Zepbound

What is Zepbound?

Zepbound is an injection you’ll use every week to help you lose weight. It mimics natural GLP-1 and GIP hormones that your body releases after eating to make you feel full. Each Zepbound pen comes in a fixed dose, and you’ll use each pen once before disposing of it.

Who can use Zepbound?

Zepbound is licensed to help people with obesity (a BMI of 30 or higher), or people with overweight (a BMI of 27 or higher) and a related health condition, to lose weight. These related health conditions could include:

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes
• Heart disease
• Obstructive sleep apnea

What are the benefits of Zepbound?

An advantage of Zepbound over other similar weight loss injections (like Wegovy or Saxenda) is that its active ingredient targets two different receptors in your gut: GLP-1 receptors and GIP receptors. When comparing Zepbound with Wegovy and Saxenda’s active ingredients, Zepbound showed similar results – but was more likely to help people lose 5-20% or more of their starting body weight.^[1]

It’s important to remember that everyone reacts differently to different treatments. So while evidence suggests that Zepbound could be more effective at helping with weight loss, you might find that you get fewer side effects on a different weight loss treatment, or that a different treatment fits your lifestyle better.

How do Zepbound doses work?

Zepbound comes in six different dosages: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg. You’ll typically start on the lowest dose of 2.5 mg per week, before gradually increasing your dose by 2.5 mg every four weeks. There’s a different Zepbound pen for each dosage, and they each deliver a fixed dose of medicine – you don’t have to manually adjust the dosage yourself.

If you get side effects when moving up a dosage, or you’re happy with your weight loss progress on the dose you’re currently using, you don’t have to increase your dosage every four weeks. Speak to your physician if you’d like to stay on the dose you’re using for longer than four weeks.

What is Zepbound’s active ingredient?

Zepbound contains the active ingredient tirzepatide. Tirzepatide is a GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist, which means that it works similarly to the natural GLP-1 and GIP hormones released in your gut after eating. These hormones are what make you feel full after eating, and they tell your body to release insulin to lower your blood sugar levels when they’re high.

How does Tirzepatide work?

Tirzepatide works by binding to two types of receptors in your body: GLP-1 receptors and GIP receptors. Natural GLP-1 and GIP hormones that are released after eating attach to these receptors to trigger the release of insulin (lowering your blood sugar levels) and to let you know you’re full. By targeting these receptors, tirzepatide helps to encourage feelings of fullness and satisfaction after eating.

This should help reduce your appetite and cravings so you eat fewer calories, which in turn helps you to lose weight. Natural GLP-1 and GIP hormones have a short half-life of a few minutes, but because tirzepatide is long-acting, it stays active in your system all week. This means you only have to inject Zepbound once per week to benefit from its effects.^[2]

How to use Zepbound

Zepbound comes in pre-filled pens that deliver a fixed dose of medicine. You’ll use each pen one time before disposing of it. Inject Zepbound once a week, on the same day every week if possible. You can take it with or without food.

To inject Zepbound:

• Wash your hands.
• Choose your injection site – either your upper thighs, stomach, or the back of your upper arms. Rotate the injection site every week.
• With your pen locked (the mark pointing towards the lock sign), remove the gray cap by pulling on it.
• Place the clear, flat base of the pen against your chosen injection site.
• Unlock the pen by twisting the mark away from the lock symbol.
• Press and hold the purple button for 10 seconds to release the drug. You’ll hear two clicks – one when the injection starts, and the second when it’s complete.
• Remove the pen.

Sometimes you may hear more than two clicks, but don’t remove the injection until you’ve heard two separate loud clicks. Any soft clicks after the first loud click are just the pen delivering the dose.

How to dispose of Zepbound pens and needles

To dispose of your used needles, you’ll first need to place them in an FDA-approved sharps disposal container. These are available from:

• pharmacies,
• companies that sell medical supplies,
• healthcare providers,
• and online.^[1]

Don’t fill your container more than three-quarters full, because this can increase the risk of accidental injury. Once your container is three-quarters full, check your local guidelines for how to dispose of them. Common ways to dispose of sharps containers include:

• Dropping them off at collection sites, like doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies, or medical waste facilities.
• Some FDA-approved sharps containers can be mailed to a collection site for a fee. Make sure to double check the instructions, because you may have to label your sharps containers in a specific way for shipping.
• Your local community might provide a medical waste pick-up service.^[2]