Wegovy and Mounjaro help with weight loss, two injectable prescription drugs that help lower blood sugar and A1C levels (a measure of glucose control over the past 2-3 months) and weight loss.
This guide will help you decide whether Wegovy or Mounjaro is more appropriate for you.
What are the active ingredients in Wegovy and Mounjaro?
The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide, and the active ingredient in Mounjaro is tilzepatide. The mechanisms of their actions vary slightly.
Semaglutide mimics the body’s glucose-like peptide (GLP)-1 hormone. This reduces appetite, blunts the stomach and causes reduced release of glucose from the liver, and plays a role in increasing insulin release.
Tilzepatide has a double function. It mimics both GLP-1 and GIP incretin hormones.
Although it shares the effects of GLP-1, the addition of GIP action promotes insulin release in response to hyperglycemia and plays a role in fat metabolism. This improves your ability to regulate your appetite and prevent overeating.
Wegovy and Mounjaro are similar medicines, but they cannot be combined or used at the same time.
Why do people take Wegovy or Mounjaro?
Wegovy is FDA approved to help treat obesity and lose weight.
It has been approved for use in people with a body mass index of 30 or greater (BMI, weight scale) or one or more weight-related conditions (such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc.) with BMI of 27 or greater.
Youth over the age of 12 with a BMI above the 95th percentile of age and gender are also approved to obtain Wegovy.
Mounjaro is FDA approved as a treatment that helps adults with type 2 diabetes manage their blood glucose levels.
Both are liquid-injectable medications that help reduce blood sugar and A1C levels. They are taken subcutaneously (just below the skin) in areas such as the abdomen, thighs, and upper arms.
One of these medications may be prescribed for people who deal with insulin resistance and weight gain. This is because in addition to blood glucose control, it slows digestion and suppresses appetite.
Finally, both Wegovy and Mounjaro reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
How do Wegovy and Mounjaro look similar?
Below are the effects of both drugs.
Hypoglycemia and A1c levels
Both have been proven to lower blood sugar and A1c levels.
Those taking the maximum dose of Mounjaro (15 milligrams (mg) per week) will lower A1c by 2.3%.
The step 2 trial examined the effects of Wegovy on blood glucose and A1C levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found that participants taking medication not only lost weight, but also saw statistically significant improvements in blood glucose and A1C levels.
These drugs do this by increasing insulin secretion.
This action stops the liver from releasing glucose into the bloodstream, helping to prevent hypoglycemia while increasing insulin sensitivity.
It can cause weight loss
In the study, both drugs suppress appetite and cause weight loss in participants by inhibiting the liver from releasing glucose.
In one study, adult participants taking Wegovy lost on average 15% of their starting weight.
Another study found that adolescents taking Wegovy lost on average 16% of their starting weight.
Mounjaro also helps with weight loss, but the FDA is not approved as a standalone weight loss drug. However, the FDA has approved a drug called Zepbound for this purpose.
Zepbound is chemically identical to Mounjaro, which contains the same active ingredient of the same strength, but is sold under a different name when used in weight loss treatments.
In the study, Mounjaro helped people lose 12-15 pounds at a 5 mg dose per week, 15-21 pounds at a 10 mg dose per week, and 17-25 pounds at a 15 mg weekly dose per week.
As these drugs have not been approved by the FDA for this purpose, there are no recommended doses for taking weight loss.
(For Zepbound, the maximum doses available for the weight-reduced version of Mounjaro are 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg, with 15 mg being the maximum dose.)
If you are interested in losing weight, talk to your doctor. They can provide you with information on both pharmaceutical and lifestyle approaches that will help you.
Protects heart health
Both of these drugs reduce the risk of heart disease. This is important for diabetic patients.
In the study, participants at the highest dose of Munjaro (15 mg per week) after 52 weeks:
- Lowered total cholesterol by about 5.6%
- Triglycerides have been reduced by 22.5%
- Lowered LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 7.9%
- Lower VLDL cholesterol by 21.8%
- Increased HDL (“good”) cholesterol by 10.8%
Furthermore, from meta-analysis (analysis of data from several clinical trials) Rancet GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs containing Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) have been found to reduce cardiovascular risk.
They even reduced the risk of death in people with diabetes and heart disease.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends GLP-1 agonists to people with type 2 diabetes and heart disease, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
In addition to medications, eating healthy foods and increasing the amount of physical activity you get on a daily basis can go a long way in improving your heart health.
It can cause adverse effects
While taking any of these medications, people experience similar side effects.
Both of them can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, appetite suppression, and hypoglycemia (if taken insulin).
The side effects become more severe when you start taking medication first until your body adjusts.
Contact your doctor if you are experiencing debilitating side effects that have a negative impact on your quality of life.
They can lower your dose or find an alternative for you.
For more information: Side effects of Wegovy: Things you need to know and Side effects of Mounjaro: Things you need to know.
They are not substitutes for insulin
These drugs lower blood sugar levels, but do not replace the need for insulin.
They can reduce the amount of insulin you need over time, but they are not insulin, nor are they an alternative to insulin.
If you experience frequent hypoglycemia, consult your doctor.
They can help you readjust your insulin dosage, you can experience less bass.
