Affordable Weight Loss with Semaglutide & Tirzepatide in St. George
Lose up to 21% or more of body weight
Rx available for Ozempic® (semaglutide), Mounjaro® (tirzepatide)
Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide available for those desiring custom dosing or unique formulations not available commercially
No hidden fees & transparent pricing. Price includes medical consult & medication
In-person or virtual consult
Free delivery to any address in Utah
Real Medical Care, Right Here in St. George, Utah
We're located right here in St. George. No mail-order meds, no faceless providers, no internet scams. We offer in-person medical care from a trusted physician who knows and monitors your progress. For your convenience, we offer virtual visits through our HIPPA-compliant telehealth platform that still allows for personal, one-on-one care.
And YES, we treat and deliver medication to anyone who resides in the state of Utah.
Affordable, All-inclusive Pricing–No Memberships, No Hidden Fees
At POTERE HEALTH MD, we believe medical weight loss should be accessible, not exclusive.
That’s why we offer affordable, all-inclusive pricing for semaglutide and tirzepatide treatments. Every prescription includes your doctor visit, medication, and follow-up care with no membership requirements, hidden fees, or long-term commitments.
Why Most Diets Fail Without Medical Support
If you've struggled with weight loss, you're not alone. Approximately 83% of American adults are overweight or obese. Despite sincere efforts with diet and exercise, extra weight often persists. AND IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT!
A comprehensive review of 31 randomized controlled trials found that most people cannot achieve or maintain significant long-term weight loss without either pharmacotherapy or surgery.
1) Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and severe obesity among adults: United States, 2017–2018. NCHS Data Brief. 2020;360:1-7. 2) Singh N, Stewart RAH, Benatar JR. Intensity and duration of lifestyle interventions for long-term weight loss and association with mortality: a meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ Open. 2019;9:e029966., 3) Tirthani E, Quartuccio M. Non-dieting approaches to treatment of obesity. StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2023.
Many people find that even with strict dieting and regular exercise, weight loss doesn’t happen. This can feel frustrating and doesn’t represent a lack of effort. Weight is regulated by a complex interaction of hormones, genetics, metabolism, behavior, and other pre-existing medical conditions.
Here’s why diet and exercise alone can fall short:
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Underestimating Food Intake: Research consistently shows that people underestimate how much they eat, often by 20–50% or more. Even well-educated and health-conscious individuals misreport portion sizes and calories without meaning to (Lichtman et al., 1992). This makes it very difficult to maintain a consistent calorie deficit.
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Exercise Burns Fewer Calories Than Expected: While exercise is essential for health, mood, and preserving muscle mass, it contributes only modestly to calorie burn compared to your basal metabolic rate (BMR). For example, walking one mile at 3.5 mph burns between 107-159 calories. This is equivalent to 4-7 Hershey's Kisses®. A small bag of Lay's® potato chips from Subway® contains 230 calories.
Medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide, which mimic GLP-1 and GIP, target key biological pathways that diet and exercise alone don’t address. These help regulate appetite, slow digestion, and support better glucose control.
1) Lichtman SW, Pisarska K, Berman ER, et al. Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. N Engl J Med. 1992;327(27):1893-1898. doi:10.1056/NEJM199212313272701
Why Do I Struggle to Lose Weight with Diet & Exercise alone?
You Have Options:
Semaglutide & Tirzepatide
You're not out of options!
At POTERE HEALTH MD, we offer powerful, prescription weight loss treatments including semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro®, Zepbound®). These GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists have been called “game changers” in obesity care.¹
YOU CAN CHOOSE to be prescribed FDA-approved semaglutide (Ozempic®, Wegovy®) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro®, Zepbound®). You also have the option of compounded versions of semaglutide or tirzepatide from a U.S. licensed compounding pharmacy.
1) Kolata G. ‘A game changer’: Drug brings weight loss in patients with obesity. The New York Times. February 10, 2021. Published online. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/health/obesity-weight-loss-drug.html
Weight Loss: Not Just Cosmetic
Excess weight is more than a cosmetic issue, it’s a serious medical risk. Overweight and obesity are strongly linked to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, and certain cancers. Obesity is now the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., behind only smoking.¹
Even a modest reduction in weight, just 5–10% of total body weight, can significantly improve blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and overall inflammation.² Losing weight isn't about appearance. It’s about reducing disease risk and improving long-term health.
1) Ward ZJ, Bleich SN, Cradock AL, et al. Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2019;381(25):2440–2450. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1909301 2) Ryan DH, Yockey SR. Weight loss and improvement in comorbidity: differences at 5%, 10%, 15%, and over. Curr Obes Rep. 2017;6(2):187–194. doi:10.1007/s13679-017-0262-y
Supervised by a Physician Who Puts Safety First
Your care is personally supervised by Joshua Silva MD, a licensed physician committed to helping you achieve safe, sustainable weight loss. While effective, medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide are not without risks. They are real prescriptions that can produce real side effects if not carefully managed.
