What is tirzepatide for weight loss?

Overview

Tirzepatide is a once-weekly injection, given under the skin, that activates two hormone receptors, GIP and GLP-1.[1] In a 72-week trial (SURMOUNT-1) of adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, without diabetes, average weight loss was about 15% to 21% on tirzepatide, depending on the dose, compared with about 3% on placebo.[2] Results varied from person to person: in the same trial, about 1 in 11 to 1 in 7 people taking tirzepatide did not lose at least 5% of their body weight. The Zepbound label carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rats. Evidence that tirzepatide lowers body weight in adults without diabetes comes from randomized controlled trials and from independent reviews of those trials.

How tirzepatide works

According to the Zepbound label, GLP-1 is a natural regulator of appetite and calorie intake, and nonclinical (laboratory and animal) studies suggest that GIP may add to that effect. The Zepbound label says tirzepatide lowers calorie intake, likely by affecting appetite, and slows stomach emptying, an effect that is largest after the first dose and lessens over time. The Zepbound label notes that, in animal studies, tirzepatide reached and activated nerve cells in brain areas involved in appetite and food intake. How tirzepatide acts in the body does not by itself show a health benefit; the evidence for weight loss comes from the clinical trials described on this page. The Zepbound label gives tirzepatide's half-life as about 5 to 6 days.

Evidence: how much weight people lose

In SURMOUNT-1, a 72-week trial of 2,539 adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, without diabetes, average weight loss was 15.0% with tirzepatide 5 mg, 19.5% with 10 mg and 20.9% with 15 mg, compared with 3.1% with placebo. In SURMOUNT-1, everyone, including the placebo group, received lifestyle counseling aimed at eating about 500 fewer calories a day and at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week. According to the Zepbound label, 85.1%, 88.9% and 90.9% of people taking tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg in SURMOUNT-1 lost at least 5% of their body weight, compared with 34.5% on placebo. Results varied from person to person: in SURMOUNT-1, 14.9% of people on the 5 mg dose, 11.1% on 10 mg and 9.1% on 15 mg did not lose at least 5% of their body weight. According to the Zepbound label, 50.1% of people on tirzepatide 10 mg and 56.7% on 15 mg in SURMOUNT-1 lost at least 20% of their body weight, compared with 3.1% on placebo. The Zepbound label reports that 30.0% of people on tirzepatide 5 mg in SURMOUNT-1 lost at least 20% of their body weight, a result the label marks as not controlled for type I error. Compared with placebo, the Zepbound label reports extra average weight loss in SURMOUNT-1 of 11.9 percentage points with tirzepatide 5 mg, 16.4 with 10 mg and 17.8 with 15 mg. The SURMOUNT-1 weight results in the Zepbound label count every randomized participant, including the 14.3% to 16.4% of people on tirzepatide and 26.4% on placebo who stopped taking the study drug. Two independent reviews of trials in adults without diabetes, not funded by tirzepatide's maker, also found much greater weight loss with tirzepatide than with placebo.[3][4] An independent review of randomized trials in adults without diabetes, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Kommu 2025), found about 16 percentage points more weight loss with tirzepatide than with placebo (mean difference 16.32 points; 95% CI 14.29 to 18.35). Weight loss with tirzepatide is supported at the Established level only for adults without diabetes; the result in adults with type 2 diabetes comes from a single trial and is Emerging.

In a 72-week trial summarized in the Zepbound label (Study 2) of 938 adults with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes, average weight loss was 12.8% with tirzepatide 10 mg and 14.7% with 15 mg, compared with 3.2% with placebo. In adults with type 2 diabetes, average weight loss with tirzepatide in the Zepbound label's Study 2 was smaller than in SURMOUNT-1, which enrolled adults without diabetes. Results varied from person to person in Study 2: 20.8% of people on tirzepatide 10 mg and 17.2% on 15 mg did not lose at least 5% of their body weight.

