Tirzepatide_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as Mounjaro, Zepbound, LY3298176, GLP-2 TZ, GLP2-T, GLP-2 T, tirz, EZP-2P, GLP-2 (TRZ), GLP-2T Peptide, GLP-1 T, SP-2TZ, EP-2 T, GLP-2 TZ Research Peptide for Sale, Tirz GLP-2, TIRZ-GLP2, AMP-2P
The drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound: a weekly shot for major weight loss and blood sugar.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Tirzepatide?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It works on two of your body's appetite-and-blood-sugar signals together, which tends to produce more weight loss than drugs that hit only one. It is the active drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Tirzepatide is a dual agonist that activates two gut-hormone receptors at once, GLP-1 and GIP.
What it's used for
People use it for major weight loss and better blood sugar. It works on two gut-hormone signals at once to reduce hunger, and tends to produce larger losses than older options.
How does Tirzepatide work?
What it does in the body, and where.Tirzepatide is one molecule that fits two different receptors, GLP-1 and GIP. Adding the second target is what separates it from semaglutide.
- 01It activates GLP-1, as semaglutide doesSlower stomach emptying, quieter appetite signalling, steadier blood sugar after meals.
- 02It also activates GIPA second gut hormone that appears to improve how well your body handles fat and sugar, and may soften the nausea from the GLP-1 side.
- 03The two together do more than either aloneTrials have consistently produced larger weight loss than GLP-1 drugs on their own, at the cost of more gut side effects for some people.
Hits 2 receptors at once.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Weight loss
FDA-approved- Human trialIn a 72-week trial, average weight loss was 15.0% on 5 mg, 19.5% on 10 mg, and 20.9% on 15 mg, against about 3.1% on placebo.
- Human trialAmong people who took it as directed, losses reached 16.0%, 21.4%, and 22.5%.
- Human trial63% of people on the top dose lost at least a fifth of their body weight, and more than a third lost at least a quarter.
- Human trialFat mass fell about three times more than lean mass, so most of what was lost was fat rather than muscle.
Diabetes and blood sugar
FDA-approved- Human trial95% of people who had prediabetes returned to normal blood sugar across the doses.
- RegulatoryApproved as Mounjaro in 2022 for type 2 diabetes and as Zepbound in 2023 for obesity.
The published record
2,816
Records indexed for Tirzepatide400 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.
270 in humans, 126 of them original studies.
285 registered trials, 14 with posted results among the 100 indexed.
FDA: Named as an unapproved new drug.
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 11 September 2026.
At a glance
Four things to know about Tirzepatide
Evidence
FDA-approved
Category
Weight loss and metabolic
Common vial
10 mg
Half-life
About 5 days
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.2.5 up to 15 mg per week (start low, increase slowly), weekly. Not cycledHuman study
Taken continuously. In SURMOUNT-4, people who kept taking it lost a further 5.5 percent over the following year while those switched to placebo gained 14 percent back. Stopping is the thing that undoes it.
Source: Aronne et al., SURMOUNT-4: tirzepatide withdrawal (JAMA 2024)
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.About 5 daysFDA label
The label states an elimination half-life of approximately 5 days, which is what enables once-weekly dosing. The overdosage section repeats the figure.
Source: Mounjaro label section 12.3, Reference ID 5716211, revised 12/2025
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
50 / 100 unitsTirzepatide starts at $4.00 across 47 vendors, typically $2.13 – $10.00 per mg.
178 listings, last read Sep 5, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Fridge before first use. Room temperature is fine once in use.
Sealed pens live in the fridge. Once you start a pen it can stay at room temperature for the in-use window on the label (often about 4 to 6 weeks depending on the product). Keep it out of light, do not freeze it, and toss it if it has been frozen or left hot.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Vials sold as "GLP-2" or "GLP-2 TZ" are tirzepatide. That naming borrows a real name: GLP-2 is a separate gut hormone whose actual approved drug is teduglutide, for short bowel syndrome, and it has nothing to do with weight loss. The seller's "2" is counting receptors, not naming a hormone. Check the label for tirzepatide or the code LY3298176.
Who should avoid it
- A personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, or the genetic condition MEN 2
- Pregnancy, or trying to become pregnant
- A history of pancreatitis, which needs a conversation with your doctor first
- Severe stomach-emptying problems (gastroparesis)
Stop and get help
- Severe stomach pain that spreads to your back
- A lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, or trouble swallowing
- Vomiting badly enough that you cannot keep fluids down
- Sudden changes in your vision
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Nausea, worst in the first weeks and after each dose increase
- Diarrhea, constipation, and vomiting
- Tiredness
- Reduced appetite to the point of forgetting to eat
- Injection-site redness
What regulators say
- FDA: Warning letter to Royal Peptides LLC, MARCS-CMS 734884, August 24, 2026: unapproved new drugs, misbrandedNamed as an unapproved new drug
The vendor's product, not the approved Mounjaro or Zepbound
Checked 11 September 2026
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Tirzepatide approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Yes. Tirzepatide is FDA approved and available on prescription in the United States.
- Approval statusFDA-approved
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- CheckedAugust 2026
What has happened recently
In January 2026 the FDA asked that the warning about suicidal thoughts and behaviour be removed from the obesity versions of this drug family after a review found no increased risk. Labels were updated in February 2026.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
- DoseFrom the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed14 August 2026
What else is like Tirzepatide?
Others in GLP-1 agonists, side by side.If you're weighing Tirzepatide, it's worth reading Retatrutide, Liraglutide, and Survodutide in the same class.
The drug in Mounjaro and Zepbound: a weekly shot for major weight loss and blood sugar.
- Dose
- 2.5 up to 15 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Weekly
An experimental weekly shot with some of the biggest weight-loss numbers yet in trials.
- Dose
- 1 up to 12 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Weekly
A daily version of the Ozempic-style shot for weight loss and blood sugar.
- Dose
- 0.6 up to 3 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily
An experimental weekly shot for weight loss and fatty-liver disease.
- Dose
- 2.4 up to 6 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Weekly
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
- Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide vs Retatrutide
One receptor, two, or three. Mechanism, trial weight loss, side effects, and real cost.
Sources
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine, FDA approval for sleep apnea(2024)First approval of a drug in this family for obstructive sleep apnea.
- Eli Lilly, SURMOUNT-OSA sleep apnea results(2024)SURMOUNT-OSA trial, with up to 51.5% of participants meeting criteria for disease resolution.
- FDA, removal of the suicidal-ideation warning (Jan 2026)(2026)FDA asked for the suicidal-ideation warning to be removed after a review found no increased risk.
- SURMOUNT-1 results, Eli Lilly / NEJM, 2022
Last reviewed 14 August 2026
Beyond these, 500 records are indexed. Browse the records