Do I really need bloodwork every 3 months? It is expensive

SarahChen_PharmD said:

The single most useful discipline is bringing the whole panel to a clinician rather than one flagged value.

Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does. Every extra test is another chance at a false positive, and incidental findings have their own cost in scans, biopsies and worry.

Ask again with the specifics and you will get a better answer than this one.

SaraMom3 said:

My prescriber ordered three tests and this board recommends about twenty, and I would like to know which of those two lists is right.

Shot day Thursday report relevant to baseline bloodwork:

Week 16. Currently on 15mg. Down 52 lbs from starting weight of 264 lbs.

This week's observations: Energy levels excellent, zero nausea.

Labs due next week — looking forward to seeing the metabolic panel. I'll post results in the Lab Results section when they come in.

Dr.SportsMedIN said:

I would drop the "get everything" instinct further than this thread does.

PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:

1. CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
2. Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
3. hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
4. Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
5. CBC with differential
6. Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
7. DEXA scan or body composition

Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

How often to repeat it, because quarterly seems to be the convention and I cannot find the reasoning?

OP back with an update, since a thread like this is useless without one.

Took the whole panel in rather than the one flagged line, and the conversation lasted two minutes instead of generating three more tests.