In SURMOUNT-3, adults without diabetes who had first lost at least 5% of their weight in a 12-week intensive lifestyle program lost a further 18.4% of their body weight on average over 72 weeks with tirzepatide, while people on placebo gained 2.5%.[5] SURMOUNT-3 randomized only the people who lost at least 5% during the lifestyle program, and its authors noted that this may have produced a higher average weight loss; most participants were white and all were in the Americas. Results varied in SURMOUNT-3: 87.5% of people on tirzepatide lost a further 5% or more of their body weight, so about 1 in 8 did not.

Trial figures are group averages, and results varied from person to person in every trial. Every trial in this table was run in adults and lasted between 52 and 88 weeks, so the results do not show what happens over many years.

Sleep apnea

In two 52-week trials (SURMOUNT-OSA) of 469 adults with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and obesity, without diabetes, tirzepatide reduced breathing interruptions during sleep by about 20 and 24 more events per hour than placebo. Breathing interruptions during sleep are measured as the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI); people in SURMOUNT-OSA started with an average of about 50 events per hour, and most had severe sleep apnea. In SURMOUNT-OSA, 42.2% and 50.2% of people on tirzepatide in the two trials ended with sleep apnea in remission or mild without symptoms, compared with 15.9% and 14.3% on placebo. Both SURMOUNT-OSA trials were funded by Eli Lilly, lasted 52 weeks and did not include people without obesity, and in the trial of people using a breathing machine (PAP), participants stopped PAP for 7 days before the main measurement. Tirzepatide's effect on sleep apnea is rated Emerging on this page because the randomized trial results we found in a PubMed search on October 1, 2026 come from the two SURMOUNT-OSA trials, both funded by the drug's maker. In a search of PubMed and Europe PMC on October 1, 2026, we found systematic reviews that cover tirzepatide in sleep apnea; the one we read in full (Altobaishat 2025), which reported no funding and no author conflicts of interest, pooled the two SURMOUNT-OSA trials with one trial of liraglutide, a different drug, added no other tirzepatide trial and rated the certainty of the pooled change in breathing interruptions as very low.[8]

What happens when people stop

In a trial funded by the drug's maker (SURMOUNT-4), adults without diabetes who had lost weight during 36 weeks on tirzepatide and were then switched to placebo saw their body weight rise by 14.0% on average over the next 52 weeks, while those who stayed on tirzepatide lost a further 5.5%.[6] In SURMOUNT-4, 89.5% of people who stayed on tirzepatide kept at least 80% of the weight they had lost in the first 36 weeks, compared with 16.6% of people switched to placebo. SURMOUNT-4 randomized only people who had tolerated tirzepatide for the first 36 weeks, so its results may not apply to everyone who starts the drug.

A second trial funded by the drug's maker (SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN) enrolled adults with obesity, or overweight with a weight-related condition, at 20 sites in the United States; after 60 weeks on tirzepatide 10 mg or 15 mg, 378 participants were randomly assigned to stay on that dose, step down to 5 mg or switch to placebo for another 52 weeks.[9] At week 112 of SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, average weight loss from the start of the trial was 21.9% for people who stayed on their dose, 16.6% for people who stepped down to 5 mg and 9.9% for people switched to placebo.[9] From week 84 of SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN, people who had regained more than half of the weight they lost could restart tirzepatide as rescue treatment, and the trial's main analysis assumed that those people would not have gained further benefit from the treatment they had been assigned.

In a search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no reported results from a randomized trial in which people who stopped tirzepatide kept off as much weight, on average, as people who continued it.

Potential benefits

In SURMOUNT-1, waist size shrank by 14.0 cm, 17.7 cm and 18.5 cm on average with tirzepatide 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg, compared with 4.0 cm with placebo.

Evidence levels in this table follow our grading key: Established means consistent results from randomized trials or a systematic review of them; Emerging means some controlled human evidence that falls short of that, for example a single trial or trials funded mostly by the drug's maker; and a cell that begins "No reported results" means that our search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026 found none of that kind, which is different from saying that no such trial exists.

