You've decided to try a weekly weight loss injection. Now you have one more decision: semaglutide or tirzepatide?
Both work. Both are backed by real clinical trials. But they're not identical, and the right choice depends on your starting point, your goals, and how your body responds. Here's a straight-talk comparison from the team at Medi-Slim Weight Loss & Spa in Las Vegas.
Tirzepatide usually wins on raw pounds. Semaglutide has been around longer and has a bigger safety track record. Neither is "better" — they're different tools.
Both drugs mimic gut hormones your body makes naturally. Those hormones do three useful things:
The difference: tirzepatide hits both GLP-1 and GIP receptors. Semaglutide only hits GLP-1. Adding GIP appears to amplify the effect, which is why head-to-head studies typically show tirzepatide producing more weight loss.
Here's how the two stack up on what matters most:
Tirzepatide produced about 15–20% body weight loss in clinical trials. Semaglutide produced about 12–15%. For a 220-pound starting weight, that's 33–44 pounds on tirzepatide vs 26–33 pounds on semaglutide over about a year.
Both are once-weekly subcutaneous injections. Same type of small, short needle. You can do them at home, or come into the clinic.
Semaglutide has been used for weight loss since 2021 and for type 2 diabetes since 2017. Tirzepatide was approved later (2022 for diabetes, 2023 for weight loss). That means semaglutide has more real-world safety data behind it, but tirzepatide isn't new anymore either.
Semaglutide is sold under Ozempic (diabetes dosing) and Wegovy (weight loss dosing). Tirzepatide is sold under Mounjaro (diabetes) and Zepbound (weight loss). At MediSlim we dispense compounded versions of both — same active ingredient, prepared by a licensed compounding pharmacy, without the retail pharmacy bottlenecks.
At MediSlim, we pick together at your consultation. Factors that tilt us one way or the other:
Our providers include clinicians board-certified in Obesity Medicine and bariatric-trained, which means we've seen both medications in action across hundreds of patients. You're not getting a generic recommendation — you're getting a plan built for your situation.
Medi-Slim Weight Loss & Spa is in Las Vegas and serves patients from Henderson, Summerlin, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, and the surrounding areas. Consultations are paid and by appointment — we don't work with insurance.
On average pounds lost, yes — clinical trials lean that way. But "better for most" isn't "better for everyone." Some patients do better on semaglutide, and we've seen plenty of great results on either.
Yes, under medical supervision. Switching is something we plan together at a follow-up if your progress has plateaued or if you'd tolerate the alternative better.
We dispense compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide, which contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name products. We're upfront about this at every consultation.
No — we're a cash-pay clinic. Pricing is transparent and we walk through it at your consultation.
No. They both work on the GLP-1 pathway, so combining them doesn't make clinical sense. We pick the one that fits you best and go from there.
It varies person to person. We manage both by starting low and titrating slowly — that's the biggest driver of how well you tolerate either medication.
Ready to figure out which one is right for you? Book a consultation or call (702) 258-8456.
