Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a prescription injectable medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022 to help manage type 2 diabetes and support weight management in people with obesity. This medication activates receptors for two hormones, GIP and GLP-1, which your intestines release to regulate blood sugar, suppress hunger, and reduce food intake.

If you’re considering this medication, talk to your healthcare provider to learn if you’re eligible.

The FDA has approved Mounjaro to help control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. Healthcare providers may also prescribe it “off-label” to help manage weight in adults with obesity.

To receive a prescription for Mounjaro, you’ll need a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes or obesity. However, your healthcare provider will also need to evaluate your overall health to determine if the medication is safe for you.

Mounjaro may be unsafe to take if you have a history of:

• Medullary thyroid carcinoma (a type of thyroid cancer)
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2, a genetic disorder that causes thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal gland tumors
• Allergies to tirzepatide or other ingredients in Mounjaro

Other conditions can also raise your risk of experiencing harmful side effects while taking Mounjaro. These include:

Some medications may be unsafe to take for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding. More research is still needed to determine its safety in this population.

However, experts do know that Mounjaro may affect the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, such as birth control pills. If you are sexually active and use contraceptives to lower your chances of pregnancy but may benefit from Mounjaro, talk to your healthcare provider about potential alternatives.

If you’re interested in Mounjaro, making an appointment with your primary healthcare provider is a good first step. They will be able to order tests to check your blood sugar, discuss options for treatment for diabetes and obesity, and give you a prescription for Mounjaro.

Telehealth (online) services can sometimes also prescribe Mounjaro to you. Once you get a prescription, you should look at traditional pharmacies in your area or online pharmacies that can fill the medication for you.

Traditional Pharmacies

Traditional pharmacies are often the primary option for finding medications like Mounjaro. These include local pharmacies, pharmacies in hospitals or clinics, or chain stores like Walgreens and CVS. You or your healthcare provider order the prescription and come in to receive the medication once it’s filled.

Online Pharmacies

Another option is to look into online pharmacies. However, you have to be careful as some retailers may try to sell counterfeit drugs or scam customers. To ensure you’re working with a reputable pharmacy, make sure they’re licensed through professional organizations like the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).

Mounjaro is a long-term treatment option, so it’s important to know how accessible the medication is, how much it costs, and whether insurance helps with the fees.

Cost

How much you pay for Mounjaro depends greatly on whether the treatment is covered by insurance. The list price—without insurance—is $1,069.08 per fill, which is typically equivalent to one month’s supply. However, the price can vary based on your dosage.

If your insurance plan covers medications, the cost is considerably less. Additionally, there may be other ways to lower costs. If you have commercial insurance, savings programs can drop out-of-pocket costs to as little as $25 a month if the treatment is covered and $473 off a refill if it isn’t. Your healthcare provider, pharmacy, and insurance company can help you understand how much you can expect to pay.  

Insurance Approval

Whether Mounjaro insurance helps with the cost of the medication depends on your insurance plan. Since this medication is only FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes, insurance may not cover it if you’re using Mounjaro off-label for weight loss. However, some Medicare plans can help cover this cost for people over 65 years old. Your healthcare provider can also sway insurance to cover the cost if they deem Mounjaro a medical necessity for your overall health.

To learn more about your individual insurance coverage, your best bet is to call your insurance provider to know what your plan does and does not cover.

Supply Chain and Shortages

Mounjaro became available on May 13, 2022, but it became difficult to find this medication by December of that year. A Mounjaro shortage started as the manufacturer struggled to meet its demand. However, on October 2, 2024, the FDA announced that this shortage was resolved. This means it should currently be widely available for the foreseeable future.

While the Mounjaro shortage is over, some people may still have difficulty accessing the drug in their area. If you can’t reliably get this medication, you should talk to your healthcare provider about alternative options. Similar medications can also help suppress hunger and manage blood sugar by stimulating the GLP-1 hormone. These include:

• Zepbound (tirzepatide)
• Ozempic (semaglutide) 
• Rybelsus (semaglutide) 
• Wegovy (semaglutide)
• Saxenda (liraglutide)

All of these medications come in the form of injectable pens except for Rybelsus, which is an oral pill you take by mouth.

Mounjaro (trizepatide) is an injectable medication that you take once a week. It’s FDA-approved to manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, but your healthcare provider may also offer this treatment to support weight management if you live with obesity.

Previously, a Mounjaro shortage made access to this medication difficult. However, the shortage is now over, and the medication is more widely available in pharmacies across the country.