How much do compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide cost?

Compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide prices

Telehealth companies sell compounded GLP-1 injections as monthly plans, often with a membership fee. The table above comes from an index of 18 U.S. telehealth sellers’ published prices, checked October 16, 2026, with 16 sellers for each drug.^[1] The index counts the shortest plan each seller offers and adds required membership fees, and it converts prices billed every 28 days or every 11 to 12 weeks to a calendar month. It left out prices shown only after an intake form and does not reflect what patients actually paid.^[1]

The index was published by HealthRx, which sells compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide and is one of the sellers in the index.^[1] Multi-month plans can show a lower monthly price but require paying for more months up front.

Compounded vs brand GLP-1 cost

Brand self-pay prices from the makers now overlap compounded prices. The Wegovy pill’s price rises with the dose, and the $449 Zepbound price for higher doses is tied to refilling within 45 days.^[6][7] See the cheapest weight loss injections guide for a full side-by-side list, or the Wegovy pill cost by dose for the brand semaglutide schedule.

How long until semaglutide works

Semaglutide is started at a low dose and raised in steps, so it takes months to reach the full dose. On the brand Wegovy label:^[8]

• Weekly injection: 0.25 mg for weeks 1 to 4, 0.5 mg for weeks 5 to 8, 1 mg for weeks 9 to 12 and 1.7 mg for weeks 13 to 16, with the 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg maintenance dose from week 17.
• Daily tablet: 1.5 mg for days 1 to 30, 4 mg for days 31 to 60 and 9 mg for days 61 to 90, with the 25 mg maintenance dose from day 91.
• Study results: adults on the 2.4 mg injection lost 14.9% of body weight on average at 68 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo. Adults on the 25 mg tablet lost 13.6% at 64 weeks, against 2.4% on placebo.

These results are for the FDA-approved drug. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for effectiveness, so there is no FDA-reviewed data on how fast a compounded product works.^[2] Ask your clinician what to expect on your dose.

What the FDA says about compounded GLP-1s

• Not approved: Compounded drugs are not FDA approved. FDA-approved drugs go through FDA review for safety, effectiveness and quality.^[2]
• Shortages ended: The FDA determined the tirzepatide shortage was resolved on October 2, 2024, confirmed on December 19, 2024, and the semaglutide shortage was resolved on February 21, 2025.^[2]
• Shortage leeway ended in 2025: For state-licensed pharmacies (503A), it ended after court rulings on March 5, 2025 for tirzepatide and April 24, 2025 for semaglutide. For outsourcing facilities (503B), it ended March 19, 2025 for tirzepatide and May 22, 2025 for semaglutide.^[2]
• Copies limited: Compounding essential copies of an approved drug regularly or in large amounts is not allowed. The FDA says it does not, at this time, intend to act against a compounder that fills four or fewer prescriptions of such a product in a calendar month.^[2]
• Bulk ingredient proposal: On April 30, 2026, the FDA proposed keeping semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide off the list of bulk substances outsourcing facilities may use, finding no clinical need. Comments were due June 29, 2026.^[3]
• Marketing warnings: On March 3, 2026, the FDA sent warning letters to 30 telehealth companies over claims implying their compounded GLP-1s are the same as FDA-approved products and over hiding where the drugs come from.^[4]

Safety reports and dosing

As of May 31, 2026, the FDA had received 990 adverse event reports associated with compounded semaglutide and more than 730 associated with compounded tirzepatide. The FDA has received reports of dosing errors, some needing hospital care, when patients measured doses incorrectly or health care professionals miscalculated them.^[5] The FDA also says some compounders sell semaglutide salt forms, which are different active ingredients from the approved drugs, and it knows of no lawful basis for compounding with them.^[5]

The FDA advises getting a prescription from your doctor and filling it at a state-licensed pharmacy, and says compounded drugs should only be used when an FDA-approved drug cannot meet a patient’s medical needs.^[5] Talk with a clinician before starting or switching any GLP-1; Care Anytime members can reach state-licensed doctors by phone or video for non-emergency care through virtual physician access, and we do not sell these drugs.

Questions to ask before you buy

1. What is the full monthly cost? Ask whether the price includes the medicine, the clinician visit, membership, supplies and shipping, and whether it changes as the dose goes up.
2. Which pharmacy makes it? Ask for the pharmacy’s name and state license.
3. Is it the same ingredient as the brand drug? Ask whether the product uses a salt form of semaglutide.^[5]
4. Can you get a brand drug for a similar price? Compare against the maker prices in the table above and any insurance or Medicare coverage you have.