Semaglutide is a prescription GLP-1 receptor agonist used, when appropriate, for chronic weight management alongside changes in diet and activity. At UrgentMed it is prescribed only after an in-person evaluation and laboratory testing, and it is monitored at scheduled follow-up visits at our Davie and Plantation clinics.
What semaglutide does
Semaglutide acts on the same pathway as a hormone the body releases after eating. It slows stomach emptying and acts on appetite signalling, which for many patients means feeling full sooner and eating less. It is given as a once-weekly injection and is intended to be used together with nutrition and activity changes, not instead of them.
Who it may be appropriate for
The provider evaluates whether semaglutide is a reasonable option based on your weight, weight-related health conditions, medical history and current medications. It is not appropriate for everyone.
Who should not use semaglutide
- Anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2.
- Anyone who is pregnant, planning pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- People with a history of pancreatitis or certain gastrointestinal conditions, where the provider will weigh the risk individually.
- Anyone with a prior serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or a related medication.
Side effects to know about
The most common side effects are gastrointestinal — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and stomach discomfort — and are most likely when treatment starts or the dose changes. Less common but serious effects include pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, kidney injury from dehydration and, in people with diabetes, low blood sugar. Your provider reviews the full safety information with you before anything is prescribed and tells you which symptoms need a call or a visit.
What the UrgentMed program includes
- An initial evaluation with a provider, including a review of your history and goals.
- Baseline laboratory testing on site, with results reviewed before treatment begins.
- A prescription when — and only when — the evaluation shows it is appropriate.
- Scheduled follow-up visits to review progress, side effects and labs — with a body composition scan each time so muscle is preserved while fat comes off — and to adjust treatment.
- Nutrition and activity guidance throughout the program.
What follow-up visits cover
Semaglutide is not a prescription you collect and manage alone. Follow-up is scheduled from the start, and each visit does the same four things: reviews how you are feeling and what has changed, asks specifically about the side effects that matter, repeats the laboratory work your plan calls for, and re-measures body composition so muscle loss is caught early rather than at the end. If something is not working — tolerability, results, cost, or simply how you feel about it — that is the visit where it gets said and the plan changes. Treatment continues only while it is appropriate for you.
If you stop
People stop for all sorts of reasons: side effects, cost, a change in health, or reaching the point they were aiming for. Stopping is a clinical decision to make with your provider rather than on your own, because appetite and weight commonly move back toward where they were, and because the plan for what replaces the medication — nutrition, activity, and continued monitoring of the conditions that prompted treatment — is the part that determines what happens next. Tell us you want to stop and the visit is about doing it well.
Cost and coverage
Whether a plan covers a GLP-1 prescription depends on the plan’s own formulary and criteria rather than on the clinic, and the pharmacy confirms it when the prescription is sent. The office visit and the laboratory work are ordinary medical services: billed to your plan if you use insurance — see the plans we accept — or quoted at the front desk as self-pay before anything is done. Ask before you start; the answer changes what a realistic plan looks like.
Where you are seen
Evaluation, laboratory draws and every follow-up happen in person at UrgentMed Davie on S University Drive or UrgentMed Plantation on Cleary Boulevard, about six miles apart, serving Davie, Plantation, Cooper City, Weston, Sunrise and Southwest Ranches. You can be seen at either clinic — records and results follow you between them, so a follow-up does not have to be at the same address as the first visit. Check in online to hold your place, or walk in.
Related options
The full program — evaluation, laboratory testing, follow-up and the other options the provider may discuss with you — is described on the medical weight loss page. Vitamin B12 injections are given when testing shows a deficiency, not as a weight-loss treatment.
Where we see you
Both clinics — UrgentMed Davie on S University Drive and UrgentMed Plantation on Cleary Boulevard — serve Davie, Plantation, Cooper City, Weston, Sunrise, Southwest Ranches and the surrounding Broward County communities. Hours, maps and directions.
Start with an evaluation
Programs begin with an in-person evaluation at either clinic. Call to schedule, or walk in and ask for a weight-loss or men’s health consultation — the front desk will set the visit up with the right provider.
Call to schedule