patients who initiate TRT or HRT are more likely to be able to discontinue their weight loss medication without regaining their lost weight.

Who is a Candidate for Our Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide?

It is extremely important that a patient is determined through proper evaluation to be a good candidate for these medications. What generally makes a patient a good candidate for this membership and treatment is that they have 20 or more pounds of fat to lose in order to reach a desirable and healthier weight. What makes a patient an even better candidate is that they have already made changes to their lifestyle, including diet and exercise, yet have been unable to lose weight or maintain weight loss. Furthermore, patients who are able to understand and follow their prescribed treatment plan, including making sure to follow up with their doctor regularly, are good candidates for treatment.

Who is Not a Candidate for Our Medical Weight Loss Treatment with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide?

We are unable to prescribe these treatments to the following patients or patients with the following conditions:

Patients who are under the age of 18 years old

Pregnant patients or patients who are trying to get pregnant

Patients who are breastfeeding

Family or personal history of medullary thyroid cancer

Family or personal history of multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2

Diabetic patients who suffer from diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema

History of gallstones or cholecystitis

History of pancreatitis

Anorexia or Bulimia, or other Eating Disorders

History of attempted suicide or suicidal thoughts or behaviors

Who is Not a Good Candidate – Special Circumstances:

Alcoholism

While many patients are able to drink a small amount of alcohol regularly, many patients become unable to drink alcohol while taking these medications. It is extremely important that a patient be able to stop drinking alcohol if necessary while using these medications or they can cause themselves to suffer acute pancreatitis as a result of the combination of alcohol while using these medications. Acute pancreatitis is a true medical emergency requiring immediate hospitalization in order to prevent potential death.

Unable to afford to use this medication long-term

It is important that all prospective patients are aware that gradually decreasing the dose of these medications over 6-12 months increases the chances of being able to eventually completely discontinue these medications and for successful long-term maintained weight loss. If the patient is unable to afford to taper the dose down over time then this could increase the chances that lost weight may be regained once the medication is discontinued.

Eventually these medications will only be available in their trademarked forms, which are more expensive. It is important that all prospective patients are aware that once the national shortage has resolved FDA will no longer permit less costly generic versions of these weight loss medications and we will be required to prescribe only the costly brand name versions. I patients have to suddenly discontinue this medication because they’re unable to afford the brand name versions of this medication then that could contribute to the possibility that the patient may have a harder time maintaining their lost weight.

Some Cases of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Having either Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes does NOT by itself make a patient ineligible for our weight loss treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide. However, in some cases, when the diabetes and health of the patient is very serious, we may not feel comfortable managing the case.

If a patient is using insulin then the patient must know how to check their blood sugar throughout the day and actually check it throughout the day daily and have clear and quick communication and cooperation with their other doctor who is prescribing their insulin, so that the patient can make adjustments to their insulin dose as needed in order for our clinic to be able to manage their semaglutide or tirzepatide dose.

We do not treat diabetics with diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema with weight loss medications due to the potential for vision-related complications.

We will not manage insulin dosing.

Does Full Potential HRT Clinic Accept or Bill Insurance?

No. We don’t accept or bill insurance. This is a good thing because it allows us to provide our patients with the medical follow-up and treatment that maximizes their likelihood of experiencing successful long-term weight loss and maintained weight loss and minimizes their likelihood of experiencing short-term adverse events or long-term risks. Unfortunately, when it comes to these kinds of treatments, health insurance doesn’t cover services and treatments that will be ideal for patients. Health insurance companies seem more concerned with increasing their profits, especially in the short-term. Furthermore, in addition to being able to provide our patients with better medical care, by opting out of accepting or billing health insurance we are also able to save a lot of money by avoiding the hassle of working with health insurance companies, and we pass these savings onto our patients.

Will Health Insurance Cover the Weight Loss Medications?

