If you live in Michigan and are considering compounded semaglutide or compounded tirzepatide, this page is meant to save you a few hours of tab-hopping. It covers how access actually works here, what Michigan law says about telehealth prescribing and pharmacy compounding, what treatment costs at Gentle Health, and how those prices compare with other providers that serve the state, using each provider’s own public pages as the source. One disclosure up front: this site is operated by Gentle Health, a telehealth practice that offers compounded GLP-1 medications, so we have an interest in the subject. We have tried to keep the facts checkable anyway. Every price and rule cited below links to its source, and anything we could not verify is flagged rather than guessed at.
How compounded GLP-1 access works in Michigan
Michigan does not require an in-person visit before a clinician can prescribe a non-controlled medication, which is what makes the telehealth model work from Marquette to Monroe. State law explicitly permits prescribing through a telehealth encounter, provided the prescriber is acting within the scope of their practice and remains available for follow-up care (MCL 333.16285).
At Gentle Health, the process looks like this:
- Health intake. You complete a detailed medical history online: current medications, prior conditions, relevant labs if you have them, and your goals.
- Medical evaluation. Care at Gentle Health is provided by James Simmons, MD, who is licensed to practice in Michigan through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (license EMC0010020, state board record), an agreement among more than 40 states that lets qualified physicians hold full licenses across member states, Michigan included (imlcc.com). Dr. Simmons reviews your intake and evaluates whether treatment is medically appropriate. Not everyone is approved.
- Prescription and fulfillment. If Dr. Simmons prescribes treatment, the prescription goes to a licensed compounding pharmacy, and the medication ships to your Michigan address.
- Ongoing care. Dosing is reviewed and adjusted over time, and you can reach out between refills with questions or side-effect concerns. Michigan law requires exactly this kind of follow-up availability from telehealth prescribers, which is one of the more patient-friendly features of the statute.
The whole arrangement is cash-pay. There is no insurance paperwork because Gentle Health does not bill insurance.
Michigan rules worth knowing
Michigan’s telehealth framework is one of the more straightforward ones in the country. A few points worth understanding before you sign up with anyone, including us:
Telehealth prescribing is expressly legal. The Public Health Code defines telehealth as the use of electronic communication technologies to deliver clinical care at a distance (MCL 333.16283), and a companion section states that a health professional providing a telehealth service “may prescribe the patient a drug” if the professional is a prescriber acting within the scope of his or her practice (MCL 333.16285). The statute adds two obligations: the prescriber must refer the patient to geographically accessible care, including emergency services, when medically necessary, and must remain available for follow-up after the telehealth visit.
The stricter rules apply to controlled substances, not GLP-1s. Michigan layers extra requirements, including a “bona fide prescriber-patient relationship,” onto prescriptions for controlled substances. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are not controlled substances under federal or Michigan law, so those additional restrictions do not apply. The practical upshot: a properly conducted telehealth evaluation is a lawful basis for a GLP-1 prescription in Michigan.
Pharmacy oversight runs through LARA. The Michigan Board of Pharmacy, housed within the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, licenses pharmacies and pharmacists operating in the state, including out-of-state pharmacies that ship prescriptions to Michigan residents (LARA, Board of Pharmacy). A compounding pharmacy filling a Michigan patient’s prescription needs to be appropriately licensed to dispense into the state.
Michigan has not published GLP-1-specific compounding guidance that we could find. Some state pharmacy boards, including Ohio’s and Kentucky’s, have issued FAQs or guidance documents specifically about compounded GLP-1s. We could not locate an equivalent Michigan Board of Pharmacy bulletin as of July 2026. In the absence of state-specific guidance, the governing framework is federal: under section 503A of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a licensed pharmacy may compound a medication for an individual patient pursuant to a valid prescription, subject to restrictions, including limits on compounding what amounts to a copy of a commercially available drug. The FDA declared the tirzepatide shortage resolved in December 2024 and the semaglutide shortage resolved in February 2025, which narrowed the circumstances under which compounding is permitted, and the agency maintains a page describing its concerns and current policy (FDA: “FDA’s Concerns with Unapproved GLP-1 Drugs Used for Weight Loss”). Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and any provider who tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.
