The advertised monthly price is one line of the bill. Here is the whole bill, and the arithmetic that turns a headline number into an annual number.
Key Takeaways
- Published oral semaglutide rates start around $99/mo; oral tirzepatide starts around $229/mo.
- Intro-month pricing affects one twelfth of your year and dominates every landing page.
- Flat-price plans tied to a long commitment are usually cheapest annually and most expensive to leave early.
- Oral formats save on shipping complexity because there is no cold chain.
- The number that matters is your maintenance-dose price multiplied out, not the signup price.
| Line item | Typical treatment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Medication | The headline monthly price | Usually the dominant cost |
| Clinical consult | Usually bundled into the program | Occasionally billed separately |
| Shipping | Often included; no cold chain required | Oral's structural advantage |
| Labs | Varies — some providers require them | A real cost if required and not included |
| Dose escalation | Tiered providers charge more at higher doses | Flat-price plans do not |
| Intro month | Frequently discounted | Affects one month of twelve |
| Plan commitment | Long plans carry lower monthly rates | The discount is the lock-in |
The arithmetic that matters
Take your maintenance-dose monthly price. Multiply by ten. Add the intro month and the second month at whatever they actually cost. Add labs if they are required and not included. That total is your realistic year-one cost.
Worked example. Provider A: $49 intro, $299 ongoing. Year one = $49 + (11 × $299) = $3,338. Provider B: $229 flat every month. Year one = $2,748. Provider A wins the headline comparison by a factor of nearly five and costs almost $600 more.
MadeMed — Oral Semaglutide
Sublingual- Sublingual format — dissolves under the tongue, no swallowing water required
- Quarterly billing available at a lower effective monthly rate
- Optional membership program discounts refills
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Telos Rx
Flat pricing by plan length- Pricing is flat across dose tiers once your plan length is set
- 12-month plan carries the lowest monthly rate
- Cancel anytime; FSA/HSA accepted
Telos prices by commitment length rather than by milligram, which changes how you should compare it against dose-tiered competitors.
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
Where oral saves money structurally
No cold chain. Refrigerated shipping with validated packaging costs more than a padded envelope, and where providers charge for shipping, oral shipments cost less.
No supplies. No syringes, no alcohol swabs, no sharps container.
Lower base pricing. Across providers publishing both formats, oral rates sit below injectable rates.
Individually these are small. Across twelve months they are not nothing.
MadeMed — Oral Tirzepatide
Sublingual- Sublingual tirzepatide is still relatively rare — most oral compounding is semaglutide
- Quarterly billing available
- Dose tiers are priced separately; confirm your tier at checkout
Compounded medications are not FDA-approved. The FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are marketed. Compounded GLP-1 medications are prepared by state-licensed pharmacies and are not the same as FDA-approved brand products.
The tirzepatide premium
Oral tirzepatide is priced substantially above oral semaglutide — roughly $229/mo against roughly $99/mo at the lower end of the published range. That premium is a supply-and-competition effect: there is no approved oral tirzepatide product and fewer compounders offer it.
Whether it is worth paying is a clinical conversation, but it should be an informed one. The trial evidence showing tirzepatide's larger mean effect comes from injectable preparations at studied doses, not from compounded oral formats.
The questions to ask before signing up
- What is the monthly price at the maintenance dose, not the starting dose?
- Is shipping included, and is it charged per order?
- Are labs required, and are they included?
- Is this rate tied to a plan length, and what is the length?
- What is the cancellation window, in hours before the billing date?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest oral GLP-1?
On published rates in this market, oral semaglutide starts around $99/mo. Whether that rate holds through escalation depends on whether the provider prices flat or tiered.
Why is oral tirzepatide so much more expensive?
Fewer compounders offer it, there is no approved reference product creating price pressure, and input costs are higher.
Do oral programs include shipping?
Often, and the absence of a cold-chain requirement makes it cheaper to include. Confirm whether it is per order.
Is a longer plan worth it?
It usually lowers the monthly rate meaningfully. The trade is flexibility — leaving early generally does not produce a pro-rata refund.