Millions of people around the globe struggle with their weight. Many things can lead to being overweight or obese. Some potential factors include a sedentary lifestyle, genetics, dietary choices, and health conditions. No matter what led to your weight gain in the first place, there are things you can do to try and lose those excess pounds.
The diet industry is worth over 70 billion dollars. And yet, the worldwide obesity rate is almost three times what it was in 1975. If you’re one of the many people who have tried without success to reach your goal weight, don’t give up. There may be one or more solutions you haven’t yet tried. The cutting-edge weight loss medications Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) and Ozempic (Semaglutide) have excellent success rates. They are FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes. However, they both have the pleasant side effect of boosting weight loss.
No miracle weight loss solution exists. That means even if you decide to try Mounjaro or Ozempic, you shouldn’t rely on these medications alone. You’ll be more likely to reach your goal weight if you exercise regularly and adopt healthy dietary habits. Remember that losing weight should involve more than just shedding unwanted pounds. It should also be about improving your overall health to look and feel like your best self. If you’re curious about using weight loss medication, you may wonder which option to choose. Here are a few things about Semaglutide vs. Tirzepatide for weight loss.
Benefits of Tirzepatide and Semaglutide
Tirzepatide and Semaglutide offer many of the same benefits. They include:
- Appetite suppression
- Blood sugar management
- Reduced risk of stroke and heart attack
- Weight loss
As a dual receptor agonist, Tirzepatide can lead to even more dramatic glycemic control and weight reduction results.
What Is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a brand name for a drug containing the active ingredient Tirzepatide. Tirzepatide mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a natural hormone class in the body. In addition to mimicking GLP-1, Tirzepatide also mimics glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). GIP is another class of hormones in the body.
These hormones play important roles in blood sugar control and diabetes management. Mounjaro is FDA-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is undergoing clinical trials and may soon be FDA-approved for weight loss. In the meantime, you can get this effective drug prescribed off-label for weight loss purposes.
How Does Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) Work?
Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) works by improving insulin sensitivity and enhancing insulin secretion. It also delays gastric emptying, which leads to increased feelings of fullness. This, in turn, leads to appetite suppression and decreased food intake throughout the day. After receiving Mounjaro injections, patients experience a decreased glucose concentration while in postprandial and fasting states.
Potential Risks and Side Effects of Tirzepatide
All medications have potential risks and side effects. The side effects associated with Mounjaro include:
- Gas
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Mild allergic reaction
- Heartburn
- Localized injection site reactions
These symptoms are generally mild and may decrease as your provider adjusts the medication dosage. Serious symptoms are rarer and may include pancreatitis, low blood sugar, gallbladder problems, severe allergic reaction, and increased risk of thyroid cancer.
How Effective Is Mounjaro Weight Loss Medication?
Mounjaro’s unique dual-agonist designation seems to boost its weight-reduction capabilities. People who receive Mounjaro medications may lose even more weight than single-agonist medications.
In one double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, Mounjaro’s effectiveness shines. More than half of the participants who received Mounjaro experienced a body weight reduction of 20% or more2. This illustrates the remarkable ability of Mounjaro injections to shed excess pounds.
What Is Ozempic?
Ozempic is a brand name for a drug containing the active ingredient Semaglutide. Like Mounjaro, Ozempic mimics GLP-1 in the body. However, it does not also mimic GIP as Mounjaro uniquely does. Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, Ozempic is now commonly used to treat obesity as well.
How Does Ozempic (Semaglutide) Work?
Ozempic (Semaglutide) binds to the GLP-1 receptor and stimulates the pancreas to release insulin. The stimulation of insulin slows down the digestion process. When digestion slows, the affected person tends to feel fuller for longer periods of time between meals. Semaglutide for weight loss also tends to increase feelings of fullness so patients are less likely to overeat.
Potential Risks and Side Effects of Semaglutide
Semaglutide shares many of the same side effects as Tirzepatide. These may include:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Heartburn or acid reflux
- Bloating
- Gas
- Dizziness
- Localized injection site reactions
- Headaches
Rarer symptoms may include gallbladder disease, kidney problems, pancreatitis, serious allergic reaction, hypoglycemia, diabetic retinopathy, and increased risk of thyroid cancer.
How Effective Is Ozempic Weight Loss Medication?
Ozempic is no lightweight when it comes to its bodyweight reduction capabilities. In one double-blind trial, obese participants receiving 2.4 mg of weekly semaglutide injections experienced a clinically relevant body weight reduction. At week 68 of treatment, participants who received semaglutide had lost over 33 pounds, compared to members of the placebo group who lost only 5.7 lbs3.
What Is a GLP-1 Hormone?
Mounjaro and Ozempic are both GLP-1 receptor agonists. But what exactly is the GLP-1 hormone and what is its role in weight loss? GLP-1 is a hormone that the gut produces and releases when you eat. It helps regulate the appetite and the release of insulin. GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs (such as Tirzepatide and Semaglutide) tell the body to produce more insulin. As a result of the increased insulin levels, the appetite and digestion slow down.
What Is a GIP Hormone?
A GIP hormone is an incretin hormone secreted by the gut in response to food intake. Like GLP-1, GIP stimulates insulin secretion. It also blocks hydrochloric acid secretion into the stomach. GIP plays an important role in both fat deposition and fat metabolism. It also stimulates glucagon secretion when the blood sugar levels drop. Mounjaro is a first-in-class medication that reacts with both GLP-1 and GIP receptors in the body1.
