Semaglutide vs. Tirzepatide: Which Medical Weight Loss Option Is Right for You in 2026?

The new class of GLP-1 weight loss drugs is providing new hope for people who are carrying too many pounds. Here, we review the two types — semaglutide and tirzepatide — and the differences between them.

It’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a revolution in weight loss thanks to a new class of weight loss drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. The two types of GLP-1 medications available are semaglutide and tirzepatide; both have helped people lose 10%, 15%, 25%, and more of their total body weight.

Given that nearly three-quarters of the population in the United States is either overweight or has obesity, this news can help change the course of our collective health for the better.

To help our clients with their weight loss and wellness goals, Skin Shop MedSpa offers weight loss services, which include semaglutide and tirzepatide. Under the guidance of our medical directors, Dr. Tiffany Su and Dr. Hui “He” Kang, we help clients say goodbye to excess weight more easily than ever before, thanks to these GLP-1 weight loss drugs.

If you’re interested in trying these effective weight loss drugs, but you’re not sure which one to choose, we outline both here.

How GLP-1 weight loss drugs work

Semaglutide and tirzepatide were both originally introduced as medications for diabetes because each works on insulin and glucose levels in the body. Semigultide sells under the Ozempic® and Wegovy® brands, and tirzepatide sells under the names Mounjauro® and Zepbound®.

More specifically, these GLP-1 medications introduce a glucagon-like agonist that promotes healthier blood sugar levels by suppressing glucagon, a digestive hormone that raises glucose levels in your blood.

Regulating blood sugar levels is crucial when trying to lose weight; you want glucose to be used as energy, rather than stored as fat. And GLP-1 weight loss drugs provide an advantage in this effort.

In addition to regulating blood sugar levels and promoting insulin production, GLP-1 weight loss drugs also:

Slow down your digestion, making you feel full longer
Suppress hunger pangs in your brain
Promote satiety (feeling satisfied with what you eat)

So, between regulating your blood sugar and reducing how much you eat, people can lose weight in amounts that they haven’t been able to achieve before.

Semaglutide versus tirzapetide

Now, let’s discuss the difference between the two choices in GLP-1 medications. The difference is that semaglutide is a single-action medication that delivers a glucagon-like receptor agonist. The tirzepatide is a dual-action medication that contains everything semaglutide offers, with the addition of a GIP receptor agonist.

GIP stands for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and this agonist works in tandem with GLP-1 agonists to further lower blood sugar levels and promote insulin production.

As a result, studies have shown that tirzepatide leads to more weight loss. For example, one study of more than 41,000 participants concluded that “Use of tirzepatide was associated with significantly greater weight loss than semaglutide.”

Another study of people without diabetes found the same results — tirzepatide led to more weight loss.

That said, side effects like nausea and vomiting can be higher among tirzepatide users, but this is a tricky metric since people respond to these weight loss medications differently.

The best way to determine which weight loss drug is best for your goals is to sit with one of our weight loss specialists. Contact our office in Houston, Texas, at 713-701-1717 today. You can also schedule an appointment online by using the booking feature on our website.