GLP-1 agonists
Incretin drug class
- Injection
- Oral
- Nasal spray
- Suppository
- Gel or cream
Injection · Oral — weekly or daily, depending on the agent.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are a class of drugs that mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone your gut releases after eating. The native hormone has a half-life of about two minutes — it signals and is then gone. The drugs in this class are engineered to last far longer, from 13 hours (liraglutide) to a full week (semaglutide, tirzepatide), which is what makes them clinically useful.
The receptor sits in several places that matter. In the pancreas, activation drives glucose-dependent insulin secretion and suppresses glucagon — the reason these drugs lower blood sugar without causing hypoglycemia as monotherapy. In the hypothalamus and brainstem, the receptor suppresses appetite and amplifies satiety signaling. In the gut, it slows gastric emptying. In the kidney and blood vessels, it appears to reduce inflammation and protect tissue directly. This broad receptor distribution is why the class has moved from a diabetes drug to a metabolic-disease drug with cardiovascular, renal, and hepatic outcome data.
“GLP-1 agonists are the first obesity drugs to deliver weight loss in the range that bariatric surgery previously owned alone — and they’re doing it with cardiovascular and kidney protection on top.”
Who it's for (or who should avoid)
What it's aimed at
GLP-1 agonists are prescribed for:
- Type 2 diabetes — glycemic control, particularly when metformin alone isn’t sufficient
- Obesity or overweight with metabolic complications — BMI ≥30, or ≥27 with hypertension, dyslipidemia, or prediabetes
- Cardiovascular risk reduction — patients with established cardiovascular disease, diabetic or not
- Chronic kidney disease with diabetes — renal protection based on the FLOW trial data
- Obstructive sleep apnea with obesity — tirzepatide is approved for this indication
In the trials behind the weight-loss approvals, the drug was given together with advice on a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity, and the labels describe its use the same way.
Who should avoid it
- Anyone with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN2 syndrome — this is an absolute contraindication
- Patients with a history of pancreatitis — the class carries a pancreatitis warning
- Anyone with severe gastroparesis or GI motility disorders — slowed gastric emptying can worsen symptoms
- Pregnant or breastfeeding patients — no controlled human data
- Patients with active gallbladder disease — the class increases cholelithiasis and cholecystitis risk
Route, dose and course
Most GLP-1 agonists are administered as a subcutaneous injection, typically in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are dosed once weekly. Liraglutide is dosed daily. Oral semaglutide — Rybelsus for type 2 diabetes and, since December 2025, Wegovy tablets for weight — is taken once daily on an empty stomach with strict fasting requirements: no food or drink for 30 minutes after the dose. Foundayo, Lilly’s orforglipron, approved in April 2026, is a daily pill that is not a peptide.
What the label and the trials say:
- Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy): start at 0.25 mg weekly, titrate to 2.4 mg over 16-20 weeks
- Tirzepatide (Mounjaro/Zepbound): start at 2.5 mg weekly, titrate to 10-15 mg over 20-24 weeks
- Liraglutide (Saxenda): start at 0.6 mg daily, titrate to 3.0 mg over 4-5 weeks
- Cycling: none. The weight-loss labels are for chronic weight management, and in the STEP trials most of the lost weight came back after stopping.
Stage by stage
Read this first. Every stage below comes from a label or a named trial. Response varies from person to person, and the trials paired the drug with diet and activity advice.
GLP-1 therapy is dose-titrated: the labels step the dose up over weeks, and the trials measured results over more than a year. The windows below come from the Wegovy label and the STEP trials, with a link under each.
