Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are prescription medicines used with diet and exercise to treat people with Type 2 diabetes or to help people lose and maintain weight-loss. They are marketed as the brand name products Ozempic®, Rybelsus®, or Wegovy® (semaglutide) and Mounjaro® or Zepbound™ (tirzepatide).

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Semaglutide and tirzepatide are both in the class of drugs known as incretin mimetics and work similarly but have some differences in mechanism and dosing. Both drugs are FDA approved in various brand names as treatments for Type 2 diabetes and long-term weight-loss.

 

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and mimics the natural GLP-1 hormone in our bodies. It binds to the GLP-1 receptor to exert its effect.

 

Tirzepatide is a dual-acting glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and binds to both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Like GLP-1, GIP is also a natural incretin hormone and may increase the action of tirzepatide.

 

These medicines work by:

• stimulating insulin release from the pancreas when needed to help lower your blood sugar.

• decreasing the amount of sugar made by your liver by suppressing glucagon secretion.

• slowing the movement of food through your stomach (gastric emptying) which can help you feel fuller for a longer period of time, decrease your appetite and lead to weight-loss.

 

These medicines should not be used together or with any other GLP-1 or GIP receptor agonists.

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With either of these medicines, your doctor will start you with lower doses to help prevent common stomach side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea which are common to drugs in the incretin mimetic class. Other common stomach side effects may include constipation, indigestion, loss of appetite and stomach area (abdominal) pain.

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As you get used to the medicine, your healthcare provider will increase your doses to your regular maintenance doses.