The three stages of care

Most patients move through some or all of these stages. The timing is
different for everyone.

Evaluation and onboarding

The first visit is a real medical conversation. We review your
health history, current medications, prior weight or metabolic
treatment, current concerns, and what you are hoping to accomplish.

Nothing is assumed. If a GLP-1 medication or another treatment
approach looks appropriate, we talk through the options. If it
does not, you should leave understanding why and what may make
more sense instead.

Book Intro Consultation

Ramp-up and adjustment

Starting treatment is a process. We usually begin conservatively,
watch how your body responds, work through side effects, and make
thoughtful adjustments rather than racing toward a predetermined dose.

Some people settle into treatment quickly. Others need more time.
The point is not to follow somebody else’s timetable. It is to find
the dose and treatment plan that are effective, tolerable, and
sustainable for you.

Book Ramp-Up Check-In

Maintenance and long-term care

Once treatment is stable, the questions change. Is the medication
still helping? Are side effects manageable? Has your health changed?
Are your goals different now than they were six months ago?

Long-term metabolic care should be more than an occasional refill.
We stay engaged so the plan can evolve with you, including dose
changes, maintenance decisions, and tapering when that becomes a
reasonable goal.

Book Maintenance Visit

What a thorough evaluation actually covers

Not a five-minute intake. Enough time to understand what might actually
matter.

Your goals and your history

Weight is one piece of the picture. We also talk about metabolic
health, energy, appetite, prior treatment, health changes, and what
you have already tried. Context changes clinical decisions.

Your current medications

We review what you take now, why you take it, and whether your
medication history changes the safety or practicality of the
options under consideration.

Safety and contraindication screening

Certain medical histories deserve particular attention before
GLP-1 treatment is considered. Those questions belong at the
beginning of care, not after a problem appears.

Treatment fit and honest expectations

We discuss what may fit your situation, what the tradeoffs are,
what side effects may occur, what monitoring may be useful, and
what a realistic response could look like. You should understand
the plan before deciding whether to follow it.

Booking a consultation does not guarantee a specific prescription.
It gives you time for an individualized medical evaluation with a
physician who will actually review the whole picture.

What this is not

There are GLP-1 services built primarily for volume and speed. This
practice was built around a different idea of care.

Not a prescription pipeline

The goal of the visit is not to find the fastest route to a
prescription. The goal is to decide whether treatment makes sense,
and then to make good decisions if you move forward.

Not an app standing in for a physician

This is a medical practice. Dr. Benjamin Caplan is a board-certified
family physician with more than two decades of clinical experience.
The evaluation is physician-led because the medical context matters.

Not impersonal or rotating

You are not passed from one available clinician to another. You
work with Dr. Caplan over time. That continuity makes it easier to
understand what changed, what helped, and what happened before.

Not one-and-done care

Metabolic treatment changes over time. Follow-up, tolerance,
adjustment, maintenance, and long-term planning are part of the
medical work. We build that expectation in from the beginning.

Common questions about the process

A few practical things people often want to understand before they book.

How long does the first visit take?

First visits are planned for about 30 to 45 minutes. Some people
arrive with years of medical history and a long list of questions.
Others already understand the medications well and want a more
focused conversation. We use the time according to what you need,
rather than stretching or rushing the visit to fit a script.

I do not want injections. Is there a pill option?

There are oral medication options that may be appropriate in some
situations. We can talk through how oral and injectable treatments
differ in effectiveness, convenience, side effects, availability,
and cost. The point is to understand the tradeoffs before choosing
a path.

Do I need lab work before my visit?

Not necessarily. Recent laboratory results can be useful if you
already have them, but you do not need to delay an initial
conversation simply because you have not had new bloodwork. We can
discuss whether additional monitoring makes sense for your situation.

What if I have already used a GLP-1 medication?

That history is valuable. We will review what you used, the dose,
how long you took it, what changed, what did not, and whether you
had side effects. Prior treatment can help make the next decision
more informed.

How do follow-up visits work?

Follow-up depends on where you are in treatment. Ramp-up visits
tend to focus on dose, appetite, symptoms, side effects, and
tolerance. Maintenance visits focus more on stability, changing
goals, and long-term planning. Frequency is based on clinical need.

Are visits covered by insurance?

Visits are offered on a direct-pay basis, and CED Clinic does not
bill insurance directly for consultation fees. Depending on your
plan, you may be able to submit documentation for out-of-network
reimbursement. Medication costs are separate and depend on the
medication, pharmacy, insurance coverage, and any applicable
manufacturer programs.

What if treatment is not appropriate for me?

Then the visit should still be useful. Sometimes the right answer
is “not yet.” Sometimes another approach makes more sense. You
should leave understanding the reasoning and what to consider next.
We do not assume that everyone who books needs a prescription.

Start with a conversation, not a guess

You do not need to arrive knowing which medication you want or whether
treatment is right for you. That is what the first conversation is for.

Book a Consultation

Read the FAQ

A careful, simple path. No rush.