GLP-1 Weight Loss Care From a Board-Certified Physician Near You
Dr. Lara Samourjian of RefineMD offers free consultations for medical weight loss treatment plans, including GLP-1 prescriptions and health monitoring. Book an appointment or contact RefineMD today to learn more.
There is a difference between getting access to a weight loss medication and receiving medical care while taking one. Dr. Lara Samourjian provides physician-guided medical weight loss through RefineMD for patients who want prescription treatment to be evaluated and managed as part of their overall health.
Dr. Samourjian is a board-certified internal medicine physician with more than a decade of clinical medicine experience. Instead of beginning with the assumption that every patient should take the same medication, she can review your medical history, current prescriptions, previous weight loss efforts, appetite, health concerns, and goals before determining whether prescription treatment should be considered.
This approach is increasingly important because medical weight loss now includes several different types of medication. Patients may hear about Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, Ozempic, Mounjaro, semaglutide, tirzepatide, and other names, even though those products do not all have the same approved uses or mechanisms.
RefineMD gives West Hollywood patients access to Dr. Samourjian through convenient virtual consultations. Appropriate medical weight loss visits and follow-up care can be completed through telehealth, with in-person care available at the RefineMD clinic in Glendale when necessary.
GLP-1 medications affect biological signals involved in appetite, fullness, food intake, digestion, and metabolic regulation. For eligible patients, these effects can make it easier to reduce calorie intake and manage persistent hunger. But the medication itself is only one part of treatment.
The first question is whether prescription weight management is medically appropriate for you. The next question is which treatment fits your health and circumstances. After treatment begins, the focus shifts to how you are responding and whether the medication continues to be a good fit.
A weight loss consultation with Dr. Samourjian can include a review of factors that may influence whether a GLP-1 or another prescription treatment should be considered:
Depending on your medical circumstances, additional information, laboratory testing, or an in-person evaluation may be appropriate. A consultation is an evaluation, not a guarantee that a particular medication will be prescribed.
The early phase of treatment gives both you and your physician useful information. Your appetite may decrease significantly, portion sizes may change, and you may notice that certain foods or eating patterns feel different than they did before treatment. Some patients also experience gastrointestinal side effects.
This is one reason follow-up matters. The goal is not simply to keep increasing medication until the scale moves faster. Dr. Samourjian can review how your body is responding, whether symptoms are manageable, and whether the current treatment continues to make sense.
Medication plans can also evolve. Your treatment needs after several months may not be identical to what you needed when you began. Physician involvement makes it possible to reconsider the plan as your weight, appetite, health, and goals change.
Modern medical weight management includes more variety than many patients realize. Some treatments target the GLP-1 receptor alone, while tirzepatide acts through both GIP and GLP-1 pathways. Patients can also discuss both injectable and oral options.
This means that asking "Which GLP-1 is best?" does not have one universal answer. The more useful question is which medication, if any, is the best fit for the individual patient.
Wegovy contains semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist used for chronic weight management in eligible patients. Semaglutide works with GLP-1 receptors involved in appetite and food intake.
Wegovy now provides more than one way to take semaglutide for weight management. There are injectable and oral formulations, giving patients the opportunity to discuss administration preferences alongside the medical factors involved in treatment.
Wegovy and Ozempic both contain semaglutide, but they are separate prescription products with different approved uses. A physician can help clarify which formulation and indication are relevant when the primary goal is weight management.
Zepbound contains tirzepatide and is used for chronic weight management in eligible adults. Tirzepatide differs from semaglutide because it activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors rather than GLP-1 alone.
Zepbound is administered by injection. Treatment typically involves gradual dose escalation rather than beginning immediately at a higher maintenance dose, and decisions about continued dosing should account for the patient's response and tolerability.
Mounjaro also contains tirzepatide, but Mounjaro and Zepbound have different approved indications. That distinction is important when patients encounter the two brand names online or through friends who may be using tirzepatide for a different medical reason.
Foundayo contains orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist used for chronic weight management in eligible adults. It is taken once daily and provides another option for patients who prefer an oral medication.
Foundayo can be taken with or without food and does not have water restrictions associated with certain other oral GLP-1 formulations. That convenience may matter to some patients, but it is not the only consideration when choosing treatment.
Whether an oral or injectable medication is appropriate can depend on medical history, other medications, previous treatment, tolerability, lifestyle, and patient preference.
| Medication | Active Ingredient | Mechanism | Form | What May Matter When Choosing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wegovy | Semaglutide | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Injection or tablet | Medical history, preferred administration, previous treatment, tolerability, and treatment goals |
| Zepbound | Tirzepatide | Dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist | Injection | Medical history, previous GLP-1 use, medication response, tolerability, and long-term plan |
| Foundayo | Orforglipron | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Daily tablet | Preference for oral therapy, medical suitability, routine, medication history, and tolerability |
A medication comparison can help you understand the available choices, but it cannot determine which treatment you personally should take. That decision requires an individual medical evaluation.
Successful medical weight management should not be defined by one weigh-in. Weight can fluctuate from day to day, and even longer-term weight loss does not always occur at a perfectly consistent rate.
