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Starting on Compounded Tirzepatide

By The TryEden Team
By The TryEden Team
September 27, 2024
|
9 minute read
Starting on Wegovy

We're beyond excited you're here!

Welcome to a new chapter in your wellness journey with Eden! We're thrilled to introduce you to compounded tirzepatide, a cutting-edge approach to weight management and metabolic health improvement. At Eden, we're committed to providing personalized care that aligns with your unique health goals. With compounded tirzepatide, we offer a convenient, injectable option that fits into your lifestyle, making your health journey with us both effective and straightforward.

In this guide, we will explore:

  • How to integrate tirzepatide into your routine.
  • The step-by-step process for tirzepatide administration and dosage.
  • Answers to frequently asked questions.
  • Important safety information.

Welcome to the Program!

Your commitment to health and well-being is admirable. As you start with compounded tirzepatide, we're here to ensure your experience is supported every step of the way. Eden's approach is to work with you, adapting to your needs and preferences to optimize your path to wellness.

Initial Phase—
Month 1: You will receive a 1mL vial 

Start your journey with an introductory dose to gently acclimate your body to tirzepatide. By incrementally increasing your dose, it will help to decrease the potential for side effects and allow your body to adjust to the medication. 

  • Week 1-4: Inject 0.25mL (25 units) once a week = 2.5mg

Potential Biological Responses

  • Initial body adaptation to tirzepatide begins, potentially reducing hunger by increasing feelings of fullness after meals​.
  • Initial weight loss might be noticed, although this could be modest in the first month.​. 
  • Users may experience gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. While not pleasant, these are common and manageable. Keep an eye on your diet, and consult a healthcare professional. 
  • If you're considering additional medication to ease nausea, we have treatments available to help ease your symptoms and ensure you remain consistent with your treatment plan.
As you progress on your treatment journey, we want to ensure that you receive the best possible care. To facilitate this, we kindly remind you to schedule your check-in appointment via our patient portal before your second month's prescription refill. Ideally you complete this after administering your third injection, but can be done as early as two weeks. 
This check-in is an opportunity for you to review your progress, address any concerns you may have, and ensure that your treatment plan aligns with your needs.

Simply log in to your patient portal to schedule your appointment and ensure uninterrupted care. If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to us.


Month 2: You will receive a 2mL vial 

  • Week 5-8: Increase to 0.5mL (50 units) once a week = 5mg 

Potential Biological Responses

  • The adjustment phase continues with further potential reduction in hunger and gradual weight loss.
  • Side effects may start to diminish as your body becomes more accustomed to tirzepatide.

Please note that auto-billing may begin at this stage. The standard maintenance dosage is 5mg. Your physician can prescribe 5 refills to be automatically sent to you. No further action is required on your part!

However, if you believe a higher strength is necessary, you have the option to arrange a check-in with your provider to explore dosage adjustments. Just log in to your patient portal to initiate the process. 

Log In

Month 3: You will receive a 3mL vial

  • Week 9-12: Increase to 0.75mL (75 units) once a week = 7.5mg

Potential Biological Responses

  • Weight Loss Progression: The increase in dosage may lead to more pronounced weight loss as your body further adapts to tirzepatide.
  • Stabilizing Side Effects: Initial side effects should lessen in severity and frequency, with ongoing monitoring and dietary adjustments as necessary.

Maintenance Phase (Month 4) You will receive a 4mL vial

  • Maintenance Dosage: Inject 1ml (100 units) subcutaneously once a week = 10mg

Projected Biological Responses

  • Significant Weight Reduction: Participants in the trials experienced an average of 26% body weight loss over 88 weeks, suggesting the potential for significant long-term weight loss¹.
  • Sustained Fullness: The dual-action on GIP and GLP-1 receptors continues to regulate hunger and satiety effectively².
  • Holistic Health Improvements: Besides weight loss, improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and overall metabolic health are observed.

Remember, your experience is personalized and may vary as every individual's body responds differently to the medication. It's not unusual for responses to deviate from the common path. Stay patient and keep in communication with your healthcare provider.

Safety and Side Effects

Don't get frustrated if your biological responses may look a bit different than the outline above. Everybody is unique. Everybody is different. Everybody reacts to change at their own pace. Don't get discouraged—just reach out to your doctor to discuss your options, whenever you need to.

Call your primary doctor if you have side effects that concern you, or you suspect a drug allergy has occurred. If your symptoms are severe or you believe you’re experiencing side effects listed below, seek medical help immediately. 

See a complete list of side-effects here.

