Dual GIP/GLP-1 Weight Management
Next-Generation Weight Loss Therapy
Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, the active ingredient in the FDA-approved brands Zepbound and Mounjaro. In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, average body weight reduction at 72 weeks was 20.9% on the highest dose, and in SURMOUNT-5 it produced greater weight loss than semaglutide. Available in T10 and T50 formulations.
20.9%
Avg Body Weight Loss
72
Week Clinical Trial
1x
Weekly Injection
22+
BHRC Locations
Choose Your Formulation
We offer two concentrations to support your weight loss journey from titration through maintenance. Your physician will recommend the best option based on your treatment phase.
10mg per vial
Ideal For
New patients beginning tirzepatide therapy who need lower doses during the 4-week titration intervals.
50mg per vial
Ideal For
Patients who have completed titration and are on therapeutic doses (10mg–15mg weekly) during active weight loss.
The Science
Tirzepatide is a first-in-class dual GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist. Unlike single-action medications, tirzepatide activates two hormone pathways simultaneously for superior weight loss results.
The dual mechanism targets both appetite regulation and metabolic function. GIP activation enhances the effects of GLP-1, resulting in greater satiety, improved blood sugar control, and more significant fat reduction than GLP-1-only medications.
In the SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial, participants on the maximum dose achieved an average of 20.9% body weight loss over 72 weeks. At BHRC, our physicians guide you through the entire treatment journey.
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How It Works
Tirzepatide's dual-action approach works through multiple pathways.
Activates GIP receptors to enhance fat metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity, and amplify the weight loss effects of GLP-1—delivering results beyond single-pathway medications.
Stimulates GLP-1 receptors in the brain to reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying, and promote prolonged satiety—helping you feel satisfied with smaller portions.
Improves blood sugar regulation, reduces insulin resistance, and supports healthier lipid profiles—benefits that extend well beyond weight loss alone.
Head-to-Head Results
The SURMOUNT-5 trial directly compared tirzepatide to semaglutide. Tirzepatide produced greater reductions in body weight and waist circumference at 72 weeks.
Clinical Benefits
In the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial, participants lost an average of 20.2% of their body weight on tirzepatide vs 13.7% on semaglutide.
Works on two hormone pathways (GIP + GLP-1) simultaneously for enhanced appetite suppression and metabolic improvement.
Studied in adults with prediabetes, with improvements in fasting glucose and HbA1c levels seen in trials.
Studies show improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and waist circumference—key cardiovascular risk factors.
Just one injection per week—simple to incorporate into your routine without daily medications or complicated schedules.
SURMOUNT-4 showed 89.5% of patients maintained at least 80% of their weight loss with continued treatment.
Your Journey
Our medical team guides you through every step—from initial consultation to ongoing optimization.
Meet with our physician to discuss goals, review health history, and determine if tirzepatide is right for you.
Complete necessary bloodwork to ensure you can safely begin treatment and establish your baseline.
Start at 2.5mg weekly (T10) with increases every 4 weeks to minimize side effects and reach therapeutic dose.
Regular check-ins to monitor progress, transition to T50 when appropriate, and provide nutrition guidance.
Safety & Candidacy
Tirzepatide is FDA-approved for adults with a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27+ with at least one weight-related condition such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, or cardiovascular disease.
2023
FDA approval for chronic weight management in adults (Zepbound)
SURMOUNT
Comprehensive 6-trial clinical program with 5,000+ participants
At a glance
Your plan
A licensed BHRC provider reviews your weight history, BMI, blood pressure, current medicines and conditions such as diabetes, sleep apnea, fatty liver, gallbladder disease or pancreatitis. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2, pregnancy and plans to conceive are checked first, because they rule tirzepatide out.
Typical baseline labs include HbA1c, fasting glucose, a lipid panel, kidney and liver function and, where indicated, thyroid tests. Weight, waist and blood pressure are recorded on day one, and a body-composition scan is offered where available so muscle loss can be tracked, not just pounds.
Your provider explains the difference between FDA-approved brand products and compounded preparations, what your insurance or the manufacturer's programs may cover, and what FDA's end of the shortage means for compounding. The aim is that you know exactly what you are being prescribed and why.
The dose is raised in steps, usually every four weeks, only if you are tolerating the current step. You are taught injection technique and how to manage nausea, constipation and reflux, and you get a protein and resistance-training target to protect muscle while weight comes off.
