Tirzepatide Injections

What is compounded tirzepatide?

Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist: it mimics two gut hormones involved in appetite, fullness and blood-sugar regulation, and it lasts long enough in the body to be taken once a week.

Compounded tirzepatide is prepared by a state-licensed compounding pharmacy, under a pharmacist's supervision and state and federal requirements, for an individual patient on a clinician's prescription. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality.

GLP does not manufacture or compound any medication. Prescriptions are dispensed by independent, licensed U.S. pharmacies (RedRock Pharmacy, Health Warehouse, Precision Medicine, Triad Rx); which one fills your order depends on your treatment and your state.

How does tirzepatide differ from semaglutide?

Semaglutide acts on the GLP-1 pathway alone. Tirzepatide acts on that pathway and on a second one, GIP, which is why it is called a dual agonist. That is a real pharmacological difference, but it is not a verdict: tolerability, medical history, other medications and what a clinician is actually treating all factor into which is appropriate for a particular person. Both are once-weekly injections, both start at a low dose, and both are prescription-only.

How is it taken, and how is the dose set?

Once a week, as an injection under the skin, on the same day each week. The pharmacy supplies the medication with instructions for storage and use, and your clinician's instructions take precedence over anything found online.

Treatment starts at a low dose and is stepped up over several weeks on a schedule your clinician sets. A step can be held, or the pace slowed, when the current dose is not being tolerated; your check-ins are the evidence those decisions are made on. If a dose is missed, message your care team for instructions rather than taking two to catch up.

What side effects does tirzepatide cause?

The most common side effects of tirzepatide are gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhea, reduced appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and abdominal pain, along with injection-site reactions. They tend to appear in the early weeks and after a dose increase, which is why the dose is stepped up slowly and can be held when a step is not being tolerated.

Tirzepatide may cause serious side effects, including possible thyroid C-cell tumors, pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, low blood sugar when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas, kidney problems with dehydration, and complications of diabetic retinopathy. Tirzepatide can also reduce how well oral birth control works around the start of treatment and after each dose increase, so tell your clinician everything you take. Message your care team about any symptom that concerns you; for a medical emergency, call 911.

Who should not take tirzepatide?

Tirzepatide is contraindicated in anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2, and in anyone who has had a serious allergic reaction to it. Pregnancy, planning a pregnancy and breastfeeding rule treatment out. A history of pancreatitis or gallbladder disease, significant gastrointestinal conditions, type 1 diabetes, and medications that affect blood sugar all call for clinical judgment. None of these lists is exhaustive; that is what the assessment screens for, and why a clinician can say no.

What does $359 per 4 weeks include?

The price is billed every 4 weeks and confirmed before you pay. Check-ins and dose guidance are included, shipping is free and tracked in plain packaging, and you can message your care team between check-ins. Exactly what the price does and does not cover is shown before you pay. GLP is cash-pay: no insurance, no claims, no paperwork. There are no contracts; cancel with 72 hours' notice before your next billing date. Availability, pricing and treatment options vary by state.

Frequently asked questions

Related

• Semaglutide Injections
• Tirzepatide Microdose Injection
• Compounded GLP-1 medications, explained
• GLP-1 side effects: common, serious, and what helps
• What is a GLP-1? How this class of medication works