- WEEK 1–16TitrationThe labels start low and step the dose up every four weeks. Semaglutide for weight (Wegovy) goes 0.25 → 0.5 → 1.0 → 1.7 → 2.4 mg, so the full dose arrives around week 17. Nausea and other stomach effects are most common while the dose is climbing. Source: Wegovy prescribing information, Drugs@FDA (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- WEEK 68Where the main trial endedIn STEP 1, adults on semaglutide 2.4 mg lost 14.9% of body weight on average at 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo. Source: STEP 1, Wilding 2021, NEJM (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- AFTER STOPPINGMost of it comes backOne year after stopping semaglutide, STEP 1 participants had regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost. In STEP 4, people switched to placebo regained weight while those who stayed on the drug kept losing. Source: STEP 1 extension, Wilding 2022 (checked Oct 17, 2026) · STEP 4, Rubino 2021, JAMA (checked Oct 17, 2026)
Available · from about $89/mo
Every headline price in this market excludes something. These are normalized to a calendar month, cheapest first, with the exclusion spelled out — the published figure is the footnote under it. Monthly figures here run from about $89 to $448. We may earn a commission when you purchase from some of the partners listed here, at no extra cost to you.
| Provider | From, per month | What that figure excludes | Coverage | Their own site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrimRxCompounded GLP-1 only | $89read 2026-11-09 | The offer note says the plan is billed annually upfront, about $1,068 for the year, and that the price stays the same on every renewal. Month to month, the terms page prices the first month at $199 and every month after at $299. | Not published | Go to site |
| EdenTelehealth with its own pharmacy, Denver CO (also tryeden.com) | $99read 2026-11-04 | Nothing for the compounded GLP-1s: the page states there is no membership fee. The dose and vial strength are not published. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| TeleZenMDWidest peptide menu | $99read 2026-11-09 | The page does not say whether $99 needs a prepaid term; until 8 November it did, and month to month was $128. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| Mochi HealthCompounded marketplace | $139read 2026-11-04 | The $79 membership, which does not end when the medication does. | Not published | Go to site |
| Henry MedsCompounded, broad menu | $179read 2026-11-04 | Stopping a multi-month plan early may require paying out the balance unless the stop is medical. | Not published | Go to site |
| MaximusMen's hormone focus | $249.99read 2026-11-11 | Labs and protocol pricing, published on separate pages. There is no month-to-month option. | Not published | Go to site |
| HimsBranded GLP-1, public company | $348read 2026-11-04 | The $149 membership is mandatory, and their page states that it does not guarantee a prescription. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| RoBranded GLP-1, private | $448read 2026-11-04 | The $149 membership is mandatory. It falls to $74/month only if you prepay for twelve. | Not published | Go to site |
| AgelessRxLongevity prescribing, runs its own trials | No price for this compound | Every headline figure on the site is a first-month rate. Sermorelin and NAD+ both advertise below $100 and both go to $149 a month after it. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| BiltRxPerformance telehealth, Houston TX (formerly DietDoc) | No price for this compound | Medication is priced by the month; a $50 consult fee, billed once per 12 weeks, and $30 shipping per order come on top. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| Lavender Sky HealthTwelve named pharmacies, priced per vial | No price for this compound | The vial price excludes the consultation — $65 for a new patient and $40 for the follow-up they require every six months on an active plan. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| Live VitalPhysician-led, monthly pricing, Draper UT | No price for this compound | Every figure is a monthly rate that applies only if a clinician prescribes. The peptides and NAD+ are sold as two-month subscriptions that renew until you cancel, the GLP-1s as ten-week protocols, and no strength or vial size is published against any of them. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| MadeMedCompounded, billed every 30, 90 or 360 days | No price for this compound | The smaller monthly figures need a 360-day plan paid at once — $1,718 for sermorelin — and neither the blood test each injectable requires nor the $20 consultation fee is in them. | A named list | Go to site |
| New Blue HealthPeptide, GLP-1 and hormone telehealth | No price for this compound | On most products the monthly figure is the 3-month plan, paid upfront; a $75 clinician review is kept if no prescription is issued, and neither the prescriber nor the pharmacy is named. | All but some, named | Go to site |
