Orange County GLP-1 Weight Loss Done Right

Every patient is different however, most feel the effect of the medication within 1-3 days and see the scale start to move within 1-2 weeks. Weight loss results vary depending on factors such as individual habits, diet, lifestyle, and response to medication.

GLP-1 medications work by reducing hunger and interest in food. They don’t work the same in everybody. Some people have more hunger suppression than others. Studies show that patients on semaglutide lose an average of about 16% of their weight, and patients on tirzepatide lose an average of up to 22.5% of their weight, depending on medication dose. These are just averages however. Individual patients can lose more or less than the average. If you have good hunger suppression and institute good lifestyle habits like regular exercise and good food choices, you could lose significantly more than the average.

Most of the time, GLP-1 medications are dispensed directly from our office so you leave with your medications in-hand. Semaglutide can be shipped to your home at no additional charge to you and typically arrives within 14 days.

GLP-1 is an intestinal peptide hormone that has effects in the GI tract and brain. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are both GLP-1 receptor agonists, meaning they bind to the GLP-1 receptor and cause a response in the body like GLP-1. Tirzepatide also binds to the GIP (another intestinal hormone) receptor. Binding to these receptors causes several effects: insulin release, slowed gastric emptying, and decreased hunger and interest in food. Studies show that the average patient loses substantial weight with both semaglutide and tirzepatide.

The most common side effects by far are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. These symptoms, when they occur, tend to be mild and go away on their own. The most common time to get these symptoms is when you first start treatment, and when your dose is increased. Other potential risks include gallstones, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and possibly pancreatitis.

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide contain the exact same active ingredients as the branded medications. Usually patent protected, branded medications can’t be sold by companies other than the ones that holds the patents, but the FDA has put both drugs on their shortage list, meaning the companies cannot make enough product to meet demand. Because of this, other companies can sell semaglutide and tirzepatide, at least for now until the branded drugs are removed from the FDA shortage list. The benefit of this for patients is they have access the same active ingredients (semaglutide and tirzepatide) for much less than what the pharmaceutical companies charge for their branded products.

When medication is discontinued, patients lose the beneficial effects of the medication, including hunger suppression and a decrease in interest in food. When this happens, weight regain is possible. Strategies for long-term weight management in the case of weight regain include continuing GLP-1 medications at a lower maintenance dose, or periodically using GLP-1 medications to keep weight within a reasonable range.  Once you reach your goal weight and transition to a maintenance phase, your provider will adjust your plan based on your needs and preferences to help you maintain your weight loss long term.

Compounding pharmacies provide medication mixtures for individual patients. They buy pharmaceutical grade medications from drug manufacturers (same as pharmaceutical companies) and compound (mix with other ingredients) them into products suitable for individual patients. An example of a compounded product is a bioidentical hormone compounded into a cream for topical use.

Because pharmaceutical companies, which sell their products to traditional pharmacies, generally don’t make bioidentical hormone products. Why? Because they can’t patent them (because they are naturally occurring in the body), and therefore can’t make money from them. The niche that compounding pharmacies have is that they provide medication tailored for individual patients. They buy the pharmaceutical grade medication from drug manufacturers, like pharmaceutical companies do, and then prepare a compounded product suitable for individual patients. An example is estrogen cream. They buy pharmaceutical grade bioidentical estrogen, and then compound (mix with other ingredients) it into a cream for individual patient use.

We use only large, US-licensed compounding pharmacies that buy their pharmaceuticals from FDA registered manufacturing facilities, and provide certificates of analysis to prove the integrity of the pharmaceuticals they use.

No, MD Total Wellness does not accept insurance for medical services and treatments. We accept all major credit/debit cards as well as payments from HSA or FSA accounts. Our transparent pricing includes all medications, your follow-up office visits, unlimited messaging with providers, and in-office testosterone testing.

We value in-person visits with our patients; however, we understand that it’s not always easy to come into the office for regular appointments. Telemedicine visits are offered for follow-up appointments and are conducted face-to-face using a secure audio/visual platform. We cannot provide Telehealth care to patients outside of California or Arizona.