Your part takes minutes: about 5 minutes for the online intake and a few more to set up your patient portal. After that, a licensed provider typically reviews within 24 hours, and if treatment is prescribed, the pharmacy usually processes your order within a day and ships it with 2-day shipping. The step that most often holds things up is one you control: finishing your patient portal setup, including the ID check and consent, right after checkout.
What are the steps, and how long does each take?
| Step | Who | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Online intake | You | About 5 minutes |
| 2. Checkout | You | A minute or two |
| 3. Set up your patient portal | You | A few minutes: create your account, upload a photo ID and sign the telehealth consent. Your order waits for it |
| 4. Provider review | A licensed provider in your state | Typically within 24 hours; some states require a short video visit |
| 5. Pharmacy preparation | One of our partner pharmacies | Usually a few hours to a day after approval |
| 6. Shipping | Carrier | 2-day shipping, sometimes faster |
1. Online intake. You answer questions about your health history, current medications and goals. A licensed provider uses your answers to decide whether treatment is appropriate, so complete and accurate answers help avoid follow-up questions later.
2. Checkout. You pay at checkout. If a provider decides treatment isn't appropriate, no medication is sent and you're refunded in full.
3. Patient portal setup. After you order, your care happens in your patient portal at portal.forvahealth.com. Sign in with the email or phone number you used when you ordered, then upload a photo ID and sign the telehealth consent. Your order stays on hold until both are done, so finish them the same day.
4. Provider review. A licensed provider in your state reviews your intake and health history, typically within 24 hours. If they need more information, they'll message you in the portal, and you'll get an email alert for each new message. Some states require a short video visit before a provider can prescribe.
5. Pharmacy preparation. If your provider prescribes treatment, one of our partner pharmacies (AbsoluteRx, Strive Pharmacy or Boudreaux's New Drug Store, depending on your state) prepares your medication, usually within a few hours to a day. Compounded medications are prepared for an individual patient based on the prescription.
6. Shipping. The pharmacy ships your medication with 2-day shipping, sometimes faster. Shipping is included in your plan.
What can slow things down?
- An unfinished patient portal. Your order can't move until it's set up.
- Unanswered provider questions. If your provider messages you, reply in the portal so your review can continue.
- A required video visit. In some states, the provider has to see you on video before prescribing.
- A payment issue. A declined card holds up the order until it's resolved.
If a provider prescribes a brand-name medication such as Wegovy or Zepbound instead, the timing is different. You pay the manufacturer's pharmacy directly, its payment request usually arrives within about 72 hours of approval, and the manufacturer ships the medication. Forva can't track those shipments.
What happens after your medication arrives?
Your care team sends your dosing instructions as a message in your patient portal, not by email, and you'll get an email alert when it arrives. A short check-in in the portal every 3 months keeps your prescription active.
Plans renew automatically every 4 weeks at the same rate until you cancel. The renewal is charged 3 days early so your next shipment can go out on time, and prepaid plans ship 12 weeks of medication at a time. To cancel, email support@forvahealth.com before your renewal date.
Can you get GLP-1 medication faster without a prescription?
Sellers who skip the prescription are not a faster version of the same thing. Vials sold online as "research use only" or "not for human consumption" come with no provider review and no licensed pharmacy filling a prescription written for you. The FDA advises getting GLP-1 medication with a prescription from a licensed provider, filled by a state-licensed pharmacy. Forva's guide to gray market peptides vs prescription GLP-1 covers what that difference means in practice.
Is compounded GLP-1 medication FDA-approved?
No. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. A state-licensed 503A pharmacy prepares them for an individual patient when a licensed provider decides they are appropriate. Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide are not generic versions of Wegovy, Zepbound or any other brand-name medication.
GLP-1 medications can cause side effects, most commonly nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation, and carry serious risks. Labeling for FDA-approved semaglutide and tirzepatide products includes a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors. Your provider reviews these risks before prescribing.
Plans and prices are on the weight-loss treatment page, and the Help Center covers the patient portal in more detail.
Wegovy is a registered trademark of Novo Nordisk A/S. Zepbound is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company. Forva Health is not affiliated with or endorsed by Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Eligibility and treatment decisions are made by a licensed provider.