GLP-1 Weight Loss Orange County

David Oliak, MD, and Allison Mollet, PA-C, are the providers at MD Total Wellness. Dr. Oliak and PA Mollet are board-certified, and have worked together since 2006. Their mission is to provide quality care and the most effective treatments available to achieve safe, sustainable, and successful results. Visit our About Us page to read more about Dr. Oliak and PA Mollet.

Studies show that patients lose an average of 15% of their weight with semaglutide, and 21% of their weight with tirzepatide. These are averages – individual patients can lose more or less than the average. Our experience has been that these medications, when combined with good eating and exercise habits, enable most patients to lose substantial weight.

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.

Semaglutide works in the body like GLP-1, which is an intestinal hormone that is important for regulating appetite and cravings. Tirzepatide works in the body like GLP-1 also, but also works in the body like GIP, which is another intestinal hormone that regulates appetite. In terms of results, tirzepatide on average works better to control hunger and cravings than semaglutide, and on average is more effective at lower doses. Studies show that weight loss results, while impressive with both medications, is better with tirzepatide.

Possible side effects include nausea, heartburn, abdominal discomfort, 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 possible risks, which can be avoided or minimized with good care and good eating and exercise habits, include dehydration and muscle loss.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are administered as a weekly subcutaneous injection. You can do the injections at home (we will teach you how) or come in the office weekly for your injections.

When GLP-1 medication is stopped, hunger and craving suppression go away. Often, when GLP-1 medication is used as a tool to change eating and exercise habits, weight loss can be maintained when the medication is stopped. For some patients, a maintenance plan with injections spaced out longer than 1 week is effective. For others, another course of GLP-1 medication when weight regain starts is effective. After you reach your goal weight, we will help you decide what approach would be best for weight maintenance.

In you are a candidate for treatment, as determined on the day of your consult, you can start your treatment the same day.

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 in studies sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. 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 affordable, pay-as-you-go monthly pricing includes personalized care with board-certified clinicians, medication, and in-office blood testing.

We favor in-person, face-to-face appointments for better, more effective care, but we do offer telehealth appointments for convenience when necessary.