Frequently Asked Questions

At Tucson Wellness MD, the difference comes down to the care we have for your entire wellness journey.

Our team brings together scientists, physicians, nutritionists, biokinetics specialists, holistic practitioners, and aestheticians to approach your health from multiple angles. That’s what makes the approach truly integrative and holistic. You’re getting a whole team who knows your case and wants to see you get better.

We are dedicated to improving your quality of life, so you can live healthier, stronger, and better. 

Your first visit is a consultation, usually about an hour. We go through your health history, your goals, and what brought you in. The more we understand up front, the better we can build a plan that actually fits you. We leave you with clear next steps, which usually include lab work.

Yes, there is a $150 fee for initial consultations with Dr. Minor and a $50 fee with other clinicians.

Payment is due when you schedule your appointment.

To book an appointment, please call us at 520-222-5425.

Hours vary by location. You can find the full schedule for Tanque Verde, Oro Valley, Marana, and Vail on our Contact page.

Most of our services are available at all four locations. Our regenerative medicine services are only available with Dr. Minor at our Tanque Verde and Oro Valley locations. 

It depends on the panel. For initial hormone labs, women need to fast, and men do not. For the functional and longevity panels, both men and women need to fast for at least eight hours.

Pricing depends on the service, individual, and dosage. Most ongoing programs, like hormone therapy and medical weight loss, fall in the range of a few hundred dollars per month.

Regenerative treatments like PRP and stem cell therapy are priced per treatment rather than monthly. We go over exact pricing during your consultation so there are no surprises.

We don’t bill insurance. We do accept HSA and FSA cards. Many of our services are eligible, though we cannot guarantee this. 

Yes. We offer financing through Cherry, which lets you spread payments out over time. Please learn more on our Payment Plans page. 

Payment is due at or before the time of service.

Yes. For higher ticket items such as regenerative treatments, half of the cost is due upfront to reserve your appointment, with the balance due at the time of service.

No. Lab work is billed separately from hormone therapy, peptides, and other programs. Your provider will tell you which labs you need and what they cost before anything is ordered.

We ask for at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule, and there’s no charge when you give us that. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows are subject to a $25 fee. If something comes up, please call us as soon as you can.

These medications aren’t right for everyone. We generally don’t start patients who have a type 2 diabetes diagnosis and would refer you to your primary care provider or endocrinologist instead.

Other factors your provider will review include a history of thyroid cancer or thyroid tumors, a history of pancreatitis, and active gallstones. Thyroid nodules may not be disqualifying with clearance from your physician, and patients who have had their gallbladder removed are generally still candidates.

The difference is the number of receptors each one acts on. Semaglutide works on one, Tirzepatide on two, and Retatrutide on three. Your provider will explain the best choice for you during your consultation. 

Yes. Switching is possible and sometimes appropriate. Your provider generally won’t recommend moving from a medication acting on three receptors down to one acting on a single receptor, since that usually means a step back in effect.

Digestive side effects are the most common. Nausea is the one patients report most often, along with constipation, and some experience vomiting or diarrhea. For most people, these ease up as the body adjusts to the medication.

Call us if you’re actively vomiting or experiencing severe stomach pain. These are not side effects to wait out.

It varies, and it partly depends on how much weight you’re looking to lose. Patients with more to lose often notice changes sooner than someone targeting 10 or 15 pounds. A typical rate is 2 to 5 pounds of body fat per month. The goal is fat loss specifically, not muscle.

Yes, both need to change. A high-protein diet is essential to prevent muscle loss on these medications, and strength training matters just as much. Your provider will typically recommend resistance training three to four times a week to start.

If you take the medication without changing your habits, much of what you lose will be muscle, and once your body runs out of muscle to give, progress stalls.

Strength training. Walking and running are excellent for cardiovascular health and worth keeping up, but maintaining muscle mass requires resistance work. This can include weights, resistance bands, Pilates, and calisthenics.

As a general guideline, women should aim for a minimum of 80 to 100 grams per day, and men closer to 100 to 150 grams. Your provider can tailor this to your body composition and goals.