No. Health insurance will not cover the cost of the generic compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide. Unfortunately, currently, most insurance companies do not cover the cost of Ozempic™ & Wegovy™ or Monjouro™ & Zepbound™. This is because these are brand name medications and they are newly-patented and therefore extremely expensive. Health insurance companies don’t want to increase their costs by covering new and expensive medications that decrease their profits in the short-term. It is possible that one day in the future health insurance companies may start to cover these medications, but they would likely create obstacles and dictates to restrict their usage and dosage.

Fortunately, although these compounded generic versions are not covered by conventional health insurance they almost always cost significantly less money out of pocket compared to how much would need to be spent out of pocket if they were “covered by insurance.” This is because their brand name counterparts Ozempic™ & Wegovy™ and Monjouro™ & Zepbound™ are extremely expensive right now.

Does Full Potential HRT Clinic Prescribe Other Weight Loss Medications?

Currently the GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonists (Wegovy™ and Zepbound™ also known as semaglutide and tirzepatide) are the front-line treatments for medical weight loss treatment. Due the mechanisms of action of all of the other available medications that can be prescribed to help patients lose weight we have serious concerns for short-term adverse effects and health risks for these medications.

For example, combination phentermine-topiramate is an option for males or postmenopausal females who are overweight or obese, but it tends to cause hypertension and coronary heart disease, as well as psychiatric and cognitive adverse effects, in addition to being contraindicated for pre-menopausal women due to its risk of causing fetal malformations. Orlistat is another medication that is often prescribed and it works by preventing the pancreas from making fat-digesting enzymes, but this causes serious GI adverse effects and isn’t well-tolerated by patients. Combination bupropion-naltrexone is another medication that is sometimes prescribed, but the bupropion alters neurologic and cognitive function in addition to causing headaches and sleeping disorders.

We prefer to prescribe medications and treatments that address problems without causing new problems. For this reason, when it comes to weight loss medications we prefer to stick with the front-line medications Wegovy™ and Zepbound™ also known as semaglutide and tirzepatide and we combine these medications with other approaches to improve their efficacy. For example, we often prescribe IV ozone therapy and testosterone and other hormone replacement therapies for our patients. For patients who do not tolerate either semaglutide or tirzepatide we do sometimes prescribe low-dose naltrexone, and this medication is a great alternative that does seem to work very well for some patients without causing new problems.

We used to prescribe several weight loss medications that worked very well and were very safe, but FDA regulated them out of existence when Wegovy™ and Zepbound™ were approved in order to protect the profits of Big Pharma, so we’re not able to prescribe them anymore.

Does Full Potential HRT Clinic Perform Liposuction or Other Procedures?

We do not perform any invasive weight loss treatments, including liposuction, intragastric balloon systems, or bariatric surgery. We can discuss potential referral for these treatments with patients who aren’t able to successfully reach their desired or healthy weight on our medical weight loss treatment with either semaglutide or tirzepatide or other pharmacologic or naturopathic or lifestyle approaches.

Disclaimers

We do not dispense or administer medications without a valid prescription pursuant to a legitimate doctor-patient relationship, which in our opinion requires an in-person office evaluation and consultation.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are indicated for medical weight loss for patients for whom diet and exercise by itself hasn’t worked to affect successful weight loss. For the best results, including successful and healthy weight loss, patients should devote themselves to a healthy regimen of diet and exercise while using the medications.

There is no such thing as a guarantee when it comes to weight loss or any other medical treatment. Results vary based on many factors. Although the clinical trials showed that semaglutide and tirzepatide are effective for most patients there is no guarantee that these weight loss medications will work for each and every patient in terms of speed of results or magnitude of overall results.

The FDA-approved brand name drugs, Wegovy® and Ozempic® are exclusively available from the Novo Nordisk™ company. The FDA-approved brand name drugs, Mounjaro™ and Zepbound™ are exclusively available from Eli Lilly and Company™. Full Potential HRT Clinic does not claim any affiliation with, or endorsement from, the abovementioned products or entities. Currently, we do not prescribe any of the abovementioned products due to a NATIONAL SHORTAGE of these trademarked products.