Am I A Candidate for Tirzepatide?

Sick of spinning your wheels trying to lose weight? Tirzepatide injections may be what you need to push you over the edge. Here’s a closer look at which boxes you need to check to be a candidate for tirzepatide.

Tirzepatide (and its cousin semaglutide) is making a huge splash in the weight loss industry — are you a candidate?

Meridith Womick, MD, and the entire team of doctors and health coaches at the Metabolic Medical Center want to connect our patients with the best, most advanced health, wellness, and weight loss treatments available. However, tirzepatide isn’t for everyone.

Here’s expert insight into how tirzepatide works and whether or not you’re eligible.

How Tirzepatide works

Tirzepatide primarily targets the part of your brain that controls your appetite so you don’t feel hungry. It also slows down digestion, so you feel fuller longer and shortly after eating.

This medication works best when you’re also following a reduced-calorie diet and exercise program — and we can help with that, too. We offer many weight-loss programs, including:

You can also see one of our highly trained health coaches and/or personal trainers to support you in making the necessary behavioral changes to establish long-term weight loss and health.

The ideal candidate

The first step in your weight loss journey (whether or not that includes tirzepatide) is a weight management consultation with one of our specialists.

During your consultation, we perform blood labs, thoroughly review your medical history as well as family medical history, and current health status. We conduct physical exams and gather pertinent data like your height, weight, and BMI. We also discuss your treatment goals, roadblocks you’ve encountered, and more details about your previous attempts at losing weight.

Your BMI and weight are the most critical factors determining your candidacy for tirzepatide. The FDA has approved tirzepatide to treat people who are obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related health issue, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

Candidates for tirzepatide have a BMI of 30 or a BMI of at least 27 with a weight-related disease. We also recommend tirzepatide if you’ve tried conventional weight loss methods and have not seen any improvement.

The disqualifiers

A few factors besides your BMI and weight might count you out for tirzepatide injections. For instance, we can’t recommend tirzepatide for:

Children and elderly patients
Those allergic to tirzepatide and its ingredient
Women who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding
Those taking certain medications, such as beta blockers

There’s also an increased risk of complications and side effects if you have a healthy condition, such as thyroid cancer, kidney disease, and pancreatitis.

I’m a candidate — what should I expect?

Tripeptide isn’t a magic bullet or a miracle overnight weight loss drug. Combined with diet and exercise, you should expect to lose 15% of body weight in about 17 months after starting your tirzepatide injection plan.

We ensure our patients get the best results by customizing the dosages and helping you establish complementary healthy habits that ensure long-term weight loss.

The end of your weight loss journey is just around the corner. Let’s see if you’re a candidate for tirzepatide.

Call the Metabolic Medical Center location closest to you or request an appointment online. We proudly serve patients in Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Murrells Inlet, Columbia, and Bluffton, South Carolina.