Many people are talking about Ozempic (semaglutide, Wegovy), the Hollywood drug. What if there was something similar but better? The weight loss injection offered at RISE is called tirzepatide and has the brand names of Mounjaro and Zepbound. Mounjaro is FDA approved for Type 2 Diabetes and Zepbound is FDA approved for weight loss. Tirzepatide is in the same class of medication as Ozempic but studies show it works much better for weight loss and lowering the A1c (in those who are actually diabetic) with people also experiencing less severe side effects.

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Tirzepatide is the first and only approved single molecule that activates the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors in the body. It works as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus and weight loss.

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Tirzepatide activates glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors which increases insulin secretion, decreases glucagon secretion, increases insulin sensitivity, and delays gastric emptying. This means that your body balances your insulin rather than rising and falling drastically when eating and drinking along with making you feel full faster and longer, so you don’t eat as much.

 

You may also notice that cravings for fats and sugars start to decrease as your body is less likely to tolerate them with the delayed gastric emptying

 

This medication consists of a weekly subcutaneous injection that you give to yourself at home. Don't worry, we teach you how! And if you don't want to do it, we can do it for you in the office.

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The price of the medication is based on the dose you are taking. Dosing starts at 2.5mg and the cost for 4 weeks of this dose is $550. We keep you on as low of a dose as possible based on your tolerability and weight loss success. At your first appointment, you will pay for your first 4 weeks of medication and will be scheduled to return before the 5th week to be evaluated for dosing adjustments and provided with your next 4 weeks’ worth of medication at which point you then pay for 4 more weeks. The price does increase slightly with each dose increase. This will be discussed at your initial appointment.

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To start this medication we would like to see baseline lab results. If you do not have labs that were drawn in the past 6-12 months you may need to call your primary care physician for new labs or we can draw labs for you. This service is $200 and includes a complete blood count (CBC), complete metabolic panel (CMP), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), lipid panel, and A1c.

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We do not accept insurance. However, we do accept HSA/FSA cards but cannot guarantee individual coverage will approve your charges. RISE also accepts CareCredit for payment.

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**This treatment is contraindicated for people with Type 1 Diabetes, a personal or family history of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC), patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MENS2), and those with a known serious hypersensitivity to tirzepatide or any of the excipients in the medication**

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