The twelve-month cost

A year of therapy is the realistic planning horizon, because clinicians increasingly treat GLP-1s the way they treat antihypertensives — ongoing rather than a course.

Across the programmes where the monthly figure genuinely includes the medication, a year of compounded tirzepatide runs from about $1,500 at Trimi to $5,388 at Henry Meds. Same class of medication at both ends.

Costs the price list omits

Laboratory work where a clinician orders it is billed separately by most programmes. Injection supplies are included by some and not others. Dose-tiered pricing rises as you titrate. And a compounded preparation's beyond-use date can mean shorter fill cycles than a monthly figure implies.

The full-year table

What the table leaves out

• Labs. Where a clinician recommends bloodwork it is usually billed separately. Mochi is explicit about this; most are quiet.
• Dose escalation. On programmes that price by dose, your bill rises as the treatment starts working. Flat-rate programmes do not do this, which over a year is worth more than most advertised discounts.
• The months you do not take it. A meaningful share of people stop within eight weeks. A prepaid annual plan does not care.
• Supplies. Syringes, alcohol pads and a sharps container. Some programmes include them; most leave you to it.
• Shipping. Usually included, occasionally not. Worth confirming.

Brand-name, for comparison

Through LillyDirect self-pay, single-dose Zepbound vials at 5 mg, 7.5 mg and 10 mg have been listed at $499/month, with lower starting doses nearer $299-$349.

Through NovoCare, Wegovy has been offered at $199/month for the first two fills through 31 December 2026, then $349/month for 0.25-2.4 mg doses. The oral form is listed between $149 and $299/month by dose.

Those are FDA-approved products. The gap against compounded programmes has narrowed a great deal since manufacturers opened self-pay channels, which is worth knowing before assuming compounded is automatically cheaper — we work through it in what you actually pay.

A worked example

1. Start month-to-month somewhere flat-rate. At Trimi that is $125 a month.
2. Budget an extra $50 to $200 once for labs, in case they are recommended.
3. Budget roughly $20 for a sharps container and spare syringes if your programme does not ship them.
4. After two dose increases, decide whether to switch to an annual plan and take the discount.
5. A realistic first year, going slowly and switching to annual at month three: roughly $1,500 to $1,980.

Full rankings in best tirzepatide providers and the cheapest programmes.