Obesity is a chronic metabolic condition, not a character flaw. The body defends a higher weight through hormonal signals that govern hunger, fullness, and how efficiently calories are stored — which is why so many people can lose weight through effort alone and then watch it return. Treating obesity medically means working with that biology rather than asking patients to out-discipline it.
Atlanta Medical Institute has cared for patients from one office on Roswell Road in Buckhead since 2010. Our obesity program is directed by our physicians — Dr. Elbridge Bills, M.D., and Dr. Leslye Pace, M.D., our Chief Medical Officer — with anti-aging and wellness support from Dr. Jeff Semel, D.C. Care begins with a real evaluation: your weight history, medications, labs, sleep, blood pressure, and the conditions that travel with excess weight, including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, joint pain, and cardiovascular risk.
The last several years have genuinely changed what medicine can offer. GLP-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 medications produce degrees of weight reduction that earlier drugs did not, and the FDA has now approved oral options alongside the weekly injections. But these are prescription medicines with real contraindications, real side effects, and real costs, and they are not right for everyone. Whether you are a candidate, which medication fits your history, and how it is dosed are decisions our physicians make with you after evaluation — never from a questionnaire alone.
We also want to be straightforward about what treatment can and cannot promise. Published trial results describe group averages, not a forecast for any one person; some patients respond strongly, some modestly, and some not at all. Obesity is a long-term condition, and for most people weight tends to return when treatment stops. We would rather tell you that at the first visit than after.
Program Benefits
- Evaluation and prescribing by licensed physicians at a single Atlanta office, not a remote questionnaire
- Access to FDA-approved medications for chronic weight management, matched to your medical history
- Baseline and follow-up lab work, blood pressure, and weight tracking throughout treatment
- Nutrition and activity guidance built around protein intake and preserving lean muscle
- Review of your other conditions and medications — thyroid, hormones, blood sugar, joint pain, sleep
- Honest discussion of side effects, cost, insurance realities, and what happens if you stop
Who Is a Candidate for Medical Obesity Treatment
The FDA labels for the approved chronic weight management medications describe adults with obesity, or adults with excess weight who also have at least one weight-related medical condition — thresholds commonly expressed as a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. The 2025 American Association of Clinical Endocrinology algorithm for obesity, or adiposity-based chronic disease, goes further and asks clinicians to look past BMI alone to central adiposity and the complications a patient actually has.
That is how we approach it. Two people with the same BMI can have very different metabolic pictures, and the presence of complications often matters more than the number itself. Some patients are not candidates for medication at all: a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 is a contraindication to GLP-1 based therapy, and pregnancy, certain gastrointestinal conditions, a history of pancreatitis, and some medication combinations require a different plan. This is decided at your visit, by a physician, after reviewing your history and labs.
- Weight history, previous attempts, and what happened when they ended
- Current medications, including any that promote weight gain
- Labs: A1c or fasting glucose, lipids, thyroid, liver and kidney function
- Blood pressure, waist circumference, and screening for sleep apnea
- Personal and family history of thyroid cancer, MEN 2, pancreatitis, and gallbladder disease
The Medications — What They Are and What They Are Not
Clear naming matters here, because the marketplace blurs it constantly. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound. Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus are approved for type 2 diabetes; Wegovy and Zepbound are the brands approved for chronic weight management. There is no FDA-approved generic tirzepatide, and compounded semaglutide is not an FDA-approved product — compounded preparations are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality.
The evidence behind these drugs is strong by the standards of obesity medicine. In the STEP 1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021, adults taking once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg alongside lifestyle intervention had a mean weight change of about 14.9 percent at 68 weeks, compared with about 2.4 percent on placebo. The SURMOUNT-1 trial of tirzepatide, also published in NEJM, reported mean weight reductions of roughly 15 to 21 percent at 72 weeks depending on dose. Zepbound also carries an FDA approval for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Again, these are averages across large groups and not a promise of your result.
Oral options have arrived as well. The FDA approved an oral semaglutide tablet for weight management in December 2025, and approved orforglipron, a once-daily small-molecule GLP-1 pill marketed as Foundayo, in April 2026. Which of these — if any — suits you depends on your history, your tolerance, your insurance, and your preference. We will not give you dosing instructions on a web page; that conversation belongs in the exam room.
What to Expect in the Program
Your first visit is an evaluation, not a sales appointment. We take a full history, order labs when they are needed, examine you, and talk through the options — including the option of not starting medication. If a prescription is appropriate, we explain how it is started, why doses are increased gradually, what the early weeks usually feel like, and what would make us stop or change course.
Medication is one part of the plan. Adequate protein, resistance training, and sleep protect lean muscle during weight loss, and losing weight without attention to those things tends to cost you more muscle than you want. We build a nutrition and activity plan you can actually keep, and we revisit it as your weight, appetite, and labs change.
Follow-up is scheduled, not optional. We see patients regularly to check weight, blood pressure, tolerance, and labs, and to adjust the plan. Many patients also need a maintenance conversation at some point — what happens when you reach a plateau you are comfortable with, and how treatment continues from there. For a broader look at our approach, see our <a href="/services/weight-loss-atlanta-ga">Atlanta weight loss program</a>, or the individual pages for our <a href="/services/semaglutide-program">semaglutide</a>, <a href="/services/wegovy-program">Wegovy</a>, <a href="/services/tirzepatide-program">tirzepatide</a>, <a href="/services/mounjaro-program">Mounjaro</a>, and <a href="/services/ozempic-program">Ozempic</a> programs.
