How is tirzepatide different from a classic GLP-1?

Tirzepatide is a dual receptor agonist (GLP-1 and GIP) which, in trials, shows larger average weight loss than mono-agonist GLP-1s in adults with obesity.

What does the doctor review before prescribing tirzepatide?

History of pancreatitis, gallbladder issues, family history of medullary thyroid cancer, pregnancy or plans to conceive, and current medication. Recent labs are also reviewed if provided.

What follow-up does Hi-Doctor offer during treatment?

Quarterly medical review through the private in-app chat, dose adjustments if side effects arise, and a new electronic prescription valid in any EU pharmacy when applicable.

Can I get a consultation for Zepbound from Ghent?

Yes. Hi-Doctor runs 100 % online across the EU, so if you live in Ghent you can fill in the questionnaire and receive the medical review without travelling. The electronic prescription issued by the licensed doctor is valid in any EU pharmacy under Directive 2011/24/EU; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.

Who is a candidate for a medical weight-management programme?

Adults with BMI ≥ 30, or ≥ 27 with comorbidities (hypertension, type-2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia). The doctor reviews your history, current medication and goals before proposing any treatment. It is not a cosmetic programme.

What is the private electronic prescription and why is it valid across the EU?

The private electronic prescription (Receta Médica Privada Electrónica) is issued by a licensed doctor in Spain. It is a PDF carrying every field required by EU Directive 2011/24/EU (patient, prescriber with country of registration, active ingredient, dose), which makes it legally recognised across all 27 EU member states. In Spanish pharmacies it is dispensed from the QR; outside Spain, the pharmacist dispenses the locally marketed equivalent of the same active ingredient.

How does Hi-Doctor work step by step?

1) Fill in an online medical questionnaire in about 4 minutes. 2) The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; sexual health is €35 per consultation and a skin consultation is €40. 3) An EU-licensed doctor reviews your case and, if appropriate, issues an electronic prescription. 4) Collect it at any EU pharmacy. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full.

How much does it cost and what does the price include?

The plan is €25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth; a one-off sexual-health consultation is €35 and a skin consultation — acne, rosacea, melasma, ageing skin — is €40. Each includes a licensed doctor's review and an electronic prescription if approved. If the review is not approved, the applicable fee is refunded in full. Medication is paid for separately at the pharmacy at the price it sets.

Zepbound · GhentPrescription only

Online medical consultation for Zepbound in Ghent.

An EU-licensed doctor reviews your case and, if eligible, issues an electronic prescription valid in any pharmacy in Belgium. Consultation €25/month, refunded if the doctor decides it is not safe to prescribe.

Zepbound pack shot — a prescription medicine an EU-licensed doctor can prescribe online after a Hi-Doctor consultation in Ghent.

Once-weekly pen
Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor action
Doctor-supervised, step-wise escalation

Start consultationStart consultation · €25/month

Full refund if a review is not approved · Medication, if prescribed, is dispensed and paid for separately at a pharmacy.

IN PLAIN TERMS

What Zepbound is, and how to get treatment

Tirzepatide is a medicine given as an injection under the skin once a week. It acts on two natural gut-hormone signals at once, GLP-1 and GIP, which together lower appetite and slow how fast food leaves the stomach, so people usually eat less. In the EU it is sold as Mounjaro. It was first authorised in September 2022 for type 2 diabetes, and its licence was extended on 11 December 2023 to cover weight management alongside a reduced-calorie diet and more physical activity.

Zepbound has no EU marketing authorisation for this use. It may be an approved medicine for something else, or approved in another country — but not something a doctor here can prescribe for this.

Learn more about peptides at Peptidepedia.

Can I get it?

Not for this use. Zepbound has no EU authorisation for it, so it cannot be prescribed or dispensed here for that purpose.

Why buying it online is risky

What can I take instead?

Our doctors review every Weight loss option and recommend what fits your history and goals.

See all Weight loss options

What do the studies show?

Every trial behind Zepbound is listed below with its registry number, how many people took part, and whether the results are peer-reviewed or a company announcement.

Jump to the studies

Local consultation facts

Can I get Zepbound in Ghent?

Yes. People in Ghent, Belgium, can request an online doctor consultation about Zepbound with Hi-Doctor. A licensed EU doctor reviews the case and issues a prescription only when clinically appropriate. If approved, the EU prescription arrives as a PDF for a pharmacist in Belgium, who dispenses the locally marketed equivalent containing Tirzepatide.

Availability

Zepbound is available to residents of Belgium through the online consultation. A prescription follows only if the doctor approves it.

Country: Belgium
Language of service: Spanish and English
Prescription turnaround: In less than 4 hours on average, only if the doctor approves
Honoured locally: PDF honoured locally for an equivalent containing Tirzepatide

How the EU prescription works where you are: In Belgium, show the approved prescription PDF to a pharmacist. They honour it under EU cross-border rules and dispense the locally marketed equivalent containing Tirzepatide.

VERIFIED EVIDENCE

Zepbound: evidence and regulatory guide.

WHAT IT IS

How it works

It switches on two gut-hormone receptors at the same time, GIP and GLP-1, which together reduce appetite and slow how quickly the stomach empties.

GIP
GLP-1

DEVELOPMENT STAGE

Not marketed in the EU

Trial register1 registered trials

Every NCT identifier links to its ClinicalTrials.gov record. A readout is not the same as peer-reviewed publication.

