The four ways to get a GLP-1

Most people end up on one of these paths. The right one depends less on the drug and more on your insurance and how much back-and-forth you’re willing to do.

1. Insurance + a traditional prescriber. You see a doctor in person or through your normal plan, they prescribe an FDA-approved GLP-1, and your pharmacy fills it. If your plan covers it and you add the manufacturer savings card, this is usually the cheapest path — as little as $25 a month. The catch is that many plans don’t cover GLP-1s for weight loss, and getting approved can mean prior authorizations and step therapy. Our coverage checker shows what’s typical for your plan type.

2. Self-pay, direct from the manufacturer. Novo Nordisk (NovoCare Pharmacy) and Eli Lilly (LillyDirect) sell their own branded drugs to cash-pay patients, skipping insurance entirely. Wegovy runs roughly $149–$399 a month depending on dose and form; Zepbound is about $299 a month. You get the real, FDA-approved medication at a fixed price without fighting your insurer — you’re just paying more than a covered patient would. Full detail is on our savings card and cost guide.

3. Telehealth for the branded drug. Online platforms connect you with a licensed clinician who can prescribe the same FDA-approved GLP-1, often shipped to you. Convenience is the draw — no waiting rooms. Cost is the medication price (similar to the paths above) plus a membership or visit fee, so read what the monthly total actually includes before you sign up.

4. Telehealth for a compounded GLP-1. Some platforms offer compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide — the same active ingredient, mixed by a compounding pharmacy rather than the brand manufacturer — often advertised in the $150–$300 a month range. This can be the lowest-cost option, but it’s also where you have to be most careful: access and legality tightened after the FDA declared the semaglutide and tirzepatide shortages resolved, and quality varies a lot by pharmacy. If you consider this route, verify the compounding pharmacy is licensed and check it against our vetting checklist first.

Where our named recommendations stand

This page compares paths rather than ranking brand-name companies, and that’s deliberate — pay-for-placement lists dressed up as “reviews” are exactly what we’re trying not to be. We name a provider only after it has publicly cleared the five checks in how we choose the providers we recommend, with any paid relationship disclosed right on the page.

So far, one provider has cleared that bar cleanly: our Embody GLP-1 review covers the compounded-telehealth path, including the cautions and our affiliate disclosure. We’re still vetting branded-telehealth options, and we’d rather be slow and honest than fast and vague. Evaluating a provider on your own in the meantime? Use our vetting checklist — it’s the same one we use.

Visit Embody GLP-1 →

Advertising disclosure: the Embody GLP-1 link above is a paid affiliate link — if you start a program through it, SLC Semaglutide may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only link to providers that have passed the five-point standard on our how we choose partners page. Embody is compounded (not FDA-approved) telehealth; read the cautions in our full review first.

A second compounded program, Bodybuilding Health+, has also been through our checks. It did not clear them as cleanly as Embody. It passes on its named 503A pharmacy (Strive), LegitScript certification, and transparent pricing, but we flagged two things: a resolved 2024 pharmacy disciplinary action and unpublished medical leadership. We list it because it is accredited and readers ask about it, but we rate it a step below Embody.

Visit Bodybuilding Health+ →

Advertising disclosure: the Bodybuilding Health+ link above is a paid affiliate link — if you start a program through it, SLC Semaglutide may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Bodybuilding Health+ is compounded (not FDA-approved) telehealth and cleared three of our five checks with two flags; read them in our full review first.