What Is Compounded Tirzepatide? Differences and Safe Sources

Tirzepatide is the active pharmaceutical ingredient inside of the popular diabetes and weight loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound. Usually, you can only find these medications in these brand names. But, due to a lack of availability, you might be about to find tirzepatide compounded from compounding pharmacies.

In this article, we will explain more about compounded tirzepatide including what it is, how it is different from the manufactured tirzepatide products, and where to find it.

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What is compounded tirzepatide?

Compounded tirzepatide is tirzepatide made up from the raw ingredient into formulations on site at licensed U.S. compounding pharmacies.

Since there has been a shortage of tirzepatide medications due to a large demand, some compounding pharmacies are able to make tirzepatide medications on site to help provide patients with availability to their medication. 

Compounded medications are made in U.S. compounding pharmacies where U.S. licensed pharmacists and trained pharmacy technicians make the medications on site. Compounds can only be made up according to valid prescriptions written for compounded medications from U.S. prescribers. Compounds are picked-up or delivered to you according to pharmacy dispensing rules and regulations, just like manufactured medications.

How might compounded tirzepatide be different from the manufactured product?

Since compounds are made up one–by-one specific to the patient according to the prescription order, there are some differences between them and the large-scale manufactured products from pharmaceutical companies.

• Compounds are not FDA-approved (and this is normal) - Since compounds are made based on individual prescriptions, they are not made in large industrial batches. This means they do not go through the same rigorous FDA-approval process of manufactured meds. This, however, does not mean it is unsafe. Compounds still have to go through pharmacy testing and pass standards and checks by the pharmacist, source active ingredients from reliable sources, and are regularly inspected by the board of pharmacy. NO compounded medication is FDA-approved, and this is normal – it’s a different and perfectly legal process.
• The packaging and dosing may be different – Since compounded medications are made up on-site at compounding pharmacies, it’s unlikely to look exactly like the manufactured product. It may be in a vial instead of an injection pen, or the dosage may be different. However, even if the formulation is more or less strong per mL or unit, it is still normally dosed in a way to conform to the usage suggestions, delivering the same recommended dosage or active ingredient to you.
• Your storage instructions may be different – Compounds have different rules when it comes to storage than manufactured products. They may need to be stored at different temperatures, or have different “beyond-use-dates” when they need to be discarded. These storage temperatures and discard dates will be shared to you by the compounding pharmacy.
• Your pricing might be different – Compounded medications are usually not covered by your insurance, meaning that it is usually a transparent cash price for the medication. However, in the case of weight loss medications, some insurances will not cover them anyway, compound or not. Ask the pharmacy about their pricing for an idea of what to expect. In some cases, it may surprise you and be very affordable as compared to the cash prices for manufactured medications.

How to choose safe sources of compounded tirzepatide?

When looking into compounded tirzepatide sources, there are a few things to keep in mind to choose a safe source.

Firstly, always make sure your compounded tirzepatide is coming from a U.S. compounding pharmacy. This will ensure it is being made up under the guidance and expertise of a compounding pharmacist. 

You will also want to verify that a prescription is required. This is the only way compounded medications are allowed to be made. If a company is offering tirzepatide without a prescription – run, fast.

Finally, get to know the source – go in and speak with the pharmacist and see the place if it is a local compounding pharmacy. Ask your questions about pricing, storage, and discard dates up front.

For online sources, make sure to verify it is a legitimate telemedicine company with doctors and pharmacists on staff, and a history. Strut Health is one of the longest running telehealth sites featuring weight loss medications including tirzepatide.

Strut Health compounded tirzepatide online

Here at Strut Health, our telehealth platform has been up and running strong with 2019. We are doctor-owned with Dr. Patel as our CEO, and have many doctors and compounding pharmacists on staff. We focus on compounded options, since it can be difficult figuring out where and how to get compounded medications. With an initial focus on hair loss, sexual health, and skincare, our formulary has since increased to include the popular weight loss aids including Semaglutide and Tirzepatide.

Learn more about our weight loss treatment options today. To get started, simply add the medication to your cart and complete your free online questionnaire-based consultation in under 15 minutes. If you are a good fit for treatment, you will be charged the upfront transparent price for your treatment, a prescription will be issued and made up at a U.S. compounding pharmacy, and shipped to your front door.