Patient Assessment Protocol Comprehensive medical history with obesity-specific screening Physical examination including BMI, waist circumference, and body composition analysis Laboratory workup: complete metabolic panel, lipid panel, HbA1c, thyroid function, insulin levels Screening for sleep apnea, PCOS, Cushing syndrome, and other secondary causes of obesity Mental health screening for binge eating disorder and depression Readiness-to-change assessment Medication Formulary for Your Medical Weight Loss Program GLP-1 receptor agonists: Semaglutide (Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda), tirzepatide (Zepbound) Sympathomimetic agents: Phentermine (short-term), phentermine/topiramate (Qsymia) Other FDA-approved options: Naltrexone/bupropion (Contrave), orlistat (Xenical/Alli) Off-label considerations: Metformin, topiramate, bupropion (when clinically appropriate and properly documented) Your medical weight loss program's protocols should specify prescribing criteria, dosing escalation schedules, monitoring requirements, and discontinuation criteria for each medication
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/PARENTS-ozempic-and-pregnancy-6dd2575749924d4b97c515daf1f5a1c1.jpg)
Some companies sell tirzepatide labeled "for research purposes only" or "not for human consumption" directly to patients for self-injection
While research on metformin has shown mixed results, it helped spark interest in whether controlling blood sugar and improving metabolism could also benefit memory and thinking
"I have lost quite a bit of weight close to 25% of my starting weight taking Wegovy and then Zepbound, and I've hardly had any negative side effects
"I always say that everybody hates fat people, and then they hate when fat people do something about it," Elizabeth said, adding the same judgment applies to whether you choose to get loose skin removal surgery or not