Preparing for a First GLP-1 Consultation: What to Bring and What to Ask

Before a first GLP-1 consultation, the most useful preparation is not choosing a drug or predicting whether you qualify. It is making your health information easy for the clinician to review and identifying what happens after the visit. NIDDK advises discussing medicines, supplements, allergies and pregnancy plans, alongside current conditions, family history, possible benefits, side effects and costs. A short written summary can keep those subjects from getting lost in an online questionnaire or a time-limited video appointment.

The service pathway deserves preparation, too. Public documentation consulted October 19, 2026 shows meaningful differences among CoreAge Rx, Ro, Enhance.MD, Sesame, Walgreens and Found: some begin with video, some emphasize questionnaires or text, and laboratory and pharmacy arrangements vary. This guide uses those differences to help you prepare questions, not recommend a provider or determine individual eligibility. Think of the consultation as the first handoff in a longer process, rather than a purchase that necessarily produces a prescription.

At a glance

Prepare your clinical information: NIDDK advises discussing medicines, supplements, allergies, pregnancy plans, health conditions and family history with the clinician.
Sources: [2]
A questionnaire may not be the whole consultation: CoreAge Rx says some states require video or live chat; Sesame describes an initial video consultation.
Sources: [11] [22]
Laboratory steps differ: Ro may request metabolic testing after health review; Enhance.MD describes baseline Quest Diagnostics testing before scheduling video.
Sources: [12] [4] [10]
Consultation and medicine charges can be separate: Ro and Sesame exclude medication from their membership fees. Walgreens also excludes medication from its visit price.
Sources: [5] [22] [14]
Delivery concerns need a clear contact: FDA recommends not using an injectable GLP-1 drug that arrives warm or with insufficient refrigeration and contacting the provider or dispensing pharmacy.
Sources: [1]

Make a one-page clinical summary

Start with a list of your current medicines and supplements, known allergies and relevant reactions, current health conditions, family history, and pregnancy plans. Add your goals and questions about benefits, side effects and cost. NIDDK identifies these as subjects for medication selection with a clinician. The purpose is accurate disclosure, not deciding which details disqualify you. If information is uncertain, mark it as uncertain rather than guessing or leaving the clinician to assume that an unanswered field means no.

Include previous weight-management treatments and what happened with them, especially if you are transferring care. Found specifically describes reviewing health history, previous attempts and what is realistic for a person's routine. Ro asks about history, lifestyle and goals. Organize this information so you can reuse it during intake and the consultation. Do not start, stop or adjust medicines to prepare for an appointment based on this guide; medication decisions belong with your treating clinician.

A practical consultation preparation sheet
Bring or record	What to include	Question it helps answer
Medication list	Current prescriptions, other medicines and supplements	Has the clinician reviewed everything I use?
Allergy summary	Known allergies and the reactions you experienced	Does the proposed formulation need closer review?
Health and family history	Current conditions, relevant family history and pregnancy plans	What further information does the clinician need?
Previous treatment history	What you tried and how it went	How does previous experience affect the discussion?
Care and cost questions	Goals, follow-up needs, pharmacy preferences and coverage questions	What happens after the initial consultation?

Sources: [2] [13] [12]

Confirm who will evaluate you—and how

A familiar brand does not necessarily identify the organization responsible for clinical decisions. CoreAge Rx says its platform handles technology and administration, while named independent professional entities provide evaluation, treatment planning and prescribing. Enhance.MD likewise separates administrative support from medical care, and Walgreens assigns clinical control to independent practices. Before enrolling, ask which practice and clinician will handle your consultation. Our guide to clinicians and telehealth platforms explains why that distinction matters when responsibilities change hands.

Confirm the appointment format rather than assuming every online service works alike. Sesame describes choosing a provider and discussing history and goals by video. Walgreens describes an initial on-demand video visit for qualified patients in its general pathway. CoreAge Rx begins with an online questionnaire and says some states require video or live chat. Found says cash-pay care is text-based in most cases, while its insurance pathway requires synchronous video, including before each refill. These are different arrangements to prepare for.

Sources: [15] [9] [8] [22] [14] [17] [11] [23]

Check records, identification and laboratory arrangements

Ask what must be submitted before the clinician can complete a review. CoreAge Rx's policy allows requests for identification, photographs, laboratory results, medical records, primary-care documentation and answers to provider questions, depending on treatment. Enhance.MD requires identity verification, including a full-face photograph and a government-issued ID photograph, before care can be provided. Having an account is therefore not necessarily the same as being ready for evaluation. Confirm the submission channel and outstanding requirements rather than assuming checkout completes intake.

