When it comes to medical weight loss, two of the biggest names in the conversation are semaglutide and Mounjaro. And if you’ve been researching your options, you’ve probably noticed something: one is a brand-name drug, while the other isn’t.
Mounjaro is a prescription drug approved in 2022 and designed to treat type 2 diabetes. Since its release, it’s also shown itself to be quite effective at helping people lose weight and is frequently prescribed off-label for weight loss. Semaglutide, on the other hand, is the active ingredient in the FDA-approved weight-loss medication Wegovy, and it’s also available in non-branded, compounded versions. And that distinction matters — though maybe not for the reasons you might expect.
If you’re trying to decide between semaglutide vs. Mounjaro, there’s more to the decision than which medication is going to help you lose the most weight. Let’s examine both drugs and look at how they’re similar, how they’re different, and which one is likely to work hardest for you and your unique needs.
Semaglutide vs. Mounjaro: How they work
Both semaglutide (as Wegovy) and Mounjaro have been designated “breakthrough drugs” by the FDA; Mounjaro for its superior ability to control blood sugar in people with diabetes, and semaglutide for its stunning weight-loss results. Both semaglutide and Mounjaro fall into the category of GLP-1 receptor agonists, meaning they mimic a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar, digestion, and appetite. But their similarities largely end there.
Semaglutide is a dedicated GLP-1 receptor agonist. It works by slowing digestion, curbing hunger, and helping you eat less while still keeping you feeling satisfied. That’s what makes it such a powerful tool for weight loss.
Mounjaro, on the other hand, doesn’t stop at GLP-1. It also mimics another hormone called GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). GIP plays a role in fat metabolism and energy storage, and some researchers believe that targeting both GLP-1 and GIP may help with additional fat-burning benefits.
So what does this mean in practical terms? Both medications help reduce your appetite and make it easier for you to eat less, but the added GIP activation in Mounjaro could contribute to slightly more weight loss for some people. However, some people respond just as well to GLP-1 alone, making semaglutide a strong contender for those looking for a reliable and effective weight-loss medication.
Semaglutide vs. Mounjaro: How much weight can you lose?
The biggest question most people have is, “Which of these medications leads to greater weight loss?”
Clinical trials have shown that semaglutide leads to an average weight loss of about 15% of total body weight over a year when combined with lifestyle changes. That’s an impressive number, especially compared to older weight-loss medications.
But Mounjaro has been shown to push that number even higher. Studies suggest that people taking Mounjaro can lose up to 20% of their body weight, with higher doses delivering the most significant results. In fact, in some cases, people taking Mounjaro at maximum doses lost more weight than people who had undergone certain types of bariatric surgery.
To put this into perspective, imagine a woman who weighs 200 pounds. With semaglutide, she could expect to lose around 30 pounds over the course of a year. But with Mounjaro, that number could be closer to 40 pounds—or even more. While individual results vary, the numbers speak for themselves: Mounjaro’s dual-action approach gives it a distinct advantage.
So. 15% of body weight lost vs. 20% — in the Mounjaro vs. semaglutide debate, Mounjaro is clearly the winner, right?
Not necessarily.
When asking the question of which drug works harder for you, it’s not simply a matter of which medication is likely to help you lose the most pounds. You also need to factor in things like the price, how your body reacts to the medication, if you’re good with a standard dose or if you might be better served by a custom dosing schedule, and even — especially in the case of brand-name drugs, whether it will be available at all when you need it. So while at first glance Mounjaro might seem like the obvious choice, it’s really not that simple.
Semaglutide vs. Mounjaro: Cost and availability
Here’s where things start to get interesting. Mounjaro is a brand-name medication, and brand-name drugs always come at a premium. If your insurance doesn’t cover it — and many won’t if it’s prescribed for weight loss rather than for diabetes — you’re looking at well over $1,000 a month out of pocket. And that’s assuming you can even get your hands on it. Since its release, Mounjaro has faced persistent shortages, leaving many patients scrambling to fill their prescriptions or forced to pause treatment for months at a time.
Semaglutide, on the other hand, has been around longer and is available in compounded form, making it a far more flexible and affordable option. Compounded semaglutide isn’t locked into a single manufacturer’s supply chain, which means it isn’t subject to the same shortages that have plagued brand-name GLP-1 medications. That alone makes it a more reliable option for people who want consistency in their treatment.
And then there’s the price. Even without insurance, compounded semaglutide is significantly more affordable than its brand-name counterpart, often costing just a fraction of what you’d pay for Mounjaro. That price difference makes a huge impact for people paying out of pocket, giving them access to effective treatment without the financial strain of a high-priced brand-name drug.
Compounded semaglutide also gives you more room for tailoring your treatment to suit your individual needs. Where brand-name Mounjaro comes in a single form (injectable) with rigid preset dosing (as it must, to be FDA-approved), compounded semaglutide is available in both injectable and oral forms and offers a wider range of dosing levels.
So what’s the bottom line? The question of Mounjaro vs. semaglutide isn’t just about which medication works better — it’s about which one you can actually access, afford, and stick with long enough to see real results.
Semaglutide vs. Mounjaro: Side effects and long-term safety
There’s not a medication on the market that doesn’t have some kind of side effects, and semaglutide and Mounjaro are no exception. The most common ones for both are digestive issues — nausea, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach discomfort, especially when first starting or increasing doses. These side effects are common across all GLP-1 agonist medications; they tend to fade over time, but for some people, they can be a persistent nuisance.
Mounjaro’s added GIP activation means its side effect profile can be slightly different. Some people report more nausea up front, while others say it’s easier on their stomach long term compared to semaglutide. That said, semaglutide has been on the market longer, meaning we have a clearer picture of its long-term safety.
Semaglutide vs. Mounjaro: Which is the better choice?
Both of these medications have changed the landscape of medical weight loss, but the real question isn’t just which one helps you drop the most pounds — it’s which one makes reaching and maintaining your goal weight more realistic.
Mounjaro’s ability to target two key hormones rather than just one gives it an advantage for some people, but that comes at a price — literally. It’s expensive, often difficult to get due to shortages, and still relatively new, meaning its long-term effects aren’t as well understood. Insurance can dramatically reduce the cost, but if you’re looking to Mounjaro for weight loss rather than for diabetes, your insurance company might not be willing to cover it.
Semaglutide, on the other hand, has been around longer — which means more data on safety, more affordability with compounded options, and more flexibility when it comes to dosage forms and custom treatment plans. And while insurance won’t cover compounded versions, the price is a fraction of that of brand-name drugs. For many people, those factors make semaglutide the more practical and accessible choice.
At the end of the day, the right medication isn’t just the one that works — because let’s face it: they both work, and work well — it’s the one you can actually afford, tolerate, and stick with long enough to see real results. Learn more about Claya’s weight-loss treatment programs for medically supervised weight loss.
