Tirzepatide is a once-weekly injection that can be used for weight loss. It was FDA approved in May 2022 to treat Type 2 diabetes. When used along with diet and lifestyle changes, it can help patients to lose weight ( with or without diabetes ).

In addition to treating Type 2 diabetes, tirzepatide has been shown to help with weight loss in people without diabetes. A clinical trial of over 2,500 people with obesity or overweight experienced significant weight loss with weekly tirzepatide. Those treated with tirzepatide had an average weight loss of 15% to 20% of their starting body weight over 72 weeks (about 16 and a half months).

Tirzepatide is unique because it’s the first combination of two classes of medications: a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist. Therefore, Tirzepatide is known as a dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist.

GLP-1 and GIP are both incretin hormones, which are hormones that are released after eating. Tirzepatide works by mimicking their effects. This includes telling the pancreas to release insulin after eating and signaling the liver to lower the amount of glucose it’s making. These effects help you feel full, slow down digestion, lower blood sugar, decrease the appetite and help in weight loss.

Tirzepatide is not FDA approved for weight loss yet. But it can be used as off-label for weight loss if combined with diet and exercise.

In addition to helping lower blood sugar, tirzepatide helps with weight loss in a few ways:

• It signals to the brain that you’re full — so you eat less.

• It slows the movement of food through your stomach — so you feel full longer.

Other similar injectable weight loss medications only mimic one incretin — GLP-1. It’s thought that because tirzepatide acts like two incretins, it can cause more weight loss than current alternatives.

Long-term changes in diet and activity are an important part of maintaining weight loss after stopping Tirzapetide.