StaveMD Review
Semaglutide & tirzepatide GLP-1 weight-loss telehealth · Independently scored 7.1/10
Best for: people who want semaglutide, tirzepatide, an oral tablet or a microdose from one brand, billed monthly
StaveMD scores highest on the strength of its clinical program — drug options and dosing support.
Semaglutide
Tirzepatide
What the monthly price covers
Medication
Included
Provider visits
Included
Shipping
Included
Lab work
Not disclosed
Coaching
Not disclosed
No insurance needed · Vetted by our editors
StaveMD is a telehealth brand that prescribes compounded semaglutide (injection or dissolving tablet), tirzepatide and low-dose microdose programs through OpenLoop's clinician network, with named compounding pharmacies and free shipping. Month-to-month plans start at $149 for semaglutide and $199 for tirzepatide. The "from $109/mo" headline is the 52-week plan, charged as $1,417 upfront.
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StaveMD at a glance
- Type
- GLP-1 telehealth provider
- Medications
- Semaglutide, Tirzepatide
- Starting price
- $149/mo (12 weeks $417, 24 weeks $774, 52 weeks $1,417 upfront (the "$109/mo" headline))
- What's included
- Medication · Consult · Shipping
- FDA status
- No FDA warning letter on record
How we scored StaveMD
Each dimension is scored algorithmically from StaveMD’s real pricing, drugs offered, verification status, and disclosed inclusions — using the same six-dimension framework we apply to every provider.
Value25%
7.7/10At $149/mo, StaveMD runs about 12% below the $169 median for GLP-1 providers.
Effectiveness25%
7.8/10StaveMD offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide — the two GLP-1 molecules with the strongest published weight-loss trial outcomes. An oral/needle-free option is offered for patients who avoid injections.
User Experience15%
7.0/10Online intake and platform experience — consult included in the price; 8 platform features disclosed.
Trust & Safety15%
6.9/10Core details confirmed by our editors; no FDA warning letters on file.
Accessibility10%
6.1/10StaveMD's exact state footprint isn't published — confirm coverage in your state before signing up. FSA/HSA cards are accepted.
Support10%
5.5/10StaveMD provides standard clinician follow-up; no extended coaching or community program is disclosed.
Providers that don’t post pricing up front score lower on Value and carry a cost-transparency note in their review. Read the full methodology →
How we verified this StaveMD review
Last checked September 2026- Confirmed current pricing across 5 dose/plan tiers
- Confirmed what the monthly price does and doesn't include
- Checked the FDA warning-letter database for enforcement actions
- Walked the public intake/checkout flow on the provider's site
Pricing, availability, and compliance facts come from the provider's own site and primary regulatory records — see the sources below. Editorial confidence in this data: medium.
What we checked
- Provider's own pricing page
- $149–$199/mo across 5 dose/plan tiers — checked September 2026
- FDA warning-letter register
- No letter on file for this provider
What to expect when you sign up with StaveMD
We walked StaveMD’s public signup flow in September 2026 to document the process — the steps, pricing transparency, and what’s required — before you commit. (We don’t create accounts, enter medical information, or check out; this is the observable funnel, not a prescribing outcome.)
- 1Pick a program on the homepage (semaglutide injection, oral semaglutide, tirzepatide or microdose) and click "Get started"
- 2An intake of about 25 screens covers height and weight, goal weight, sex, pregnancy, goals, sleep, medical history, contraindications, blood pressure, heart rate, medications and allergies
- 3A summary screen shows your BMI and a projected weight-loss timeline
- 4Enter date of birth, shipping address, name, phone and email, and accept the telehealth consent
- 5Choose a treatment, then a 4, 12, 24 or 52-week plan on the order review screen (walk stopped here, before checkout and payment)
- The homepage shows only "starting at" figures, and each one is the 52-week prepaid tier rather than a monthly bill
- The month-to-month price and every prepaid total appear only on the order review, after the full intake and your contact details
- The order review labels prices "/mo" beside a "4 week plan," so a year is 13 charges
- The checkout authorization names OpenLoop Health, Inc as the company that charges your card
- The intake screens for the recognized GLP-1 contraindications, including pregnancy, pancreatitis, medullary thyroid cancer and MEN2
- The microdose program asks you to agree to get weight-loss medication only through this platform
StaveMD customer support
- hello@stavemd.com
GLP-1 medications StaveMD offers
Tap any medication to read our plain-English guide — how it works, dosing, side effects, and what the trials found.
Pricing
Prices re-verified
12 weeks $417, 24 weeks $774, 52 weeks $1,417 upfront (the "$109/mo" headline)
12 weeks $567, 24 weeks $1,074, 52 weeks $2,197 upfront (the "$169/mo" headline)
12 weeks $567, 24 weeks $1,074, 52 weeks $2,067 upfront (the "$159/mo" headline)
12 weeks $477, 24 weeks $894, 52 weeks $1,677 upfront (the "$129/mo" headline)
Same ladder as semaglutide microdose: 12 weeks $477, 24 weeks $894, 52 weeks $1,677
Ready to get started?
Plans and promotions change often — check StaveMD's current pricing and active discounts before you decide.