In a search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no reported results from a human trial of tirzepatide with aging or biological age as its planned outcome; we found four registered randomized trials and one registered non-randomized trial that list a biological-age measure among their main outcomes, and none has reported results.[10][11][12][13][14] The four randomized trials (NCT07220473, NCT07293325, NCT07218445 and NCT07057310) plan to enroll 30 to 90 people each and to measure DNA methylation estimates of biological age after about 24 weeks; two of them also give a second weight-loss drug, and none lists lifespan or death as an outcome. The non-randomized trial (NCT07707778) plans to enroll 60 adults with HIV and obesity and to measure DNA methylation estimates of aging at 33 and 57 weeks, and it does not list lifespan or death as an outcome. In a search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no reported results from a trial designed to test whether tirzepatide extends lifespan; a registered trial, SURMOUNT-MMO, includes death from any cause in its main combined outcome and has not reported results.[15] SURPASS-CVOT, a trial funded by Eli Lilly, recorded deaths from any cause as a secondary outcome in adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, comparing tirzepatide with dulaglutide, another diabetes drug, with no placebo group; a result in that population and against that comparison is not evidence that tirzepatide extends life in people taking it for weight loss.[16][17] Weight loss, sleep apnea and blood-pressure results from tirzepatide trials are not evidence that tirzepatide slows aging or extends life.

Slowing aging or extending lifespan: Not an approved use of any tirzepatide product

Limitations

SURMOUNT-1, SURMOUNT-3, SURMOUNT-4, SURMOUNT-OSA and SURPASS-CVOT were all funded by Eli Lilly, the company that makes tirzepatide. The tirzepatide weight-loss trials whose results appear on this page measured body weight and related measurements such as waist size and blood pressure; they were not designed to show fewer heart attacks, strokes or deaths in people without diabetes. Most of what is known about tirzepatide for weight loss comes from trials in adults; the Zepbound label says its safety and effectiveness have not been established in children.

The Zepbound label says tirzepatide lowers body weight with greater fat mass loss than lean mass loss. Reviews of trials in adults with overweight or obesity, with or without type 2 diabetes, report that part of the weight lost with tirzepatide is lean mass rather than fat.[18][19] Lean mass loss with tirzepatide is rated Emerging on this page because the reviews we found did not state their funding sources in the records we read.

Risks

The Zepbound label's boxed warning says that in rats, tirzepatide causes thyroid C-cell tumors, and that it is unknown whether Zepbound causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans, because the human relevance of the rat tumors has not been determined. The Zepbound label advises telling patients about possible signs of a thyroid tumor, such as a lump in the neck, trouble swallowing, shortness of breath or hoarseness that does not go away, and says routine blood calcitonin tests or thyroid ultrasounds are of uncertain value for finding MTC early.

The Zepbound label also warns about severe stomach and bowel reactions, kidney injury from dehydration, gallbladder problems, pancreatitis, serious allergic reactions, low blood sugar, worsening diabetic eye disease in people with type 2 diabetes, and inhaling stomach contents during anesthesia or deep sedation. According to the Zepbound prescribing information, "Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice." In the Zepbound label's pooled weight-loss trials, severe stomach and bowel reactions were reported by 1.7%, 2.5% and 3.1% of people on Zepbound 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg, compared with 1% on placebo, and the label says Zepbound is not recommended for people with severe gastroparesis. The Zepbound label reports acute kidney injury in 0.5% of people on Zepbound vs 0.2% on placebo in its pooled weight-loss trials, and says postmarketing reports, mostly in people who became dehydrated from stomach and bowel side effects, included some cases that needed dialysis. In the Zepbound label's pooled weight-loss trials, gallstones were reported by 1.1% of people on Zepbound vs 1% on placebo, and gallbladder inflammation by 0.7% vs 0.2%; the label says acute gallbladder events were associated with weight reduction. The Zepbound label warns that acute pancreatitis, including fatal cases, has been seen in people treated with GLP-1 receptor agonists or Zepbound; in its pooled weight-loss trials, confirmed pancreatitis was reported by 0.2% of people on Zepbound and 0.2% on placebo. The Zepbound label says Zepbound lowers blood sugar and can cause low blood sugar; in its trial of people with type 2 diabetes, blood sugar below 54 mg/dL was reported by 4.2% on Zepbound vs 1.3% on placebo, and more often in people also taking a sulfonylurea. In the Zepbound label's pooled weight-loss trials, serious allergic reactions were reported by 0.1% of people on Zepbound and by no one on placebo. The Zepbound label says people taking Zepbound should tell their healthcare providers before any planned surgery or procedure, because of rare reports of inhaling stomach contents during anesthesia or deep sedation in people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists. The Zepbound label says people with a history of diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) should be monitored, because temporary worsening has been reported with rapid improvement in blood sugar control.

