How to Get Tirzepatide: Brand vs Compounded Routes and Prices

To get tirzepatide you need a prescription. Then use insurance, or self-pay from $299 a month (LillyDirect: LillyDirect vial or KwikPen 2.5 mg).

Prescription: Required
Lowest self-pay: $299 a month
Telehealth from, all in: $373 a month
Shortage: Resolved

Zepbound in brief

How long it lasts in your body

Half-life: 5 to 6 days. At 5.5 d, half is gone, and by the fifth half-life, 27.5 d, about 3% is left.

How much weight was lost in its main trial

In SURMOUNT-1 over 72 weeks, weight loss reached 20.9% of body weight, compared with 3.1% on placebo.

Prices over time

In US dollars, the monthly price points cover list price and self-pay offers, and each one is read from the maker's price page.

Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), Eli Lilly 1 2, cnbc.com.

Every legit way to get tirzepatide, ranked

Ways to get it, cheapest first
Route	Who it is for	What you pay
Mounjaro: Get it through your doctor using insurance and the savings card	Commercial insurance that covers it	For up to a 3-month fill, you may pay as little as $25
Zepbound: Get it through your doctor using insurance and the savings card	Commercial insurance that covers it	For up to a 3-month fill, you may pay as little as $25
Zepbound: LillyDirect: LillyDirect vial or KwikPen 2.5 mg	Anyone with a prescription, no insurance needed	$299 a month
Zepbound: TrumpRx listing (vial, starting)	Self-pay only	$299 a month
Zepbound: Walmart Pharmacy: LillyDirect self-pay (lowest dose)	Cash at the pharmacy counter	$299 a month
Telehealth: WeightWatchers Med+, Zepbound (self-pay)	Online visit, medicine shipped	$373 a month all in
Compounded copy: Mochi Health	Not FDA approved; ranked last for that reason	$90 a month

Prices checked November 2026. Each price links to the page where it comes from.

Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.

Who qualifies for it

Any GLP-1 sold in the US requires a prescription. A prescriber writes it for a use the label approves:

Mounjaro: This drug, used with diet and exercise, brings blood sugar down in adults and children aged 10 and older with type 2 diabetes.
Mounjaro: For adults with type 2 diabetes who face a high risk, the drug lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death.
Zepbound: With diet and physical activity, this drug supports weight loss and helps keep weight off long term for adults with obesity, and for adults who are overweight and also have a weight-related condition.
Zepbound: It treats moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

Source: FDA label (DailyMed).

Telehealth options compared

Telehealth programs for tirzepatide
Program	Medicine option	Medicine price	Membership	All in
WeightWatchers Med+	Zepbound (self-pay)	$299 a month	$74 a month	$373 a month
Ro	Zepbound KwikPen, starting dose	$299 a month	$149 a month	$448 a month
Hims & Hers	Zepbound	$1,899 a month	$149 a month after first month	$2,048 a month
Hims & Hers	Mounjaro	$1,899 a month	$149 a month after first month	$2,048 a month
Mochi Health	Compounded tirzepatide (not FDA approved)	$90 a month	$79 a month after free first month	$169 a month
Found	Compounded GLP-1 plan (not FDA approved)	$99 a month	$169 a month cash	$268 a month
Noom Med	GLP-1Rx Plus Program (compounded GLP-1 with GIP, not FDA approved)	once the first 4 weeks have passed, $299 a month, billed quarterly	Not listed	Included

Each program's own pricing page lists the prices. No money comes to us from any of them.

Sources: weightwatchers.com, ro.co, hims.com, joinmochi.com.

Shortage status update

Tirzepatide: Shortage resolved. The FDA confirmed this on December 19, 2024.

First date on the FDA shortage list: December 15, 2022
Shortage resolved: December 19, 2024
State pharmacies had to stop making compounding copies: February 18, 2025
Outsourcing facilities had to stop on March 19, 2025

Source: FDA.

Scam signals

No prescription needed: A seller that skips the prescription cannot operate as a licensed US pharmacy.
Paying on your own for this brand starts at $299 a month, far below what the manufacturer charges.
Marketing a compounded drug as the brand: no compounded drug has FDA approval, so none of them is Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or the brand Zepbound.
Claims that it is the same as the brand: The FDA issued 30 warning letters about misleading claims to telehealth companies.
Harm reports: the FDA has counted more than 730 adverse event reports tied to compounded tirzepatide.
Monthly prices that leave out the drug: the FTC acted against one program over this; see the NextMed program review.

Sources: pricinginfo.lilly.com, mounjaro.lilly.com, GoodRx, zepbound.lilly.com.

Find it in your state

Hims & Hers: Not in all 50 states
Noom Med: Not in all 50 states
NovoCare Pharmacy: (delivery network) covers all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico

More than anything else, Medicaid rules change which route you take. 10 state Medicaid programs cover GLP-1s used for weight loss today. Pick your state to check its drug list and prior authorization rules:

Sources: hims.com, noom.com, NovoCare.