Orange County GLP-1 Weight Loss Done Right

The providers at MDTW have 20+ years of experience in the weight loss field, and believe in personalized, in-office. face-to-face appointments for safe and sustainable results. Plus you can be assured that you are getting quality medication from fully vetted, U.S. licensed compounding pharmacies.

Yes, Dr. Oliak and Allison Mollet, PA have worked in the weight loss field for 20+ years. Dr. Oliak spent the first 20 years of his career as a weight loss surgeon before transitioning to medical weight loss and wellness. Dr. Oliak and Allison have worked together since 2006.

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 15% 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.

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 in an intestinal 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 receptors in the body, 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 cravings. Studies show that the average patient loses substantial weight with both semaglutide and tirzepatide.

The most common side effects 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 for these side effect to happen is when you first start treatment, and when your dose is increased. Other potential risks include gallstones, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and possibly pancreatitis.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are administered as a weekly subcutaneous injection. We will teach you how to do the injections at home or you may come to the office for your injections.

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 include continuing GLP-1 medications at either a lower maintenance dose or with injections spaced out longer than one week, 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.

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.

Compounding pharmacies buy pharmaceutical grade medications from drug manufacturers (same as pharmaceutical companies) and sell them in a wider variety of formulations (mixtures of medications, dosages, forms of delivery like topical, vaginal, sublingual) than what is available from pharmaceutical companies.

FDA approved medications are medications, in specific formulations and dosages, that have been proven to be safe and effective for a specific medical problem. Compounded medications are made from the same active ingredients (e.g. estradiol, testosterone, semaglutide, etc.), but are compounded (mixed) with other ingredients, and available in a wider variety of dosages, to create a product suitable or more beneficial for individual patients. This makes compounded medications more customizable for individual patients.

Compounding pharmacies offer a wider variety of bioidentical hormone formulations than pharmaceutical companies, which makes it easier to tailor medication plans for individual patients. There are FDA approved bioidentical hormone formulations (micronized progesterone, estradiol patches), but the formulations and dosages are limited. In general, pharmaceutical companies prioritize medications that they can patent, and they can’t patent naturally occurring compounds. We use both FDA approved and compounded bioidentical hormones.

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide contain the exact same active ingredients as the branded medications, but are available for lower prices than the branded medications.

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. We accept all major credit/debit cards as well as payments from HSA or FSA accounts. Our transparent pricing includes medication, follow-up appointments with board-certified clinicians, unlimited text messaging with clinicians, 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.