That’s why Dr. Silva goes beyond simply prescribing medication. He evaluates your complete medical history, reviews potential interactions with your current medications, and ensures that your treatment plan is both effective and safe for your individual health profile. He has patients safely and successfully losing weight while managing advanced cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and autoimmune disease to name a few.
Don't Be Sidelined by Side Effects
We’ve all heard the horror stories about semaglutide and tirzepatide: nausea, vomiting, and GI distress that seem impossible to tolerate.
For Dr. Silva, this issue hit close to home. His own mother was prescribed semaglutide and given generic dosing instructions with no personalized guidance or follow-up. At just 4’11”, she was placed on a dose far too high for her body. After suffering through months of nausea and vomiting, she turned to her son for help. That experience led Dr. Silva to open POTERE HEALTH MD, a clinic built on the foundation of safe, personalized, physician-led weight loss care.
Unfortunately, her story isn’t unique. Many patients experience unnecessary side effects due to inadequate medical oversight, improper dosing, or lack of follow-up, issues that are especially common with volume-based online distributors.
At POTERE HEALTH MD, we take a different approach. Dr. Silva works closely with each patient to create individualized dosing plans, monitor for side effects, and adjust medications as needed for safety, comfort, and long-term success.
The result? It’s rare for our patients to discontinue treatment due to side effects.
What Is Semaglutide & How Does It Support Weight Loss?
How Semaglutide Works in the Body
Semaglutide is a prescription medication originally developed for type 2 diabetes. It works by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide). This hormone helps regulate appetite, slow digestion, and control blood sugar so you feel full longer and eat less.
How Much Weight Can You Expect to Lose?
According to the STEP 1 clinical trial, participants taking semaglutide 2.4 mg lost an average of 14.9% of their body weight over 68 weeks when combined with lifestyle intervention.
Common Brand Names
Semaglutide is FDA-approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy®, and for type 2 diabetes as Ozempic®.Ozempic® is also FDA-approved to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events (heart attack, stroke, or death) and slow the progression of chronic kidney disease in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Compounded formulations are also available through licensed pharmacies as long as they are not essentially copies of Ozempic or Wegovy.
How Tirzepatide Works for Weight Loss
What Makes Tirzepatide Different?
Tirzepatide is a dual agonist, mimicking two hormones: GLP-1 and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). Together, these hormones enhance insulin sensitivity, suppress appetite, and help the body better regulate blood sugar. The result is greater weight loss.
Weight Loss Expectations
The SURMOUNT-1 trial found that patients taking tirzepatide 15 mg lost an average of 20.9% of their body weight over 72 weeks.
Common Brand Names
Tirzepatide is FDA-approved under the names Zepbound® (for obesity) and Mounjaro® (for type 2 diabetes). Compounded formulations are also available as long as they are not essentially copies of Zepbound or Mounjaro.
Muscle Mass, GLP-1's, & Misconceptions
Some online voices have raised concerns about potential muscle loss with GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide. For example, Canadian physician Dr. Peter Attia recently claimed that “almost every patient we put on this drug [semaglutide] has lost muscle mass at a rate that alarms me.” However, this concern must be balanced against well-established findings in medical literature.
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The Facts: It’s normal to lose some lean body mass during weight loss—up to 30% in individuals with obesity, and as much as 35% in those who are not obese. This is expected and reflects basic physiology. When carrying extra weight, your body naturally develops larger muscles to meet the increased demand. As that excess weight is reduced, the mechanical demand on those muscles lessens, and muscle size appropriately decreases in response.
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The Good News: Multiple studies of semaglutide and tirzepatide have shown that while some lean body mass is lost (as expected), there is a favorable shift in body composition. Fat mass decreases substantially more than muscle mass, resulting in an improved lean mass–to–fat mass ratio and an overall leaner body composition. In addition, fat stored inside muscle tissue is reduced, leading to improved muscle quality.
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Beyond Weight Loss: Semaglutide reduces the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke, providing significant health benefits beyond weight loss alone.
To minimize the impact of lean mass loss, research supports incorporating both resistance and endurance exercise throughout any weight loss program. Regular protein intake and strength training remain the most effective strategies for preserving muscle while losing fat.