None of this is legal advice; it is a plain-language summary of public sources, each linked above so you can read them yourself.
Compounded semaglutide in Michigan
Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class of medications that mimic a naturally occurring gut hormone involved in appetite regulation and blood sugar control. Compounded semaglutide is a version of that molecule prepared by a licensed compounding pharmacy for an individual patient, based on a prescription. It is prescribed at the discretion of the evaluating physician when a compounded preparation is clinically appropriate for that specific patient. It is not an FDA-approved product, it does not go through the FDA’s premarket review, and results from clinical trials of FDA-approved semaglutide products should not be assumed to apply to it.
Gentle Health offers compounded semaglutide in two forms for Michigan patients:
- Oral compounded semaglutide: $112 per month. Taken daily, no needles involved.
- Injectable compounded semaglutide: $135 per month. A once-weekly subcutaneous injection, the format most people picture when they think of GLP-1 treatment.
Both prices are cash-pay and dose-tiered, and include the medical care described above: evaluation by James Simmons, MD, the prescription if treatment is appropriate, the medication itself, and ongoing dosing review. There is no separate membership fee, no intro rate that resets to a higher number after the first month, and no insurance involvement. As the comparison table below shows, the intro-price-then-increase structure is common in this market, so it is worth reading any provider’s fine print, including ours.
Whether semaglutide is appropriate for you is a medical question, not a marketing one. Side effects, most commonly gastrointestinal, are real, and treatment is subject to medical evaluation and is not approved for every applicant.
Compounded tirzepatide in Michigan
Tirzepatide works on two receptors rather than one: GLP-1 and GIP, a second gut hormone involved in metabolic regulation. It is the newer of the two molecules, and cash prices for it run higher than semaglutide almost everywhere it is offered.
Gentle Health offers injectable compounded tirzepatide starting at $169 per month for Michigan patients. Like the semaglutide programs, the price is cash-pay and dose-tiered, and it covers the evaluation by James Simmons, MD, the prescription when appropriate, the compounded medication from a licensed pharmacy, and ongoing care. Once-weekly subcutaneous injection.
The same caveats apply, and they are worth repeating rather than burying: compounded tirzepatide is not an FDA-approved product. It is prepared for an individual patient by a licensed compounding pharmacy under section 503A when the prescribing physician determines a compounded preparation is appropriate for that patient. Trial data generated for FDA-approved tirzepatide products describe those products, not compounded preparations. And no medication in this class is a substitute for the unglamorous fundamentals of nutrition, movement, and sleep; it is a tool that works alongside them for appropriate patients.
If you are weighing semaglutide against tirzepatide, that choice belongs in the medical evaluation, where your history, tolerability considerations, and budget can all be on the table at once.
Provider options in Michigan: comparison table
Methodology: rows are listed alphabetically; prices were taken only from each provider’s own public website on 2026-07-27, and where a provider does not publish pricing we write “See site” rather than estimating. Gentle Health operates this site and appears in the table on the same terms as everyone else.
| Provider | Care model | Compounded semaglutide (cash/mo) | Compounded tirzepatide (cash/mo) | Serves Michigan | Insurance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age Management of West Michigan | In-person clinic, Grand Rapids; physician-supervised 16-week program | See site | Not listed | Yes (Grand Rapids) | See site | agemanagementmi.com (verified 2026-07-27) |
| Gentle Health | Telehealth; care by James Simmons, MD | $112 (oral) / $135 (injectable) | $169 (injectable) | Yes | Cash-pay only; insurance not billed | gentlehealth.com (verified 2026-07-30) |
| Henry Meds | Telehealth; medication plus provider access | $247 after intro month (weekly injectable) | $349 after intro month (daily oral tablet) | See site | Not required; cash-pay | henrymeds.com (verified 2026-07-30) |
| Mochi Health | Telehealth; membership plus medication billed separately | From $99 medication + $79/mo membership ($39 first month) | From $199 medication + $79/mo membership | Yes (serves all US states per its FAQ) | See site | joinmochi.com (verified 2026-07-30) |
| OrderlyMeds | Telehealth; all-inclusive plans | $149 after starter (from $74 starter) | $299 after starter (from $149 starter) | Yes (site states providers licensed in all 50 states) | Not required; cash-pay | orderlymeds.com (verified 2026-07-27) |
A few reading notes. Intro and starter prices reset upward after the promotional period, so the “thereafter” number is usually the one to budget around. Membership-model providers bill the membership whether or not medication ships that month; check each provider’s terms. Some providers also sell FDA-approved brand products at substantially higher cash prices; those are out of scope for this table, which compares compounded programs only. Formats differ too: one provider’s tirzepatide offering above is an oral tablet rather than an injection, which matters if you have a preference. Prices change often in this market. If you spot a stale number, the source links are there to check, and we will correct promptly.
