Who Can Prescribe Semaglutide? What Patients Need to Know Before Starting Treatment

It can be exciting to start a weight loss journey. Sure, weight loss programs can be a lot of hard work. You’ll need to watch what you eat and focus on foods that fuel your body with energy. You should stay active and develop an exercise routine that gets you moving. It’s a process, but when you start to see results, it all feels worthwhile. Sometimes, even with a healthy diet and a consistent workout schedule, you may still need help reaching your ideal weight. When you’re doing everything right and still not seeing results, it may be time for an addition to your weight loss routine–semaglutide. But where can you get semaglutide? Do you need a prescription? Who can prescribe GLP-1 medications, and how exactly will this medicine help with weight loss?  

How Semaglutide May Help With Weight Loss

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) medications mimic a naturally occurring hormone your body produces as you eat. This hormone helps slow your digestion, making you feel less hungry and regulating your blood sugar levels as you digest food.  By suppressing your appetite and controlling blood sugar, semaglutide can help you eat less, deal with fewer sugar spikes, and help your body metabolize food at a healthy rate. These changes and good nutritional and exercise habits may support weight loss.  

Who Can Prescribe Semaglutide?

You’ll need a prescription to get semaglutide or other GLP-1 medications. But where should you go to get it? Any licensed healthcare provider can prescribe semaglutide, including your primary care physician, endocrinologist, and, yes, a plastic surgeon–anyone with an active medical license. The reason it’s important to get semaglutide through a licensed healthcare professional is to make sure you’re a good candidate for semaglutide. A doctor can look at your family and personal medical history, current health, and weight loss goals to see if a GLP-1 medication is a good choice for you.

Other Things To Consider Before Starting Semaglutide For Weight Loss

Are you tired of trying different diet and exercise trends that promise to deliver weight loss results only to be disappointed when the numbers on the scale hardly budge?  Let’s start by saying there’s no guarantee that semaglutide will produce the weight loss results you hope to see. However, GLP-1 medications have supported people on their weight loss journeys when nothing else seems to have worked for them in the past. You’ll need to adopt certain lifestyle habits to get the best results from the medication, including plenty of physical activity and healthy eating. Avoid foods that are overly greasy, sugary, or processed. Your diet should include lots of fruits and vegetables, plus lean fats and meats. These practices, along with semaglutide use, may help you lose weight and keep it off.

Start Your Semaglutide Journey At The Gallery Of Cosmetic Surgery

Depending on your medical conditions (and your family medical history), semaglutide may be a good choice for you. However, some things may also prevent you from safely using a GLP-1 medication. That’s why having a licensed healthcare professional oversee your candidacy for semaglutide is crucial.  At The Gallery of Cosmetic Surgery, our providers thoroughly examine your qualifications before prescribing semaglutide. And it doesn’t end there. They also continue to monitor your progress with monthly check-in appointments. Call us today at (425) 775-3561 to learn more about our semaglutide weight loss program, or book your free consultation online.