Your guide to getting a compounded semaglutide prescription

If you’re one of the nearly 74% of American adults with obesity or excess weight, you already know that finding your way to lasting weight loss can feel like hacking through a dense jungle with just a butter knife.

Even if you’ve been prescribed injectable GLP-1 drugs, your insurance might not cover them. And  if you can afford costly co-pays for brand-name weight-loss meds, you may be unable to find the dose you need at a pharmacy because of drug shortages.

So it’s no wonder if, when you see compounded semaglutide or other compounded drugs advertised for weight loss, you ask yourself if you have to be wary of the snake in the grass.

Not to worry. This one-stop guide takes a machete to the weight loss jungle and clears the way for answers to your top questions about compounded semaglutide. 

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What is compounded semaglutide? 

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the injectable prescription drugs Ozempic® and Wegovy®.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes by regulating high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The FDA approved Wegovy to help people lose weight when paired with diet and exercise. These FDA-approved drugs, both manufactured by Novo Nordisk, are part of a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Semaglutide mimics glucagon-like peptide-1, one of the body’s naturally occurring gut hormones. In clinical trials, semaglutide has helped people with type 2 diabetes regulate blood sugar, feel fuller, and lose weight.

More recently, studies revealed it also can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other adverse events in those with preexisting cardiovascular disease.

Compounded semaglutide is semaglutide made by a compounding pharmacy or pharmacist licensed by a state board of pharmacy or by an FDA-regulated outsourcing facility—rather than by the manufacturer of the two FDA-approved brand-name drugs.

Is compounded semaglutide FDA-approved?

It’s not FDA-approved or evaluated by the FDA for safety or efficacy. However, it is permitted by the FDA in certain circumstances, such as: 

• in cases where an FDA-approved brand-name or generic medication appears on the FDA Drug Shortages list—like Wegovy and Ozempic have been since 2022—or
• if an individual patient needs a slightly different formulation of a brand-name drug. 

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Is it safe to use compounded semaglutide for weight loss? 

All medications—even rigorously tested, clinically studied, FDA-approved brand-name formulations of semaglutide—have some known potential side effects. 

The most common side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and acid reflux. More serious but less common side effects include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and worsening of diabetic eye disease. 

Those with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasias should not use them. Find detailed side effects, risks, and safety information for specific medications by name on our dedicated medication page.

While all drugs present some risk, compounded medications come with additional safety concerns:

• Although a compounded medication must contain the active ingredient it promises, a compounded drug’s exact formulation, dosage, potency, or ingredient combination may differ from that of an FDA-approved brand-name or generic drug. The FDA does not review any compounded medications for safety, efficacy, or quality.
• Poor practices at an outsourcing facility or pharmacy compounding semaglutide may result in serious problems—such as contaminated medication or containing too much or too little active ingredient.
• Self-dosing errors can be more common with injectable compounded medications, which typically come in vials with syringes and needles. Patients using compounded semaglutide must take care to avoid drawing up or injecting the wrong amount. (On the other hand, Novo Nordisk’s brand-name drugs come in pre-filled injector pens that help patients avoid mistakes.) 

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What about fake “compounded semaglutide”? 

Sadly, as brand-name semaglutide drugs continue to be in high demand and in short supply, there’s increased risk of illegal counterfeit substances masquerading as legitimate compounded semaglutide or FDA-approved Wegovy or Ozempic. To reduce your odds of buying imposters, the FDA and national pharmacy groups advise checking that the medication you receive: 

• contains semaglutide (NOT the salt forms of semaglutide, such as semaglutide sodium or semaglutide acetate);
• has been prescribed for you by a state-licensed health care provider; and
• has been prepared by a state-licensed pharmacy, pharmacist, or physician, or at an FDA-regulated outsourcing facility for compounded products.

Here are additional steps you can take to confirm who made—and what’s actually in—your medication. 

How much weight can you lose with compounded semaglutide?

Compounded versions of semaglutide haven't been clinically studied, and individual patient results vary. However, in a clinical trial for people with obesity or overweight who had at least one weight-related health issue, those who took weekly semaglutide injections and made lifestyle changes achieved and maintained an average loss of 15% of their body weight.

A 2024 meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials involving more than 3,000 patients with obesity and without type 2 diabetes found that 33.4% of those given semaglutide experienced at least a 20% weight loss at their longest follow-up, compared to 2.2% of patients given a placebo.

How do I get a prescription for compounded semaglutide?

Compounded semaglutide isn’t right for everyone, and each prescription is up to a medical provider’s discretion. 

But if you have a prescription for Ozempic or Wegovy that you haven’t been able to fill—or if you have obesity or type 2 diabetes, with or without cardiovascular disease—ask your health care provider if compounded semaglutide might be a good option for you.

State-licensed health care providers can write prescriptions for individual patients for compounded medications in states where these medicines are available. At Found, patients and providers work together to consider a patient's unique medical and medication history, lab work, MetabolicPrint™, and preferences before making decisions about prescriptions.

How much does compounded semaglutide cost? 

Compounded semaglutide products may be more affordable than branded GLP-1s. But as with most drugs, that depends on what the pharmacy charges, whether you have insurance, and the level of coverage offered by your policy. Many insurers do not cover compounded medications. 

Online price checks in July 2024 found the advertised cost for compounded versions of injectable semaglutide ranged from $149 to $297 per month. Some listings indicated the price may include (or only cover) a monthly weight care subscription. Others noted that actual compounded semaglutide prices may vary at checkout.

At Found, compounded semaglutide is $189, including shipping, for a 28-day supply (four weekly doses). The cost of a Found subscription and clinical visits are not included in that price.  

Found subscriptions include 1:1 access to a health coach, and access to the Found app, where you can receive lifestyle change education and support from a community of other members on a similar journey.  

About Found

Found is among the largest medically-supported telehealth weight care clinics in the country, having served more than 250,000 members to date. To start your journey with Found, take our quiz.

While GLP-1s are effective for weight loss, they are not clinically appropriate for everyone. Eligibility for a GLP-1 is based on a provider’s evaluation of your medical history, MetabolicPrint, and lab work. If a GLP-1 is not appropriate for you, a provider will work with you to determine an effective medication for your health profile.

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