Medical weight loss in Chatsworth.
A supervised weight program built on labs, a clinical assessment and regular follow-up, where medication is one part of the plan and not the entire plan.
- Starts with
- Consult and comprehensive labs
- Care team
- Narine Chilyan, DNP and Aram Mkhitarian, DO
- Medication
- Clinician-guided medical weight loss where indicated
- Follow-up
- Ongoing monitoring and dose review
A clinician-directed weight plan.
Medical weight loss here means a clinician evaluates you, orders comprehensive labs, and builds a clinician-directed weight plan. Medicines, when appropriate after labs, sit alongside nutrition, activity, and treatment of whatever else the bloodwork turns up. Those medicines can slow gastric emptying and act on appetite signaling in the brain, which is why people feel full sooner and think about food less.
The part worth understanding before you start is that this is treatment for a chronic condition rather than a course you finish. Appetite regulation returns toward its previous set point when the medication stops, and weight regain is common in people who stop without a plan. That is not a failure of willpower and not a reason to avoid treatment. It is a reason the conversation about what happens long term begins at the first visit.
Labs come first because weight gain has causes that medication alone will not address. Untreated thyroid disease, insulin resistance, hormonal change and certain medications all show up as weight that will not move. This program also has real limits: it is for people with a medical indication for weight treatment, not for people at a healthy weight who want to be thinner.
Whether this is the right treatment for you.
Worth booking if
- You have a medical indication for weight treatment and have not succeeded with diet and activity alone
- You have a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea
- You want the underlying causes investigated rather than assumed
- You are willing to attend follow-up visits and have labs rechecked
Probably not if
- You or a family member have a history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or you have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2
- You are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy in the near term
- You have a history of pancreatitis
- You have a history of an eating disorder, or you are at a healthy weight and seeking cosmetic weight loss
- You have severe gastrointestinal disease such as gastroparesis or inflammatory bowel disease
- You want medicines without labs, an examination, or follow-up, which is not offered here
What happens in the room.
The history and the exam
The first visit covers weight history, what you have already tried, current medications, family history and any condition that would make a given treatment inappropriate. You are weighed and examined. This is a longer appointment than people expect, because the decision that follows depends on it.
Blood drawn the same day
A comprehensive panel is taken in clinic, covering metabolic markers, thyroid, blood sugar and lipids at minimum. No medicine is started until those results are back and have been discussed with you.
Starting, then adjusting
If medication is appropriate, you are shown exactly how to use it, started at a low dose, and told which side effects mean call us today rather than wait. You come back on a set schedule so dose, tolerance, weight and labs are reviewed together, and doses are changed based on how you actually responded.
Who performs this at Chatsworth.
Narine Chilyan
DNP, AGNP-C
Over a decade in healthcare, from ICU critical care to functional medicine. MSN from Chamberlain University, DNP from Charles R. Drew University. Created the Ten Top Tips for Transforming Health - a habit-based program for lasting weight loss and vitality. Her mission at KAYU: redefine beauty and wellness as one.
Read the full bio
Dr. Aram Mkhitarian
DO
Licensed osteopathic physician (DO) with nearly two decades of clinical experience. Graduated from the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. Integrates conventional medicine with osteopathic principles and lifestyle-driven care.
Read the full bioPatients on medical weight loss.
5.0 average from 29 Google reviews
No one has reviewed medical weight loss by name yet. The rating above is the clinic's, across every service it performs.
Risks and what we tell every patient.
Medicines, when appropriate after labs, are part of a care program. They fit only after a licensed clinician reviews your medical history, examines you, and interprets laboratory testing, and they are not dispensed on request.
These medicines carry a boxed warning regarding thyroid C-cell tumors. In rodent studies they caused thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma, and it is not known whether they cause these tumors in humans. They should not be used by anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or with multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. Tell your clinician immediately about a lump or swelling in the neck, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or shortness of breath.
Gastrointestinal effects are the most common reason people stop: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain and reflux, usually most pronounced after starting and after each dose increase. Severe or persistent vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration and acute kidney injury, so these are reported rather than tolerated in silence.
Pancreatitis has been reported. Severe abdominal pain that may radiate to the back, with or without vomiting, means stopping the medication and seeking medical care the same day.
Gallbladder disease, including gallstones and inflammation, can occur, and risk rises with rapid weight loss. Pain in the upper right abdomen, fever, or yellowing of the skin or eyes needs prompt evaluation.
Other reported effects include low blood sugar, particularly when combined with insulin or a sulfonylurea, changes in vision in people with diabetic retinopathy, slowed stomach emptying that can affect the absorption of other medicines, kidney problems, allergic reactions, and reports of depression, mood changes or suicidal thoughts. Any change in mood should be reported promptly.
These medicines are not appropriate during pregnancy or breastfeeding, and they are not appropriate for cosmetic weight loss in people without a medical indication for weight treatment. If that describes what you are looking for, you will be told no.
Tell your clinician about every medication and supplement you take, including oral contraceptives, insulin, diabetes medicines and anything for reflux or motility, before starting.
Medical Weight Loss questions.
- What if the plan pauses?
- Appetite and habits can drift back, and some regain is common. If pausing is the goal, plan it with your clinician and keep the nutrition, training and follow-up that make holding the result realistic.
- Will I regain the weight?
- Some regain is common if the plan stops. How much depends on what stays in place afterward. The program is built around habits, labs and follow-up.
- How fast will I lose weight?
- It varies widely, and the rate is deliberately gradual. Losing quickly increases gallbladder risk and tends to cost you more muscle. Your clinician sets a pace against your own starting numbers rather than against something you read online.
- Do I really need labs?
- Yes. Thyroid disease, insulin resistance, hormonal change and other health issues all present as weight that will not move, and none of them are solved by skipping the bloodwork. Labs are how you avoid treating the wrong problem for six months.
- How bad is the nausea?
- Some people feel queasy as a plan gets going. Smaller meals and a slower pace usually help. Severe or persistent vomiting is different and should be reported the same day.
- Will I lose muscle along with fat?
- Some lean mass loss happens with any significant weight loss. Adequate protein and resistance training are part of the plan for exactly this reason, and they are discussed at the first visit rather than presented as an optional extra.
- Can I do this if I only want to lose a few pounds for an event?
- No. This is care for a medical reason, and it is not offered for cosmetic weight loss in people who do not have that reason. You will get a straight answer at the consult.
- Is this the same as what KAYU offers online?
- The clinical approach is the same and often the same clinician. Being local means the blood draw, the physical exam and the follow-up visits happen in a room a few minutes away.
- What does it cost and will insurance cover it?
- Coverage for weight treatment varies a great deal by plan and frequently does not apply. The program is quoted to you directly before you commit, and Cherry financing is available.
Often booked alongside.
- Hormone TherapyTreat the symptoms your labs can explain.
- Sexual WellnessTreat function and comfort, for women and men.
This care also exists remotely. See how medical weight loss works through KAYU online.
Start with the bloodwork.
A consult and a comprehensive panel establish why the weight is not moving and whether medication belongs in your plan at all.