The intake is where a clinic earns its fee. Everything after it, the dose steps, the refills, the check-ins, is routine if the intake was thorough and dangerous if it was not. This page lists what a proper intake covers, with the label sections behind each item, so you can tell whether yours did.
1. A weight and health history
The AACE/ACE 2016 guideline expects a medical evaluation that covers weight history, previous attempts and their outcomes, eating patterns, activity, sleep, and the complications that go with excess weight: type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, fatty liver, osteoarthritis, reflux, depression. A good intake asks about all of them because they change both the case for treatment and the follow-up plan. The OMA 2022 statement adds that medication is one pillar of four; an intake that never mentions nutrition or activity is treating a symptom.
2. Contraindication screening from the labels
Both the Wegovy and Zepbound labels list the same contraindications in section 4:
- A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
- A known serious hypersensitivity to the drug or any of its excipients.
The intake must ask these directly and in words you can understand. "Any thyroid problems?" is not the same question as "has anyone in your family had medullary thyroid cancer?". If you do not know your family history, say so; a clinician can decide what that uncertainty means.
3. Warnings that need your history
Section 5 of both labels describes conditions that do not forbid the drug but change how carefully it should be used. A good intake asks about each:
| Label warning | What the intake should ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Acute pancreatitis | Have you ever had pancreatitis? | Both labels say to discontinue if pancreatitis is suspected and describe its warning sign: severe persistent abdominal pain, sometimes radiating to the back. |
| Acute gallbladder disease | Gallstones, gallbladder removal, biliary symptoms? | Both labels report increased cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. |
| Hypoglycemia with insulin or a sulfonylurea | Do you take insulin or a sulfonylurea for diabetes? | Both labels say the dose of those drugs may need to be reduced. |
| Acute kidney injury | Any kidney disease? Any history of severe dehydration? | Both labels describe kidney injury after vomiting or diarrhea caused dehydration. |
| Diabetic retinopathy complications | Do you have diabetes, and when was your last eye exam? | Wegovy label reports retinopathy complications in trials of people with type 2 diabetes. |
| Severe gastrointestinal adverse reactions | Gastroparesis, severe reflux or other GI disease? | Both labels warn of severe gastrointestinal reactions; existing GI disease is context the clinician needs before choosing a dose plan. |
| Heart rate increase | Any heart rhythm problems? | Wegovy label: discontinue if a sustained resting heart rate increase occurs. |
| Aspiration under anaesthesia | Any surgery or procedure planned? | Wegovy label instructs patients to tell healthcare providers before planned procedures. |
4. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and contraception
Both labels say the drugs may cause fetal harm and should be discontinued when pregnancy is recognised. The Wegovy label goes further: discontinue at least 2 months before a planned pregnancy because of the long half-life. The Zepbound label tells people using oral hormonal contraceptives to switch to a non-oral method or add a barrier method for 4 weeks after starting and for 4 weeks after each dose escalation, because slowed gastric emptying can reduce absorption. An intake that does not ask about pregnancy plans and contraception has skipped a label instruction. formblendslabs.com covers when a pregnancy test is part of the baseline.
5. A full medication and supplement list
Not "any medications?" but the actual list with doses. Slowed gastric emptying can change how oral drugs are absorbed, and the labels single out insulin, sulfonylureas and oral contraceptives. A clinician needs the list to look for those and for anything with a narrow therapeutic index.
6. Labs, ordered or requested
The labels do not prescribe a specific pre-treatment panel. Society guidance and usual practice cover glycemic status (A1c or fasting glucose), kidney and liver function (a metabolic panel), lipids, and further tests depending on your history. A good intake either orders them, asks for recent results, or tells you which to get at a local lab. The pre-therapy lab checklist explains each test and why. An intake that requires no labs at all and never asks for old ones is choosing not to know.
7. Informed consent that is actually informative
You should be told, in writing you can keep: the common side effects and their frequency, the serious warnings above, that the drug is intended for long-term use and weight tends to return after stopping, and, if a compounded product is proposed, that it is not FDA approved and is not interchangeable with the brand product. The AMA's telemedicine opinion adds, for remote care, an explanation of the limits of the technology and who the clinicians are.
How to tell your intake was thin
- It took under ten minutes and asked nothing about thyroid cancer, pancreatitis or pregnancy.
- It did not ask for or order labs.
- Your medication list was a single free-text box.
- Nobody spoke to you, and there was no option to request that someone did.
- The consent document was a checkbox on the checkout page.
Any one of these is a reason to ask questions before paying. Two or more is a reason to look elsewhere. Take the first-call questions with you.
Questions people ask
What labs should be done before starting?
The labels do not mandate a specific panel. Society guidance and common practice point to glucose or A1c, a metabolic panel for kidney and liver function, lipids, and other tests depending on your history. formblendslabs.com explains each test and why it matters; the intake should either order them or ask for recent results.
Is a family history of thyroid cancer really a contraindication?
A personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma specifically, or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, is a contraindication in both labels. Other thyroid cancers and thyroid conditions are not the same thing, which is exactly why the question needs a clinician who can follow up on a vague answer.
Sources
- Wegovy (semaglutide) prescribing information, DailyMed set id ee06186f-2aa3-4990-a760-757579d8f77b Accessed September 4, 2026.
- Zepbound (tirzepatide) prescribing information, DailyMed set id 487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b Accessed September 4, 2026.
- Garvey WT et al. AACE/ACE Comprehensive Clinical Practice Guidelines for Medical Care of Patients with Obesity. Endocr Pract 2016. PubMed 27219496 Accessed September 4, 2026.
- Bays HE et al. Anti-Obesity Medications and Investigational Agents: An Obesity Medicine Association Clinical Practice Statement 2022. Obesity Pillars 2022. PubMed 37990711 Accessed September 4, 2026.
Canonical URL: https://formblendsclinics.com/your-visit/what-a-good-intake-includes. Written by the FormBlends editorial team. This page is educational and is not medical advice; see the medical disclaimer.