Fridays review

What it is

Fridays is run by Thrive Health Group Inc., based in Irvine, California. It is a platform, not a medical practice: clinical care comes from the OpenLoop Healthcare Partners clinician network and other networks, and charges may appear on your statement as OpenLoop Healthcare Partners or Thrive Health Group. Alongside weight loss it sells testosterone therapy, sermorelin, NAD+ and GLP-1 microdosing. Its terms name the four partner pharmacies with addresses: Red Rock Compounding Pharmacy in St. George, Utah; Health Warehouse in Florence, Kentucky; Precision Medicine in Bellmore, New York; and Triad Rx in Daphne, Alabama. The site displays a LegitScript seal (ID 18528873). Some of its homepage numbers need context. Its "96.8% success rate" measures how often paid orders were filled and delivered, not weight lost, and its member count appears as both 150,000 and 75,000 on different parts of the site. The before-and-after testimonials are labeled as paid.

How it works

You start with a short eligibility quiz. Fridays says you need to be 18 or older with a BMI of at least 20, a much lower starting point than the BMI of 27 or 30 in the FDA labels for Wegovy and Zepbound, so expect the clinician to apply their own criteria. If you're eligible, you choose either a video visit or, in some states, a prescription review without one, then pick a subscription and pay before completing your full health intake in the patient portal. At the first appointment a physician or nurse practitioner reviews your history, may order labs and may prescribe. Check-ins usually happen about once a month at the start, with unlimited provider visits included in the plans. The support side is where Fridays stands apart: group coaching over Zoom for nutrition, mental health and movement, weekly support groups, one-to-one dietitian and journey support, and live workouts, plus a Fridays app for tracking doses and progress. An insurance concierge helps with coverage for brand-name drugs, although insurance doesn't pay for the virtual visits. Fridays says some services aren't available in every state.

Pricing transparency

Fridays advertises "Medication + Coaching + Care. No Membership Fee." For compounded semaglutide, the pricing card shows "Starting at $99" next to "$279/mo with an annual plan" and a coupon code; for tirzepatide, "Starting at $198" next to "$389/mo with an annual plan". Its footer adds that promotions can be changed or withdrawn at any time. Read together, the $99 and $198 figures are discounted rates that depend on a code and plan length, and the site doesn't print a plain month-to-month price for compounded medication, so check the figure for month two at checkout. Microdose plans are listed at $198 a month for injectable tirzepatide and $249 for daily oral semaglutide. Brand-name Ozempic is $1,498 a month and Zepbound $1,828 a month, each on a month-to-month plan with visits and coaching included. The Wegovy pill and pen plans start with a $49 membership for the first month, and the medication is billed separately. Subscriptions renew automatically, and you must cancel by email or in your account at least 72 hours before the next billing date; after that, you are charged for one more cycle. Refunds are limited to medical disqualification before services begin, billing errors and cases required by law, and medication can't be returned once shipped. FSA and HSA cards are accepted.

Branded vs compounded

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide by weekly injection, an oral compounded semaglutide taken daily, microdose versions of both, and brand-name Ozempic, Zepbound and the Wegovy pill and pen. Fridays states that its compounded drugs are made in FDA-registered facilities but are not FDA-approved and have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety, efficacy or quality. The large trials for semaglutide and tirzepatide tested the branded injections, so those results don't directly describe compounded versions, and no trial has studied a compounded oral drop. Fridays also notes that Ozempic is approved for type 2 diabetes and is prescribed off-label for weight. Its microdosing page describes the plans in wellness terms, such as energy, focus and longevity, and says those compounded formulations haven't been studied for those outcomes. A search of the FDA warning-letter database for Fridays, Fridays Health and Thrive Health found no letter to this company.

Pros and watch-outs

The evidence behind what Fridays prescribes

We grade the molecules, not the marketing. Here is what the human data actually shows for each thing on their menu.

• What the semaglutide weight-loss trials actually showed

  STEP 1, STEP 4, and SELECT — the efficacy, the rebound, and the cardiovascular signal, read straight from the primary literature.

• Tirzepatide vs semaglutide for weight loss: what the trials actually support

  Most comparisons are cross-trial. Only SURPASS-2 and SURMOUNT-5 randomized one drug against the other — here's the precise distinction.

• “Microdosing” GLP-1 drugs: a trend, not a protocol — what the evidence says

  Sub-therapeutic semaglutide and tirzepatide is spreading fast. The pharmacology is clear, the honest part is clearer: efficacy is dose-related, and no trial has tested intentional microdosing.

How Fridays compares

A few alternatives worth a look, depending on what you’re optimizing for.

• Collective

  A low all-in GLP-1 cost, if you will actually keep the annual membership

  See Collective →
• MEMEDGm

  Readers who want compounded and brand-name GLP-1 routes presented side by side

  See MEDGm →
• altRx

  Buyers comfortable with a no-refund subscription who want named pharmacies and a low advertised compounded price

  See altRx →

More GLP-1 telehealth reviews: EOS Health · EverSlim · Enhance MD · HealthRX · Found · yourEra