What Are Compounded Weight Loss Drugs?

You’re suffering from obesity, and you know you want to lose the weight. You’ve heard that Semaglutide (the active ingredient in weight loss medications Ozempic and Wegovy) or Tirzepatide (the active ingredient in weight loss medications Mounjaro and Zepbound) can help, but the cost is exorbitant. If your insurance won’t cover it, the cost of Ozempic or Wegovy can easily run over $1300 per month. Mounjaro and Zepbound each cost over $1,000 per month out of pocket.

You’ve heard that compounded versions of these weight loss drugs can be a lot more affordable. But that raises more questions. What are compounded weight loss drugs? And, are these drugs as safe and effective as their name-brand variants?

In this blog we’ll answer those questions.

What Are Compounded Weight Loss Drugs?

Compounded medications are medications that are made custom for an individual user. Your doctor will write you a prescription for a certain medication, and then that prescription will be filled by a compounding pharmacy. This pharmacy will create a custom version of the medication that fits your needs. For example, compounded medicines can be tailored to:

– taste better than the original medication (which might be important if they’re for a child or pet)

– be in a different form from the original medication (for instance, liquid rather than capsules)

– have a different dosage than the original medication (stronger or weaker)

– be made without certain allergens (for instance, gluten) or non-essential ingredients

One additional reason to compound a medication is if there’s a shortage of the original drug. Semaglutide and Tirzepatide are both on the FDA’s list of drugs in shortage, meaning that they can legally be compounded if other criteria are also met.

Why Do People Seek Out Compounded Weight Loss Drugs?

The primary reason that so many people are seeking out compounded weight management drugs is because they’re more affordable. Compounded Semaglutide typically costs $500 to $700 per month. 

Risks and Safety Concerns

In spite of the relatively lower cost, though, there are significant reasons to be wary of compounded versions of second-generation weight control medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. 

First, it is very important to note that compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA allows compounding as a pharmaceutical practice, but does not inspect or guarantee compounded medications. This means that these medications haven’t been tested for safety or efficacy by the FDA. They may fail to work or carry the risk of unknown side effects.

Additionally, there are reasons to be especially concerned about compounded weight management medications. The version of Semaglutide that has been FDA-approved for weight loss is its base form. But some compounding pharmacies are using the salt form of Semaglutide, which hasn’t been tested by the FDA for safety or for efficacy. The difference is great enough that the FDA actually issued an official warning on May 31, 2023 to compounding pharmacies that were using the salt form of Semaglutide. The FDA warned that “The salt forms are different active ingredients than is used [in] the approved drugs” and says it is “not aware of any basis for compounding using the salt forms that would meet the FD&C [Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act] requirements for active ingredients that can be compounded.”

Or as Stacia Woodcock, PharmaD and pharmacy editor at GoodRx, put it in a video on compounded weight control medications:

“The ingredients need to be FDA-approved and currently there aren’t any FDA-approved sources of weight loss medications that can be used to compound them safely. So most of these compounding pharmacies aren’t using FDA-approved medications and they may not be safe for you to use.”

Additionally, while there are many legitimate compounding pharmacies in the United States, the unfortunate truth is that some fly-by-night operations have also sprung up to take advantage of the surge in demand for medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. These illegitimate operations don’t require a prescription, which is a big red flag. They also promise 24 hour delivery and offer enticingly low prices.

A Better Alternative

If you are determined to take Semaglutide or Tirzepatide, then you owe it to yourself to take care and not just buy a cheap knock-off that may or may not work. Make sure that you’re taking name-brand medications that are FDA-approved and whose safety and efficacy the FDA has tested. Consult BeSafeRX, the FDA’s tool to help consumers learn about drug safety and efficacy online, before you buy. Make sure that you’re getting a prescription from a registered physician.

There’s also a better alternative to weight control medications. Bariatric surgery has helped many patients who are suffering from obesity to lose weight, keep it off, and get their life back. Weight loss surgery is safe and effective. It has low complication rates. At the Bariatric and Metabolic Center of Colorado, most of our patients lose 90% or even more of their excess body weight and keep it off. Imagine how that would feel.

Bariatric surgery is also more affordable than weight loss drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy. Ozempic costs more than $1,300 per month if you have to pay out of pocket (and most insurances do not cover it), or over $15,000 per year. Importantly, the weight loss that you’ll see from these medications only persists as long as you keep taking the medications. So, $15,000 really only buys you one year of reduced weight.

By contrast, our inclusive bariatric surgery prices start at just over $12,000. Bariatric surgery helps patients to lose weight; and once it’s gone, most of our patients report that it’s gone forever. In conjunction with diet and exercise changes, bariatric surgery has helped a vast majority of our patients to lose weight and keep it off. That means that $12,000 gets you many years of sustained reduced weight. Here are ten essential facts about obesity and the benefits of weight loss surgery.

Many of our patients report that bariatric surgery was the best decision that they ever made.

““I am so happy with the results of my bariatric surgery. I am no longer considered diabetic (even my ophthalmologist has confirmed that I am not diabetic). I can exercise more and have more energy. My weight is almost down to a normal BMI. Lots of people are commenting how much better I look. Now all I have to do is get new clothes!”–Rose Martinez, gastric bypass patient.

If you’re suffering, don’t wait. Contact our Denver office today.