Consultation & Labs

What Happens During Your First Consultation

Your first appointment with a peptide therapy provider is primarily a diagnostic and planning session. Whether in person or via telehealth, the goal is the same: your provider needs to understand your health history, your goals, and your current baseline before recommending any treatment. Expect this consultation to last between 30 and 60 minutes.

A thorough initial consultation typically follows this structure:

Health History Review

Your provider will ask about your complete medical history, including current medications, supplements, past surgeries, chronic conditions, allergies, and family history. Be honest and thorough — peptide therapies interact with your body's existing systems, and your provider needs a clear picture to prescribe safely. If you are taking blood thinners, immunosuppressants, insulin, or have a history of cancer, these are critical details that may affect which peptides are appropriate for you.

You should also discuss your lifestyle factors: sleep quality, exercise habits, stress levels, diet, and alcohol or tobacco use. These factors influence how well you respond to therapy and may affect dosing decisions.

Goal Discussion

Be specific about what you hope to achieve. "I want to feel better" is a starting point, but your provider needs more detail to build an effective protocol. Common therapy goals include:

• Body composition: Reducing body fat, increasing lean muscle mass, improving recovery from exercise
• Hormone optimization: Addressing low testosterone, growth hormone deficiency, or thyroid issues
• Sleep and recovery: Improving sleep quality, reducing time to recovery after physical activity
• Cognitive function: Addressing brain fog, focus, or mental clarity concerns
• Healing and repair: Accelerating recovery from injury, surgery, or chronic tissue damage
• Gut health: Addressing inflammatory bowel conditions or gut lining integrity

Baseline Lab Work

Lab work is the backbone of responsible peptide therapy. Your provider should order labs either before or immediately after your first consultation. These results establish your baseline — the "before" picture that all future progress and adjustments are measured against.

Common baseline labs by therapy goal:

Hormone optimization (TRT, growth hormone peptides):

• Complete metabolic panel (CMP)
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Total and free testosterone
• Estradiol (E2)
• Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)
• IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor)
• Prolactin
• Thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4)
• Lipid panel
• Hemoglobin A1C or fasting glucose
• PSA (for males over 40)

Body composition and recovery:

• CMP, CBC, lipid panel
• IGF-1
• Fasting insulin and glucose
• Inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR)
• Vitamin D, B12

Gut health (BPC-157 protocols):

• CMP, CBC
• Inflammatory markers (CRP, ESR, calprotectin)
• Iron studies
• Comprehensive stool analysis (provider-dependent)

Cost Expectations

Understanding the financial picture upfront helps you plan and avoids surprises:

• Initial consultation: $150 to $350, depending on provider type and whether it is in-person or telehealth. Some telehealth platforms include the first consultation in a monthly membership fee.
• Baseline lab work: $100 to $400 if ordered through your provider or a third-party lab service. Some providers include labs in their consultation fee. You may be able to use insurance for standard panels (CBC, CMP, lipid, thyroid) even if the peptide consultation itself is not covered.
• Follow-up consultations: $75 to $200 per visit, typically every 4 to 12 weeks depending on the protocol phase.

Insurance coverage for peptide therapy varies widely. Most commercial insurance does not cover compounded peptide medications, but may cover the lab work and consultation if billed under appropriate diagnostic codes. Ask your provider about this upfront.

How to Prepare for Your Consultation

Come to your appointment prepared with the following:

• A complete list of current medications and supplements, including dosages
• Any recent lab results (within the last 6 to 12 months)
• A written summary of your health goals and specific symptoms you want to address
• Questions you want to ask your provider
• Your insurance card (even if peptides are not covered, labs may be)
• A realistic budget for ongoing therapy so your provider can factor cost into the protocol design

After the Consultation

Once your provider has reviewed your history and lab results, they will develop a treatment recommendation. This typically includes the specific peptide or peptides, dosing protocol, route of administration, expected timeline to results, and a monitoring schedule. Your provider should explain why they are recommending each component and what the alternatives are.