Citations

1. People who were randomized to placebo following the lead-in period experienced mean weight regain of 14.8% at 88 weeks, indicating Zepbound led to sustained weight loss compared to placebo… Continue Reading

2. It is a dual-agonist drug that activates GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide or gastric inhibitory polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) hormone receptors, aiding in glucose management and helping patients feel fuller longer… Continue Reading

1. Self-Administration: A Simplified Process

Wash Your Hands: Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

Get Your Injection Supplies Ready:

  • Needle and syringe with medication, or an auto-injector pen.
  • Alcohol pads.
  • Gauze.
  • A sharps container for needle disposal.
  • Bandages (if needed)

Prepare the Injection Site: Check the area of skin where you'll inject for any issues. Choose a different site each time to prevent skin problems. Clean the area with an alcohol pad and let it dry.

The most common injection sites are:

  • Abdomen: at or below belly button level, about two inches away from the navel. 
  • Arm: back or side of the upper arm
  • Thigh: front of the thigh

Prepare the Medication Syringe:

  • Wipe the top of the medication vial with an alcohol pad.
  • Draw air into the syringe equal to your medication dose.
  • Push the needle through the vial's rubber stopper, inject the air, and turn the vial upside down.
  • Draw your medication dose into the syringe.
  • Tap any air bubbles and push them out of the syringe.

Giving the Injection:

  • Pinch an inch of skin between your thumb and forefinger.
  • Quickly insert the needle all the way into the pinched skin at a 90-degree angle (or 45 degrees if you have less body fat).
  • Push the plunger slowly until you've injected all the medication.
  • Release the pinch and carefully pull out the needle.
  • Dispose needle and syringe into sharps container.

After the Injection:

  • If there's a bit of bleeding, press lightly with gauze.
  • Cover with a bandage if needed.

Important Tips:

Rotate your injection sites to avoid discomfort and skin issues.

If you notice severe pain, redness, swelling, warmth, or drainage at the injection site, contact your doctor immediately as these could be signs of an infection.

2. What if I miss a dose?

  • If you miss a dose, administer as soon as possible within 4 days (96 hours) after the missed dose.
  • If more than 4 days have passed, skip the dose and administer on the next scheduled day.   

  Click here for more information on dosing troubleshooting.

3. Is tirzepatide more effective than semaglutide?

  • A 40 week clinical trial was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes and compared tirzepatide at a dose of 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg or semaglutide at a dose of 1 mg. All tirzepatide strengths were shown to have superior results in weight loss and glucose control over the semaglutide group.
  • With tirzepatide, you have access to higher, more potent doses than semaglutide.

To learn more, click here 

4. What dose should I start on if I am switching from semaglutide?

Making the switch to tirzepatide from semaglutide? Here’s what you should know: If you’ve been taking semaglutide at a dose ranging from 0.25mg to 1mg, you’ll likely start off with 2.5mg of tirzepatide. Now, if you’ve been on a 2mg dose of semaglutide, stepping up to 5mg of tirzepatide might be your new starting point. Just remember, it’s super important to have this chat with your healthcare provider—they’ll give you the scoop on the perfect dose to kick off your tirzepatide journey based on your unique health profile.

5. Can I take tirzepatide while pregnant, breastfeeding, or if I'm planning to become pregnant?

  • No studies have been performed to determine safety of tirzepatide in patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Tirzepatide should be discontinued for more than 2 months prior to becoming pregnant. 

6. What if I need a higher dose?

  • If you find that you might need a higher dose of tirzepatide, it's essential to consult with your healthcare provider. They can assess your progress, side effects, and overall health to determine if adjusting your dose is appropriate. Remember, any changes to your medication should only be made under the guidance of a healthcare professional to ensure your safety and the effectiveness of your treatment.

7. Are there any side effects?

Side effects are mild and typically go away over time

  • Nausea
  • Stomach (abdominal) pain
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Decreased appetite
  • Constipation

8. Can I take tirzepatide with other medications?

  • Do not take tirzepatide if you are already on a GLP-1 medication, such as: Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Bydureon, Byetta, Victoza, Adlyxin, or Saxenda.
  • Consult your prescribing physician with your list of current medications for potential drug interactions.

9. Support: Whenever You Need Us

  • We're here for you whenever you need help. Whether it's a billing question, a shipping inquiry, or just needing someone to brighten up your day, we're always just a message away.
    Log in to your HIPAA-secure customer portal and send us a message if you have any questions!
    Log In

10. How Long Until I Receive My Meds?

  • We work really hard to make sure you get timely responses from our doctors and quick delivery of your medication. Typically, our doctors and pharmacy partners do a fantastic job. Our average turnaround times for prescriptions from the doctor are around 1-2 days. Our typical pharmacy fulfillment times are around 3-5 business days, but can take up to 14 days due to the custom-compounded nature of the medications. Our partners typically ship FedEx 2-day, Monday-Wednesday.
    So, overall, a typical order takes between 6-10 days from the time you finalize your intake to you receiving your medication - excluding weekends. We are always working on ways to improve this timing, and will keep you up-to-speed every step of the way.

