Stopping Your GLP-1: Why the Exit Needs a Plan
By Dr. Don Gates, MD Most conversations about GLP-1 therapy focus on starting. Stopping GLP-1 medication gets far less attention, and it deserves more, because the published evidence on what happens afterward is fairly consistent. Weight regain following discontinuation is common. A 2025 meta-analysis of anti-obesity pharmacotherapy found regain to be common and drug-dependent across […]
The Bloodwork Behind the Weight Loss
By Dr. Donald L. Gates, MD GLP-1 lab monitoring is the part of treatment that patients never see advertised, because it is not a selling point. It is a cost. Several online platforms state directly that laboratory work is not required to start or continue GLP-1 medication for weight management. That is a defensible policy […]
What Lab Testing Reveals About Compounded Semaglutide
By Dr. Donald L. Gates, MD Compounded semaglutide purity has been measured, published, and peer-reviewed. The findings are worth reading before your next refill — particularly if you are unsure which pharmacy prepared your vial. One clarification before the data. This research examined semaglutide obtained from unregulated online sellers. It is not a study of […]
GLP-1 Side Effects: Which Symptoms Need a Phone Call
By Dr. Donald L. Gates, MD Read this first. This article is general education. It does not replace your prescriber’s instructions or emergency care. If a symptom is severe, worsening quickly, or feels like an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. GLP-1 side effects are common, and common is not the […]
Local GLP-1 Care vs. Online Programs: Compare More Than Price
By Dr. Don Gates, MD Choosing between local GLP-1 care and an online program usually comes down to a price comparison. That is the wrong comparison, and not because online costs less. It is the wrong comparison because the monthly figure describes enrollment. It does not describe week twelve. Week twelve is when a dose […]
Compounded GLP-1 Quality: 10 Questions Worth Asking
By Dr. Donald L. Gates, MD Compounded GLP-1 quality is a fair thing to ask about. You are injecting a medication into your body every week. You are entitled to know where it came from, who made it, and how anyone verified it. Compounded medications serve real clinical purposes. A patient with a documented allergy […]
What Good GLP-1 Follow-Up Actually Looks Like
By Dr. Don Gates, MD GLP-1 follow-up care is the part of treatment that patients hear least about and need most. The first prescription gets the attention. What happens over the following twelve months determines whether the treatment works, whether it stays tolerable, and whether the results hold. Here is what a well-built plan covers […]
A GLP-1 Prescription Is the Beginning, Not the Treatment Plan
By Dr. Donald L. Gates, MD Physician-led GLP-1 care starts where a prescription ends. Getting the medication has never been simpler. You fill out a form, a clinician reviews it, and a vial arrives at your door. That part of the process works. The harder part comes three weeks later, when the nausea starts, or […]
Why a Local GLP-1 Doctor Beats an Online Pharmacy
By Dr. Don Gates, MD — Scale Solutions Medical Weight Loss, Savannah, GA A few weeks ago, two different people called our office for the first time. Neither had ever been our patient. The first was a woman who’d ordered a GLP-1 medication online, started the injections at home, and then hit a wall of […]
GLP-1s for PCOS: Fertility, Ovulation, and Metabolic Health
GLP-1 medications offer real benefits for women with PCOS — improving ovulation and fertility. Learn the evidence and safety washout guidance.