Eligibility criteria are the part of the process most people encounter only when they hit one. Knowing the shape of them in advance saves an intake, and it also tells you something about how seriously a provider takes clinical screening.
Key Takeaways
- BMI thresholds broadly follow the clinical convention: 30 and above, or 27 and above with a weight-related condition.
- Lab requirements vary the most of any criterion — some providers require none, others require a recent panel.
- A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 is an established contraindication for this drug class.
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding and active pancreatitis history are standard exclusions.
- A provider that screens for nothing is a provider that has decided screening is a conversion obstacle.
| Requirement type | What it usually looks like | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| BMI threshold | 30+, or 27+ with a weight-related comorbidity | Mirrors the clinical indication and the trial inclusion criteria |
| Recent labs | Varies — some require a recent panel, some none, some order their own | Baseline metabolic and thyroid status; ongoing monitoring |
| Thyroid cancer history | Personal or family history of MTC or MEN2 is an exclusion | Boxed warning on the approved products in this class |
| Pancreatitis history | Prior pancreatitis usually excludes or requires review | Class-associated risk signal |
| Pregnancy / breastfeeding | Standard exclusion | Not established as safe in these populations |
| Eating disorder history | Reviewed; may exclude | Appetite suppression carries specific risk in this population |
| Concurrent medications | Reviewed for interactions and duplication | Delayed gastric emptying alters absorption of other oral drugs |
Why BMI thresholds are what they are
The 30-and-above or 27-with-comorbidity structure comes directly from the clinical indication for weight management pharmacotherapy, which in turn reflects the inclusion criteria of the trials that established efficacy. A provider using these thresholds is aligning with the evidence base rather than inventing a gate.
The comorbidity clause is where most of the flexibility lives. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease all commonly qualify. If your BMI sits between 27 and 30, whether you have a documented qualifying condition is usually the deciding factor.
Care Bare Rx
Intake-based pricing- Oral option appears during intake; public pricing is not posted
- Straightforward intake with fast turnaround
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Found Health
4-week billing cycle- Bills in 4-week cycles, not calendar months — 13 cycles a year, not 12
- Behavior-change coaching bundled with the medication track
- Dissolvable tablet format
A 4-week cycle means your true annual cost is 13 × the quoted price. Worth doing the multiplication before comparing against a monthly-billed competitor.
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
The lab question
This is where providers diverge most, and the divergence is worth reading as a signal.
Requiring recent labs adds friction and costs conversions. A provider that requires them anyway has made a clinical judgment that baseline metabolic and thyroid status matters. A provider that requires none has made a different judgment, and while async prescribing without labs is legal and widely practiced, it is a meaningfully lighter form of screening.
Neither approach is universally correct. If your health history is straightforward and recent, minimal screening is reasonable. If it is not, the provider willing to look before prescribing is doing you a service even though it feels like an obstacle.
MadeMed (Injectable Semaglutide)
Injectable- Monthly and quarterly billing options
- L-carnitine included in the injectable formulation
- Membership program available for refill discounts
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Yucca Health
Injectable only- Clear intro-versus-ongoing split published up front
- Free UPS 2-Day Air shipping
- Klarna, Affirm and Afterpay available on 6-month plans
Injectable only. Yucca's headline promo rate is tied to the 6-month new-patient plan — the month-to-month rate is substantially higher.
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Sesame Care
Brand-name only- Marketplace model — you book a licensed clinician and pay per visit
- Brand-name FDA-approved medications only; Sesame does not offer compounded GLP-1s
- Useful reference point against NovoCare and LillyDirect self-pay pricing
Because Sesame routes to brand-name products only, it is the cleanest apples-to-apples comparison against compounded pricing elsewhere in this table.
The disqualifiers that are not negotiable
Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, appear as boxed-warning contraindications on the approved products in this class. These are not provider-specific policies and they are not appealable. A provider that prescribes despite a disclosed history of either is failing at basic screening, and that failure tells you what else it might be skipping.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are similarly firm. Prior pancreatitis, active gallbladder disease, severe gastrointestinal disease including gastroparesis, and a history of eating disorders are all conditions that require review rather than automatic exclusion — but they require actual review.
Strut Health
Sublingual lozenge- One of the lowest published sublingual semaglutide rates
- Lozenge format; no refrigeration for the sublingual line
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Sprout Health
Dissolvable tablet- Dissolvable tablet format for tirzepatide
- Published price band rather than a single flat rate
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Frequently Asked Questions
What BMI do you need to qualify?
Most providers follow the clinical convention of 30 and above, or 27 and above with a weight-related condition such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea or type 2 diabetes.
Do you need blood work first?
It varies substantially by provider. Some require a recent panel, some order their own, and some require none at all.
What automatically disqualifies you?
Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma and MEN2 are boxed-warning contraindications for this drug class. Pregnancy and breastfeeding are standard exclusions.
Can you be declined after paying?
Yes — clinical review happens after signup at most providers. Refund on medical disqualification is the most common refund scenario in this category for exactly this reason.