Skip to content

Liraglutide vs Tirzepatide

Updated 6 sources

Key differences

  1. 1No head-to-head trial with liraglutide exists.
  2. 2Tirzepatide is a weekly dual GIP and GLP-1 agonist; liraglutide is a daily GLP-1-only drug.
  3. 3Community posts describe liraglutide as the weaker option that people often start on and later swap for semaglutide or tirzepatide.

Side by side

Facts from each record, in the same words as their own pages.
Liraglutide and Tirzepatide side by side
LiraglutideTirzepatide
Category
  • GLP-1, Weight loss
  • GLP-1, Weight loss
Evidence
  • Strong human trials
  • Strong human trials
FDA status
  • FDA approved as Victoza +1Regulatory
  • FDA approved as Mounjaro +1Regulatory
WADA
  • Not prohibited
  • Not prohibited
Half-life
  • About 13 hours after an injection under the skin, which suits once-daily dosing.Regulatory
  • About 5 days (Mounjaro label); 5 to 6 days in people with obesity or sleep apnea (Zepbound label). That is why it is dosed once a week.Regulatory
Routes
  • Subcutaneous injection
  • Subcutaneous injection
Forms
  • Prefilled pen, Ready-to-use vial, Vial (powder)
Not reported
Reported doses
  • 0.6 to 3 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 0.25 to 15 mg (subcutaneous injection)
Most cited frequency
  • Once daily; up 0.6 mg each week from 0.6 mg, then hold at 3 mg
  • Once weekly. Step up 2.5 mg after at least 4 weeks only if needed, then hold the maintenance dose.
Vial sizes
  • 5 mg, 10 mg, 30 mgCompetitor guide
  • 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 30 mg, 40 mg, 50 mg, 60 mgCompetitor guide
Mixed vial keeps
  • Keep a mixed research vial in the fridge and use it within 28 days, per guides.Competitor guide
  • Keep the mixed vial in the fridge and use it within about 28 days.Competitor guide
Protocols on file
  • 5
  • 12

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Read each in full

Sources

6 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Regulatory5

  1. Saxenda (liraglutide) label (SPL v22, effective 2026-02-25)DailyMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Mounjaro and Mounjaro KwikPen label, rev. 8/2026DailyMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Zepbound Prescribing Information, rev. 04/2026FDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
  4. Drugs@FDA: NDA 022341 VictozaFDA · checked Oct 24, 2026

Community-reported1

  1. Liraglutide: Community Protocols & ReportsPeptide Protocol Wiki, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026