Tirzepatide
Weight Management
In plain English
Tirzepatide is a once-weekly injectable that acts on two gut-hormone systems at once (GIP and GLP-1). Like semaglutide it curbs appetite and slows stomach emptying, but activating both receptors tends to produce larger average weight loss in studies. It is used for blood sugar control and weight management along with diet and exercise. As with GLP-1 medicines, nausea and other digestive symptoms are the most frequent side effects, mainly while the dose is increasing.
The science
Tirzepatide is a synthetic peptide engineered from the native GIP sequence that activates both the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and GLP-1 receptors. Dual agonism appears to enhance weight and glycemic effects beyond GLP-1 alone. In the 72-week SURMOUNT-1 trial (n=2,539 adults with obesity/overweight without diabetes), mean weight reductions were 15.0%, 19.5%, and 20.9% for the 5, 10, and 15 mg weekly doses versus 3.1% for placebo, with broad cardiometabolic improvements. Gastrointestinal adverse events predominated and were mostly mild-to-moderate during dose escalation. As with semaglutide, compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved; the pivotal evidence derives from the branded product.