What to Look Out For When Getting a GLP-1 Prescription:

There are a few ways to get GLP-1s without going to an in-person doctor — whether that means going to a med spa, or using an online telehealth provider. However, it’s important to look out for tell-tale signs that it is, in fact, a safe outlet for you to obtain prescription weight loss medications.

Med Spas That Prescribes Medications Should Be Affiliated With an MD

Companies called “telehealth providers” can be safer, because they have a medical affiliation. As long as they have a doctor on board, it should be legal and safe, and many practicing physicians consult with both telehealth providers and med spas on the side. For med spas, in addition to providing ample training to employees, Med Spa Society says a safe med spa will have a detailed document of Standard Operating Procedures to ensure strict, uniform standards.

“Med spas can offer some medical procedures and/or prescribe certain medications (such as Ozempic) if they are owned by a physician or if they have an association with a doctor,” personal injury lawyer Don Worley tells Woman's World. “They can either come to the spa or offer consultations via telemedicine.”

You Should Also Get a Medical Evaluation, and a Pharmacy Prescription

Med spas can also prescribe GLP-1s legally and safely by taking proper precautions before and after writing a prescription. The American Med Spa Association emphasizes the importance of conducting a “good faith” exam, and then writing up an actual prescription for it. That said, Dr. Kaplan told us that proper preliminary and conclusive measures are crucial for a med spa to safely prescribe GLP-1s: “Med spas and [telehealth] websites can be reasonable places to get these meds,” Kaplan says. “As long as there’s an evaluation and a prescription submission to a pharmacy.”

Read more at Woman’s World >>

For further coverage on semaglutide use and medical weight loss programs in med spas, please visit AmSpa's resource page.