Heart attack and stroke

In SURPASS-CVOT, a trial of 13,299 adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, tirzepatide was about as effective as dulaglutide, another diabetes drug, at preventing heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death counted together, and it was not shown to be better.[16] In SURPASS-CVOT, heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death occurred in 12.2% of people on tirzepatide and 13.1% on dulaglutide (hazard ratio 0.92; 95.3% CI 0.83 to 1.01). SURPASS-CVOT enrolled only adults with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, and it did not test people using tirzepatide for weight loss without diabetes. In a search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no reported results from a randomized trial designed to test whether tirzepatide prevents heart attacks or strokes in people without diabetes. SURMOUNT-MMO, a randomized trial of tirzepatide against placebo in adults without diabetes, is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and had posted no results in the record we read on October 1, 2026; funded by Eli Lilly, it enrolled 15,374 adults aged 40 or older with a body-mass index of 27 or higher and cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors, and its main outcome counts deaths from any cause, heart attacks, strokes, coronary revascularization and heart-failure events together.[15] The Zepbound prescribing information (Revised 08/2026) contains no cardiovascular outcome results.

In SURMOUNT-1, systolic blood pressure fell by about 6 to 7 mmHg more with tirzepatide than with placebo, and triglycerides also fell more, but the Zepbound label marks these results as not controlled for type I error. The Zepbound label reports an average heart-rate increase of 1 to 3 beats per minute with Zepbound, compared with no increase on placebo. Blood pressure and blood fat levels are measurements, and changes in them do not show that tirzepatide prevents heart attacks or strokes.

Depression and suicidal thoughts

The Zepbound prescribing information (Revised 08/2026) lists "Suicidal Behavior and Ideation (Removed) 02/2026" under Recent Major Changes, and its current Warnings and Precautions section has no warning on suicidal behavior and ideation. In a post hoc analysis of three SURMOUNT trials in 4,056 adults without known major psychiatric illness, suicidal thoughts were reported by 0.6% of people in both the tirzepatide and placebo groups.[20] In the same post hoc analysis, depression questionnaire scores were not worse with tirzepatide than with placebo. Four of the analysis's authors were employees of Eli Lilly, tirzepatide's maker, and the authors wrote that further study in people with significant psychiatric illness may be warranted. These results do not show whether tirzepatide causes or prevents depression or suicidal thoughts, and anyone with new or worsening mood symptoms should talk to a licensed clinician.

Sources: Zepbound injection prescribing information, Revised 08/2026.

Side effects

According to the Zepbound prescribing information, "Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice." Nausea and diarrhea were the most common side effects in Table 1 of the Zepbound label: nausea was reported by 25% to 29% of people on Zepbound vs 8% on placebo, and diarrhea by 19% to 23% vs 8%. In the Zepbound label's pooled weight-loss trials, stomach and bowel side effects were reported by 56% of people at each Zepbound dose, compared with 30% on placebo, and most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea happened while the dose was being increased and decreased over time. An independent review of six tirzepatide trials in adults without diabetes (Kommu 2025) found nausea, diarrhea and constipation reported about 3 times as often, and vomiting about 6 times as often, with tirzepatide as with placebo. In the SURMOUNT trials, most stomach and bowel side effects were mild to moderate, according to the trial reports. In the Zepbound label's pooled weight-loss trials, 4.8%, 6.3% and 6.7% of people on Zepbound 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg stopped treatment because of side effects, compared with 3.4% on placebo, most often during the first few months and because of stomach and bowel side effects.

