Answers Before you decide
What should you ask before starting a GLP-1 or medical weight management program?
The short answer
Ask nine things: who prescribes and who is accountable, what the assessment can conclude, what the medication actually is and where it comes from, the total monthly cost including laboratory work, what a progress visit involves, how side effects are reported, what happens if you become ineligible, what the plan is after treatment ends, and what the cancellation terms are.
These apply to any provider offering medically supervised weight management, including KÉRISSE. Take them with you.
1. Who prescribes, and who is accountable afterwards?
You want a named clinician who is licensed in your state and who remains responsible for your care, not a rotating pool that signs off on requests.
2. Can this assessment conclude that treatment is not appropriate for me?
If the answer is anything other than a straightforward yes, you are looking at an order form.
3. What exactly is the medication, and where does it come from?
Ask for the drug, the strength, and whether it is a commercially manufactured FDA-approved product or a Compounded preparationA medication prepared by a pharmacy for a specific patient, rather than a commercially manufactured product that has been through FDA approval.These are different regulatory categories. A compounded preparation is not an FDA-approved drug, and any provider telling you otherwise is wrong. from a pharmacy. These are different things with different regulatory status. Compounded preparations are not FDA-approved products, and any provider telling you otherwise is wrong.
4. What will I actually pay per month, all in?
Get the total: medication, clinical visits, laboratory work and anything administered. Ask specifically what is not included. Introductory pricing that changes in month two is common and should be disclosed without you having to dig.
5. What happens in a progress visit, and how often?
You want a specific answer: a scheduled clinical visit, at a stated cadence, with a stated agenda. “Message us anytime” is a support channel, not clinical management.
6. How do I report a side effect, and does it cost anything?
You should have a clear route, a realistic response time, and no charge simply for reporting a possible reaction. Also confirm how urgent and non-urgent concerns are separated, and what to do in an emergency.
7. What happens if I become ineligible partway through?
People do become ineligible, through a new diagnosis, a new medication, a pregnancy or a reaction. Ask what happens to your plan, your schedule and your money.
8. What is the plan for after?
Ask what the transition off active treatment looks like and when that planning starts. If the answer is vague, the plan does not exist.
9. What are the cancellation, refund and unused-service terms?
Get them in writing before you pay, particularly for any prepaid package. A package is a schedule of services you have not received yet.
What a good answer sounds like
Specific, quick, and unbothered by the question. Providers who have thought this through have the answers ready, because they wrote them down before they opened.
This page is general education and is not medical advice. Whether any treatment is appropriate for you is a decision for a licensed clinician who has assessed you.
Terms in this answer
Hover, tap or tab to any of these for a plain-language definition.
- GLP-1 A class of medication that acts on a hormone your body already makes to regulate blood sugar and appetite. It is prescribed only when a licensed clinician judges it appropriate for a specific person. It is one possible part of a plan, never the whole plan.
- Compounded preparation A medication prepared by a pharmacy for a specific patient, rather than a commercially manufactured product that has been through FDA approval. These are different regulatory categories. A compounded preparation is not an FDA-approved drug, and any provider telling you otherwise is wrong.
- Progress visit A scheduled clinical appointment inside each care cycle where your clinician reviews how you are responding and tolerating treatment, then adjusts, pauses or stops the plan. A support inbox is not a progress visit. This is the step most programs skip.
- Cash pay You pay the provider directly rather than the provider billing your insurance. Some providers give you a superbill you can submit to your plan yourself. Ask whether HSA or FSA funds can be used, and what happens to laboratory costs.
Related questions
- Is it rude to ask a provider these questions?
- No. A provider who is set up to answer them will answer them quickly, because the answers are already written down somewhere. Hesitation is itself information.
- What is the single most useful question?
- What is the total amount I will pay in month three, including medication, visits and any laboratory work. It exposes pricing that is structured to look small at the start.
Keep reading
Questions like these are how our care is designed
KÉRISSE offers clinician-led care across Dallas–Fort Worth and Texas. It starts with an assessment and an honest answer.
Book your assessment