Early reviews are frequent: side effects, weight trend, blood pressure, glucose if relevant, and medicine adjustments, since some diabetes and blood pressure medicines may need lowering as weight falls. Once at a stable dose, reviews space out, and the long-term plan is set together. That plan covers what success looks like for you, how long to stay at the current dose, and what would prompt a step down.
Timeline
Appetite often falls early, sometimes within days. Nausea, fullness, constipation or loose stools are most common in the first days after starting or after each step up.
The dose is stepped up as tolerated. Weight loss usually becomes steady in this phase, though the pace varies widely between people. If side effects are hard to manage, staying on a step for longer is a normal adjustment, not a failure.
In the SURMOUNT-1 trial, average weight loss at 72 weeks was 15.0% to 20.9% depending on dose, compared with 3.1% with placebo. Your own result may be higher or lower; the trial included diet and activity counseling.
In SURMOUNT-4, people who switched to placebo after 36 weeks regained a large share of the lost weight, while those who continued kept losing. This is why stopping is planned with your provider rather than done abruptly.
Compare
| Option | How it works | Key evidence | Practical notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tirzepatide (Zepbound or Mounjaro) | GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, weekly | SURMOUNT program; SURMOUNT-OSA for sleep apnea | FDA-approved brands; GI side effects during step-up |
| Semaglutide (Wegovy or Ozempic) | GLP-1 receptor agonist, weekly | In the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial, weight fell 13.7% vs 20.2% with tirzepatide at 72 weeks | Approved alternative; some patients tolerate one better than the other |
| Lifestyle program without medication | Diet, activity, sleep and behavior | Foundation of every plan | Often combined with medication rather than replaced by it |
Is it right for you?
Monitoring
Monitoring on tirzepatide covers effect, tolerability and safety. Weight, waist and blood pressure are tracked at each review, and body composition where available, because a share of the weight lost on these medicines can be lean mass. HbA1c and lipids are repeated at intervals; kidney function is checked, especially if vomiting or diarrhea has caused dehydration.
The BHRC clinical team asks about nausea, vomiting, constipation, reflux and appetite at every step. Severe stomach pain that spreads to the back, persistent vomiting, yellowing of the skin or eyes, pain under the right ribs, or a lump or swelling in the neck need urgent assessment. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, low blood sugar is watched closely and those medicines may be reduced.
If you are planning surgery or a procedure under sedation, tell the anesthesia team you take tirzepatide, because slowed stomach emptying matters for anesthesia safety. Oral contraceptives may also be less reliable around dose increases, so back-up contraception is discussed.
Dosing, reconstitution and cycling detail is covered in our tirzepatide dosage chart and titration guide. Your own plan is set by your provider at the consultation.
Regulatory status
Status, reviewed October 2026: Tirzepatide is FDA-approved as Mounjaro (type 2 diabetes, 2022) and as Zepbound (chronic weight management, November 2023; moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity, December 2024). Compounded tirzepatide is not FDA-approved, and FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before marketing. FDA declared the tirzepatide injection shortage resolved on December 19, 2024; the enforcement-discretion periods that had allowed broader compounding during the shortage have ended (for 503A pharmacies after a March 5, 2025 court ruling, and for 503B outsourcing facilities on March 19, 2025). Tirzepatide at BHRC is prescribed only after a consultation with a licensed BHRC provider, within its labeled uses and contraindications.
Before you book
TR10, T10 and TR-10 are informal labels, mostly from online sellers, for a vial said to contain 10 mg of tirzepatide. They are not brand names and not a different drug. Products sold online as research peptides are not FDA-approved and not intended for human use, and their content and sterility cannot be verified. At BHRC, any tirzepatide prescription is written by a provider after a consultation.
The same labeling idea: the number usually refers to the total milligrams of tirzepatide in the vial, not the weekly dose. A higher number means a more concentrated or larger vial, which makes measuring errors more consequential. Any vial-based prescription comes with clear written instructions from your provider. Case reports of dosing mix-ups with compounded GLP-1 vials, for example confusing milligrams, milliliters and syringe units, are one reason BHRC teaches measuring in person and checks it back.
Yes, as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and as Zepbound for chronic weight management and for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity. Compounded tirzepatide is a different matter: compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach patients.
