Starting a GLP-1: Your First 90 Days Planner

Give yourself a plan for the practical details

Starting treatment can involve more than remembering a dose. There may be a delivery to receive, a device to learn, a follow-up to arrange, and questions you only remember after the appointment ends.

This planner helps organize those details. It is not a prescription, a dosing calendar, or a promise that you will reach a particular weight by day 90. Your clinician sets the treatment and follow-up schedule; move the planning steps below to fit that schedule.

The medicine and presentation matter. The labels cited here describe FDA-approved Wegovy and Zepbound. They do not establish the safety or effectiveness of a compounded preparation. For that distinction, see compounded versus brand-name GLP-1 medications.

Before treatment: make the appointment count

Bring a current medication list, including supplements, and write down the health questions you most want answered. Include what you hope will become easier in daily life, such as planning meals or participating in an activity you enjoy. These goals give you something useful to revisit beyond a number on a scale.

Discuss pregnancy plans, breastfeeding, previous medication reactions, and your personal and family medical history. Wegovy and Zepbound have contraindications involving medullary thyroid cancer and MEN 2, and product-specific warnings and interactions require review. Tell the clinician about planned procedures involving anesthesia or deep sedation. 1 2

If you use oral hormonal contraception and are prescribed tirzepatide, discuss protection before starting. Zepbound's label advises a non-oral method or an added barrier method for four weeks after starting and four weeks after each dose increase. 2

Use the appointment to establish these six details:

• The exact medication, form, and written prescription instructions.
• How you will be shown to use the product you receive.
• Whom to ask about symptoms and how quickly that service responds.
• Which symptoms need urgent help instead of a routine message.
• What information your clinician wants at follow-up.
• When to request refills and how treatment will be reassessed.

Before the first dose: a ready-to-start checklist

Choose one place to keep the prescription instructions, pharmacy contact, appointment details, and care-team number. A phone note or folder is enough.

Check that you can answer each question below. If you cannot, ask before using the medication.

Practical question	Your next step
Does the label match the prescription I expected?	Confirm any difference with the pharmacy.
Have I been trained on this exact device or vial?	Request a demonstration and repeat the instructions back.
Do I have all the necessary supplies?	Check with the dispensing pharmacy, including sharps disposal.
Do I understand storage and disposal dates?	Save the product-specific instructions where you keep the medicine.
What if I miss a dose or am unsure I received it?	Obtain instructions for this prescription rather than guessing.
Who can help after hours?	Save the agreed contact and emergency plan.

If a compounded injectable prescription uses a vial and syringe, have the pharmacist show exactly how the written dose corresponds to your syringe. FDA has documented serious dosing errors with compounded semaglutide, including confusion about measurement and concentration. Do not use an online conversion chart in place of that explanation. 3

Your first 90 days, organized around check-ins

These are suggested planning windows, not required medical appointment intervals. Contact your care team sooner when needed.

Planning window	Focus	Questions to bring to your care team
Before the first dose	Instructions, training, supplies, and contact details	“Can I explain back how I will use this? What should make me call?”
First week	Notice how the routine fits your day	“What symptoms have I had? Am I able to eat and drink?”
Weeks 2–4	Review questions before the next prescribed step	“Do I need a check-in before a change? Is any symptom affecting daily life?”
Weeks 5–8	Make food, movement, and refills manageable	“What is working? Where do I need more support?”
Weeks 9–12	Review the whole treatment plan	“What benefits and problems are we seeing? What should the next phase look like?”
Around day 90	Confirm the next practical plan	“When is my next review? What are my refill, cost, and follow-up arrangements?”

Set reminders for the appointments and refill requests you actually agree on. Do not treat a calendar reminder as permission to change the dose.

Keep a small, useful record

A short note is often easier to maintain than a detailed daily diary. If your clinician asks for specific measurements, use their instructions. Otherwise, choose a format you can bring to an appointment without having to reconstruct the whole month.

Try these prompts:

• Routine: Was I able to follow the prescribed instructions? What was unclear?
• Eating and drinking: What felt manageable, and what was difficult?
• Symptoms: What happened, when did it start, and did it interrupt sleep, work, or meals?
• Daily life: What feels easier or harder than before treatment?
• Next question: What do I need answered before the next refill or appointment?

Avoid changing several parts of your routine at once simply to meet someone else's online plan. Bring practical barriers into the conversation: a shift schedule, caregiving, a limited grocery budget, or a dislike of certain foods all matter when building a routine you can follow.

Our food guide and small-appetite meal ideas can help you prepare questions about meals. If you are starting semaglutide injections, our first-week guide focuses on the immediate practical details.

Know what should interrupt the plan

Do not wait for a scheduled check-in when symptoms are severe. Stop treatment and seek urgent medical advice for severe, persistent abdominal pain. Breathing trouble or swelling of the face or throat needs emergency help. Persistent vomiting or diarrhea, inability to keep fluids down, or reduced urination needs prompt assessment. These concerns appear in semaglutide and tirzepatide safety information. 1 2

Read the full side-effect guide and your own medication information. The examples above are not a complete list of possible problems.

Use day 90 to plan forward

Bring your notes and ask your clinician to review benefits, symptoms, nutrition, activity, and any monitoring they recommend. Ask what would lead them to continue, adjust, or change treatment. A refill should be part of an understood plan rather than an automatic assumption.

Include the financial side. Check the next charge and any change in coverage or pricing. Our cost guide can help you compare the next few months without treating the first 90 days as the end of care.

Common questions

Should I increase the dose on a set date?

Follow your own prescription and clinician's instructions. Do not accelerate a schedule because someone else reports faster progress, or assume a planning milestone in this article is a dosing instruction. 1 2

What if medication arrives warm or the packaging seems wrong?

Do not use it while you are resolving the problem. Contact the dispensing pharmacy. FDA advises against using injectable GLP-1 shipments that arrive warm or inadequately refrigerated. 4

Should I wait until day 90 to report a problem?

No. The planner is for organization. Use your care team's contact instructions whenever a concern arises, and seek urgent or emergency care when symptoms require it.