One in eight Americans has taken a GLP-1 medication, according to a KFF Health Tracking poll. Formally known as glucagon-like peptide-1, GLP-1s are injectable prescription drugs that can be used to control diabetes and manage weight.
While online providers have been offering prescription weight loss drugs, like GLP-1s, to consumers for years, they haven’t provided any support. There was a gap in the market — until recently.
Enter OrderlyMeds, a telehealth platform specializing in personalized weight loss solutions.
Chris Spears
Founder and CEO, OrderlyMeds
When Chris Spears was hospitalized with multiple conditions in 2022, he was in the ICU. His primary care doctor recommended Spears lose weight and was prescribed a leading, brand-name GLP-1 medication to help with weight loss.
When the drug wasn’t available at his local pharmacy due to shortages, Spears ended up buying the compounded GLP-1 online through a telemedicine website. While Spears lost 50 pounds, he found the customer service experience very transactional. The company filled his monthly prescription, but offered no additional support.
Spears, a Georgia Tech computer science graduate who ran a customer experience consulting company for 20 years, knew he could provide a better user experience. That’s why he started OrderlyMeds, which launched Jan. 1, 2024. The service included not only prescription medications, but personal trainers, nutritionists, mental health support, and a robust online community of support.
“I think the most important piece is that we built out a very robust online community for customers, where they’re sharing stories, they’re asking questions, they’re doing the tips and tricks to help them along with this journey,” said Spears, founder and CEO of the company. “We do a weekly content webinar where we’ll have a therapist come in and talk about the mental health side of things.”
Personalized approach
Every OrderlyMeds medication is made using ingredients similar to those in brand name offerings, but are customized to the individual purchaser.
With OrderlyMeds, customers fill out a health survey online. A health provider reviews the responses and can prescribe a personalized compounded prescription for a GLP-1.
Spears says there are different additive combinations that a doctor can order to personalize a weight loss drug for a customer. It’s a comprehensive and personalized approach to weight management.
“An audience of one, this medication is specific,” said Spears, explaining that these medicines are tailored to help people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s reach their health goals.
Customers receive a certificate of analysis (COA) showing the prescription’s contents. “The COA shows its efficacy, its purity, its potency,” Spears explained. “I think that level of transparency is helpful.”
Serving more than 40,000 customers each month, Spears says people appreciate their overall experience with OrderlyMeds because they don’t need to sign up for a monthly subscription, there are no hidden fees, and appointments are virtual.
Mental health support
While losing weight is one piece of the health puzzle, there’s a mental health component that can go overlooked. OrderlyMeds is changing that by making mental health a priority for its customers. With this aim in mind, the company hired clinical psychologist Katie Rickel earlier this year.
Dr. Katie Rickel
Clinical Psychologist, Mental Health Expert, OrderlyMeds
“I’m a big believer that giving and getting support during a weight management journey is key,” said Dr. Rickel, who has spent her career focused on mental health and obesity management and now hosts mental health webinars for OrderlyMeds.
She highlights four types of support that patients on a GLP-1 weight-loss journey need: emotional support from their peers and providers, informational support from experts, companionship so they don’t feel alone, and tangible support like resources to keep them on track.
Dr. Rickel created a “30/60/90 Day Mindset Workbook,” which can help patients during the critical stages of weight loss, including times when their weight may plateau. One common concern is that as patients hit their goal weight, they may have a “now what?” mentality.
“A lot of people find that they have the same problems at 300 pounds as they have at 150 pounds if they’re not really paying attention to changing some of the contextual factors of their life,” Dr. Rickel said. “I like to get in touch with people, to understand why they want to lose this weight in the first place, and really get them to envision, ‘How is my life going to be different?'”
She encourages people on weight-loss journeys to develop coping strategies and emotional outlets that can work for them long-term. Specifically, she focuses on four areas, including how weight loss can affect social relationships, a patient’s motivation to lose weight and why they want to do it, helping patients develop good habits, and breaking patterns that don’t work for them anymore, as well as assessing their emotional eating and other relationships with food.
Patients need to see their whole self, beyond the number on the scale. “There are lots of different things that can influence the scale on any one day,” Dr. Rickel said, “but if they can see themselves getting closer to a goal that is meaningful for them, then in some ways, it doesn’t matter what the scale says, because they’re getting closer to the life that they want to live.”
A health transformation
Interest in weight loss drugs continues to be strong, and Spears says it’s the start of a health transformation.
“I think people have started to feel better. They’re like, ‘what else is out there that I could be doing to feel better?'” Spears noted.
For its part, OrderlyMeds looks to continue shifting the paradigm in weight loss through its whole-person approach to health management. Helping its customers access better fitness routines, nutrition, and mental health support underscores that wellness is about far more than the number on a scale.
Find out how OrderlyMeds can help you on your weight loss journey at orderlymeds.com
All medications require a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider following a medical evaluation.
A healthcare provider may prescribe a compounded drug if determined that it is medically appropriate and necessary for you.
Compounded GLP-1 medications are not approved or evaluated for safety, efficacy, or quality by FDA.
Potential risks, side effects, and benefits should be discussed with your prescribing provider.
Results and outcomes may vary by individual. No guarantees are made regarding specific weight loss or health outcome.