Safety, Side Effects, and Monitoring
The most common side effects of GLP-1 and dual-agonist therapy are gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and reflux. They are usually worst in the first weeks and after a dose increase, and they are a large part of why doses are raised slowly. More serious but less common risks described in the FDA labels include pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney injury from dehydration, and, for patients also taking insulin or a sulfonylurea, low blood sugar.
These medications carry a boxed warning based on thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents. Whether they cause these tumors in humans is not known, and the labels contraindicate their use in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2. Labeling does evolve with evidence: in January 2026 the FDA asked that the warning about suicidal thoughts and behavior be removed from the labels of Saxenda, Wegovy, and Zepbound after reviewing 91 placebo-controlled trials covering more than 107,000 patients and finding no increased risk.
Our job is to monitor for all of this while you are in treatment, and to tell you promptly when something needs attention. If a medication is not working, or the side effects are not worth what you are getting from it, we will say so and change the plan.
How Obesity Care Connects to the Rest of Our Practice
Excess weight rarely travels alone. Thyroid dysfunction, insulin resistance, low testosterone in men, and the hormonal shifts of perimenopause and menopause in women can all make weight harder to manage, and they are worth evaluating rather than assuming. Because we handle hormone and metabolic care in the same office, that assessment happens alongside your weight treatment rather than in a separate referral.
Depending on what your evaluation shows, care may overlap with our <a href="/services/hormone-replacement-therapy">hormone replacement therapy</a>, <a href="/services/bioidentical-hormone-replacement-therapy">bioidentical hormone therapy</a>, <a href="/services/menopause-treatment">menopause treatment</a>, or <a href="/services/low-testosterone-treatments">low testosterone</a> services. Patients carrying weight-related joint pain sometimes pair treatment with our <a href="/services/arthritis-treatment">arthritis care</a>. None of these are add-ons we sell by default — they are considered only when your evaluation points there.
Getting Started in Buckhead
Atlanta Medical Institute is at 5009 Roswell Road NE, Suite 201, Atlanta, GA 30342, in Buckhead. We are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is our only office.
To schedule an evaluation, call (404) 264-9553 or use our <a href="/contact">contact page</a>. You can read more about our practitioners at <a href="/about/dr-elbridge-bills">Dr. Elbridge Bills</a>, <a href="/about/dr-leslye-pace">Dr. Leslye Pace</a>, and <a href="/about/dr-jeff-semel">Dr. Jeff Semel</a>, or see what our patients say on our <a href="/reviews">reviews page</a>.
Patient Reviews
"After years of failing at every diet, this program finally worked. The medical supervision made all the difference."
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do I qualify for weight loss medication?+
The approved medications are labeled for adults with obesity, or adults with excess weight plus at least one weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol — commonly described as a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a related condition. But BMI is a starting point, not the whole answer. Our physicians decide candidacy after reviewing your history, medications, exam, and labs, and some patients are not candidates at all.
What is the difference between Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound?+
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus. Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound. Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Rybelsus are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy and Zepbound are the brands FDA-approved for chronic weight management. Same molecules, different approved indications and dosing.
Is compounded semaglutide or generic tirzepatide an option here?+
Compounded semaglutide is not an FDA-approved product, and there is no FDA-approved generic tirzepatide. Compounded preparations are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or manufacturing quality, and what is in them can vary. If cost or supply is a barrier for you, raise it at your visit and we will talk through the legitimate options rather than route you around the approved products.
How much weight will I lose?+
We cannot tell you that, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does. Published trials report group averages — about 14.9 percent mean weight change at 68 weeks with semaglutide 2.4 mg in the STEP 1 trial, and roughly 15 to 21 percent at 72 weeks with tirzepatide in SURMOUNT-1, both in the New England Journal of Medicine. Individual results vary widely, and averages are not individual predictions.
What happens if I stop the medication?+
For most people, appetite signals return toward where they were and weight tends to come back. Obesity behaves like other chronic conditions in this respect. That is why we discuss long-term strategy — including nutrition, resistance training, and what maintenance looks like — from the start, rather than treating the prescription as a finish line.
What are the most common side effects?+
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and reflux are the most common, typically worst in the early weeks and after a dose increase. Less common but more serious risks listed in the FDA labels include pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, kidney injury from dehydration, and low blood sugar in patients also taking insulin or a sulfonylurea. These medications also carry a boxed warning regarding thyroid C-cell tumors observed in rodents and are contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
Are there pill options instead of injections?+
Yes. The FDA approved an oral semaglutide tablet for weight management in December 2025, and approved orforglipron, a once-daily oral GLP-1, in April 2026. Whether an oral option is appropriate for you depends on your medical history, tolerance, insurance coverage, and preference — which is a conversation to have at your evaluation.
Do you have more than one location?+
No. Atlanta Medical Institute has a single office at 5009 Roswell Road NE, Suite 201, in Buckhead. Call (404) 264-9553 to schedule.
Costs and appointment planning
Review pricing questions, insurance and coverage information, and telehealth visit planning before booking. Confirm the costs and services that apply to your individual care.
Ready to Get Started?
Call us at (404) 264-9553 or book a telehealth consultation. New patients qualify for our 1st month Semaglutide special — $399 (regularly $450).