- Ask before you pay whether the new provider will continue your current dose, and what proof it needs. Many restart people lower.
- Bring evidence: your current prescription or pharmacy label showing medicine, strength and dose, and the date of your last dose.
- Time it so you do not run out. Order the new supply a week or two before your last dose.
- Changing medicine, not just provider? There is no official semaglutide-to-tirzepatide conversion, so expect to follow the new medicine's own starting schedule.
- If you miss doses in the gap, the labels say when to take a missed dose and when to restart lower. Tell the new clinician exactly how long it has been.
Why people switch
Customer reviews across the big programs point to the same reasons again and again: a cheaper price elsewhere, a price rise after the first month or at a higher dose, refills that arrive late and cause missed doses, support that is hard to reach, and no plan for maintenance once someone reaches their goal. Some people switch medicine as well, from semaglutide to tirzepatide after a plateau, or the other way to save money or ease side effects.
All of these are good reasons. The switch goes well when you plan it around your dose.
The dose problem, and how to avoid it
The single most common complaint from people who switch is being restarted at the starting dose by the new provider, even after months at a higher one. That means weeks or months of slower progress, and sometimes paying more per month for less medicine.
A new clinician can only continue your dose if they are satisfied it is safe, which means seeing evidence of what you take and when you last took it. So before you pay a new provider:
- Ask directly: "If I send proof of my current dose, will your clinician continue it?" Get the answer in writing, such as a support message.
- Ask what proof they accept: a pharmacy label photo, a prescription, or records from your current provider.
- Ask what happens if there is a gap. If you have missed doses, most will start you lower, and the labels support that (see below).
What to have ready
- A clear photo of your current pharmacy label: the medicine, its strength (for vials, milligrams per millilitre) and your dose in milligrams and syringe units.
- The date of your last dose and how long you have been at that dose.
- When you started, your starting weight and your current weight.
- Side effects you have had and anything that helped.
- Your other medicines and health conditions, as for any new prescription.
Timing the switch
- Sign up with the new provider one to two weeks before your last dose, so there is time for the clinician review and delivery. Shipping can take a week or more at some programs.
- Cancel the old provider only after the new prescription is approved, and before its next billing date. Check its notice period; many need 48 to 72 hours.
- Do not prepay for months with the new provider until your first shipment has arrived and your dose has been confirmed.
- Never take two GLP-1 medicines at once. Both labels advise against combining them with another GLP-1 12.
If you have missed doses
Gaps happen during a switch. The labels say what to do 123:
| Medicine | Missed dose rule |
|---|---|
| Wegovy® injection | Take it as soon as possible if your next dose is more than two days away; otherwise skip it. If two or more doses in a row are missed, restart the dose escalation at a lower dose. |
| Wegovy® pill | Skip the missed pill and take the next one the following day. |
| Zepbound® | Take it within four days (96 hours); after that, skip it and take the next dose on your usual day. The label gives no rule for longer gaps, so ask your clinician. |
| Foundayo® | Take it as soon as possible. If seven or more doses in a row are missed, restart escalation at a lower dose. |
Restarting lower after a long gap is not the new provider being difficult. Side effects can return when you restart at a full dose after a break, which is why the labels step you back.
Switching medicine: semaglutide and tirzepatide
There is no official or validated way to convert a dose of one into a dose of the other. Neither label gives a conversion, and UK clinical guidance says no validated equivalence exists, recommending each product's own schedule, generally restarting at a low dose and never overlapping the two 45. Conversion charts found on telehealth blogs disagree with each other and should not be relied on.
In practice, a clinician moving you from semaglutide to tirzepatide will usually start tirzepatide at 2.5 or 5 mg depending on your history and tolerance, and step up from there. Our semaglutide vs tirzepatide guide explains the differences.
Within Wegovy® there is an official switch: from the 2.4 mg injection to the 25 mg pill, start the pill one week after the last injection; from the pill to the injection, start 2.4 mg weekly the day after the last pill 1.
Switching between compounded and brand-name
Moving from compounded semaglutide to Wegovy®, or from compounded tirzepatide to Zepbound®, or the reverse, is a change of product, not just of supplier. The milligram dose may be the same on paper, but a clinician will decide where you start. If you are moving to a compounded product, check the new vial's strength carefully: different pharmacies use different concentrations, so the same dose in milligrams can mean a different number of syringe units. Our dosing and units guide shows how to check.
Questions to ask a new provider
- Will you continue my current dose, and what proof do you need?
- What will I pay at my current dose, and at the next dose up?
- Is there a membership fee, and does it include the medicine?
- How long from sign-up to delivery, and how do refills work?
- Which pharmacy makes my medicine, and what strength is the vial?
- How do I reach a clinician if I have side effects?
- What are the cancellation notice and refund terms?
Our #1 pick, TotalRx, shows its price and renewal price before you pay, does not charge more as your dose rises, and includes unlimited clinician check-ins for dose changes. Ask it the same questions.
Questions and answers
Will a new GLP-1 provider keep me on my current dose?
Some will, if a clinician reviews proof of your current prescription and recent doses and agrees it is safe. Others restart everyone at a starting dose. Ask before you pay, because a restart adds weeks of lower doses and can mean paying more for less.
What should I bring when switching providers?
A photo of your current pharmacy label or prescription showing the medicine, strength and dose, the date of your last dose, how long you have been on it, any side effects, and your starting and current weight.
How do I convert my semaglutide dose to tirzepatide?
There is no official or validated conversion. Neither drug's label gives one, and clinical guidance is to follow the new medicine's own schedule, usually starting low. Charts online that equate doses are not validated.
Can I take semaglutide and tirzepatide together?
No. Both labels advise against combining them with other GLP-1 medicines.
What if I missed a dose while switching?
For the Wegovy® injection, take a missed dose if your next one is more than two days away; if you miss two or more in a row, the dose is usually restarted lower. For Zepbound®, take it within four days or skip it. Tell your new clinician exactly how long it has been.
Is my compounded dose the same as the brand-name dose?
The milligram amount may match, but the products are different. A clinician moving you from compounded to brand-name medication, or the reverse, will decide the starting point; it is not a direct one-for-one swap.
Should I prepay for months with a new provider?
Not until you have had your first shipment and know the provider will continue your dose. Prepaid bundles are often non-refundable once the next supply ships.
Keep reading
Sources
- Wegovy® prescribing information (revised June 2026), sections 1, 2.4 and 2.5
- Zepbound® prescribing information (revised August 2026), sections 1 and 2.3
- Foundayo® prescribing information (revised July 2026), section 2.3
- The Pharmaceutical Journal: switching between weight loss medications
- NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire: switching from tirzepatide to semaglutide (May 2026)
How we write our guides. We read the manufacturers' prescribing information, FDA and other official sources, published trials and each provider's own pricing and policies, and link to them so you can check our work. Figures were correct when we last checked them on October 19, 2026; prices and rules change often, so confirm them before you act. Medical disclaimer. This guide is general information, not medical advice, and no one at ProviderCompare is your clinician. Talk to a licensed healthcare professional before starting, changing or stopping any medication. Compounded GLP-1 medications are not FDA-approved and do not undergo FDA review for safety, effectiveness or quality. Brand names are trademarks of their owners, used for identification only.