What Are Weight Loss Medications?
Weight loss medications are modern and effective solutions to the disease of obesity. They can help you shed extra pounds by making you feel less hungry and prolonging the digestion of the food. The anti-obesity medicines have varying mechanisms of action.
GLP-1 agonists are medication that imitates a hormone named glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) that is created in the gut in response to food. More of this hormone in your organism means you will feel less hungry during the day and food will stay longer in the digestive system. It also spurs the level of insulin which controls blood sugar levels and helps turn food into energy. All of this helps you decrease your consumption of calories and ultimately leads to weight loss.
Another agent, a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist works by emulating both GLP-1 and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). These two hormones play a vital role in regulating appetite, blood sugar levels, and the digestion process which helps in reducing weight. Initially, these medications were employed for the therapy of patients with diabetes type 2. However, they were found to be highly effective in instigating weight loss. Nowadays they are widely used for managing obesity.
What Is Semaglutide for Weight Loss?
Semaglutide is an injectable pharmaceutical administered once per week to promote weight loss. This drug is in the class of GLP-1 receptor agonists that stimulate weight loss by affecting the secretion of certain hormones in your body and making you feel full for longer. The research shows the effectiveness of Semaglutide: patients who have taken it for 15 months lost on average 45-50 pounds (17.3% of their weight).
What Is Tirzepatide for Weight Loss?
Tirzepatide is a medicine injected weekly to treat obesity. A dual GIP/GLP-1 co-agonist Tirzepatide shows excellent weight reduction results. Patients with obesity who used 10-mg and 15-mg doses of Tirzepatide lost on average 50-65 pounds (19.5-20.9% of their body mass) over 72 weeks. It works by increasing the release of insulin and slowing down gastric emptying which leads to dropping excess body mass.
How Do Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Compare?
| Semaglutide | Tirzepatide | |
|---|---|---|
| How much can you expect to lose? | 45-50 lbs | 50-65 lbs |
| Is it used to treat obesity? | Yes | Yes |
| Form | A subcutaneous injection | A subcutaneous injection |
| Frequency | Once per week | Once per week |
| How does it work? | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor co-agonist |
| Available doses | 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, 1.7 mg, 2.4 mg | 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg |
Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are both popular weight loss injections that offer significant results. They are both GLP-1 receptor agonists that induce trimming down through the control of insulin and blood sugar. However, being a dual co-agonist, Tirzepatide also works with the GIP receptor (a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide), which can send information about your fullness to your brain and thus contribute to weight loss. This feature of Tirzepatide might give additional benefits but at the time there is no clear evidence of it.
Semaglutide is usually administered in smaller doses than Tirzepatide. It has five different doses available for patients while patients taking Tirzepatide can choose from six dosage options.
Regarding the efficacy of both pharmacological agents, according to the available studies, Tirzepatide shows slightly better weight loss outcomes than Semaglutide. However, it is hard to claim which of them are the best weight loss injections.
If you are a new patient who has never taken any of these weight loss medications and trying to choose the best weight loss injection that will work for you specifically, you can opt for the New Patient Package to get a consultation with Dr. Angelina. She will help you decide which medication is better for you. Consulting the doctor is very important for ensuring you are on the right track towards your goal.