According to the Zepbound prescribing information, "Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice." Table 1 of the Zepbound prescribing information (Revised 08/2026), all 16 rows: "Adverse Reactions (≥2% and Greater than Placebo) in ZEPBOUND-Treated Adults with Obesity or Overweight in Weight Reduction and Long-term Maintenance Trials (Study 1 and Study 2)." Numbers of people in Table 1: placebo 958; Zepbound 5 mg 630; Zepbound 10 mg 948; Zepbound 15 mg 941. The Zepbound label's Table 1 pools two trials of up to 72 weeks, one of which enrolled only people with type 2 diabetes; 25% of the pooled patients had type 2 diabetes.

In Table 1, diarrhea includes diarrhea and frequent bowel movements. In Table 1, constipation includes constipation and hard stools. In Table 1, abdominal pain includes abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, lower and upper abdominal pain, and abdominal tenderness. In Table 1, injection site reactions include several related terms, such as bruising, redness, itching, pain and rash at the injection site. In Table 1, fatigue includes weakness, fatigue, lack of energy and generally feeling unwell. In Table 1, hypotension includes decreased blood pressure, hypotension and orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure on standing).

Sources: Zepbound injection prescribing information, Revised 08/2026.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911 or seek emergency care. Report side effects to FDA MedWatch.

Contraindication considerations

The Zepbound label says people should not use Zepbound if they or a family member have had medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), if they have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), or if they have had a serious allergic reaction to tirzepatide or any ingredient in Zepbound.

The Zepbound label says Zepbound may make birth-control pills less effective because it slows stomach emptying, an effect that is largest after the first dose and lessens over time. The Zepbound label advises people using birth-control pills to switch to a non-oral method, or to add a barrier method, for 4 weeks after starting Zepbound and for 4 weeks after each dose increase. The Zepbound label says hormonal birth control that is not taken by mouth should not be affected. After a single 5 mg dose, the Zepbound label reports that peak blood levels of the hormones in a combined birth-control pill fell by 55% to 66%.

The Zepbound label says weight loss offers no benefit during pregnancy and may harm the fetus, and advises stopping Zepbound when a pregnancy is recognized. The Zepbound label does not give a time to stop Zepbound before a planned pregnancy. In animal studies described in the Zepbound label, tirzepatide reduced fetal growth and caused fetal abnormalities in rats, effects that happened alongside reduced weight and food intake in the mothers.

In a study of 11 breastfeeding women after one 5 mg dose, the Zepbound label reports that tirzepatide could not be detected in 164 of 171 breast-milk samples; there are no data on effects in breastfed infants.

Sources: Zepbound injection prescribing information, Revised 08/2026.

Administration methods

The Zepbound label starts at 2.5 mg injected under the skin once weekly for 4 weeks, and says the 2.5 mg dose is for starting treatment, not for maintenance. After the starting dose, the Zepbound label moves to 5 mg once weekly, and says the dose may be raised in 2.5 mg steps after at least 4 weeks on the current dose. The Zepbound label says the dose is raised gradually to reduce the risk of stomach and bowel side effects. The Zepbound label lists maintenance doses of 5 mg, 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly for weight reduction and 10 mg or 15 mg once weekly for sleep apnea, with 15 mg once weekly as the highest dose for any use. The Zepbound label says: "administer ZEPBOUND as soon as possible within 4 days (96 hours) after the missed dose. If more than 4 days have passed, skip the missed dose and administer the next dose on the regularly scheduled day." The Zepbound label allows the weekly injection day to be changed as long as the two doses are at least 3 days (72 hours) apart. The Zepbound label says Zepbound can be injected once weekly at any time of day, with or without meals, in the abdomen or thigh, or in the back of the upper arm by another person, rotating the injection site with each dose. The Zepbound label says patients or caregivers should be trained before the first injection, and that the Zepbound KwikPen is not recommended for self-injection by people who are visually impaired. The Zepbound label lists four forms: a single-dose pen, a single-dose vial, a multi-dose vial and a single-patient-use KwikPen, and says a KwikPen must never be shared between people, even if the needle is changed. A licensed prescriber decides the starting dose, when to raise it and the maintenance dose for each person.