What we like
- Month-to-month semaglutide injections at $149 per 4 weeks, with no membership fee on top
- Offers injections, a daily dissolving semaglutide tablet, and low-dose microdose programs for semaglutide or tirzepatide
- Names its prescribing group (OpenLoop Healthcare Partners) and four fulfilling pharmacies, with addresses, in its terms
- Cancel any time from your account, with no phone call and no notice period
- Full refund if a provider decides treatment isn't right for you, since no medication is ordered
- Free shipping, and the site says plans are HSA/FSA eligible
Watch-outs
- The "from $109/mo" headline is the 52-week plan, charged as $1,417 upfront; month-to-month semaglutide is $149
- Plans are labeled "/mo" but bill every 4 weeks, which is 13 charges a year, not 12
- The full price list only appears after the whole health intake and your name, address, phone and email
- "Trusted by millions" and "2,000,003+ members" are OpenLoop network totals, not StaveMD patients, per its own footer
- The homepage says "LegitScript-certified," but no certification record exists for the site in LegitScript's directory
- Refundability of unused months on a prepaid 12, 24 or 52-week plan is not spelled out
- Support is email-only; no phone number is published
Is StaveMD worth it?
What StaveMD is selling, in one line, is people who want semaglutide, tirzepatide, an oral tablet or a microdose from one brand, billed monthly. It runs $149/month — toward the affordable end of the category, so cost isn't the reason to look elsewhere. Its standout is a needle-free oral option, which very few providers offer.
It offers a microdosing option and takes HSA/FSA payment.
How much StaveMD actually costs
Compounded semaglutide runs $149/month, compounded semaglutide runs $199/month, compounded tirzepatide runs $199/month, compounded semaglutide runs $179/month, and compounded tirzepatide runs $179/month.
That puts StaveMD below the roughly $169 median ongoing price across the GLP-1 providers we track — a real cost advantage.
altRX (about $149/month) is one of the closest alternatives to weigh StaveMD against.
Medications: what StaveMD prescribes
StaveMD prescribes semaglutide (the active drug in Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (the active drug in Zepbound and Mounjaro) — the two molecules with the strongest published weight-loss trial outcomes. The medication is compounded at a licensed pharmacy rather than sold as a brand pen, which is what keeps the price down. The trade-off is the one every compounded provider shares: compounded drugs aren't FDA-approved as finished products.
StaveMD's needle-free oral option is a real draw if you've been avoiding a GLP-1 because of injections. Just set expectations on the science: oral and buccal delivery of these peptides is far less studied than the injectable versions the trials used. Treat it as a convenience option, not a proven equal to the shot.
Who StaveMD is best for — and who should skip it
A good fit if you…
- are focused on the lowest ongoing monthly cost — $149/month is below the roughly $169 median we track across the category.
- are needle-averse and want a non-injectable option, since the oral route skips the weekly injection most GLP-1 programs require.
Look elsewhere if you…
- specifically want an FDA-approved brand-name pen instead of a compounded formulation — that's not what this provider fills.
- need to bill insurance, since like most of this market it's cash-pay with no claims filed on your behalf.
Trust, safety, and medical oversight
We found no FDA warning letter on file for it, though a clean record isn't the same as an endorsement — read the rest of this review for the full picture. As with any compounded program, the most important step you can take is confirming which licensed pharmacy fills your prescription and what's in the formulation — we explain how in our scoring methodology.
Bottom line
StaveMD earns its place on the shortlist mainly on price: at $149/month it's one of the more affordable ways to stay on a GLP-1, without obvious corners cut on access or oversight.
The Bottom Line
StaveMD scores highest on the strength of its clinical program — drug options and dosing support.
Ready to start with StaveMD?
Starting at $149/month. See current pricing and start your free consultation.
StaveMD might not be your best fit if…
We rank editorially, so here’s where a different provider we track may serve you better.
- If you want brand-name Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound, consider GobyMeds.
- If the lowest possible monthly price is your top priority, consider Collective (from $59/mo).
- If you want built-in coaching and behavior-change support, consider Found.
Frequently Asked Questions
Key terms, explained
New to GLP-1s? Tap any term for a quick, plain-English definition.
- Semaglutide · Drugs and brands
- Tirzepatide · Drugs and brands
- Compounded GLP-1 · Pharmacy and drug forms
- 503A pharmacy · Pharmacy and drug forms
- PCAB accreditation · Pharmacy and drug forms
- Prior authorization (PA) · Insurance and regulatory
- Off-label use · Insurance and regulatory
- FDA Drug Shortage List · Insurance and regulatory
Sources
The primary regulatory filings and peer-reviewed studies cited throughout this StaveMD review:
Sources & methodology — as of September 2026
- 1.Weight Loss Rankings — GLP-1 Pricing Index 2026 (our independent dataset)— WeightLossRankings.org.
- 2.FDA — Compounding and the 503A Pharmacy Framework— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 3.FDA — Drug Shortages Database (current shortage listings)— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 4.PCAB — Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board Standards— Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) / PCAB.
- 5.KFF — Medicaid coverage research (anti-obesity & GLP-1 drug policy)— Kaiser Family Foundation.
- 6.STEP 1 Trial — Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (Wilding JPH et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 33567185.
- 7.FDA — Wegovy (semaglutide) Approval History via Drugs@FDA— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 8.FDA — Ozempic (semaglutide) Prescribing Information via Drugs@FDA— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 9.SURMOUNT-1 Trial — Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (Jastreboff AM et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 35658024.
- 10.FDA — Zepbound (tirzepatide) Approval History via Drugs@FDA— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 11.FDA — Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Prescribing Information via Drugs@FDA— U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
- 12.SURMOUNT-5 Trial — Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide Head-to-Head in Obesity (Garvey WT et al.)— New England Journal of Medicine.PMID: 40334173.
See StaveMD's current pricing
Plans start at $149/month. Start your free consultation to check eligibility and today's price.