Two online GLP-1 programs can advertise the same monthly number and charge very different amounts. The difference is almost never in the headline. It is in what the number leaves out: a membership billed separately from the medication, visits charged per appointment, shipping, supplies, tax, a prepaid term, or a cancellation rule that keeps billing after you want to stop.
So the useful question is not “how much is it?” but “what does that price include, and what does it commit me to?” Here is the checklist, followed by our own answers to every line of it.
The seven questions to ask any provider
- Is the medication included, or is the advertised price a membership? Some programs charge a monthly membership for the clinical service and bill the medication on top. Both numbers matter.
- Is the price the same at every dose? Most people do not stay on the starting dose. Ask for the price at the dose you are likely to reach, not only the first month.
- Do visits or messages cost extra? Ask whether follow-up visits, dose changes and messages with the clinician are included or billed separately.
- Is shipping included, and is it refrigerated? Ask how the medication ships, whether it is kept cold in transit, and whether that costs extra.
- Are supplies and tax included? An injectable order needs supplies to take it, and sales tax can be added at checkout. Ask whether either is extra.
- Is there a minimum commitment or prepayment? Low advertised rates often belong to a prepaid term of three, six or twelve months. Ask what the month-to-month price is and how long you are committing to.
- How does cancellation work, and what is refunded? Ask when you can cancel, when it takes effect, and whether any part of the current month or an order already in progress comes back to you.
Get the answers in writing before you pay. Why the same medicine can carry such different prices is covered in why GLP-1 prices vary so much, and a side-by-side of published programs is in compounded GLP-1 programs compared.
Our answers, line by line
1. Medication included. For compounded medication, our price is one all-in monthly amount. The medication is part of it, not a separate charge, and there is no membership fee.
2. Priced by dose tier, every tier published. The monthly price depends on the program and dose your doctor prescribes:
| Program | Starting | Medium | High dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compounded semaglutide, weekly injection | $135 (0.24–0.48 mg/wk) | $159 (>0.48–1.2 mg/wk) | $199 (>1.2–2.4 mg/wk) |
| Compounded tirzepatide, weekly injection | $169 (2.5–5 mg/wk) | $219 (>5–10 mg/wk) | $269 (>10–15 mg/wk) |
If your doctor moves your dose up or down, the price follows the tier, so a lower maintenance dose can cost less.
3. Doctor care included. Doctor reviews and dose decisions, messaging, and video visits are included. Before every refill you complete a short progress check-in that your doctor reviews, and in between you can message your doctor or book a video visit.
4. Overnight refrigerated shipping included. Orders ship overnight in refrigerated, cold-chain packaging, with no shipping fee.
5. Supplies included, no tax added. Every injectable order ships with the supplies you need to take it. We do not add sales tax in any state we serve: the monthly price you see is what you pay.
6. A two-month minimum commitment. You are billed for your first month when you start and again one month later, because we send two months or more of medication at a time, depending on your dose, to save on refrigerated overnight shipping. After that, billing is monthly.
7. Cancellation. After each refill, you can cancel 30 days after you requested it. Cancelling takes effect immediately and stops future billing and shipments, but charges already made, including the current month’s, are not prorated or refunded. There is no pause: to start again, you request medication again, which begins a new subscription. The full conditions are in our terms of service.
What is free, and when you are first charged
The online intake and the doctor’s first review or visit are free. Nothing is charged until you choose to start medication, so if the doctor decides treatment is not right for you, or you decide not to start, there is nothing to pay and nothing to refund.
If you choose brand-name care
Our doctor also prescribes brand-name Zepbound, Wegovy and Foundayo, and the answers to the checklist are different. You pay us $28/month for the doctor’s care, including messaging and video visits, and buy the medicine separately through LillyDirect for Zepbound and Foundayo or NovoCare Pharmacy for the Wegovy pen. A licensed dispensing pharmacy fills the prescription; Zepbound needles or syringes are bought separately, not from us. You pay us only once the doctor writes the prescription, there is no minimum commitment, and you can cancel any time.
What our price does not include
We do not bill insurance, so there are no prior authorizations and no claims, and the price is the same whether or not you have coverage. You can pay with an HSA or FSA card, and on request we provide itemized receipts and a Letter of Medical Necessity if your plan asks for documentation. If you have coverage for an FDA-approved GLP-1, that route may cost you less, and it is worth checking first; what to do when insurance will not cover weight-loss medication walks through the options.
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and a compounded preparation is not a generic or an equivalent version of a branded medicine.
Frequently asked questions
Do online GLP-1 programs charge a membership fee? Some do, billed separately from the medication, and some include everything in one price. Ask whether the advertised number is the membership, the medication, or both. Ours has no membership fee: the medication, doctor care, visits, messaging and refrigerated shipping are in one monthly price.
Is there a minimum commitment? With us, yes: two months when you start, because medication ships two or more months at a time. After each refill you can cancel 30 days after you requested it.
Can I get a refund if I cancel? Cancelling stops future billing and shipments immediately, but charges already made, including the current month’s, are not prorated or refunded.
Can I use my HSA or FSA? Yes. HSA and FSA cards are accepted at checkout, and we provide itemized receipts and a Letter of Medical Necessity on request.
Dr. James Simmons, MD