How to get a GLP-1 prescription online, step by step

To get a GLP-1 prescription online, you fill out a medical intake with a telehealth provider, a licensed clinician reviews it (by message or live video, depending on the provider and your state), and if you qualify, the prescription goes to a pharmacy that ships to you. Your biggest decision is brand-name or compounded: FDA-approved pills, pens and vials cost $149 to $449 a month with on-time refills at manufacturer self-pay prices (NovoCare, LillyDirect), while compounded programs charge $89 to $399 a month at the 39 programs we rank (each program’s lowest ongoing price), as of October 2026.

Step 1: Check that a GLP-1 fits your situation

The FDA-approved weight-loss GLP-1s are labeled for adults with obesity, or with overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. The labels give no numeric BMI cutoff, but the FDA’s Zepbound approval announcement spells it out: a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol. You can check your number with our BMI calculator before you start an intake.

Some people are ruled out. Every one of these drugs carries a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, and none should be used if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) (Wegovy label). Age matters too: the Wegovy injection is approved from age 12, while the Wegovy pill is for adults only.

Have your medical history ready. The labels warn about pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar with insulin or sulfonylureas, and severe stomach problems such as gastroparesis, so the clinician needs complete answers on each.

Step 2: Choose brand-name or compounded

This choice sets most of your monthly cost. Brand-name drugs such as Wegovy, Zepbound and Foundayo are FDA-approved and made by the manufacturer. A compounded GLP-1 is prepared by a pharmacy for an individual patient. It is not the brand-name drug and not a generic of it, and it isn’t FDA-approved or reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality before it is sold (FDA).

The rules for compounders tightened once the shortages ended. The FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved on February 21, 2025, and state-licensed pharmacies may now compound these drugs only for an individual patient with a prescription, within limits on how often they match a commercial product’s strength (FDA). By March 12, 2026, the FDA had warned more than 70 telehealth companies about their marketing in six months (STAT). Our compounded GLP-1 guide covers the details.

Brand-name prices climb with your dose. Zepbound costs $299 at 2.5 mg and $399 at 5 mg, then $449 from 7.5 mg if you refill within 45 days, or up to $699 if you don’t. Several compounded programs, including LumiMeds, altRx and Trillium, charge one price at every dose.

Step 3: Pick the type of provider

Online GLP-1 care comes in three main models. All-in programs bundle the visit, medication and shipping into one monthly price, and the ones we track sell compounded drugs. Membership programs charge for the care and send a brand-name prescription to a pharmacy, where you pay for the drug.

The third route is to get a prescription from your own clinician and buy a brand-name drug self-pay from LillyDirect or NovoCare Pharmacy. For Zepbound’s self-pay offer, Lilly asks you to certify an FDA-approved use.

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The lowest number on a page isn’t always what you’ll pay. Precision Telemed’s $139.99 semaglutide plan covers the lowest dose only, and Contour Health’s price rises with your dose because you buy by the vial. Our ranking of the best GLP-1 providers compares all of them.

Step 4: Complete the intake and the visit

Expect questions about your weight history, current conditions, other medicines and the warning signs from Step 1. A licensed clinician reviews your answers and decides whether to prescribe. WellPeps uses a secure message or video visit, Precision Telemed includes a live Zoom visit, and Contour Health offers a free video consult.

Where you live can change the format. WellPeps requires a live video visit before a first prescription in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota and West Virginia. Rila requires a live consult in DC, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Rhode Island and West Virginia, and Contour Health doesn’t serve Arkansas, Kentucky, Michigan or Mississippi at all. Labs vary too: Contour Health needs none to start, while WellPeps and Vineyard bill labs separately.

Step 5: Read the cancellation terms before you pay

Check the refund and cancellation rules on the provider’s site before you enter a card. Here is how five providers handle them:

• LumiMeds plans are fixed terms with no mid-term cancellation and no proration, and a $100 fee comes off any refund other than a prescription denial.
• altRx treats payments as final, and you must cancel at least 72 hours before the next billing date.
• Trillium charges are final once your prescription goes to the pharmacy, even before it ships.
• WellPeps renews monthly with no cancellation fee, but the charge locks once the pharmacy starts preparing your shipment, so cancel at least 72 hours ahead.
• Precision Telemed runs month to month, and you can cancel anytime.

Multi-month plans can lower the monthly price, but they tie you in. BetterMe Rx’s compounded semaglutide is $199 month to month but $99 a month on a 12-month plan paid up front ($1,188).

Step 6: Fill the prescription and start low

Every GLP-1 starts at a low dose and steps up on the schedule in its label. Zepbound starts at 2.5 mg for 4 weeks (Zepbound label), the Wegovy injection at 0.25 mg for weeks 1 to 4, the Wegovy pill at 1.5 mg for the first 30 days, and Foundayo at 0.8 mg with at least 30 days on each step (Foundayo label). Your clinician decides when you move up.

Budget for the maintenance dose, not the starter price. The Wegovy pill is $149 at 1.5 mg but $299 at 9 mg and 25 mg. Stomach side effects are the most common early on: in Zepbound’s weight trials, 25% to 29% of people reported nausea, against 8% on placebo.

Using insurance instead

If your commercial plan covers the drug, manufacturer savings cards can bring the cost down to as little as $25 a month, though people with government insurance are excluded. On Medicare, the GLP-1 Bridge lets eligible Part D enrollees pay $50 a month from July 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027.

Vineyard’s insurance concierge helps members with prior authorizations and appeals. Our guide to whether insurance covers GLP-1s covers each type of plan.

The bottom line

Check eligibility first, then choose brand-name or compounded, because that choice sets most of what you’ll pay. Compare prices at the dose you’ll likely stay on and read the refund terms before you pay. To narrow the field, try our provider match, and let a licensed clinician decide whether a GLP-1 is right for you.