Plain answers about GLP-1s and peptides, from people who have taken them
No hype and no scare stories. What each compound does, what the evidence supports, what it costs across every route, and what the first months tend to feel like.
I'm considering a GLP-1
Nine questions to settle before you start, and the honest cost picture.
Start here →I'm already on one
Side effects by week, titration decisions, and when to call your prescriber.
Manage it →I'm comparing my options
Compounded against brand name, ten routes priced side by side.
Compare →Titration schedule viewer
The escalation pattern most prescribers follow. Your own schedule may differ; this is for orientation, not instruction.
Reconstitution calculator
Enter vial strength and your target dose; see the water to add, the units to draw, and doses per vial.
Side-effect lookup
Filter by symptom and week to see how common it is and what usually helps.
Is a GLP-1 right for me?
Eight questions that produce a list to take to your clinician, not a diagnosis.
Ten routes, compared
Your own doctor, with insurance
$0 to $25/moPrice checked September 2026
The cheapest route by far for anyone whose plan covers weight management. Also the least predictable, because your plan decides rather than you.
Research Labs
$29/moPrice checked September 2026
Lowest advertised cash price on this page. Vials of compound and bacteriostatic water ship separately; you reconstitute and draw your own dose.
Lttl
$89/moPrice checked September 2026
Subscription including supplies and check-ins. Lowest monthly price among the telehealth subscriptions.
Ro
$149/moPrice checked September 2026
Membership fee separate from medication. Will help pursue insurance coverage first.
Noom Med
$179 to $279/moPrice checked October 2026
A behavioural programme with medication attached, rather than medication with support attached. Several programmes at several prices.
Hims
$199/moPrice checked September 2026
Bundled pricing with check-ins. Brand fills priced separately and higher.
ConciergeMD LA
From $199/moPrice checked September 2026
A concierge medical practice selling compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide injections alongside a wide range of peptide therapies online. Virtual consultation, medication shipped to your home, self-administered.
Fridays
$279/moPrice checked September 2026
Telehealth subscription with medication included. Dose changes reviewed by a clinician.
LillyDirect
$299 to $449/moPrice checked October 2026
Eli Lilly's own self-pay channel for Zepbound. Vials or pens, priced by dose strength rather than flat.
NovoCare Pharmacy
$349/moPrice checked October 2026
Novo Nordisk's own self-pay channel for Wegovy. One price across dose strengths.
Compound library
Each page carries the same structure: mechanism, evidence, typical dosing, reported side effects, legal status, and how confident anyone can be.
Semaglutide
FDA approvedGLP-1 agonist, weekly. The most studied of the group in humans.
Tirzepatide
FDA approvedDual GIP and GLP-1 agonist. Larger average weight change in trials.
Retatrutide
InvestigationalTriple agonist still in phase 3. Not legally available to prescribe.
BPC-157
Not approvedTissue-repair claims rest almost entirely on animal studies.
TB-500
Not approvedThymosin beta-4 fragment. Preclinical evidence only; banned in sport.
CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin
Not approvedGrowth hormone secretagogues, usually sold stacked together.
Sermorelin
Prescribed off-labelGHRH analogue used in some clinics for growth hormone assessment.
NAD+
SupplementA coenzyme, not a peptide. Marketing claims run well past the data.
Glutathione
Not approvedThe body's main antioxidant, sold as an IV drip. Poorly absorbed by mouth and short on outcome evidence.
MIC + B12
Not approvedLipotropic fat burner shots. Not a peptide, and no trial has shown they cause weight loss.
Recent writing
Compounded or brand name: what actually differs
Sourcing, dose flexibility, oversight, and what happens when supply tightens.
Why nausea peaks a few days after a dose increase
Gastric emptying slows before appetite signalling settles.
What a year on tirzepatide costs, route by route
Priced with the escalations included, not just the starting dose.
Retatrutide: where the trials are, and what isn't known
The reported results, the endpoints, and why you cannot get it yet.
Storing, drawing and travelling with an injectable
Refrigeration windows, syringe sizing, and airport security.
How we work
We are readers and patients, not clinicians. Every page names its sources, dates its last review, and discloses any commercial relationship.
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