| Nu Image MedicalCash-pay telehealth since 2004, Tampa FL | No price for this compound | Every figure is an "as low as" monthly rate that assumes a multi-month supply (five months for the sermorelin tablets and spray, twelve for NAD+, six for the GLP-1 injections), no strength is published, and all sales are final. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| PeRxPeptide-only telehealth, Wellness MD Group PC | No price for this compound | The only peptide figure on the site is a floor for the whole menu — treatment plans "starting at $199" — so there is no price for any individual compound. The provider review is included; there is no separate consultation fee. | All 50, stated | Go to site |
| ProvnRxCompounded storefront, launched April 2026 | No price for this compound | Every figure is a "from" rate with no strength or vial size published anywhere on the site, and neither the prescriber nor the pharmacy is named. | A named list | Go to site |
| RxPepsDirectPer-vial prices, 503A pharmacy in Texas | No price for this compound | Prices are per vial or per container, not per month; the $39 medical review is charged per order, before the intake and non-refundable once review starts, and the pharmacy adds $15 shipping to each order. Their menu is far wider than the rows here: it runs to sixty-odd compounds, several of which have no clinical pathway at all. | A named list | Go to site |
| Strut HealthCompounded multi-category, Dallas | No price for this compound | Every figure is an auto-refill rate advertised against a one-time price the site never publishes, and their own fine print says final pricing is set after the consultation. | All but some, named | Go to site |
Will it work where you live?
Most sellers claim all fifty states or publish nothing about coverage; a few name the states they serve or the ones they exclude, and the Coverage column says which. Either way it is the seller's own claim, so we can't filter this list by state without inventing a fact. What we can tell you is which state-level rules decide access: telehealth rules, non-resident pharmacy licensing, and who is allowed to prescribe.
Prices and providers change. We keep track.
Questions we get about GLP-1 agonists
Are GLP-1 agonists FDA-approved?
Yes — multiple agents are FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy injection and tablets, Rybelsus), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), dulaglutide (Trulicity) and, since April 2026, the oral orforglipron (Foundayo) are all approved retail drugs with specific indications. Compounded versions of these drugs exist but are not FDA-approved and face tighter restrictions following the end of shortage-based compounding allowances in 2024-2025.
Is it legal?
With a prescription from a licensed clinician, yes. The approved branded products are available at retail pharmacies. Compounded GLP-1 products are available through licensed compounding pharmacies, though the American Diabetes Association has recommended against their use due to quality and safety concerns. Buying GLP-1 agonists without a prescription — particularly from international or research-chemical sources — is not legal and carries significant safety risks. Availability can vary by state — confirm current access with the provider or your clinician.
Are there side effects?
Yes — gastrointestinal effects dominate. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation are common, particularly during dose escalation, and account for most discontinuations. The class carries warnings for pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, and medullary thyroid carcinoma (based on a rodent signal that hasn't been confirmed in humans). Patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2 should not take these drugs. Discuss your full medical history with your provider.
Can I take it with my current medications?
Most patients take GLP-1 agonists alongside other medications without significant interactions, but the drugs slow gastric emptying, which can affect absorption of oral medications. If you're on insulin or sulfonylureas, hypoglycemia risk increases. Always disclose your full medication list — including supplements — to your provider before starting.
How much does it cost?
In the price table on this page, monthly figures run from about $89 to $448, read between November 4, 2026 and November 11, 2026. Branded GLP-1s are the expensive end and their makers publish the numbers: Saxenda lists at $1,349.02 a month and Wegovy on the order of $1,000-1,400 without coverage. Insurance changes that picture completely and varies by plan — many now cover semaglutide and tirzepatide for diabetes, fewer for obesity alone, and most require prior authorization. What providers actually charge moves too fast for a sentence on this page, so we track it live on the hub's price index instead.
See live GLP-1 pricesWe publish no medical reviewer by design. Every claim on this page traces to a source we hold on file, and the reviewed write-up with those citations lives on our hub. Read the full research on PeptideWellness ↗
Related peptides
The latest peptide research and reviews, in your inbox
We are preparing a newsletter: independent updates on peptide therapy, news from compounding pharmacies, and guides. Leave your email and we will send the first issue as soon as it launches.