1) Villareal DT, Chode S, Parimi N, Sinacore DR, Hilton T, Armamento-Villareal R, Napoli N, Qualls C, Shah K. Weight loss, exercise, or both and physical function in obese older adults. N Engl J Med 2011;364:1218–29. 2) Hansen, T. T., Hjorth, M. F., Sandby, K., Andersen, S. V., Astrup, A., Ritz, C., ... & Sjödin, A. (2019). Predictors of successful weight loss with relative maintenance of fat-free mass in individuals with overweight and obesity on an 8-week low-energy diet. British Journal of Nutrition, 122(4), 468-479. 3) Bosy-Westphal, A., Kossel, E., Goele, K., Later, W., Hitze, B., Settler, U., ... & Müller, M. J. (2009). Contribution of individual organ mass loss to weight loss–associated decline in resting energy expenditure. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 90(4), 993-1001. 4) Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(3):511-519. Published 2017 May 15. 5) Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. Impact of Semaglutide on Body Composition in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: Exploratory Analysis of the STEP 1 Study. J Endocr Soc. 2021;5(Suppl 1):A16-A17. Published 2021 May 3. 6) Volpe, S., Lisco, G., Fanelli, M., Racaniello, D., Colaianni, V., Lavarra, V., ... & Piazzolla, G. (2023). Oral semaglutide improves body composition and preserves lean mass in patients with type 2 diabetes: A 26-week prospective real-life study. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14. 7) Xiang J, Ding XY, Zhang W, Zhang J, Zhang YS, Li ZM, Xia N, Liang YZ. Clinical effectiveness of semaglutide on weight loss, body composition, and muscle strength in Chinese adults. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Oct;27(20):9908-9915. 8) Uchiyama S, Sada Y, Mihara S, Sasaki Y, Sone M, Tanaka Y. Oral Semaglutide Induces Loss of Body Fat Mass Without Affecting Muscle Mass in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. J Clin Med Res. 2023;15(7):377-383. 9) Lincoff, A. M., Brown-Frandsen, K., Colhoun, H. M., Deanfield, J., Emerson, S. S., Esbjerg, S., ... & Ryan, D. H. (2023). Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes. New England Journal of Medicine, 389(24), 2221-2232. 10) Cava E, Yeat NC, Mittendorfer B. Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(3):511-519. Published 2017 May 15. 10) Sattar, N., Neeland, I. J., Leinhard, O. D., Landó, L. F., Bray, R., Linge, J., & Rodriguez, A. (2025). Tirzepatide and muscle composition changes in people with type 2 diabetes (SURPASS-3 MRI): a post-hoc analysis of a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, phase 3 trial. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 13(6), 482-493.
Understanding Compounded Semaglutide & Tirzepatide: What You Need to Know
What Are Compounded Medications?
Compounded medications are custom-made formulations prepared by a U.S. licensed compounding pharmacy. These pharmacies combine active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to create a medication that is not otherwise commercially available in that exact form or dosage.
Why Are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Compounded?
When a commercial drug is in shortage, the FDA allows compounding pharmacies to create exact copies of the medication with the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API).
The FDA has since removed these medications from the drug-shortage list. However, they still permit compounding pharmacies to create "non essential copies" of the medication that are altered in order to allow more flexible dosing or customized formulations (such as semaglutide with B vitamins to help reduce nausea and fatigue).
Is "Compounded" the Same as "Generic"?
Not exactly. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, but they are legal and widely used in medical practice when FDA-approved options are not available or practical. They are prepared under a physician's prescription and must follow rigorous safety protocols. However, they are not reviewed for safety, efficacy, or quality in the same manner as commercially manufactured drugs.
POTERE HEALTH MD’s Commitment To Quality
At POTERE HEALTH MD, we take medication quality seriously and implement safeguards to reduce patient risk. If you choose a compounded version of semaglutide or tirzepatide, you can be ensured that:
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We partner only with licensed U.S. compounding pharmacies that meet strict compounding standards.
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We confirm that semaglutide salt forms (such as semaglutide sodium or acetate) are not used in the preparations we prescribe. Instead, we require use of semaglutide base, consistent with FDA-approved medications.
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Pharmacies must provide a Certificate of Analysis (COA) to verify identity, potency and sterility of the bulk drug substance.
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We work with suppliers that maintain robust quality assurance protocols, though the FDA does not independently verify the safety or efficacy of compounded drugs.
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We are LegitScript certified, which means our clinic meets rigorous standards for legality, safety, and transparency in healthcare. This certification helps ensure that our services and practices are credible, trustworthy, and fully compliant with regulatory guidelines.
Remember, you have the option of being prescribed an FDA-approved version of semaglutide or tirzepatide in the form of Wegovy®, Ozempic®, Mounjaro®, and Zepbound®.
"We're LegitScript-certified!"
Testimonials
"Easy to schedule and see Dr. Silva. He was very knowledgeable about my medical history and encouraging about my prospects for improved health through weight loss."
L.L., 2/27/2024
"Dr. Silva took time to explain the role/side effects of using medication to assist with weight loss. He encouraged and helped me to formulate realistic weight loss goals. In addition, provided strategies to help me achieve those goals. Great experience!"
J.E.G., 12/14/2024
"This was one of the easiest visits to schedule. Dr. Silva is so nice and answered all my questions."
B.R., 5/5/2025
"Dr. Silva was very kind and thorough. His prices are amazing. I am glad I found him."
J.A., 5/21/2024
"Had a great virtual appointment with Dr. Silva today. The consultation was smooth, and he took time to explain everything clearly. I left feeling informed and confident. Highly recommend."
A.W., 1/22/2025
"Dr. Silva was very knowledgable, helpful, and very pleasant to talk with. He answered all my questions with confidence. Thank you Dr. Silva."
J.F., 7/18/2025
"Dr. Silva was very helpful and polite. He answered all of our questions in a professional manner and explained everything to us. He is a very nice man!"
N.W., 4/15/2025