FAQ: compounded GLP-1s in Michigan
Is compounded semaglutide legal in Michigan? Yes, within limits. Michigan law permits prescribing via telehealth (MCL 333.16285), and federal law permits a licensed pharmacy to compound medication for an individual patient under section 503A when a prescriber determines it is appropriate for that patient. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and the FDA has narrowed permissible compounding since the semaglutide and tirzepatide shortages were declared resolved. Buying from a licensed pharmacy pursuant to a physician’s prescription is the lawful path; buying research-grade peptides online without a prescription is not.
Do I need an in-person doctor visit to get a prescription in Michigan? No. Michigan does not require an in-person examination before a telehealth prescriber issues a prescription for a non-controlled medication. The prescriber must act within their scope of practice and remain available for follow-up care, and must refer you to local care, including emergency services, if medically necessary.
Who provides the medical care at Gentle Health for Michigan patients? James Simmons, MD, who holds a Michigan license through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. He conducts the evaluation, decides whether treatment is appropriate, prescribes when it is, and manages dosing over time. There is no rotating cast; your care stays with one physician.
Does Gentle Health sell Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound? No. Gentle Health does not sell Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound. We offer compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are different products. Gentle Health is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly, the manufacturers of those FDA-approved products. If you want a brand product, your primary care physician or a provider that dispenses them is the right route.
Will my insurance or Michigan Medicaid cover this? Gentle Health is cash-pay and does not bill insurance; the dose-tier prices include medication and care without a separate membership fee. Insurance coverage for compounded medications in general is uncommon, and coverage rules for GLP-1s under Michigan plans vary and change; check directly with your plan if coverage matters to your decision.
How does the medication get to me if I live in northern Michigan or the Upper Peninsula? By mail, the same as anywhere else in the state. Telehealth plus pharmacy shipping is format-agnostic about geography, which is a genuine advantage in a state where the nearest specialty clinic can be a three-hour drive. Injectable medications ship with appropriate packaging for temperature; follow the storage instructions that arrive with your order.
What should compounded GLP-1 treatment actually cost in Michigan? Based on the public pricing in the table above, ongoing monthly cash prices from telehealth providers serving Michigan currently run from roughly $112 to $349 depending on molecule, format, and provider, before intro discounts. In-person Michigan clinic programs are often priced as multi-week packages and frequently do not publish rates. Whatever you are quoted, confirm three things: the price after any intro period, whether membership fees are separate from medication, and whether medical care and follow-up are included.
Reviewed by James Simmons, MD Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. Treatment subject to medical evaluation.
Current Gentle Health dose tiers and pricing
Gentle Health pricing depends on the dose tier prescribed by your clinician. Current monthly prices are:
| Medication | Starting | Medium | High-dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral compounded semaglutide | 2–4 mg/day: $112 | >4–8 mg/day: $189 | >8–12 mg/day: $258 |
| Injectable compounded semaglutide | 0.24–0.48 mg/week: $135 | >0.48–1.2 mg/week: $179 | >1.2–2.4 mg/week: $249 |
| Injectable compounded tirzepatide | 2.5–5 mg/week: $169 | >5–10 mg/week: $239 | >10–15 mg/week: $279 |
Medication, the initial review by a licensed clinician, video visits and messaging, and overnight refrigerated shipping are included. There is no separate membership fee, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. Your clinician determines the appropriate medication and dose; the monthly price changes if the prescribed dose moves into a different tier.