11. The Doctor Isn't Responding —Help!

  • If your prescriber takes more than 48 hours to respond to your message, please contact our Customer Support team. We'll do everything we can to get your question prioritized and answered by the prescribing physician - and oftentimes can help out if it's a non-medical question.

12. Will I Ever Be Charged More For A Higher Dose?

  • Our flat pricing guarantee is unique to us. What you see is what you'll pay. No hidden fees—ever. No matter what dosage your doctor might prescribe, our prices will remain consistent and transparent every step of the way.
    If market conditions change, we will be proactive and forward in our communications. Our mission as a company is to help 80 million Americans address their metabolic dysfunction—and we think it's easier to do that when our service is affordable.

13. Are You Even Legit?

  • Simply put, yes, we're super legit. Two veterans of the telemedicine industry formed Eden. Together we have a vision to improve the metabolic health of 80 million Americans who suffer from some level of metabolic dysfunction.
    We will do whatever it takes to ensure that your trust in us will lead to incredible outcomes. If we need to do something right, let us know. We're here for YOU.

14. What type of quality assurance measures do you use?

  • Our partner pharmacies only use products from FDA registered wholesalers and are USP, NF, or the highest of pharmaceutical grade available. All ingredients come with a certificate of analysis that is reviewed by a compounding pharmacist for purity and potency.

Important Safety Information

 Do not use if you have been diagnosed with the following:

  • Diabetic ketoacidosis 
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Diabetic retinopathy
  • Kidney disease
  • Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) 
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Pancreatitis

Some side effects may occur that do not require medical attention, as they may lessen as your body adjusts to the medication. You may experience more gastrointestinal (GI) side effects when you increase your dose; however, it should lessen over time. 

Call your primary doctor if you have side effects that concern you, or you suspect a drug allergy has occurred. If your symptoms are severe or you feel you're experiencing severe side effects, seek medical help immediately.

Most common side effects include:

  • acidic or sour stomach
  • belching
  • constipation
  • diarrhea
  • stomach discomfort or upset
  • stomach pain
  • hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
  • injection-site reactions
  • gallbladder disease
  • hypersensitivity reactions

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice other effects, see your doctor.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Click HERE for a full list of side effects.

What To Expect When You Are Expecting
(A Delivery From Us).

At Eden, we prioritize a systematic approach towards achieving your health goals. Since you've made the decision to place your trust in us on this journey, we wanted to inform you of what's next.
Our streamlined process ensures a seamless transition towards better health, all from the comfort of your home.

Stage 1:

Prescription Approval:
  • Since you recently completed your initial intake consultation order with our healthcare professionals, they will begin the process to review your health-history in detail. They may have questions for you, so be on the lookout for any messages from your doctor. You can access your secure, HIPAA-compliant, patient portal at any time to respond back to the doctor.
  • This process typically takes ~1-2 days
Prescription Approval:

Stage 2:

Pharmacy Processing
  • If a physician deems treatment as appropriate, you may receive a tailored health plan with medication suited to your unique health narrative.
  • This will release your prescription to an accredited pharmacy to prepare your medication.
  • This will release your prescription to an accredited 503A compounding pharmacy to personalize the medication just for you.
  • This process typically takes ~3-5 business days. Sometimes slight delays can occur - we value delivering quality, and sometimes quality takes time!
Pharmacy Processing

Stage 3:

Shipping
  • Once your prescription is ready to ship, you’ll receive a notification from us with the tracking information. Our partners ship FedEx or UPS, and you may receive your package Monday to Saturday.
  • This process typically takes ~2 days
Shipping

See the latest in your profile.

Citations:

1. Initial body adaptation to semaglutide begins, potentially reducing hunger by increasing feelings of fullness after meals​ ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544071/

2. Initial weight loss might be noticed, although this could be modest in the first month ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415215/

3. Improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors may be observed, including blood pressure regulation​ ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5983135/

4. Weight loss tends to be more pronounced, with users possibly achieving significant milestones in their weight loss journey​ ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7415215/

5. Enhanced glycemic control could be observed, beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes​ ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544071/

6. Further improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors and physical function might be experienced​ ​: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5983135/