Cannot afford your GLP-1 anymore? Read this before you stop
Stopping is a real option and nobody should pretend otherwise. Before that, four routes are worth checking, and the cheapest verified one on our chart is $149 a month.
Check four things before you stop. The manufacturer savings card, the maker's own cash price, a cheaper program on the chart, and a clinical trial if one is recruiting near you. The cheapest verified all-in route we track is $149 a month, checked August 31, 2026, against $448 at the most expensive of the 21 cash-pay programs on the chart.
The four routes, cheapest to check first
- The manufacturer savings card. It only works on commercial insurance. Anyone on Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE or VA is excluded by federal anti-kickback rules and no appeal changes that. Pick your drug and how you pay and the answer page gives the card price, the maker's cash price and the cheapest program, each with its own read date.
- The maker's direct cash price. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly both sell direct at published prices, and those prices do not depend on having a plan. The cheapest branded route on our chart is $299 a month.
- A cheaper program on the chart. Changing program moves the biggest number on this page, because the spread is $149 to $448 for a month of treatment. Switching without a gap has the sequence.
- A clinical trial. 177 GLP-1 clinical trials are recruiting across 48 states, and a study supplies its own study medication. What else a study covers varies, so ask the site. Screening takes weeks either way, which makes this a route to start now rather than a plan for next week.
What a full year costs at each price
A monthly figure hides the thing that decides affordability, which is the twelve-month total after any introductory rate runs out. The table ranks every program with a verified price by what year one actually costs.
22 programs with a verified price, ranked by what a full year costs. The first-year total counts the introductory rate for as long as it runs, then the maintenance price. Checked Aug 31, 2026.
| Program | Supply | First month | Per month after | First year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strut Health | Compounded | $149 | $149 | $1,788 |
| Mochi Health | Compounded | $138 | $178 | $2,096 |
| Shed | Either | $199 | $199 | $2,388 |
| Ivim Health | Either | $200 | $200 | $2,400 |
| Calibrate (plan copay) | Branded | $224 | $224 | $2,688 |
| Noom Med | Either | $129 | $249 | $2,868 |
| Found | Either | $289 | $289 | $3,468 |
| Amazon Pharmacy | Branded | $299 | $299 | $3,588 |
| Knownwell | Branded | $299 | $299 | $3,588 |
| Medvi | Compounded | $299 | $299 | $3,588 |
| Sam's Club Member Health | Branded | $299 | $299 | $3,588 |
| Hone Health | Compounded | $315 | $315 | $3,780 |
| WeightWatchers Clinic | Branded | $25 for 2 months | $373 | $3,780 |
| CVS MinuteClinic | Branded | $328 | $328 | $3,936 |
| GoodRx for Weight Loss | Branded | $338 | $338 | $4,056 |
| Lemonaid Health | Compounded | $348 | $348 | $4,176 |
| Walgreens Weight Management | Branded | $348 | $348 | $4,176 |
| Costco / Success by Sesame | Branded | $398 | $398 | $4,776 |
| Sesame Care | Either | $398 | $398 | $4,776 |
| Hims & Hers | Branded | $188 | $448 | $5,116 |
| LifeMD | Branded | $188 | $448 | $5,116 |
| Ro Body | Branded | $188 | $448 | $5,116 |
Over a full year the range runs from $1,788 at Strut Health to $5,116 at Ro Body. Compare all 22 on the chart.
Get told when your price moves
Prices on this chart move. We read every program's published price every Monday and log what changed, and the email carries it.
Questions people ask before they stop
Is a cheaper program the same medication?
Not necessarily, and the difference is the first thing to check. A program's monthly price can buy a branded drug or a pharmacy-made compounded product, which is not FDA-approved and is not Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound or Mounjaro. Every chart row names what its price buys, and the program page carries the detail.
Why is the price on the chart different from the one I was quoted?
Our figure is the total ongoing monthly cost at the maintenance dose, with membership, medication and fees added together. A quote is often an introductory month, a starter dose, or the medication alone with the membership billed separately.
Does prepaying twelve months save money?
Sometimes, and it is also the largest commitment on offer. A prepaid rate is charged in full on the day you sign up, so it is a year of spending decided in one afternoon. The twelve-month table above prices both so the comparison is like for like.
What if I stop anyway?
Talk to your prescriber before you stop. Then read what restarting costs, because a program prices a returning customer on today's rates.
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