Laboratory testing is another point where pathways diverge. Ro says a clinician may request metabolic testing after reviewing your health information. Enhance.MD describes Quest testing for a comprehensive metabolic panel, thyroid-stimulating hormone, lipids and hemoglobin A1c before video scheduling. Sesame says testing may be ordered if metabolic information is needed. Its included lab benefit is limited to Quest and excludes facilities in Arizona, Hawaii, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming, where laboratory charges are additional.

Sources: [6] [10] [12] [4] [22]

Use eligibility information to frame questions, not reach a verdict

NIDDK describes general adult thresholds considered for weight-management medication: a BMI of at least 30, or at least 27 with weight-related health problems. Those thresholds do not establish individual eligibility. Medication selection also involves health conditions, other medicines, family history, benefits, side effects and cost. Bring your information for review rather than treating an online calculator or a provider's introductory questionnaire as a final decision. Ro, Sesame and Walgreens all explicitly make prescribing conditional on clinical review.

Administrative access also needs confirmation. CoreAge Rx treats adults 18 and older in the United States, with restrictions that may depend on state, therapy and medication. Sesame's terms require you to be in the same state as the shipping address during consultation. Walgreens publishes conflicting state exclusions across its general and Bridge pages. Confirm your physical location and the applicable pathway before paying or scheduling, particularly if traveling. Public availability language is not a substitute for confirmation that your appointment can proceed.

Sources: [2] [21] [7] [14] [11] [26]

Separate clinical approval from financial approval

Ask for separate answers about the visit, ongoing care, laboratory work and medication. Ro Body advertises membership at $39 for the first month, then $149 monthly on a monthly plan, or as low as a $74 monthly equivalent with annual prepayment; medicine is separate. Walgreens advertises initial visits starting at $49, with follow-up chat visits and additional video visits at $49 each, no subscription required, and medicine separate. A chat-based follow-up should not automatically be interpreted as free care.

Insurance acceptance for care and coverage for medicine are different questions. Ro says insurance does not cover its membership and limits insurance-concierge support to selected products. Sesame does not bill insurance for its program but says prescribed medicine may be covered; its terms also exclude federal healthcare-program beneficiaries, despite broader marketing language about access. Ask for the applicable answer before enrolling. Our explanation of insurance and self-pay care pathways helps separate these decisions without assuming that coverage verification guarantees treatment.

Sources: [5] [14] [19] [22] [7]

Identify the exact product and dispensing pharmacy

Before ending the consultation, ask for the exact product, formulation, route and presentation being considered, and which pharmacy would dispense it. An ingredient name alone does not settle those details. For example, CoreAge Rx says its compounded tirzepatide typically contains B-12 and invites patients to discuss a formulation without B-12 during intake. That makes a complete allergy and supplement discussion particularly relevant to the proposed formulation. Ask the clinician to explain the product rather than treating a commercial category as a full prescription description.

For compounded preparations, FDA says they are not FDA approved or reviewed before marketing for safety, effectiveness and quality. FDA recommends them when an individual's medical needs cannot be met by an approved drug, with a prescription and a state-licensed pharmacy. Nonapproval alone does not establish clinical inequivalence. Pharmacy choice also varies: CoreAge Rx's FAQ requires its affiliated network, while its terms allow a pharmacy request before ordering. Resolve that conflict in writing; our pharmacy-handoff guide offers additional questions for this transition.

Sources: [11] [16] [1]

Get a timeline with separate milestones

Ask when you should expect clinical feedback, any coverage decision, pharmacy processing, dispatch and arrival. These are separate milestones. Ro advertises an eligibility decision within two days after its online visit, but describes insurance coordination as typically taking one to three weeks. For cash-pay prescriptions sent to Ro or partner pharmacies, it says shipping occurs within a week once prescribed—not necessarily arrival within a week. CoreAge Rx estimates approximately two to three business days of transit after pharmacy shipment, separate from its earlier processing steps.

Confirm who receives delivery problems and what instructions accompany the product. CoreAge Rx says tracking is emailed after shipment and that lost or damaged deliveries are reviewed for an appropriate replacement or reshipment when applicable. Its FAQ says no signature is required. For injectable GLP-1 medicine arriving warm or with insufficient refrigeration, FDA explicitly recommends not using it and contacting the provider or dispensing pharmacy. Our guide to warm injectable deliveries explains that advice without inventing product-specific temperature limits.

Sources: [21] [19] [6] [11] [1]

Leave with a follow-up and communication plan

Ask when the next clinical review occurs, how to report tolerability concerns, who answers medical messages and what response time to expect. NIDDK describes follow-up as assessing response and side effects; medicines accompany healthy eating and physical activity rather than replacing them. Found advertises monthly follow-up for compounded tirzepatide and messaging between visits. Ro lists regular check-ins, messaging and coaching. Neither access language nor the ability to send a message at any hour establishes an immediate human response.