Registered trials for Zepbound
TRIAL / NCT	POPULATION	PARTICIPANTS	STATUS	READOUT / COMPLETION
SURMOUNT-1NCT04184622	Adults with a BMI of 30 kg/m² or more, or 27 kg/m² or more with at least one weight-related complication, without type 2 diabetes; all received diet and exercise counselling	2,539	Read out	2022-07-21

What the studies reported

Results are grouped by source and evidence grade so journal data and manufacturer announcements cannot be confused.

Peer-reviewed

Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, et al; SURMOUNT-1 Investigators. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(3):205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038 (PMID 35658024)

Jastreboff AM, Aronne LJ, Ahmad NN, et al; SURMOUNT-1 Investigators. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2022;387(3):205-216. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2206038 (PMID 35658024)
DOSE OR GROUP	MEAN WEIGHT CHANGE	WEEKS
5 mg once weekly	−15.0%	72
10 mg once weekly	−19.5%	72
15 mg once weekly	−20.9%	72
Placebo	−3.1%	72

Figures are the treatment-regimen estimand at week 72; people with type 2 diabetes were excluded, everyone also received diet and exercise counselling, and the trial did not follow weight after treatment stopped.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-07-27

ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT04184622

NAMED SAFETY SIGNALS

What has been reported with Zepbound.

Nausea

In SURMOUNT-1, reported by 24.6% (5 mg), 33.3% (10 mg) and 31.0% (15 mg) versus 9.5% on placebo.

Diarrhoea

In SURMOUNT-1, reported by 18.7% (5 mg), 21.2% (10 mg) and 23.0% (15 mg) versus 7.3% on placebo.

Constipation

In SURMOUNT-1, reported by 16.8% (5 mg), 17.1% (10 mg) and 11.7% (15 mg) versus 5.8% on placebo.

Vomiting

In SURMOUNT-1, reported by 8.3% (5 mg), 10.7% (10 mg) and 12.2% (15 mg) versus 1.7% on placebo.

Hair thinning

Alopecia was reported by 5.1% (5 mg), 4.9% (10 mg) and 5.7% (15 mg) versus 0.9% on placebo in SURMOUNT-1.

Acute pancreatitis

Independently confirmed in 3 people on tirzepatide and 1 on placebo across the SURMOUNT-1 safety dataset reviewed by the EMA.

Stopping treatment because of side effects

4.3% (5 mg), 7.1% (10 mg) and 6.2% (15 mg) stopped treatment because of side effects versus 2.6% on placebo.

FormPre-filled injection pen

FrequencyOnce a week

ResultsGradual, over months

StatusPrescription only

About

What is Zepbound?

Active ingredient: Tirzepatide · Dosages: 2.5 – 15 mg / week

Tirzepatide is a dual receptor agonist — it acts on the GLP-1 and GIP gut-hormone receptors at the same time. In clinical trials this translates into larger average weight loss than mono-agonist GLP-1s in adults with obesity.

It's a chronic treatment for as long as it's beneficial and safe: the doctor reviews your response every 3 months and decides with you whether to continue, adjust or stop. Discontinuation is gradual and paired with a maintenance plan.

How it works in the body

By activating two receptors at once, tirzepatide reinforces satiety signals, slows stomach emptying and helps regulate the insulin response — so you tend to eat less without counting every calorie.

How it helps

Three ways it supports weight loss.

Dual action

Works on two gut-hormone receptors (GLP-1 + GIP), not just one.

Reinforces satiety

Hunger eases and fullness lasts longer after smaller meals.

Reviewed quarterly

Your doctor reassesses response and tolerance every 3 months before renewing.

What to expect

A step-wise, supervised escalation.

The dose is escalated step-wise (2.5 → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15 mg) every 4 weeks while the body adapts. Your doctor sets your exact schedule.

Weeks 1–4 · 2.5 mg starting dose
From week 5 · Step up every 4 weeks as tolerated
Month 4+ · Personalised maintenance dose
Ongoing · Quarterly medical reviews

Typical escalation

Weeks 1–42.5 mg / week
Step-ups (every 4 weeks)5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 mg
Maximum dose15 mg / week

Your schedule is personal

These are typical steps only. Your doctor adjusts the plan to how you respond and tolerate it — and you can message them at any point.

Safety first

Safety, in full.

Zepbound is an effective medicine — and like any medicine it carries risks. Your doctor screens for all of this before prescribing. Here's the honest picture, not just reassurance.

Adults with obesity (BMI ≥30) or with overweight (BMI ≥27) plus at least one weight-related condition.

Once-weekly self-injection in the thigh, abdomen or upper arm.
Dose is escalated step-wise (2.5 mg → 5 → 7.5 → 10 → 12.5 → 15 mg) every 4 weeks while the body adapts.
Combined with diet and physical activity — tirzepatide complements, not replaces, lifestyle change.

Who should not take it

Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or MEN 2.
Pregnancy, planned pregnancy in the next 2 months, or breastfeeding.
History of pancreatitis.
Type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.
Severe gastroparesis.

When to seek urgent care

For severe, sudden or unexpected symptoms, call your local emergency number or go to the nearest emergency department. Then let your doctor know through your account chat.

Read the full Zepbound safety summary

PRICING

You only pay if treatment is approved.

€25/month for weight loss or €15/month (billed €45 every 90 days) for hair growth. One-off consultations are €35 for sexual health and €40 for dermatology.