Looking into Weight-Loss Meds? Pills Are Now an Option

A new breed of weight-loss injections, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual receptor agonists, has become so popular that in 2024, doctors prescribed GLP-1 drugs nearly 364 percent more than in 2019. Now, there’s good news if you don’t like shots: You can take a pill instead.

Meet the New Weight-Loss Pills

The agonists began as a way for Type 2 diabetics to control their blood sugar. The medications slow digestion. As a result, patients feel hunger less often and think about food less — and therefore lose weight. Before long, the injections became available under different names for people who wanted to take them solely for the purpose of slimming down.

The original agonists came in the form of injections. With a prescription, in most cases your doctor would provide you with one injection pen a week. You’d inject yourself at home.

Now pills, and new injectables, are joining the line-up:

• Semaglutide. Semaglutide came out in pill form in 2019, but only for diabetics. That means it’s similar chemically to some name-brand injections you’ve likely heard of. Some doctors prescribed it for weight loss only even though the FDA had not approved it for that use. In October 2025, the FDA approved its use as a weight-loss drug for patients at risk for heart disease.
• Orforglipron. By 2026, the pill orforgilipron will likely join the market. This is expected to result in greater weight loss and blood sugar drops than the semaglutide pills.
• Retatruitide and maritide. These new injectable weight-loss products will, respectively, help you lose more weight because they’ll be stronger than existing options or will need to be injected far less often.

Why Choose Pills?

Pills’ debut sounds terrific at first. Who wouldn’t prefer to pop a tablet daily instead of giving yourself weekly shots? The two forms of weight-loss pills are different, and each has its pros and cons.

• Convenience. Pills are easier to handle than injections. You can pack them for travel and, unlike many injections, they do not need to be refrigerated.
• Instructions differ. For example, if you’re on the semaglutide pill, you’ll take it daily instead of weekly, and on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before a meal. Injections have no such requirements. You might need to cut down on spicy and some other foods.
• Doses differ. Our bodies absorb medications better when they’re injected rather than taken in pill form. That means you’ll need a higher dose in a pill, possibly twice as high‑
• Price. It seems that pills might cost less than injections, but that will depend on each particular medication and your insurance plan.

The pills are new enough that researchers don’t yet know all the long-term effects. Since the pills involve higher doses, they will likely slow down how your stomach empties even more, which could cause increased nausea and other gastrointestinal tract issues — but this hasn’t yet been proven.

Talk to a Professional

All medications have potential side effects, and you’ll be safest if you choose your weight-loss medication — injection or pill — by working with a doctor who specializes in this area. You’ll be eligible if your body mass index is at least 30. GLP-1s are not benign like acetaminophen or multivitamins.

Partner with your doctor, who will assess and monitor your bloodwork and your body composition, to ensure you’re not losing muscle mass. The goal is to lose weight so you can get healthier, not introduce new problems.

In the end, GLP-1s are apt to help you lose up to 12 percent of your bodyweight within a year. To keep the extra pounds off, either stay on the drug you choose or adapt a healthier diet and dedicated exercise routine before you stop. Maintain the new lifestyle to remain thinner.

Content is not AI generated.