Just how does Tirzepatide work in the body to help you lose weight? Learn the mechanism of action here, and how it's different from Semaglutide.
Tirzepatide is an active pharmaceutical ingredient that can help some people lose weight. It is the same class of medications as Semaglutide, and both of these medications are GLP-1 agonists.
While it may seem too good to be true to have medications that help you lose weight, there is data to back up just how well Tirzepatide can work for this indication. It’s important to familiarize yourself with just what is happening in your body to help you lose weight while using Tirzepatide. This will help you understand ways to maximize your treatment and why some side effects might pop up.
In this article, we will review what Tirzepatide is, how it works in the body for weight loss, and how its mechanism is a little bit different from Semaglutide medications.
Tirzepatide is the name of the active pharmaceutical compound inside of the brand name medications Mounjaro and Zepbound. While it is not available yet, Tirzepatide will also be the name of the generic versions once they are released.
In the form of the brand medications listed above, Tirzepatide is currently only available as an injection medication. However, you may be able to find oral versions available from compounding pharmacies.
Tirzepatide is a GLP-1 agonist medication. This puts it in the same class as Semaglutide. These active ingredients are both approved for use as weight loss agents, or for type 2 diabetes treatment.
The way that Tirzepatide works for weight loss is that it mimics the action of two different hormones that normally function in the digestive system. These are GLP-1 and GIP. By mimicking these hormones, Tirzepatide is able to lock into and stimulate the usual receptors for these hormones in the body and set off the usual cascade of signals.
For the GLP-1 and GIP hormones, once those receptors are “turned on”, they moderate the function of quite a few aspects of appetite, digestion, and weight regulation. Insulin release is triggered to help clear excess glucose from the blood, appetite and food craving centers of the brain are dialed down, and the movement of food through the digestive system is slowed down. All of these things together help you feel full faster while eating less food, stay full for longer periods of time, and have fewer pesky cravings for potentially less-healthy foods.
Over time, many people find these mechanisms mean that they incrementally lose weight throughout their Tirzepatide treatment. If they are dealing with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, these conditions may also improve significantly.
The main difference between Tirzepatide and Semaglutide medications is their exact ways they work in the body. While they are both in the same medication class and are both GLP-1 agonists, only Tirzepatide is a GLP-1 agonist AND a GIP agonist. This means that it is working to mimic two of the hormones responsible for guiding appetite, digestion, and insulin release, not just one.
This addition of one more mimicked hormone and GIP receptor stimulation seems to make Tirzepatide a little bit ahead when it comes to overall weight loss results as compared to Semaglutide.
Both Semaglutide and Tirzepatide have proven to be innovative, strong, and life-changing medications for many people struggling with weight loss. There are a few different aspects of both medications, some of which were explained above. They have a slightly different mechanism of action, they may be priced differently, and have different availabilities in your area. Your doctor may also be more comfortable or familiar with one of these over the other.
While in the studies, Tirzepatide does tend to pull ahead a little when it comes to back-to-back measures of overall weight loss, some of these other factors may come into play when you are deciding which of these medications is the best choice for you.
If you are unsure which weight loss medication is the best for you, have a conversation with your prescriber. They will give you their honest opinions based on your personal medical history and preferences.
Here at Strut Health, we offer compounded Semaglutide medications in both oral and injectable formulations. We also carry compounded oral Tirzepatide lozenges. These oral Tirzepatide lozenges may offer an alternative for people who do not like using injectable formulations. There may be less bioavailability with oral formulations are compared to injectable options.
To get started with Strut Health, simply select your preferred medication and route and complete a free online questionnaire-based consultation in under 15 minutes. One of our U.S. licensed doctors will review your information and make sure treatment is a good fit for you. If you are a good candidate for treatment, your prescription will be issued to a U.S. compounding pharmacy to make your medication on site. It will then be shipped to your front door. We coordinate the prescription, compounding, and shipping for you – making purchasing with Strut Health an easy one-step option for prescription weight loss treatments.
If you have any questions about your treatment, or need dosage adjustments, you can reach out to our team and your prescriber at any time with our free and unlimited follow–ups.
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