Questions to ask at your GLP-1 follow-up visit
Bring your questions and a few notes about how you have felt, like your appetite, side effects and meals, because they help your care team see how your plan is going. Below is a list you can print, with questions about a dose increase, side effects, a stall and stopping, plus a short list if you take no medication.
Before your visit
A short record can show patterns that are easy to forget. In the weeks before your visit, jot down:
- How your appetite has been
- Any side effects, when they started and how strong they were
- What and how much you have been eating and drinking
- How your weight has changed, and how you feel day to day, like your energy, strength and sleep
- Any doses you missed
Questions to bring
If your dose may go up
Stomach side effects are most likely when you start a medicine or when a dose goes up. How long you stay on each step depends on the medicine.
- Is it time for my next step, or should I stay on this dose for now?
- My side effects still bother me. Should we wait before the next step?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- If I miss several doses in a row, how should I restart?
The rules for a missed dose are different for each medicine, and after a longer gap some labels start again at a lower dose.
About side effects
Nausea, throwing up, loose stools, constipation and acid reflux are common, and they may ease on a steady dose. Belly pain that is severe or will not go away, or not being able to keep fluids down, means you should call your provider the same day.
- Which side effects are expected on my medicine, and which mean I should call you?
- What can I try at home when my stomach is upset?
- Who should I call after hours?
If your weight loss has slowed
Weight loss usually slows over time, because your body needs less energy as it gets smaller. A stall does not by itself mean the medicine has stopped working, since keeping weight off can be part of the benefit. Progress can also show up in blood pressure, blood sugar, waist size or fitness.
- Is my progress about what you expect at this point?
- Should we look at other signs of progress, like blood pressure or blood sugar?
- Is my current plan still right for me, or should we look at other options?
- Am I eating enough, including protein?
If you are thinking about stopping
Many people gain weight back after stopping these medicines, and that is not a failure of willpower. Restarting later needs a plan, because each medicine has its own restart steps.
- What might happen to my appetite, weight and blood sugar if I stop?
- How can we plan to keep weight off?
- If cost or supply is the problem, what are my other options?
- If I stop and want to start again later, how would that work?
If you take no medication
Healthy eating, activity and support help whether or not you take a medicine. For people with extra weight and related health risks, keeping off about 5% of their weight is a reasonable first goal, and it can improve several of those risks. Adults can work toward 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate activity, plus strength work on at least two days, and people who are just starting out can begin below that. These are health goals, not a promise of weight loss.
- What is a realistic first goal for me?
- How much activity should I aim for right now?
- Could a weight-loss medicine help me, or is it not right for me?
- Could my sleep or stress be affecting my hunger?
Your provider knows you best
Bring this list and decide on any changes together. Medicine choices, doses and restarts are decisions for you and your prescriber, and this page is general information, not medical advice. For more on an upset stomach, see Nausea on a GLP-1, and for protein, see How much protein do you need on a GLP-1?
Sources
The health facts on this page come from these sources.
- GLP-1 nutrition advisory from four medical and nutrition groups, 2025
- National Institutes of Health (NIDDK): Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight-loss Program
- European guideline on fatty liver disease, 2024
- National Institutes of Health (NIDDK): Healthy Eating for Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease
- SURMOUNT-1 study of fat and lean mass with tirzepatide
- National Institutes of Health (NIDDK): Factors Affecting Weight and Health
- FDA-approved label for naltrexone and bupropion (DailyMed, National Library of Medicine)
- National Institutes of Health (NIDDK): Prescription Medications to Treat Overweight and Obesity
- FDA-approved label for phentermine and topiramate (DailyMed, National Library of Medicine)
- Wegovy prescribing information and Medication Guide (FDA-approved label, Novo Nordisk)
- Zepbound prescribing information (FDA-approved label, Lilly)
- Foundayo prescribing information and Medication Guide (FDA-approved label)
- Ozempic prescribing information (FDA-approved label, Novo Nordisk)
- FDA-approved label for extended-release exenatide (DailyMed, National Library of Medicine)
- FDA-approved label for exenatide (DailyMed, National Library of Medicine)
- World Society of Emergency Surgery guideline on bowel blockage
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: About Norovirus
- National Institutes of Health (NIDDK): Eating, Diet and Nutrition for Gastroparesis
- Study of how body weight changes with changes in food energy, The Lancet, 2011
- Endocrine Society guideline on preventing heart disease and type 2 diabetes, 2019
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Metabolic Syndrome Treatment
- STEP 1 extension: weight after stopping semaglutide
- SURMOUNT-4: stopping or continuing tirzepatide, JAMA, 2024
- Summary of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (JAMA)
Want help keeping track between visits? CuraWeight is free to start.
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