Semaglutide vs tirzepatide: still weighing the options

[Fostradamus]

leo_123 said:

Hey all,

I really appreciate everyone who chimed in on my introduction post—hearing about your various journeys has given me a lot to think about.

At this point, I’m still stuck on which one to go with: semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Based on what I’ve gathered, they both appear to work, though their characteristics differ a bit. I’m trying to figure out which would be the better fit for someone like me—hitting a fat loss plateau even with steady training and diet.

If you’ve used one or both, what tipped the scales for you? And did the results line up with what you expected?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’m still absorbing all of this.

Tirz, no contest. Having tried both, tirz gave me much better results. Sema only left me feeling sick without any weight loss. YMMV

 

[CJsMom]

Flash-BCR said:

HouseCat said:

Tirzepatide is the only one I've used, and I'm really happy with it! After 5 months, I'm down 30lbs and my activity levels haven't changed at all. My eating habits—both how much and how well I eat—have gotten better simply because my tastes, reactions, and cravings shifted, and I didn't have to work hard at it. The food noise and obsession? Completely gone!

On top of that, studies combining tirz with Eloralintide look really promising, so if you ever decide to add something later on, it seems like it would make a nice little stack.

Oh absolutely, pairing tirz with elora might end up being unbeatable!...As things stand, my stockpile leans heavily toward tirz, alongside a hefty amount of reta...plus a few kits apiece of sema and cagril...Given my age, I figure what I've got stored will see me out so unless elora's price drops enough for me to tack some on soon, I doubt I'll bother adding it. Still, I'm confident that whatever I already have will cover all my needs far into the future, especially since I can switch things around whenever necessary...

My supply will likely last longer than I do, so I'm leaving it to a family member through my will. They're wary of gray, but I hope that by that point they'll notice it didn't do me any harm and decide to use whatever remains. Though ideally, by then there will be something like once-a-year subcutaneous pellets.

 

[Flash-BCR]

CJsMom said:

Flash-BCR said:

HouseCat said:

Tirzepatide is the only one I've used, and I'm really happy with it! After 5 months, I'm down 30lbs and my activity levels haven't changed at all. My eating habits—both how much and how well I eat—have gotten better simply because my tastes, reactions, and cravings shifted, and I didn't have to work hard at it. The food noise and obsession? Completely gone!

On top of that, studies combining tirz with Eloralintide look really promising, so if you ever decide to add something later on, it seems like it would make a nice little stack.

Oh absolutely, pairing tirz with elora might end up being unbeatable!...As things stand, my stockpile leans heavily toward tirz, alongside a hefty amount of reta...plus a few kits apiece of sema and cagril...Given my age, I figure what I've got stored will see me out so unless elora's price drops enough for me to tack some on soon, I doubt I'll bother adding it. Still, I'm confident that whatever I already have will cover all my needs far into the future, especially since I can switch things around whenever necessary...

My supply will likely last longer than I do, so I'm leaving it to a family member through my will. They're wary of gray, but I hope that by that point they'll notice it didn't do me any harm and decide to use whatever remains. Though ideally, by then there will be something like once-a-year subcutaneous pellets.

Two expressions I never expected to run into together in one post: "Bequeathed in a will"...and...."They will see it didn't kill me"....

 

[SonOfMogh]

leo_123 said:

Hey all,

I really appreciate everyone who chimed in on my introduction post—hearing about your various journeys has given me a lot to think about.

At this point, I’m still stuck on which one to go with: semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Based on what I’ve gathered, they both appear to work, though their characteristics differ a bit. I’m trying to figure out which would be the better fit for someone like me—hitting a fat loss plateau even with steady training and diet.

If you’ve used one or both, what tipped the scales for you? And did the results line up with what you expected?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’m still absorbing all of this.

Tirz would be my pick. Since I began, 70lbs have come off. Food noise isn't loud. The pounds basically disappear.

 

[woundcarping]

What I keep coming back to is this: by the middle of 2026, what reason would someone have to choose Sema instead of Tirz?