It depends on your goals. Patients with a significant amount of weight to lose are generally on it longer. Many patients move to a maintenance dose once they’ve reached their goal weight rather than stopping entirely.

Appetite returns. The medication is a tool for building sustainable habits, and those habits are what hold your results. If eating and exercise go back to where they were before, the weight typically comes back. Your provider will work with you on a plan before you come off rather than after.

Common signs of low testosterone include fatigue, weight gain (particularly around the midsection), brain fog, trouble sleeping, poor recovery after workouts, low libido, joint pain, and worsening anxiety or depression.

Symptoms are a starting point, but lab work is what confirms it.

We start with your labs so we can see where your levels actually are and whether you’re a candidate. From there, a consultation covers your health history, what to expect from treatment, and potential side effects.

Most patients with low levels are candidates. Your provider will take extra caution with anyone who has active prostate cancer, and for women, certain hormones are avoided with a history of or active breast cancer.

Men and women can both be treated with injections, pellets, or troches. Injections are administered weekly. Pellets are inserted under the skin and last several months. Your provider will help you choose based on your labs, your goals, and your preference.

Hormones don’t correct overnight. Plan on a minimum of two months of consistent treatment before you notice meaningful change. For some patients it takes three to four months to feel fully balanced.

Hormone replacement is generally a long-term treatment. You’re on it because your body is no longer producing these hormones on its own, and that production doesn’t resume spontaneously.

Levels return to where they were before you started, and sometimes lower, since the body reduces its own production while receiving hormones from an outside source. Hormone therapy isn’t a course of treatment that corrects a deficiency permanently.

Side effects typically appear when levels climb too high rather than from therapy itself. The most common are oily skin and acne. Some patients are prone to blood thickening on testosterone, which is one of the main reasons consistent lab monitoring matters throughout treatment.

For men, testosterone therapy is typically paired with HCG, which helps preserve fertility. For men actively trying to start a family, your provider can prescribe a fertility dose, injected twice weekly instead of once.

For women, hormone therapy must be discontinued if you become pregnant.

It’s possible for female patients once testosterone levels are optimized. Your provider works to keep you on the lowest dose that resolves your symptoms without creating new ones. Many patients find the trade-off worthwhile, since the symptom relief outweighs the inconvenience.

Two months after starting, again four months after that, and every six months thereafter.

Yes, and they often work better together. When your hormone levels are optimized, GLP-1s and peptides tend to be more effective.

For GLP-1s, everyone starts at the lowest dose to minimize side effects. For hormone therapy, there’s a standard starting dose for men and a standard starting dose for women, chosen because those doses bring most patients into the optimal range without causing side effects.

If you’re transferring from another clinic on a dose that’s working, your provider can start you at a comparable dose.

For GLP-1s, a higher dose doesn’t mean more weight loss. These medications don’t work that way. The signal to increase your dose is when appetite isn’t under control, meaning food noise, ongoing cravings, or still wanting to eat constantly.

Both GLP-1s and hormone therapy are typically once weekly. Some patients are on a twice-weekly schedule, depending on their plan.

Either. If you’re not comfortable injecting yourself, you can come in weekly at no additional charge. We just ask that you come the same day each week to stay consistent.

It depends on the medication. Hormone therapy is injected into the muscle, and the thigh is usually the easiest place to do it yourself, though the glute is also common. GLP-1s are injected subcutaneously, into fatty tissue, most commonly the back of the arm or the stomach.

Your provider will walk you through it before you inject on your own.

Testosterone should be stored at room temperature, not refrigerated. GLP-1s need to stay refrigerated. Take your GLP-1 out about 10 to 15 minutes before injecting and let it come to room temperature, which makes the injection more comfortable.

Yes. GLPs come ready to travel.  It is recommended that you travel with an ice pack, even though GLPs can be stored at room temperature for up to one week.

Testosterone usually doesn’t, so let us know before your trip, and we can pack it for travel.

Never in the household trash. If you don’t have a sharps container, carefully recap your needles, place them in a sealed bag, and bring them back to the clinic. We can dispose of them properly.