Dose schedules on this page summarize the Zepbound injection prescribing information and are not instructions to follow. A prescriber sets and adjusts the dose.

Dose steps as written in the Zepbound prescribing information, Section 2 (Revised 08/2026); a prescriber sets the actual dose.

Sources: prescribing information, Section 2 (Dosage and Administration), for Zepbound injection prescribing information, Revised 08/2026.

Insurance

Coverage varies by plan and can depend on the reason it is prescribed. Confirm coverage, and any prior authorization, with your insurer.

FDA and regulatory status

Among tirzepatide products, Zepbound injection, given under the skin, is FDA-approved for weight management in certain adults, while Mounjaro injection is approved only for uses in people with type 2 diabetes (checked October 14, 2026).

The FDA status table lists each tirzepatide product with its route and the uses in its prescribing information.

Mounjaro injection is not FDA-approved for weight management. Its approved uses are listed in the FDA status table. Prescribing it for weight management is off-label. For weight management in certain adults, together with a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, FDA has approved Zepbound injection, given under the skin.

Tirzepatide is not FDA-approved for anti-aging, longevity or general wellness. FDA has approved specific tirzepatide products only for specific uses: Mounjaro injection for uses in people with type 2 diabetes, and Zepbound injection for weight management and for obstructive sleep apnea in certain adults. Using tirzepatide for anti-aging or longevity is off-label. FDA has not reviewed whether it is safe and effective for that purpose.

Each tirzepatide product in the FDA status table is available only with a prescription (checked October 14, 2026).

Completing an intake form or making a payment does not guarantee a prescription.

Compounded tirzepatide

Compounded tirzepatide is a different product from Zepbound injection.

Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved. FDA states: 'Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. This means that FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.' FDA determined that the tirzepatide injection shortage was resolved on December 19, 2024, and said on April 1, 2026 that tirzepatide was not on its drug shortage list.

In a Federal Register notice published May 1, 2026, FDA proposed not to include tirzepatide on the list of bulk drug substances that outsourcing facilities may use in compounding (the 503B Bulks List). As of October 14, 2026, we have not found a final decision.

In a search of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 1, 2026, we found no randomized trial of a compounded tirzepatide product. The trial results on this page come from studies of tirzepatide made by Eli Lilly and cannot be assumed to apply to compounded versions.

Regulatory status checked October 14, 2026. Sources: www.accessdata.fda.gov/…/215866s044s045lbl.pdf; www.accessdata.fda.gov/…/215866Orig1s044,215866Orig1s045ltr.pdf; www.accessdata.fda.gov/…/217806Orig1s041correctedlbl.pdf; www.fda.gov/…/fda-clarifies-policies-compounders-national-glp-1-supply-begins-stabilize; public-inspection.federalregister.gov/…/2026-08552.pdf; www.fda.gov/…/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers; www.fda.gov/…/fdas-concerns-unapproved-glp-1-drugs-used-weight-loss

Prescription requirements

Each tirzepatide product in the FDA status table is available only with a prescription (checked October 14, 2026).

Completing an intake form or making a payment does not guarantee a prescription.

Provider directory

Both links below open the Medical weight management category of the provider directory.

Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved. See FDA's statement.

You can connect with a licensed provider to ask about an evaluation.

Find a Provider · Connect With a Licensed Provider

A licensed clinician decides whether treatment is appropriate. A prescription is not guaranteed.

Related diagnostics and treatments

• GLP-1 medication vs. bariatric surgery →