Check the person.
Start with who will check your health. A service name is only the start of that answer.
Who will check my health, what is their role, and what is their licence number?
For a doctor, search the records of the state medical board, the agency that licenses doctors. Check whether the doctor’s licence is current. Look for public discipline: formal charges or punishments from the board.
If a nurse or another health professional will treat you, ask which state agency licenses people in that role and where to check their licence.
An absence of public discipline in the record cannot predict the quality of care you’ll receive.
Find the state medical boardBrief source note: doctors’ licence records sit with state agencies; the Federation of State Medical Boards links you to them.
Keep with your clinic questions
Write down a person’s name and the board you checked.
Check the pharmacy.
Ask for the name before deciding. Do not settle for a logo on a website.
Which pharmacy will prepare or supply my medicine, and where can I verify its licence?
The U.S. medicine agency links to searches of state pharmacy licence records; that agency is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A licence record confirms a licence exists; it does not confirm that every prescription is handled properly.
Open the state pharmacy searchesAs of September 26, 2026, U.S. law requires a valid prescription to obtain prescription medicine; stop if a seller offers it without one.
FDA advises, as of September 26, 2026, against using weight-loss products labelled “research use only” and sold for human use; their quality is unproven and they could cause harm.
Brief source note: FDA warns about offers that skip a doctor’s health check or a prescription. It also warns about false medicine claims and no doctor to answer questions after delivery.
FDA’s checks for online offersKeep with your clinic questions
The pharmacy’s name belongs beside the medicine’s name in your notes.
Write down the full cost.
Ask for the first bill and the later bill. Compare like with like.
How much will I pay altogether for care, medicine, testing and delivery, and how will the bill change once an offer ends?
A membership can be a separate charge from the medicine, so ask what each payment includes.
Some real price context
Self-pay means covering the bill yourself instead of using insurance.
As of September 26, 2026, advertised self-pay semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) prices ranged from $149 to $499 monthly. Prices varied with the product and its strength—the quantity of medicine per dose.
Only new patients who met the offer’s terms got the lowest injection prices, and only for their first two monthly supplies.
As of September 26, 2026, regular self-pay tirzepatide (Zepbound) prices ranged from $299 to $699 monthly.
The Zepbound prices cover pens holding several doses and small bottles holding a single dose. These forms are described in the official medicine information.
For higher strengths, keeping the $449 offer meant completing every refill within 45 days of the previous supply’s delivery or receipt.
For these tirzepatide prices, a month means a 28-day supply.
These medicine figures leave out any separate care or test fees.
Some offer terms end on December 31, 2026, so ask for a fresh quote.
Brief source note: dated manufacturer offer terms; a starting price is not the price for every product or later refill.
- Visit or membership
- Medicine and delivery
- Tests, if needed
- Later refill total
Ask your insurer: is this particular medicine covered by my plan for the reason I need treatment?
Ask if your plan needs to agree to payment in advance, a step called prior authorization.
Medicare’s temporary program: who can use itKeep with your clinic questions
Compare the bill you would actually pay, including the part after a promotion.
Ask about the visit after the visit.
Make room for questions about your health and what happens between appointments.
What will you check before prescribing, who handles problems later, and how do I reach them?
Bring up pregnancy plans, other medicines, past stomach trouble, any gallbladder problems such as gallstones, and any planned surgery.
The official medicine information lists common side effects: nausea (feeling sick), vomiting, diarrhea (loose stools) and constipation (trouble passing stools).
The medicine information also warns about severe allergic reactions and painful swelling of the pancreas, an organ behind the stomach.
A warning sign of this swelling is severe stomach pain that lasts and may spread to the back.
Medullary thyroid cancer is a rare cancer of the small neck organ called the thyroid. The medicine information rules these medicines out if you or a relative has had this cancer.
MEN 2 is short for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. This rare condition runs in families and can cause growths in organs that make hormones, the body’s chemical signals. These medicines are also ruled out for someone with this condition.
If a past illness has an unfamiliar name, ask your doctor to check your medical records. Ask which family illnesses matter before deciding about medicine.
Brief source note: these health checks come from the official medicine information as of September 26, 2026. Have the prescriber—the person who orders your medicine—walk you through the checks that matter for you.
- What symptoms need a prompt call, and what needs urgent care?
- When will we review how things are going?
- What is the plan if this does not suit me, or I want to stop?
If breathing is difficult or your face or tongue swells, get emergency help: dial 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency room.
MedlinePlus on severe allergic reactionsKeep with your clinic questions
A clear answer about follow-up belongs in the plan from the start.