They are filmed once a week
Unlike other GLP-1 drugs like Victorza, both Wegovy and Mounjaro are taken only once a week.
Do not take multiple doses within a week.
They can be taken with or without food
These drugs do not cause acute hypoglycemia and can be taken with or without food.
The important thing is that they are filmed on the same day each week (ideally at about the same time, so don’t forget to take your dose all the time).
Sometimes people take food and medication like breakfast, but that’s not necessary.
If you experience acute nausea right after taking the medication, try eating bland things like oatmeal or toast to help.
They can cause changes in your vision
These drugs can cause or worsen diabetic retinopathy, especially when you first start taking it.
Studies have shown that semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) is associated with early worsening of diabetic retinopathy.
Similarly, the active ingredient in Mounjaro (tilzepatide) can worsen diabetic retinopathy.
Although this side effect does not occur in all people taking these medications, this medication has a higher risk of vision changes and worsening.
If you have early stage diabetic retinopathy or are concerned that taking Wegovy or Mounjaro may affect your eye health, consult your doctor.
What is the difference between Wegovy and Mounjaro?
Wegovy and Moujaro are very similar, but different medicines.
Below are the different ways these medications are:
They have different doses
The Wegovy doses are:
- First time treatment: 0.25 mg once a week for the first 4 weeks.
- Continuous treatment: 0.5 mg once a week from week 5. If your doctor thinks you need more, there are doses available for 1 mg, 1.7 mg, and 2.4 mg pens.
read more: Wegovy Dosage Guide: How much should it cost?
The doses of Mounjaro are:
- First time treatment: 2.5 mg once a week for the first 4 weeks.
- Continuous treatment: Once every 5 weeks to once every 5 weeks. If your doctor thinks you need more, there are doses with 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, and 15 mg pens. These drugs are not interchangeable as the active ingredients are different.
read more: Mounjaro Dosing Guide: How much should it cost?
Because the active ingredients are different, these dosages are not interchangeable and are extremely dangerous to try to use this method.
They have different active ingredients
The active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide (same as Ozempic), and the active ingredient in Mounjaro is tilzepatide.
If you are allergic to either active ingredient, consult your doctor to help you prescribe your alternative.
FDA approved for a variety of reasons
Wegovy is intended for use as a weight loss and/or weight maintenance medication. It is not an approved drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
However, many people taking Wegovy to lose weight or maintain weight may also experience an improvement in the blood glucose effect of taking the medication.
Mounjaro, meanwhile, is an FDA approved drug for managing blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
It also helps you lose weight, even if the FDA is not approved as a weight loss medication. (As mentioned above, the version of the drug known as Zepbound has been approved by the FDA for weight loss.)
Many people with type 2 diabetes also suffer from weight, so taking Mounjaro to improve blood glucose control can also help you lose weight.
Can I switch between the two medications?
In some cases, yes.
This may be possible unless you are allergic to other ingredients.
If you have severe adverse effects on one drug, we recommend trying another to see if your body is better conditioned.
If both eligibility criteria are met, you are more likely to be able to switch between these two drugs. That is, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
If you only have type 2 diabetes, your insurance may only cover Munjaro for you.
Alternatively, if you are obese but not type 2 diabetes, you can only qualify for Wegovy.
Simply switch medications under the guidance of a doctor.
Administration is completely different between the two drugs, and overdose of these drugs can cause serious side effects.
These side effects include nausea, vomiting and hypoglycemia levels. This can be fatal if not treated promptly.
If I lose enough weight with Wegovy or Mounjaro, can I get rid of other diabetes medications?
This may be possible, but it is not possible.
Loss of weight can help improve both insulin resistance and blood glucose levels. This may eliminate the need for insulin or other diabetes medications.
However, neither Wegovy nor Mounjaro can cure diabetes.
If you lose a significant amount of weight and your blood sugar levels are managed very well, you may be able to reduce your insulin needs or stop taking insulin completely.
This applies only to people with type 2 diabetes, as people with type 1 diabetes must take insulin for life.
If you have any questions about taking other diabetes medications while using Wegovy or Mounjaro, check with your doctor.
Is Wegovy better than Mounjaro?
Individual responses to these drugs vary, and what is better for one person may not be good for another person.
Furthermore, it is difficult to directly compare effectiveness because it is approved for a variety of purposes.
With weight loss alone, a recent study suggests that people taking active ingredients in Mounjaro are more likely to reduce 5%, 10%, or 15% of their body weight at 3, 6, and 12 months compared to people taking active ingredients in Wegovy.
How much does Wegovy and Mounjaro cost?
The costs for Wegovy and Mounjaro will vary depending on the insurance coverage and the specific plan details.
To determine your specific co-payment or out-of-pocket expenses, consult a prescription or medical card and use a Wegovy or Mounjaro coverage and co-payment calculator.
If you have any questions regarding Wegovy coverage or joint payment costs, please contact Novo Nordisk Customer Support at 1-888-693-4883. For Mounjaro, Eli Lilly offers customer support at 1-800-545-5979.
For qualified individuals, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly offer Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) that may offer free medicines.
To find out more about these programs and whether you are eligible, contact Novo Nordisk’s toll free number at 1-866-310-7549 or Eli Lilly’s PAP at 1-800-545-6962.
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