Dr. Samourjian can evaluate the trend while also considering how treatment is affecting hunger, food intake, medication tolerance, energy, nutrition, hydration, and overall health. This gives a more useful picture of how the treatment is working for you.
| Area | What Can Be Reviewed |
|---|---|
| Weight | The overall direction and pace of weight change across weeks and months. |
| Hunger | Whether persistent hunger has decreased and how your appetite is changing throughout the day. |
| Fullness | Whether you are becoming satisfied with smaller amounts of food and how that affects eating patterns. |
| Tolerability | Whether side effects are mild and manageable or require additional evaluation. |
| Nutrition | Whether reduced food intake is still providing adequate protein, nutrients, and energy. |
| Hydration | Whether you are maintaining adequate fluid intake, particularly when appetite or digestion changes. |
| Overall Health | Whether other medications, symptoms, or health changes affect the treatment plan. |
A weight loss plateau does not automatically mean a medication has failed. Progress often changes over time. Before changing treatment, it can be useful to look at the bigger picture.
Dr. Samourjian can review whether appetite has changed, how consistently medication is being used, nutritional intake, physical activity, side effects, other medications, and changes in health. The appropriate response may or may not involve changing the prescription.
This is an important distinction between medical management and trying to adjust a GLP-1 independently. Dose changes and medication switches should be based on an evaluation of what is actually happening rather than frustration with a short period of slower progress.
One of the intended effects of these medications is reduced appetite. That can make weight reduction more manageable, but it can also mean that patients are eating substantially less than before.
Smaller meals still need to provide adequate nutrition. A medical weight loss plan may include attention to protein, nutrient intake, hydration, balanced food choices, and physical activity appropriate for your health.
The goal is not to eat the smallest amount possible. It is to use prescription treatment as part of a plan that supports weight loss while continuing to support your health.
RefineMD offers virtual medical consultations with Dr. Lara Samourjian, allowing West Hollywood patients to access physician-led weight management without commuting to an office for every appointment.
Your telehealth visit is with the physician providing your care. You can discuss weight history, previous treatments, GLP-1 medications, side effects, progress, and questions directly with Dr. Samourjian.
This can be especially useful for follow-up. Once treatment begins, routine conversations about response, medication tolerance, appetite, or continued treatment may be handled virtually when appropriate.
If your medical situation requires laboratory testing, an examination, or an in-person assessment, Dr. Samourjian can discuss what is needed. RefineMD's physical clinic is located in Glendale.
The convenience of telehealth does not have to mean receiving a prescription with little continuity afterward. RefineMD's approach is designed around an ongoing physician relationship.
That becomes more valuable as treatment evolves. You may begin by asking whether you qualify for a GLP-1, then later have questions about a side effect, slower weight loss, medication availability, switching treatments, or what to do after reaching a goal.
Those questions are part of medical weight management, not separate from it. Dr. Samourjian can review them in the context of your overall treatment rather than expecting you to determine the next step by yourself.
The goal eventually changes from losing weight to deciding how progress will be maintained. There is no single maintenance strategy that applies to everyone.
Some patients may continue prescription treatment when medically appropriate. Others may need their plan reassessed as their health, goals, or circumstances change. Medication should not be stopped, restarted, or changed solely because a particular number appears on the scale.
Continued physician involvement provides an opportunity to discuss the next stage of treatment deliberately instead of treating GLP-1 therapy as a short-term transaction.
If you are in West Hollywood and want to discuss Wegovy, Zepbound, Foundayo, or another medical weight loss option, schedule a consultation with Dr. Lara Samourjian at RefineMD. You can begin virtually and receive continued physician-guided care if prescription treatment is appropriate for you.
No. You can come to your consultation without choosing a medication beforehand. In fact, determining which treatment may be appropriate is part of the medical evaluation.
Dr. Samourjian can review your health history, previous weight loss treatment, current medications, preferences, and goals before discussing options such as semaglutide, tirzepatide, oral GLP-1 treatment, or another approach.
Weight management can overlap with medications, metabolic health, gastrointestinal symptoms, blood sugar, nutrition, and other medical concerns. Dr. Lara Samourjian is a board-certified internal medicine physician with more than a decade of clinical medicine experience.
Her role is to evaluate weight loss treatment in the context of your broader health rather than focusing only on whether a prescription can be provided.
There are now both injectable and oral prescription options for chronic weight management, but changing medications or formulations is a medical decision rather than a direct one-for-one substitution.
Dr. Samourjian can review what you currently take, your dose, treatment response, side effects, medical history, and reason for wanting to switch before discussing whether another option may be appropriate.
Yes. Previous GLP-1 treatment is useful information for your consultation. Be prepared to discuss which medication you used, the dose, how long you took it, why you stopped, what results you experienced, and whether you had side effects.
Dr. Samourjian can review that history before deciding whether restarting treatment, considering a different medication, or taking another approach should be discussed.
Weight change is important, but it is not the only information that can be reviewed. Dr. Samourjian can also look at changes in hunger, fullness, eating patterns, medication tolerance, nutrition, side effects, and overall health.
Progress is better evaluated as a trend over time rather than by expecting the scale to decrease at exactly the same rate every week.
No. RefineMD provides physician-led medical weight loss care. When prescription treatment is appropriate, care can continue with progress monitoring, medication management, discussion of side effects, nutritional and lifestyle guidance, and follow-up with Dr. Samourjian.
The goal is to provide ongoing medical care rather than ending the relationship once a prescription has been written.
Yes. RefineMD offers telehealth consultations with Dr. Lara Samourjian for California patients. Appropriate medical weight loss consultations and follow-up visits can be completed virtually.
If your care requires laboratory testing, a physical examination, or another in-person evaluation, Dr. Samourjian can discuss the next step with you. RefineMD also has a physical medical office in Glendale.
Call or message us directly to learn more about our medical weight loss services.
Whether you’re ready to start a treatment or want to learn more through a consultation, our expert team is here to help.
