GLP-1 medications, explained from the start

What GLP-1 is, how the medications work, which ones are approved and how they differ, and the words that get mixed up along the way: receptor agonists, GLP-2, peptides, 'inhibitors' and supplements. Written from the FDA labels and NIH sources, with each medication named by its active ingredient.

6 articles · What is a GLP-1? How this class of medication works

What is a GLP-1? How this class of medication works

What GLP-1 is, what the hormone does, and how GLP-1 medications work: how they are taken, what they are approved for, side effects, and who can take one.

October 6, 2026 · 10 min read

Semaglutide vs tirzepatide: how GLP-1 medications compare

The two active ingredients behind the best-known GLP-1 brand names, and what actually separates them.

September 24, 2026 · 8 min read

GLP-1 drugs list: every approved GLP-1 medication

Every GLP-1 medication approved in the US, by active ingredient: how each is taken, what its FDA label approves it for, and where compounded options fit.

October 6, 2026 · 8 min read

GLP-1 vs GLP-2: two gut hormones, different jobs

GLP-1 and GLP-2 come from the same gut cells but do different things. What each hormone does, which medications act on them, and where GIP fits.

October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Is GLP-1 a peptide? GLP-1s vs 'peptide therapy'

Yes: GLP-1 is a peptide hormone, and most GLP-1 medications are peptides. How they differ from the 'peptides' sold online and at wellness clinics.

October 6, 2026 · 6 min read

GLP-1 supplements vs GLP-1 medications: what's real

No GLP-1 medication is sold over the counter. What 'GLP-1 supplements' contain, what they can and cannot do, and how to spot a risky product.

October 6, 2026 · 6 min read

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