FDA declared the tirzepatide injection shortage resolved on December 19, 2024, and the temporary enforcement discretion that allowed broader compounding during the shortage has ended. Outside a shortage, compounding of drugs that are essentially copies of an approved product is restricted, with narrow exceptions based on a documented patient-specific need. Your provider will explain which options are available to you and why.
In the SURMOUNT-5 trial, adults with obesity but without diabetes lost an average of 20.2% of body weight on tirzepatide and 13.7% on semaglutide over 72 weeks. Averages do not predict an individual result, and tolerability, coverage and medical history also matter. Your provider will go through both options with you at the consultation.
Your step-up schedule is set by your provider. For educational background, see our tirzepatide dosage chart and titration guide; it does not replace your own written plan.
In SURMOUNT-4, participants who switched to placebo regained much of the weight they had lost, while those who continued treatment maintained and added to their loss. If you want to stop or lower the dose, your provider plans it with you, alongside nutrition and activity changes, and keeps monitoring weight and labs afterwards. Some people step down to a lower maintenance dose rather than stopping; that choice depends on your history, side effects and goals, and it is reviewed rather than assumed.
We do not publish prices on this page. Cost depends on whether a brand-name product is used and whether insurance or a manufacturer program applies, the dose step you are on, how many review visits and labs your plan includes, and any body-composition scans. You get an itemized quote at consultation. If insurance coverage is possible, the clinic can explain what documentation is usually requested, such as BMI history and related diagnoses, so you can follow up with your plan.
It has been studied in large trials and has a known side-effect profile, mainly stomach-related. It carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors seen in rodents, and it is not used in people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN 2. Pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, low blood sugar with some diabetes medicines and dehydration-related kidney injury are among the risks your provider reviews with you.
Book through Start Your Journey or call your nearest BHRC clinic. Bring your current medicine list, any recent labs, your insurance details if you want coverage checked, and a note of any previous weight-loss medicines, the doses you reached and how you responded to them.
Selected research
The literature below is peer-reviewed background on Tirzepatide and the mechanisms discussed on this page, so you can read the primary sources yourself. It is not evidence of any particular outcome at BHRC, and some of it is preclinical work in animals or cells. Your provider will discuss what the evidence does and does not support for your situation.
Related peptide therapies
Questions
T10 (10mg vial) is designed for the titration phase when you're on lower doses (2.5mg–7.5mg weekly). T50 (50mg vial) is for patients on therapeutic doses (10mg–15mg weekly) and provides extended supply per vial. Most patients start with T10 during their first 8–12 weeks, then transition to T50 once at therapeutic doses.
Tirzepatide works on two hormone receptors (GIP + GLP-1) while semaglutide only targets GLP-1. In the SURMOUNT-5 head-to-head trial, tirzepatide achieved 20.2% average weight loss compared to 13.7% with semaglutide—47% greater relative weight loss. Your physician can help determine which is best for your goals.
Most patients notice reduced appetite within the first few weeks. Significant weight loss typically becomes visible by weeks 4–8, with results continuing to improve over 6–12 months of treatment. In clinical trials, the greatest weight loss occurred between months 3–9 on therapeutic doses.
The most common side effects are gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting, and constipation. These typically occur during dose increases and improve over time. Starting at a low dose (2.5mg with T10) and gradually increasing every 4 weeks helps minimize these effects.
Tirzepatide is not recommended for individuals with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2. It should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Our physicians will review your complete health history during consultation to ensure this treatment is appropriate for you.
Tirzepatide is typically prescribed as a long-term treatment. The SURMOUNT-4 trial showed that stopping treatment led to weight regain, while continued use maintained and even increased weight loss (25.3% total at 88 weeks). Your physician will work with you to determine the optimal duration based on your goals.
Most patients transition from T10 to T50 once they reach therapeutic doses (10mg+ weekly). This is a normal progression that typically happens after 8–12 weeks of titration. T50 provides more doses per vial, making it more convenient for long-term treatment. Your physician will guide this transition based on your response.
Get Started
Schedule a consultation with our medical team to learn which tirzepatide formulation is right for your health goals.
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*Tirzepatide is FDA-approved for chronic weight management in adults with a BMI ≥30, or ≥27 with at least one weight-related condition. Individual results may vary. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and decreased appetite. Not recommended for individuals with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2 syndrome. A consultation with our medical team is required to determine if this therapy is appropriate for you.
