how to choose a glp-1 provider in new canaan
By Dr. Teresa Alasio, MD — Founder, Intentional Self Aesthetics
The market for GLP-1 injections has expanded remarkably fast. In less than three years, what was a specialist-prescribed diabetes medication became one of the most widely prescribed drug classes in the country, delivered through telehealth platforms, wellness apps, and online pharmacies at prices that drop a little every month.
That access is, in a lot of ways, a good thing. More people who could benefit from this medication can now get it.
But the speed of expansion has also created a real problem: the difference between genuine physician supervision and a rubber-stamp prescription process has gotten very hard to see from the outside. A lot of patients are getting GLP-1 medication. Not all of them are getting real medical care.
Here are five questions that cut through the marketing.
1. Are you actually going to see a physician?
This sounds like an obvious question. It isn’t. Many telehealth weight loss platforms route your intake form to a nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or — in some cases — through an automated system that flags exceptions to a supervising physician who may never speak with you directly.
There’s nothing illegal about that. NPs and PAs are qualified clinicians. But if you’re looking for physician-supervised weight loss — which is specifically what many patients want, especially those with more complex health histories — ask directly: will a physician review my case, and will I have direct access to that physician if I have concerns?
2. Is the medication FDA-approved, or compounded?
This matters more than most patients realize. Compounded GLP-1 medications — versions mixed at compounding pharmacies rather than manufactured by Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly — have been the subject of significant FDA enforcement action. The FDA sent warning letters to dozens of telehealth platforms in 2025 and 2026 for marketing compounded formulations as equivalent to FDA-approved drugs. They are not equivalent. Compounded medications skip the FDA’s approval process entirely.
Ask your provider specifically: are you prescribing FDA-approved branded semaglutide or tirzepatide, or a compounded version? If the answer is compounded, ask why — and consider whether the lower price is worth the tradeoff.
3. How will they monitor your muscle mass — not just your weight?
GLP-1 medications reduce appetite significantly, which leads to caloric restriction, which leads to weight loss. That’s the mechanism. The problem is that caloric restriction without support tends to reduce muscle mass along with fat.
Ask any prospective GLP-1 provider: what’s your protocol for monitoring body composition? Do you track muscle mass, not just total weight? What do you recommend for muscle preservation during active weight loss?
A provider who hasn’t thought about this question probably isn’t thinking about your outcome as a whole.
4. What happens to your face?
Weight loss — especially rapid weight loss — changes your face. Facial fat provides structural support, and when it goes quickly, the skin doesn’t always keep pace. The resulting hollowing and laxity has been widely reported enough to earn its own name: “Ozempic face.”
A provider who prescribes GLP-1 injections and has no plan for the aesthetic consequences of the medication they’re prescribing is, at minimum, giving you an incomplete picture. Ask: do you offer any guidance or treatment for facial volume changes during weight loss? The answer reveals whether they’re thinking about the whole patient.
5. What happens when something goes wrong?
Nausea, fatigue, hair loss, GI distress — GLP-1 side effects are real and common in the early phases of treatment. What matters is whether your provider is reachable and responsive when they happen.
Ask how the platform handles side effects. Is there a direct line to your provider? A nurse you can call? A response-time commitment? The answer to this question is usually where the difference between a real medical program and a prescription-processing service becomes obvious.
What we do differently at Intentional Self Aesthetics
I built our Medical Weight Loss Program around exactly these concerns. Every patient works directly with me — a board-certified physician. We prescribe only FDA-approved branded GLP-1 medications. We monitor body composition, not just the scale. And because we’re a full-service aesthetic practice, we can address facial volume changes, skin laxity, and muscle loss as part of the same program — not as an afterthought.
We’re currently accepting a limited number of founding patients for virtual visits in Connecticut and New York.
See how our program works and apply for a founding spot →
Dr. Teresa Alasio is a board-certified physician and founder of Intentional Self Aesthetics in New Canaan, CT. She is licensed to practice in Connecticut and New York and writes a regular health column for the New Canaan Sentinel.
