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GLP-1 weight loss medications should only be used in people with obesity (BMI >= 30). They may also be used if the BMI is >= 27 with a related medical problem, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or pre-diabetes. GLP-1 weight loss medications should not be used for purely cosmetic weight loss.

In addition, GLP-1 weight loss medications should not be used in the following situations:

1. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2.
2. History of pancreatitis (discuss with provider).
3. Known allergy to GLP-1, or any of the excipients in the GLP-1.
4. May cause fetal harm – discontinue Wegovy / Ozempic / Semaglutide 2 months before a planned pregnancy, or when pregnancy is detected.
5. The SNAC component of Oral Wegovy may be excreted in breast milk – we generally recommend against restarting GLP-1 weight loss medications until at least 6 months post-partum AND the baby is no longer breastfeeding; however, discuss your unique circumstances with your provider.

If you have insurance coverage, Oral Wegovy is usually around $25 / month.

If you do not, the starting price for Oral Wegovy is $149 / month (through April 15th, 2026). The full dose is $299 / month.

We help navigate Colorado insurance plans to find the most affordable option for you.

For more information:

• Oral Wegovy (semaglutide): Novocare

We are always looking for more cost-effective solutions and are happy to discuss these with you at your visit!

While many med spas and online clinics in Colorado now offer access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy® (semaglutide) and Zepbound® (tirzepatide), who prescribes your medication matters just as much as the medication itself.

At Clinical Nutrition Center in Greenwood Village, we treat obesity as a complex metabolic disease, not a cosmetic issue. Here is why choosing a Board-Certified Obesity Medicine Specialist makes a difference:

• Safety & Side Effect Management: These are powerful medications that affect your hormones and digestion. A board-certified physician is specifically trained to monitor your labs, manage side effects (like nausea or muscle loss), and adjust dosages safely to protect your long-term health.

• Comprehensive Care with Dietitians: Medication reduces your appetite, but it doesn’t automatically teach you how to eat for longevity. Unlike a med spa, our clinic pairs your treatment with Registered Dietitians (RDNs) who ensure you are getting the right nutrition to maintain muscle mass and energy while you lose weight.

• Long-Term Metabolic Success: Our goal isn’t just to help you lose weight for a wedding or vacation; it is to reset your metabolic set point for life. We build a maintenance plan from Day 1, ensuring that when the medication dose changes, you have the tools to keep the weight off.

Unlike most wellness spas, we are a medical practice that works with major insurers. We handle the Prior Authorization process for Oral Wegovy to help you access it at the lowest possible cost.

Our clinic uses a state of the art SECA 554 body composition analyzer to make sure you are losing fat and preserving muscle. Learn more about muscle defense here.

Oral Wegovy MUST be taken on an empty stomach first thing in the morning with no more than 4 ounces of water for it to be effective. It is a once-daily weight loss medication treatment.

Resume taking Oral Wegovy as soon as possible after the missed dose. If more than 2 weeks have elapsed since you last dose of Oral Wegovy, speak with your provider about possibly resuming at a lower dose.

GLP-1 weight loss medications don’t take the weight off by themselves – they help control your appetite so you can eat a lower calorie food plan without feeling hungry. However, if you don’t eat a healthy diet and get regular physical activity, a lot of the weight lost will be muscle. For this reason, it is important to review your eating plan and physical activity plan with your CNC staff. Further, we recommend monitoring body composition on our SECA medical body composition analyzer so we can track your fat vs. lean loss.

1. Avoid eating out the first couple days after your first pill at each new dose..
2. Avoid high-fat or high-carb foods the first couple days after your first new dose.
3. Careful with Alcohol – it may seem a lot stronger than you remember.
4. To avoid nausea, eat something after the 30 minutes has elapsed, even if you are nauseous. We’ve found a protein drink can really settle down the stomach. Even a glass of water can help reduce or prevent nausea.
5. Eat frequent small meals throughout the day. Choose small amounts of proteins and vegetables.
6. For constipation, use a stool softener (colace, surface, dulculax) or Miralax.
7. For heartburn, feel free to use Tums, Pepcid, or Prevacid/Protonix/Nexium. Also, certain foods are more likely to trigger heartburn including tomato sauces and spicy foods – consider avoiding these while your digestive system gets used to your medication.
8. NEVER break, crush or chew the tablets.
9. The tablets should be stored in the original bottle – not in your daily pill box.
10. See a provider or dietitian at CNC each month to customize your plan, figure out your best dose, and help you maximize your results.
11. Do not stop your GLP-1 medication without discussing this with your CNC provider – obesity is a chronic health problem, and we usually use these medications long-term.

Important Safety Information about GLP-1 Weight Loss Medications

GLP-1 may cause serious side effects, including:

• Possible thyroid tumors, including cancer. Tell your healthcare provider if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. These may be symptoms of thyroid cancer. In studies with rodents, GLP-1 medicines caused thyroid tumors, including thyroid cancer. It is not known if GLP-1 will cause thyroid tumors or a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in people. Do not use GLP-1 if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or if you have an endocrine system condition called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
• Do not use GLP-1 if you have had a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or tirzepatide or any of the ingredients in GLP-1.

Before using GLP-1, tell your healthcare provider if you have any other medical conditions, including if you:

• have or have had problems with your pancreas or kidneys
• have type 2 diabetes and a history of diabetic retinopathy
• have or have had depression, suicidal thoughts, or mental health issues
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. GLP-1 may harm your unborn baby. You should stop using GLP-1 2 months before you plan to become pregnant (Wegovy / Ozempic products), or if pregnancy is detected (Zepbound / Mounjaro products).
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if GLP-1 passes into your breast milk
• Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. GLP-1 may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way GLP-1 works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking other medicines to treat diabetes, including sulfonylureas or insulin.
• GLP-1 slows stomach emptying and can affect medicines that need to pass through the stomach quickly.

GLP-1 may cause serious side effects, including:

• inflammation of your pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using GLP-1 and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back
• gallbladder problems. GLP-1 may cause gallbladder problems, including gallstones. Some gallstones may need surgery. Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms, such as pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), or clay- colored stools
• increased risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), especially those who also take medicines for diabetes such as insulin or sulfonylureas. This can be a serious side effect. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to recognize and treat low blood sugar and check your blood sugar before you start and while you take GLP-1. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, or feeling jittery
• kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration
• serious allergic reactions. Stop using GLP-1 and get medical help right away, if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; problems breathing or swallowing; severe rash or itching; fainting or feeling dizzy; or very rapid heartbeat
• change in vision in people with type 2 diabetes. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with GLP-1
• increased heart rate. GLP-1 can increase your heart rate while you are at rest. Tell your healthcare provider if you feel your heart racing or pounding in your chest and it lasts for several minutes
• depression or thoughts of suicide. You should pay attention to any mental changes, especially sudden changes in your mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any mental changes that are new, worse, or worry you
• Alert your healthcare provider if you are planning to have surgery or procedures that require deep sedation

The most common side effects of GLP-1 may include: nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.

This information is intended for your private use only. See the full safety information for Wegovy here, 

Most side effects are mild to moderate. They may include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, dyspepsia, dizziness, abdominal distention, eructation (burping), hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes, flatulence, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and nasopharyngitis.

Rare but more serious problems include a potential risk for medullary thyroid carcinoma, pancreatitis, gallstones, hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, hypersensitivity reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, and heart rate increases.

See the full safety information for Wegovy here.