Mounjaro vs. Ozempic
Chronic obesity is a widespread medical condition that affects millions of Americans. Body weight and composition have wide-ranging effects on patients’ physical and emotional health. Fortunately, researchers are finally unlocking the underlying factors responsible for how the body uses and stores calories.
This emerging knowledge has changed how doctors diagnose, discuss, and treat obesity. Practitioners no longer regard weight loss as a simple matter of diet and exercise. The complex factors that impact appetite and metabolism have led to the production of new weight-loss treatments.
Ozempic and Mounjaro are two injectable medications doctors can prescribe to treat chronic obesity and help patients maintain their weight loss. The best way to successfully utilize weight loss injections is by participating in a medical weight loss program.
Learning about the similarities and differences between these medications will prepare you for a productive consultation so you can make the most out of your weight loss journey.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is an FDA-approved medication for managing type 2 diabetes. Its active ingredient, tirzepatide, engages glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1) receptors.
These actions enable it to mimic the effects of incretin, a gut hormone that influences digestion. The medication also decreases patients’ glucagon production, thereby controlling their blood sugar levels.
Eli Lily manufactures the medication. The FDA approved it in May of 2022. It is only available in the brand-name formulation.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is an FDA-approved medication for type 2 diabetes that belongs to a family of medications called GLP-1 agonists. Its active ingredient is semaglutide. The injection mimics the effects of digestive hormones and supports insulin production. Novo Nordisk manufactures Ozempic.
The medication gained FDA approval in 2017. Doctors confidently prescribe Ozempic off-label thanks to its proven track record of predictable results. They use a tiered dosing approach to build patients up to a complete dose of Ozempic, thereby minimizing its side effects and optimizing their weight loss.
Similarities Between Mounjaro and Ozempic
Mounjaro and Ozempic only have FDA approval as treatments for type 2 diabetes. Both medications can facilitate significant weight loss, and doctors prescribe them off-label for that purpose. This practice is common for FDA-approved medications with broader applicability than their recognized use.
Both types of injections require a doctor's prescription. Neither medication is likely to be covered by insurance for weight loss because of its off-label use. While both are diabetes medications, they are safe for use by non-diabetics because they do not contain insulin.
Despite having different active ingredients, Mounjaro and Ozempic engage the same receptors that influence digestion and appetite. Namely, the medications cause weight loss by slowing digestion. This action leaves the stomach fuller for longer, thereby suppressing users’ appetite. The injections also affect the brain region that sends signals to the stomach, thereby increasing patients’ sense of satiety and reducing their hunger.
Both medications are administered via weekly self-injections using a predosed pen. Patients rotate the injection site between their thighs, abdomen, and upper arms. The most common side effects of both injections are gastric-related, as with most weight loss medications.
Differences Between Mounjaro and Ozempic
As of October 2023, tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, is only approved to treat type 2 diabetes, though doctors can still prescribe the medication off-label for obesity. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, is an FDA-approved medication for obesity when sold as Wegovy.
As the newer medication, Mounjaro has not undergone as many studies as Ozempic. This factor, when combined with its shorter track record of off-label use, has resulted in Ozempic becoming a more trusted product.
When administering Mounjaro, doctors start their patients on a 2.5 mg dose and work them up to a therapeutic level over several weeks. The maximum dose of Mounjaro is 15 mg. Ozempic injections begin at 0.25 mg and scale up to 2.0 mg over several weeks.
Ozempic only engages with GLP-1 receptors, mimicking their effects on appetite, hunger, and insulin secretion. Mounjaro engages the same GLP-1 receptors while simultaneously impacting glucagon production to alter glucose levels. This dual action helps patients manage type 2 diabetes but is not the primary mechanism for weight loss.
Which is Better for Weight Loss?
While the only way to confirm the best medication for you is by talking with an experienced weight loss doctor, Ozempic is the better option for most patients.
Ozempic has been available longer than Mounjaro and has a longer track record of success. Though both medications underwent rigorous clinical trials to assess their safety and effectiveness, providers have more experience prescribing Ozempic and more knowledge about how it works.
Furthermore, while both medications are type 2 diabetes treatments used off-label for weight loss, Mounjaro is a dual-action medication. It alters glucose concentration and is associated with higher rates of hypoglycemia. One study published in 2023 reported that 22.6% of patients experience mild hypoglycemia as a result of taking a 10 mg dose.
While uncommon, hypoglycemia can lead to fatigue, irritability, and confusion. If left unaddressed, the side effects could cause serious medical complications. Fortunately, semaglutide does not elevate patients’ risk of severe hypoglycemia on its own.
In addition, Ozempic injections can help you maintain weight loss long-term when taken consistently. Studies on extended use of Mounjaro are ongoing because the drug is new, but a study of semaglutide found an average of 15.2% weight loss after two years.
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OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection, for subcutaneous use Initial U.S. Approval: 2017
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/209637s012lbl.pdf -
Ozempic for weight loss: Does it work, and what do experts recommend?
https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/ozempic-for-weight-loss-does-it-work-and-what-do-experts-recommend/2023/07#:~:text=Ozempic%20works%20by%20mimicking%20a,the%20effect%20of%20bariatric%20surgery. -
Adverse Events Related to Tirzepatide
https://academic.oup.com/jes/article/7/4/bvad016/7005432 -
Semaglutide (Ozempic) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0715/p116.html -
Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-02026-4
October 16, 2023
Written By
Dr. Avidon Appel
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