A guide for the conversation
Pick the questions that fit. Write down a clear answer—or the question you still need answered.
Read the medicine notesYour location during the visit sets the state where the person treating you must be legally authorised to practise. This guidance from the U.S. health department was reviewed on September 26, 2026.
In some states, doctors with a licence from another state can use an online-care registration rather than obtain a full licence for the patient’s state.
| Ask the service | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Will I see a doctor? If not, who will treat me? | The person’s full name, job title, training and licence number. |
| Does their permission to practise cover the state I’ll be in when we meet? | The licence or online-care registration number, the state board that issued it, and a link to check it on that board’s website. |
| Which pharmacy would fill a prescription? | The pharmacy name to check in your state’s pharmacy records. |
A doctor’s public state medical board record shows whether their licence remains current and lists any public action against them.
A clean record alone cannot establish the quality of care.
If your care will come from someone who is not a doctor, ask them to name the state board responsible for their licence.
Source note AEgrifta SV and Egrifta WR have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as tesamorelin products; this product record was checked September 28, 2026.
Under U.S. rules, pharmacies have no legal route to make and market their own tesamorelin copy.
Check that the medicine name on the prescription matches the name the service told you.
Source note BThe official medicine instructions for doctors, checked September 28, 2026, call for blood sugar checks ahead of treatment and periodically while it continues.
They also call for checks during treatment of IGF-1, a substance that helps the body grow and whose level rises with tesamorelin.
Ask how this test is done, whether it can be done with your blood sugar check, and how often you would need it.
The official instructions rule tesamorelin out during pregnancy and for people with active cancer.
The instructions also exclude anyone with damage to the body parts controlling growth hormone, or with an allergy to any ingredient.
This includes a removed or damaged pituitary gland, which releases growth hormone.
Tell the person treating you about past head injuries, radiation treatment to the head, or surgery or tumours involving that gland.
Ask whether these affect your treatment choices.
Higher blood sugar, swelling from a build-up of fluid, joint pain and allergic reactions are among the problems listed in the official instructions.
Bring questions about medicines already taken, allergies and any past cancer.
The drugmaker’s public pages checked on September 28, 2026 gave no dollar price.
Before paying, ask for a written price quote that lists each charge. Ask your health insurer what it would cover for the named medicine when prescribed for your health problem.
| Line on the quote | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Consultation | What is due for the visit, even if no medicine is prescribed? |
| Medicine | How much would I pay after my health insurer pays its share, if any? |
| Tests | Are tests included or charged separately? |
| Later visits and ongoing charges | How often would I pay for visits, tests or medicine? If a discount ends, what would each charge become? |
| Leaving the service | How do cancellation, refills and refunds work? |
If a price is missing, ask the service to put it in the quote before you pay.
Source note DWho would assess you? What is the medicine for? What happens next? What would you pay? If an answer is still fuzzy, keep that question on the page.
Use the medical-board directory for a doctor. The pharmacy lookup is separate.
Find the state medical board FDA: find the state pharmacy licence search U.S. health department: permission to practise U.S. health department: licences and online-care registrationU.S. product status and compounding rules were checked during September 2026.
FDA: the tesamorelin product record FDA: limits on pharmacy-made medicinesThe official medicine instructions explain who must avoid tesamorelin, possible problems and the checks needed during treatment.
National Library of Medicine: full tesamorelin instructionsThe September 28, 2026 check found no dollar price from the drugmaker or a government source.
The emergency wording comes from the National Library of Medicine’s severe-allergy information.
MedlinePlus: severe allergic reactions