Distinguish clinical communication from customer service and pharmacy support. CoreAge Rx directs medical questions to its portal's doctor-contact function and billing or technical issues to support@coreagerx.com. Its round-the-clock support description refers to customer support, not a verified continuous prescriber service. Walgreens separately advertises 24/7 pharmacy-expert chat, warns that there may be a wait, and says the chat is not for emergencies. Save the relevant contact paths before the first shipment, and ask how refill reviews and payments relate to continued care.

Sources: [2] [3] [13] [5] [21] [17] [24] [20]

Questions & answers

What should I clarify before paying CoreAge Rx for an initial review?

Ask when payment is collected and what would be returned if treatment is not approved. Its FAQ promises an automatic 100% refund, while its policy retains an applicable $50–$100 consultation fee. The policy also makes orders nonrefundable after approval and transmission to the pharmacy, even before shipment, and generally after 30 calendar days from purchase.

Sources: [11] [6]

Does Ro's free insurance check count as a consultation?

No. Ro says the checker gathers coverage information from your insurer; it does not request treatment or issue prescriptions. Use its results to prepare coverage questions, then confirm the separate clinical evaluation and charges. Ro's pricing page also contains differing descriptions of initial charging and refund timing, so ask which sequence applies before enrollment.

Sources: [18] [5]

What should I have ready for Enhance.MD's video consultation?

Confirm that identity verification and required laboratory work are complete. Enhance.MD describes emailing patients to schedule video after receiving lab results, which it estimates receiving approximately one to two business days after the laboratory appointment. That is a lab-results estimate, not a medication-delivery promise. Ask which onboarding sequence applies to your selected program.

Sources: [10] [4]

What if I need to cancel my first Sesame appointment?

The program page offers a full refund when cancellation occurs at least three hours before the initial visit; it says the first month is not refundable after that visit occurs. Subscription cancellation is separate. General terms require email or telephone notice at least 48 hours before renewal processing, differing from the program's self-cancellation wording. Confirm both deadlines.

Sources: [22] [7]

Is Walgreens pharmacy chat the same as a Weight Management follow-up?

No. Walgreens advertises pharmacy-expert chat separately from clinical Weight Management visits. The pharmacy chat is not an emergency service and may involve a wait. Weight Management follow-up chat visits and additional video visits are advertised at $49 each. Pharmacy-chat availability does not establish a zero fee or replace a prescriber's assessment.

Sources: [20] [14]

What should Found patients confirm about appointments and refills?

Ask whether care will be synchronous video or primarily asynchronous text. Found says its insurance pathway requires video before each refill and may involve a separate visit copay, typically around $30; cash-pay care is text-based in most cases without a separate visit copay. Its billing consent also lists a $30 missed-appointment fee or cancellation fee with less than 24 hours' notice.

Sources: [23] [25]

Our assessment

Good preparation makes the first consultation more informative without predetermining its outcome. Bring an accurate medication, supplement, allergy and health-history summary; disclose uncertainties; and ask who owns each next step. The documented providers offer different combinations of video, text, laboratories, insurance assistance and pharmacy fulfillment, but public pages do not resolve every operational detail. Before committing, seek a clear explanation of charges, outstanding records, the proposed product, dispensing arrangements and follow-up. A useful first consultation should leave you understanding the clinical discussion and the care pathway—not merely the next payment date.

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

Read the underlying science

These articles explain the study populations, measurements and limitations behind the practical questions in this guide.

FLOW’s Kidney Findings: What the Numbers Mean for Long-Term Care
Semaglutide reduced a combined kidney and cardiovascular outcome in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Understanding who entered FLOW—and what counted as an event—is essential to applying the result responsibly.
What SURMOUNT-OSA Means for Sleep Apnea—and the Care That Still Needs to Continue
Two randomized trials found substantial reductions in breathing interruptions with tirzepatide. Understanding the results requires separating hourly event counts, PAP history, residual disease, and ongoing clinical responsibility.
SUMMIT’s Heart-Failure Benefit: What the Combined Endpoint Means for Continuing Care
Tirzepatide reduced a combined cardiovascular-death or worsening-heart-failure endpoint in people with obesity and preserved ejection fraction. Understanding which events changed—and which remain uncertain—is essential to reading the result correctly.

Explore the science library →

Sources & documentation

Public materials consulted October 19, 2026. Provider statements are attributed claims, not independently verified clinical outcomes. Terms can change; obtain a current written quote.

Preparing for a First GLP-1 Consultation: What to Bring and What to Ask

At a glance

01Make a one-page clinical summary

02Confirm who will evaluate you—and how

03Check records, identification and laboratory arrangements

04Use eligibility information to frame questions, not reach a verdict

05Separate clinical approval from financial approval

06Identify the exact product and dispensing pharmacy

07Get a timeline with separate milestones

08Leave with a follow-up and communication plan