Since I’ve already used Tirz, I’m currently taking Reta and Sema mostly just to try something different.

I started at .25mg, felt that was too high, so I lowered it to .125mg taken 2x/week, alongside my Reta at 9mg 2x weekly.

 

[Skidude]

Tirz gets my vote as well.

Here's why:

1. superior overall outcomes in studies
   
2. supply over the long haul
   
3. studies looking at it alongside other treatments
   
4. #1 factor: It did the job for me!

 

[HereKittyKitty]

JohannesSweden77 said:

leo_123 said:

Hey all,

I really appreciate everyone who chimed in on my introduction post—hearing about your various journeys has given me a lot to think about.

At this point, I’m still stuck on which one to go with: semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Based on what I’ve gathered, they both appear to work, though their characteristics differ a bit. I’m trying to figure out which would be the better fit for someone like me—hitting a fat loss plateau even with steady training and diet.

If you’ve used one or both, what tipped the scales for you? And did the results line up with what you expected?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’m still absorbing all of this.

What makes retarutide a bad option?

Someone already has 2 threads going to pick between 2 products, and you go and throw in a 3rd.

 

[Builderman]

Go with Reta. If that doesn't sit right with you, then tirx beats sema by a mile

 

[bada bing]

woundcarping said:

What I keep coming back to is this: by the middle of 2026, what reason would someone have to choose Sema instead of Tirz?

Since I’ve already used Tirz, I’m currently taking Reta and Sema mostly just to try something different.

I started at .25mg, felt that was too high, so I lowered it to .125mg taken 2x/week, alongside my Reta at 9mg 2x weekly.

That's why I've got a 5mg kit of Sema sitting in storage — it could work well stacked alongside Reta. Realistically I'll probably never crack open one of those vials, but it keeps indefinitely and costs almost nothing these days. And if I ever did want to tack it onto a Reta run, the amount needed would be small.

As for the OP: experiencing harsher sides and/or weaker results on Tirz would put you in the minority. Unless your own personal history points you a different way, Tirz is the clear pick. Whatever GLP you go with, take the starting titration slowly. Rushing gains you nothing. This isn't a Pharma trial, where the point is a fixed-dose group to measure tolerability while also pushing effectiveness as far as possible across the study window.

 

[Spork]

If you were to ask folks who've used all 3 what they'd recommend, the answer would probably be:

Assuming you're beginning from scratch and plan to source through the gray market, retatrutide is the place to start.

Speaking for myself, my first medication was semaglutide, and I eventually reached what was then the maximum dose, 2.4mg. Weight loss was barely noticeable for me, and the GI side effects were terrible... the gastric pain was intense!

After that I moved to tirzpeatide, but since semaglutide had come first, a larger tirzepatide dose was needed before it worked. Nothing changed on the scale until I reached 10mg, and these days I'm on 15mg.

A common anecdotal pattern in the community involves individuals who move from tirzepatide to retatrutide and say the appetite suppression feels nowhere near what tirzepatide gave them.

That said, clinical trials indicate that, valid as that observation is, retatrutide delivers better weight loss outcomes.

Had retatrutide been the first thing you tried, there'd be no baseline for comparison, which is likely an advantage.

Beyond that, beginning with retatrutide and titrating up properly ought to get you to your target weight. Should you stall out at a plateau, compounds such as eloralintide - whose gray market availability will keep growing - become the addition to your toolkit for pushing past it.

So honestly, speaking from experience, "if I knew then what I knew now," my ranking would be:

1) Retatrutide, with plans to add Eloralintide later on

2) Tirzepatide

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3) Semaglutide

I just can't recommend the less effective option that generally comes with more side effects.

 

[woundcarping]

Spork said:

If you were to ask folks who've used all 3 what they'd recommend, the answer would probably be:

Assuming you're beginning from scratch and plan to source through the gray market, retatrutide is the place to start.

Speaking for myself, my first medication was semaglutide, and I eventually reached what was then the maximum dose, 2.4mg. Weight loss was barely noticeable for me, and the GI side effects were terrible... the gastric pain was intense!

