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Zepbound contains the active ingredient Tirzepatide and is a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist. It is approved in adults with obesity or who are overweight and have weight-related medical problems.
Zepbound aids in weight loss and weight maintenance and should be combined with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. Zepbound contains the same active ingredient found in Mounjaro, which is used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound works by activating two different hormone receptors. These are the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors.
GLP-1 is responsible for regulating your appetite and calorie intake, and GIP can help contribute to this by reducing how much you eat and increasing how much energy you use. This helps you gradually lose weight and also helps you lose more fat mass compared to lean mass.
It also slows down the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine, so you feel fuller for longer. However, this effect reduces over time.
Clinical trials have shown that Zepbound is effective for weight loss compared to a placebo (an inactive drug).
The results from a 72-week trial showed that adults lost an average of:
This was compared to 3.1% of body weight lost in patients taking the placebo.
Results from another study showed that 50.1% and 56.7% of adults taking the 10mg and 15mg doses of Zepbound respectively lost ≥ 20% of their body weight. Whereas only 3.1% of those in the placebo group had the same results.
It might take a few weeks before you start noticing changes in your appetite and weight. Your weight loss also depends on your calorie intake, diet and exercise routine.
Zepbound is now approved for adults with obesity (BMI of ≥30 kg/m2), or those who are overweight (BMI of ≥27 kg/m2) with at least 1 weight-related health problem. This could include type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea or heart conditions.
You cannot use Zepbound if:
You may also need to take extra precautions if you:
Zepbound slows down the process of food leaving the stomach, which means it could affect how well the oral medications you take are absorbed into the body. Tell your doctor all the medicines you take including prescription medicines, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements.
Zepbound may interact with or affect the following medicines:
Zepbound may also affect how well oral hormonal birth control pills work. For patients taking these medicines, it's recommended to switch to a different form of contraception (such as an IUD or implant). It is also advised to use an additional barrier method of contraception (such as condoms) for 4 weeks after starting Zepbound and for 4 weeks each time the dose is increased.
Each Zepbound pen is pre-filled with your specific dose of the drug. You inject each pen once weekly.
Pick a day that fits into your schedule and inject this medication on the same day every week. If you need to switch the day you take your dose, ensure there is a gap of at least 3 days (72 hours) between doses.
Here’s a quick guide on injecting Zepbound:
Choose your injection site
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Check the medicine label to make sure you have the correct medicine and strength. Inspect the pen for any signs of damage. Pull off the gray base cap but keep the pen locked until you are ready to inject the medicine. |  |
Place the base flat on your skin, at your chosen injection site. Unlock the pen by turning the lock ring. |  |
Press and hold the purple injection button for up to 10 seconds. You will hear 2 clicks:
You will know your injection is complete when you can see the gray plunger. |  |
After you have finished, place the used pen in a sharps container. Do not throw away your pen in your household trash.
There are 6 different strengths of Zepbound pens, these include 2.5mg, 5mg, 7.5mg, 10mg, 12.5mg and 15mg pens.
You can find the Zepbound dosing schedule below:
The recommended starting dose is 2.5mg injected once a week. After 4 weeks, your doctor will increase your dose to the 5mg strength. Your dose may continue to be increased by 2.5mg every 4 weeks.
The recommended maintenance doses are 5mg, 10mg, or 15mg. This will depend on how well you tolerate and respond to the drug.
If you forget to take a dose of Zepbound, here's what to do:
Not everyone using this medicine will experience side effects. However, these are the most common side effects of Zepbound:
Rarely, this medicine may cause serious side effects including:
This is not a complete list of side effects. For a full list, refer to the patient information leaflet included with your order. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that worries you or doesn’t go away. If you experience any rare side effects, contact your healthcare provider straight away.
Zepbound and Mounjaro are exactly the same medicine and contain the same active ingredient, Tirzepatide. They both work in exactly the same way, the only difference is that Zepbound is approved for weight loss management, whereas Mounjaro is approved for treating type 2 diabetes here in the U.S.