Know what happens after the visit.

Ask for a way to reach follow-up care.

Find out who handles medicine questions, which contact method to use, and where to turn if that person is unavailable. Put the answer with your care notes.

State medical boards’ guidance says online patients should have a way to raise further questions after their visit. [a]

Get a confusing label explained.

With compounding, a pharmacist or doctor prepares medicine for one patient’s needs instead of providing a drug company’s finished product.

Drug review in the US is handled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Approved medicines containing semaglutide, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, treat diabetes or help manage weight according to the product.

FDA has received reports of people measuring or being told the wrong amount of compounded semaglutide to inject; some reports involved hospital care. [b]

Do not guess at a confusing label. Ask the person writing your prescription or the pharmacist to explain the written instructions. [b]

Keep the package and the instructions available for that conversation.

Ask for product-specific storage instructions.

Each product has its own storage requirements; some peptide medicines must stay cold, while others can be kept at room temperature. [c]

GLP-1 is a hormone, a chemical signal linked to appetite and blood sugar; medicines that act like it are often called GLP-1 medicines.

Examples include semaglutide brands Ozempic and Wegovy, plus tirzepatide brands Mounjaro and Zepbound; each product treats diabetes or helps manage weight.

If a GLP-1 medicine for injection is delivered warm or has not been kept sufficiently cold, FDA says not to use it; examples include semaglutide and tirzepatide. [d]

Ask the pharmacy to explain the product’s storage and delivery conditions.

Severe allergic signs need urgent help.

A severe allergic reaction is an emergency that threatens life, explains MedlinePlus, a health information service provided by the US National Library of Medicine. [e]

Signs may include finding it hard to breathe or swallow, or swelling in your face or tongue. [e]

For severe signs, MedlinePlus advises calling the local emergency number. [e]

Report a medicine problem.

MedWatch is the FDA programme for reports about problems with medical products. Patients can make a report themselves. [f]

An adverse event is an unwanted problem that happens while or after you use a medical product. [f]

A report alone does not show that the medicine led to the problem. [g]

Keep the product name and the account of what happened for the person treating you, the pharmacist, and the report.