In clinical trials, people taking 10 to 15 milligrams of tirzepatide lost up to 20.9% of their body weight in 72 weeks. If you weigh 250 pounds, that’s 52 pounds or a fifth of your body weight!
Is Zepbound for weight loss right for you? Find a weight loss specialist and get a Zepbound online prescription in as little as 24 hours and find out.
Medically reviewed by: Dr. Sheelu Bhatnagar
Zepbound is a name-brand injectable weight loss medication with the active ingredient tirzepatide. It’s made by Eli Lilly. It was US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for weight loss in November 2023.
It’s become a popular weight loss injection medication alongside Wegovy (semaglutide) and off-label meds approved for type 2 diabetes, like Ozempic (semaglutide) and Mounjaro (also tirzepatide), that also help with weight loss.
What sets Zepbound apart from Wegovy is how it works for weight loss and how much weight people who take it lose.
When you use Zepbound in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, you get improved blood sugar control, increased fullness, and decreased appetite, so you eat less and lose weight.
That’s possible because Zepbound’s active ingredient, tirzepatide, is a glucagon-like peptide-1/gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GLP-1/GIP) dual agonist. GLP-1 and GIP are natural hormones that inhibit glucagon secretion and prompt insulin secretion. GLP-1/GIP dual agonists mimic the hormones and bind to GLP-1 and GIP receptors, which makes you want to eat less.
In clinical trials, people lost up to 20.9% of their body weight in 72 weeks while taking Zepbound.
Learn more about Zepbound and Zepbound for weight loss.
Zepbound is FDA-approved for people who:
– Have obesity, which means a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more.
– Are overweight and have a BMI of 27 or more and at least one weight-related health problem, like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart problems, or high cholesterol.
If you take it, you also need to eat fewer calories and be more active.
Learn more about the criteria for taking Zepbound and prior authorization.
Finding Zepbound starts with having a prescription. A trained, licensed healthcare provider can prescribe Zepbound or another weight loss medication. Providers can be physician assistants (PAs), medical doctors (MDs), or nurse practitioners (NPs).
You can find a board-certified, licensed provider to discuss a medical weight loss program that may include medication, such as Zepbound, on Klarity.
Once you have a prescription, you can get Zepbound at any pharmacy — online or local — that has it in stock.
Popular weight loss medications have had supply shortages in the past. So far, Zepbound isn’t one of them. But before you start it, check the FDA drug shortages database for availability.
Learn more about how and where to get Zepbound.
You take Zepbound as a once-a-week injection. It comes in prefilled single-dose pens. You inject yourself under the skin, usually in your belly, upper thigh, or in the back of your arm.
Zepbound comes in 2.5-, 5.0-, 7.5-, 10.5-, 12.5-, and 15-milligram doses.
When you start taking Zepbound, you take 2.5 milligrams once a week for 4 weeks — the smaller dose helps minimize side effects and gives your body time to adjust. Every 4 weeks, you move to the next higher dose until you reach your maximum dose, which may be 5, 10, or 15 milligrams.
If you don’t tolerate Zepbound well, your provider may have you increase your dose more slowly, such as every 8 weeks. They may also have you step back to a smaller maintenance dose.
Learn more about Zepbound and tirzepatide doses
If you have side effects from Zepbound, you’ll most likely experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach pain, indigestion, injection site reactions, being tired, allergic reactions, belching, hair loss, and heartburn.
Visit the Zepbound side effects page to learn about serious side effects, adverse reactions, its boxed warning, and precautions, or talk to your healthcare provider to learn more.
Zepbound can be pricey. The average retail price — the price the pharmacy charges you — is $1,126 for a one-month supply for all doses according to drugs.com.
The good news is, if you have insurance that covers Zepbound, you could pay as little as $25 for a 1-, 2- or 3-month supply through the Zepbound Savings Card program. Even if your insurance doesn’t cover it, you could pay just $550 for a one-month supply — almost 50% off. Some restrictions apply.
You can use a prescription or drug discount card from SingleCareRx, drugs.com, GoodRx, WellRx, and others to save too.
Find more on Zepbound cost and how to get Zepbound for $25.
Zepbound is the newest prescription weight loss medication to hit the market. It’s the only GLP-1/GIP dual agonist weight loss medication. Another newer entrant is Wegovy (semaglutide) which is a GLP-1 receptor agonist.
Compared to Wegovy, Saxenda (liraglutide), Qsymia (phentermine-topiramate), Contrave (bupropion-naltrexone), Adipex-P (phentermine), and Xenical (Orlistat), in separate trials people lost more weight on Zepbound than other medications. It costs roughly $400 less a month than Wegovy and Saxenda.
Even so, only you and your healthcare provider can decide which weight loss plan and medication, if applicable, is right for you and your health status and needs.
Learn more about Saxenda vs Mounjaro (aka Zepbound) for weight loss.
Read through stories from real patients who received treatment from healthcare providers on Klarity.
Providers on Klarity are licensed, board-certified, and offer a personalized approach to your unique weight-loss needs. See detailed profiles for each provider and find an approach that’s best for you. (Costs for treatment options may vary.)
Your journey to losing weight starts with an initial consultation Your provider will go over your goals and medical history to recommend a program that’s right for you and may or may not include prescription medication.
Your initial consultation is just the beginning. You and your provider will follow up to make sure you’re doing okay and that you’re reaching your goals. You stay on track with easy medication refills and ongoing support from your provider.
If you have questions or need assistance, the friendly Klarity Patient Support team is here to help. Along with your provider, they’re committed to making sure you have the best care and support throughout your weight loss journey.
Sources
BMC, Cardiovascular Dibetoogy, Reduction of prevalence of patients meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome with tirzepatide: a post hoc analysis from the SURPASS Clinical Trial Program, Feb. 2024, https://cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12933-024-02147-9
DailyMed, LABEL: ZEPBOUND- tirzepatide injection, solution, Nov. 2023, https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=487cd7e7-434c-4925-99fa-aa80b1cc776b
Drugs.com, Zepbound Prices, Coupons and Patient Assistance Programs, https://www.drugs.com/price-guide/zepbound
Eli Lilly, Zepbound, https://zepbound.lilly.com/
Nature Medicine, Tirzepatide after intensive lifestyle intervention in adults with overweight or obesity: the SURMOUNT-3 phase 3 trial, Oct. 2023, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02597-w
Reuters, Lilly CEO says weight-loss drug Zepbound weekly prescriptions hit 25,000 in December, Jan. 2024, https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/lilly-ceo-says-weight-loss-drug-zepbound-weekly-prescriptions-hit-25000-december-2024-01-08/
The Lancet, Efficacy and safety of once-weekly semaglutide monotherapy versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes (SUSTAIN 1): a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multinational, multicentre phase 3a trial, Jan. 2017, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(17)30013-X/abstract
The New England Journal of Medicine, A Randomized, Controlled Trial of 3.0 mg of Liraglutide in Weight Management, Jul. 2015, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1411892
The New England Journal of Medicine, Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity, Mar. 2021,
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
The New England Journal of Medicine, Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity, Jul. 2022, https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
The New England Journal of Medicine, Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Aug. 2021, https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2107519
uspharmacist.com, Higher Semaglutide Doses Even Better for Weight Loss and Diabetes Control?, Nov. 2021, https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/higher-semaglutide-doses-even-better-for-weight-loss-and-diabetes-control
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Everyone’s weight loss journey is unique and results will vary. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you have regarding your health.
How we reviewed this article: This article goes through rigorous fact-checking by a team of medical reviewers. Reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the author.
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