Zepbound® Weight Loss

Zepbound® is very effective for helping people lose weight and keep it off.

When added to our weight loss programs, Zepbound® helps you lose weight by enhancing satiety, so you aren’t thinking about food all the time. Weight loss causes a drop in satisfaction hormones including glp-1 and GIP. By replacing these with Zepbound®, your weight will stay off because you won’t have so much food noise kicking in after losing the weight!

woman meditating

How does Zepbound® work for weight loss?

  • Weight Loss: in clinical studies, Zepbound® helped individuals lose an average of 20% of their body weight, or 50 pounds, after 1 year of treatment.
  • Satiety: People taking Zepbound® feel more satisfied before, during and after meals. They get less hungry and fill up much more quickly. People on Zepbound® for weight loss tell us that they fill up quickly at restaurants, and take home half of their meal!  Zepbound® mimics 2 hormones called GLP-1 and GIP. These hormones are naturally released in response to eating a meal, signaling the end of the meal. With tirzepatide, the body is always exposed to higher levels of these hormones.
  • Behavior modification: With the appetite controlled, people on Zepbound® for weight loss able to work with our staff to improve the quality of their nutrition and physical activity for long-term weight loss success.

Weekly injections

Zepbound® is a self-administered weight loss injection that you can do yourself at home once a week.

Click Here to see videos of how the pens work.

Am I a candidate for Zepbound®?

You should meet all of the following criterion for tirzepatide:

  1. BMI 30 or more, or 27 or more with a related health problem like high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
  2. Age 18 or over
  3. No personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2.
  4. No history of pancreatitis or gastroparesis

How much does Zepbound® cost?

  1. Insurance coverage: ~$25 / month.
    1. Check to see if you have insurance coverage – call your insurance carrier, or visit www.zepbound.com.
    2. If you have coverage for Zepbound®, we will submit the prior-authorization paperwork to your insurance and work to get it approved so you can fill the prescription. (We do NOT charge a fee for prior-authorization, even though this process can take us hours!)
  2. If you do NOT have coverage:
    1. Coupon: $650 / month at any retail pharmacy.  The coupon may not be used if you are on Medicare, Kaiser, or many other insurers.
    2. Lilly Direct Cash Pay: $399 for the 2.5 mg dose, or $549 for th 5 mg doses. Higher strength doses are not available. Note that you MUST have an on-label diagnosis (obesity, or bmi 27 with comorbidity) or Lilly Direct will NOT accept the prescription.
    3. We can provide a prescription for Zepbound® or Mounjaro® (off-label for weight loss). You may fill at any local pharmacy, use a goodRx coupon, or can try to fill through Canadian pharmacies. Check prices at places like Insulin Outlet. Availability at the time of this posting is extremely limited.
    4. Alternatively, you are welcome to consider compounded tirzepatide.

Choosing the best medication for you is a complex decision. Our providers can work with you to find the most cost-effective strategy, and to help choose the best medication, and if you have coverage, advocate for you to get it covered!

 

Zepbound FAQ

  • Insurance coverage: ~$25 / month
  • Coupon coverage:  ~$650 / month
  • Cash price:  ~$1,200 / month
  • Lilly direct cash pay:  $399 / month (2.5 mg dose), $549 / month (5.0 mg dose). Higher doses not available.

Zepbound® comes in single dose auto-injector pens. You inject yourself  in the abdomen, upper arm, or upper thigh. You may feel a tiny prick.

The injections are done once a week.

Most side effects are mild to moderate. They may include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, dyspepsia, dizziness, abdominal distention, eructation (burping), hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes, flatulence, gastroenteritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and nasopharyngitis.

Rare but more serious problems include a potential risk for medullary thyroid carcinoma, pancreatitis, gallstones, hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury, hypersensitivity reactions, diabetic retinopathy complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, and heart rate increases.

 

If the missed dose will be done more than 48 hours before the next regularly scheduled dose, then administer as soon as possible. If less than 48 hours before the next regularly scheduled dose, you may wait and resume on your regularly scheduled day. If you miss more than 2 doses, talk with your provider about possibly resuming at a lower dose to lower the chance of side effects.

Zepbound® doesn’t take the weight off by itself – it helps control your appetite so you can eat a lower calorie food plan without feeling hungry. However, if you don’t eat a healthy diet and get regular physical activity, a lot of the weight lost will be muscle. For this reason, it is important to review your eating plan and physical activity plan with your CNC staff. Further, we monitor body composition on your seca medical body composition analyzer so we can track your fat vs. lean loss.

  1. We recommend starting your GLP-1 on a Sunday or Monday evening. Then, if there are side effects, you can call us at the office at (303) 750-9454 to assist you.
  2. Avoid eating out the first couple days after your first shot at each new dose..
  3. Avoid high-fat or high-carb foods the first couple days after your first shot at each new dose.
  4. Careful with Alcohol – it may seem a lot stronger than you remember.
  5. To avoid nausea, eat something immediately when you wake up, even if you are nautious. We’ve found a protein drink can really settle down the stomach. Even a glass of water can help reduce or prevent nausea.
  6. Eat frequent small meals throughout the day the first couple days after the injection. Choose small amounts of proteins and vegetables.
  7. If the injection site hurts, it could be from injecting the medication while it is cold – consider allowing your medication to come to room temperature before the injection.
  8. See a provider or dietitian at CNC each month to customize your plan, figure out your best dose, and help you maximize your results.
  9. Do not stop your GLP-1 medication without discussing this with your CNC provider – obesity is a chronic health problem, and we usually use these medications long-term.

*Weight Loss medications are not appropriate for all individuals and will be prescribed only if deemed an appropriate treatment option by Dr. Lazarus, Heather Thomas, PA-C or Jamie Shriver, PA-C. The purchase of prescription medications from us is completely optional – programs do not include the cost of medication. We stock many medications, but you are welcome to request a written prescription or have our providers e-prescribe to the pharmacy of your choice.