Check · know when to pause
Pause when an answer does not add up
A clear answer has a name, a record or written terms behind it. If an explanation stays vague, give yourself room to check it.
Check names against public records
Look up the doctor
State medical boards, the bodies that oversee doctors, publish license records and any public action taken against a doctor for misconduct. Find links to the state boards in the directory kept by the Federation of State Medical Boards. Request the doctor's complete name, plus details of the state permission covering your visit. If you see another health professional, such as a nurse, ask which state body holds their license record.
Look up the pharmacy separately
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) links to pharmacy license searches run by each state. A license record confirms licensing; it does not prove every medicine was supplied properly. Use the full pharmacy name you were given, then compare it with any name on the product label.
Claims that need a closer look
Medicine without a prescription
As of September 2026, a valid prescription is required by federal law before prescription medicine can be supplied. An offer that skips this step needs more than a reassuring sales page.
A made-to-order drug presented as approved
Claiming that a pharmacy's made-to-order medicine has FDA approval is false or misleading, the FDA says as of September 2026. FDA registration of a business does not give approval to that business or its medicines.
A research label presented as treatment
The FDA's September 2026 advice is to avoid unapproved semaglutide products with false labels claiming research use or saying the products are not for people. FDA describes their quality as unknown and says they may cause harm.
No way to get questions answered
The FDA's September 2026 information warns about services that have no licensed doctor to answer questions after the medicine arrives. Ask how that contact works before paying.
Health problems to discuss before treatment
These cautions come from the medicine's official health instructions reviewed in September 2026.
Cancer history and serious allergies
The instructions say semaglutide must not be used if you or anyone in your family has had medullary thyroid cancer, a rare type of cancer. Medullary thyroid cancer is the exact diagnosis name to look for in medical records. If a relative had a cancer called thyroid cancer and you do not know the type, ask the doctor to check the records before a treatment decision.
The instructions also prohibit semaglutide when a person has MEN 2, a rare condition inherited within families. They also rule it out after a serious allergic reaction to semaglutide or any ingredient in it. Ask whether your own or your family's records name MEN 2; a doctor can help check an unfamiliar diagnosis.
The instructions carry a boxed warning, the FDA's strongest health alert, about thyroid tumors, meaning abnormal growths, seen in rats and mice. Whether semaglutide causes these tumors in people is unknown.
Stomach symptoms and pregnancy plans
Semaglutide (Wegovy) weight-loss studies reported feeling sick, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation among common side effects. The instructions describe serious kidney problems after losing too much fluid through vomiting or diarrhea. Ask who would check any symptoms and how to contact them.
The Wegovy instructions tell the doctor writing the prescription to end treatment two months or more before a pregnancy is planned. They cite possible harm to the developing baby. Tell your own doctor about pregnancy plans so you can discuss when treatment would need to end.
When a problem needs prompt help
Trouble breathing or swelling
MedlinePlus describes severe allergic reactions as life-threatening and includes breathing trouble or swelling of the face, eyes or tongue among the signs. MedlinePlus says to go to the nearest emergency room when an allergic reaction causes severe symptoms.
Strong stomach pain that does not go away
The Wegovy instructions say lasting or severe stomach pain, sometimes spreading to the back, can be a sign of serious swelling and irritation inside the body. Contact a doctor promptly about that pain.
A refrigerated injection arrives warm
The FDA's September 2026 information says not to use a shot for appetite and blood sugar if it arrives warm or has not stayed cold enough. Contact the pharmacy that sent it about the delivery and how the medicine must be stored.
Read the basis
State medical board directory
This takes you to the state office that holds the doctor's license record. Check the name you were given rather than relying on a badge on a website.
FDA: find a pharmacy license record
This links to state records where you can search for a pharmacy's license. Use the full pharmacy name and read what its record actually says.
The full health instructions for semaglutide (Wegovy)
These instructions use medical terms; bring any unfamiliar words to the doctor so you can discuss what they mean for you. Look for the parts about health history to prepare questions about the exact product being discussed.
FDA: issues with unapproved weight-loss drugs
This covers misleading claims, uncertain product contents and refrigerated deliveries. Read it alongside the exact product and pharmacy names you were given.