After that I moved to tirzpeatide, but since semaglutide had come first, a larger tirzepatide dose was needed before it worked. Nothing changed on the scale until I reached 10mg, and these days I'm on 15mg.

A common anecdotal pattern in the community involves individuals who move from tirzepatide to retatrutide and say the appetite suppression feels nowhere near what tirzepatide gave them.

That said, clinical trials indicate that, valid as that observation is, retatrutide delivers better weight loss outcomes.

Had retatrutide been the first thing you tried, there'd be no baseline for comparison, which is likely an advantage.

Beyond that, beginning with retatrutide and titrating up properly ought to get you to your target weight. Should you stall out at a plateau, compounds such as eloralintide - whose gray market availability will keep growing - become the addition to your toolkit for pushing past it.

So honestly, speaking from experience, "if I knew then what I knew now," my ranking would be:

1) Retatrutide, with plans to add Eloralintide later on

2) Tirzepatide

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3) Semaglutide

I just can't recommend the less effective option that generally comes with more side effects.

If the goal is dropping around 15%, pointing someone toward Reta doesn't seem like a smart call.

For me, I moved from Tirz over to Reta at the 4-week mark, since I was aiming for a 30-35% loss and Reta fit that better.

 

[Skidude]

woundcarping said:

Spork said:

If you were to ask folks who've used all 3 what they'd recommend, the answer would probably be:

Assuming you're beginning from scratch and plan to source through the gray market, retatrutide is the place to start.

Speaking for myself, my first medication was semaglutide, and I eventually reached what was then the maximum dose, 2.4mg. Weight loss was barely noticeable for me, and the GI side effects were terrible... the gastric pain was intense!

After that I moved to tirzpeatide, but since semaglutide had come first, a larger tirzepatide dose was needed before it worked. Nothing changed on the scale until I reached 10mg, and these days I'm on 15mg.

A common anecdotal pattern in the community involves individuals who move from tirzepatide to retatrutide and say the appetite suppression feels nowhere near what tirzepatide gave them.

That said, clinical trials indicate that, valid as that observation is, retatrutide delivers better weight loss outcomes.

Had retatrutide been the first thing you tried, there'd be no baseline for comparison, which is likely an advantage.

Beyond that, beginning with retatrutide and titrating up properly ought to get you to your target weight. Should you stall out at a plateau, compounds such as eloralintide - whose gray market availability will keep growing - become the addition to your toolkit for pushing past it.

So honestly, speaking from experience, "if I knew then what I knew now," my ranking would be:

1) Retatrutide, with plans to add Eloralintide later on

2) Tirzepatide

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

3) Semaglutide

I just can't recommend the less effective option that generally comes with more side effects.

If the goal is dropping around 15%, pointing someone toward Reta doesn't seem like a smart call.

For me, I moved from Tirz over to Reta at the 4-week mark, since I was aiming for a 30-35% loss and Reta fit that better.

From what I've gathered, whether to use Reta comes down to individual circumstances and several considerations.

A lot of people with long-term experience in this area feel it shouldn't be the starting option.

There are multiple factors behind that view—maybe others will go into detail, or searching could turn up more information.

Personally, my plan was to look at Reta only if my weekly weight loss targets weren't being reached.

Not dropping weight too fast has its own benefits too.

I reached my goal in 7 months, losing 64lbs total, which works out to roughly 1.5lbs weekly—exactly the pace I was aiming for.

Had that 1.5 meant 52 weeks, or 100+ lbs, I would have been fine with that speed too.

 

[cheaperseeker]

CJsMom said:

I began on Sema and titrated up to the maximum dose as recommended, after which I made the switch to Tirz. When I was on the 2.4 Sema, the compounding company advised beginning Tirz at 9mg. The weight began coming off once more, and I noticed Tirz came with fewer side effects. While on Sema, I frequently experienced mild nausea. With Tirz there was no nausea, though constipation was a significant issue at the start. That resolved after a few weeks once I started eating prunes daily. I'm still using Tirz and have lately moved to a 5 day instead of 7 day schedule in an attempt to break through a stall. Whether that helps isn't clear yet. For me, Tirz turned out to be the better option. That said, each person's body responds in its own way. My own view is that Tirz delivers stronger results while causing fewer side effects.