What Company Makes These Weight Loss Medications?
Eli Lilly and Co. makes the medication Mounjaro. In 2016, the American pharmaceutical company began making Tirzepatide.
Novo Nordisk is the maker of the popular Semaglutide medications Ozempic and Wegovy. Novo Nordisk is a well-known pharmaceutical company based in Denmark. It has production facilities, offices, and affiliates in multiple countries.
Who Is Not a Good Candidate for Weight Loss Medication?
Tirzepatide and Semaglutide may not be right for people with certain health conditions. If you have any of the following medical concerns, talk to your doctor before receiving injectable weight loss medications:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Pancreatitis
- Severe digestion problems
- Kidney problems
- Previous allergic reaction to Tirzepatide or Semaglutide
Your doctor may also recommend that you do not take Mounjaro or Ozempic if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. However, untreated diabetes can cause fetal development problems and increase pregnancy loss risk. Therefore, if you are pregnant and have diabetes, your doctor may recommend taking diabetes medication throughout your pregnancy.
Tirzepatide vs. Ozempic Dosage Information
Mounjaro is an injectable medication that’s administered weekly. A provider typically injects the medication directly into the upper arm, abdomen, or thigh. Available doses include:
- 2.5 mg
- 5.0 mg
- 7.5 mg
- 10 mg
- 12.5 mg
- 15 mg
Your provider will most likely have you start out with a low dose of the medication. As your tolerance builds, you should be able to handle gradually increasing doses. Once you reach an effective dose, your provider may keep you on that dose for a period of weeks or months.
Like Mounjaro, Ozempic is also administered weekly via injection into the arm, abdomen, or thigh. It comes in the following doses:
- 0.25 mg
- 0.5 mg
- 1 mg
- 2 mg
The maximum weekly Ozempic dosage is 2 mg. At this dosage, you should begin to see noticeable weight loss results. If you begin to experience unwanted side effects, your provider may temporarily scale back your dosage until you can tolerate a higher dose.
Whether you receive Mounjaro or Ozempic, your injections need to be at the same time and on the same day each week. If you miss a dose, you’ll need to take your next dose within 96 hours of the missed one. If you wait longer than five days after your missed dose, you’ll need to wait for your next scheduled dose. This can result in wasted progress, so it is important to remember all your doses as scheduled.
How Much Does Tirzepatide vs. Ozempic Cost?
The cost of various prescription drugs can vary dramatically. The number of treatments, geographical location, and starting weight can impact the total cost of Tirzepatide or Semaglutide injections. However, the average cost of four Mounjaro treatments (spread across four weeks) is around $975. The average price of 2 mg of Ozempic (a one-week or a four-week dose, depending on your current dosage) is around $899.
Request quotes from multiple providers to ensure you’re getting a fair price. Be careful to ensure you only receive weight loss injections from a reputable and skilled provider. You may also want to check with your insurance provider to see if your policy covers either medication. Most insurance policies do not cover injections for weight loss, but they may cover medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Which Medication Is Better for Promoting Weight Loss?
It is hard to answer which weight loss medication is best definitively. Both Tirzepatide and Semaglutide have long lists of benefits and a few similar risks and associated side effects. However, regarding weight loss alone, Mounjaro shows a slight advantage in clinical trials. If you’re looking for a weight loss drug to finally help you reach your goal weight, either of these medications should work well. You may find that you can tolerate one more than the other. If that is the case, go with the medication your body responds most favorably to.
The work doesn’t end there once you and your provider select the right medication. In addition to taking the medication on time every week, you will also need to adopt lifestyle changes. Neither Mounjaro nor Ozempic is a standalone method for dropping pounds. You must also eat a well-balanced diet and maintain an active lifestyle for best results. You’ll also boost your results by prioritizing your mental and emotional well-being.
How To Boost the Effectiveness of Weight Loss Injections
Weight loss success rates from Mounjaro and Ozempic differ. Genetics, overall health, and starting weight can all impact how many pounds a person loses with weight loss medication injections. But certain lifestyle factors can impact how effective Tirzepatide or Semaglutide is for you. If you are serious about getting the best possible results from your weight loss treatments, you can maximize your success by:
- Getting adequate, high-quality sleep
- Eating nutritious meals and avoiding nutrient-poor foods and snacks
- Exercising all or most days of the week
- Avoiding smoking, illicit drugs, and other unhealthy addictive substances
- Reducing stress and prioritizing your mental and emotional health
At first, making healthy lifestyle changes can be challenging. But if you are consistent, those impactful changes will eventually become habits. Once they do, living a healthy life won’t feel like a problematic daily effort. It will become second nature to you. You may even find that you no longer like the taste of sugary sweets or highly processed foods. As you consistently eat healthy foods, your dietary proclivities will change, and you’ll crave nutrient-dense foods.
Schedule Your Weight Loss Injection Consultation in NYC
Achieving a healthy weight can feel like an uphill battle. But there are resources available to help you achieve a successful outcome. SKINNEY Medspa offers leading-edge weight loss medications, including Semaglutide weight loss injections. Call our New York City, NY location at (212) 754-6639 to schedule your consultation.
SOURCES:
1 https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-dual-targeted-treatment-type-2-diabetes
2 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038
3 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