My experience followed the same pattern.

For constipation, CALM magnesium also makes a big difference.

 

[smallbrainchud]

honestly, reta is what i'd pick. in 3 months on reta i went from 229lbs down to 180lbs. the side effects are pretty rough early on, but they ease up quite a bit as time goes on.

if reta is a no-go for you, then tirzepatide beats semaglutide.

 

[Padre01]

I have tried all 3. Going forward, Reta is the one I would pick first

 

[leo_123]

JohannesSweden77 said:

leo_123 said:

JohannesSweden77 said:

leo_123 said:

Hey all,

I really appreciate everyone who chimed in on my introduction post—hearing about your various journeys has given me a lot to think about.

At this point, I’m still stuck on which one to go with: semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Based on what I’ve gathered, they both appear to work, though their characteristics differ a bit. I’m trying to figure out which would be the better fit for someone like me—hitting a fat loss plateau even with steady training and diet.

If you’ve used one or both, what tipped the scales for you? And did the results line up with what you expected?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’m still absorbing all of this.

What makes retarutide a bad option?

Retatrutide has come up in a few discussions, and I’m still working on getting a clearer picture of it.

At this point, my main focus is on the options that see more frequent use, because there seems to be more data from real-world experience with those. Thanks for putting the idea out there, though.

That makes total sense to me. I'm in the same spot with Reta — I haven't started it yet. I've got some on hand for whenever I make that call. Plenty of folks in this community know their way around retarutide. As for me, I've been on tirzepatide since November of last year

Right now, the one that appears to be used most often is tirzepatide.

 

[leo_123]

finesse said:

If I had to pick, I'd say Triz

80lbs gone after 11 months. That's with watching what I eat, lifting weights and getting my steps in.

Currently giving reta a go, though the appetite suppression doesn't hit as hard — or maybe your body torches more calories, so you end up hungrier... Hard to say

Appreciate you describing how it went for you — from what I can tell, tirzepatide remains the option that the most people keep reporting good results with.

 

[leo_123]

BrightCandle said:

Tirz, based on what the trial data shows, it looks fairly obvious that it works 2 times as well as Sema, and it comes with fewer side effects.

So that's one more mark in tirz's favor

 

[leo_123]

5byfive said:

Price might be the only thing that makes Sema a better pick than Tirz, as far as I can tell. Tirz simply comes out ahead. The results are stronger, and even more significant is that it brings fewer side effects. On top of that, Tirz has become fairly affordable, so price doesn't hold up as much of a reason anymore. Tirz is the way to go,

That makes sense!

 

[Mood]

leo_123 said:

Hey all,

I really appreciate everyone who chimed in on my introduction post—hearing about your various journeys has given me a lot to think about.

At this point, I’m still stuck on which one to go with: semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Based on what I’ve gathered, they both appear to work, though their characteristics differ a bit. I’m trying to figure out which would be the better fit for someone like me—hitting a fat loss plateau even with steady training and diet.

If you’ve used one or both, what tipped the scales for you? And did the results line up with what you expected?

Thanks for any thoughts—I’m still absorbing all of this.

My wife went from 215 down to 115 on tirz — close to 100lbs lost. For maintenance she's now on reta and focusing on building muscle. I'm on reta too (not much to lose; mostly a recomp). One thing to note: reta bumped my rhr up by 10 bpm.

My daughter was on sema and once she reached 1mg, she felt awful every week following her shot. She did lose weight, but a lot of it came from vomiting 3 days a week. At 17, sema was the only choice we had. We switched her to tirz and she's improved a lot and is still losing.

So, to sum up:

1. Tirz

2. Reta

99. Sema