My experience with WW/Sequence and Emerge Weight Loss

Alright. As previously established…… I am not a medical professional, nor do I pretend to be, even on TV. The below is just MY experience as both an actual Zepbound and compounded Tirzepride. These medications are not without risks (as is being overweight/obese). These medications are also not without controversy, but I’m 100% certain my choices make sense for my life and well being!

The WW Clinic/Sequence Experience

I started on Zepbound 2.5 mg with my FIRST shot ever being on April 1, 2024.I’ve been a 2.5 year member of WW (Weight Watchers). Love the platform and was super excited when I saw they were teaming up with the Sequence Clinic to start offering weight loss medications.

The sign up process was fairly simple- had to hand over all my most recent labs, weight, and physical. I did have to verify my weight via a picture of a scale with my feet on it. They did attempt to gain approval with my insurance company to see if any of the weight loss meds would be covered. Unfortunately, since I’m not a type 2 diabetic, I was not covered per my plan. This meant I had to pay out of pocket for my first dose of Zepbound (which I chose to go with out of lineup, including Ozempic). With a coupon from Eli Lilly, this did drop the price over half, down to $500.

Finding the medication in the starter dose of 2.5 proved to be a bit challenging, however they did offer a concierge service, which included calling around to MULTIPLE pharmacies to see where it was in stock. This took about 5 days.The first month was decent! I didn’t have a ton of appetite suppression the first month, but did find that my food noise was VERY quieted. I did end up losing about 10 pounds in the first month. Symptoms wise, my first 3 days post injection were the worst. Headache, tired and just felt overall like I had the flu. A little bit of heartburn, but nothing too major.

However, my first month was my LAST month with WW & Sequence for Zepbound. Why? As you may be aware, Zepbound in pretty much ALL but the starter doses is on backorder. Even being officially confirmed by the FDA as such. This led me to do A TON of research on what my next options would be….

More info on the FDA Shortages here

Which ultimately led me to looking into compounded versions of the medicine. (I’ll get to that detail a bit later on what a 503a pharmacy is, along with other info!)

Emerge Experience

After HOURS of research…. I decided that Emerge Weight Loss was it. I’m not being paid to give this review, but I do have a coupon if you would like to sign up ;). We both get a discount!!

Emerge Weight Loss Website: https://www.emergeweight.com

https://go.emergeweight.com/HDTh1P

My experience- Sign up was as simple as Sequence/WW. I had to gather my information and text/email it all. I was approved after I sent the video of myself/review of my information. The NEXT day they sent my order over to Hallandale pharmacy. The actual pharmacy has a lead time of 5-6 days, but met this exact timeline!

My first order timeline

Wed. April 24th, 2024: Sent in my request and all necessary information to Emerge
Thurs. April 25th, 2024: My approval for the meds ( I received 5 mg since I could prove I had been on the 2.5 mg Zepbound the month prior). Emerge sent my prescription to Hallandale Pharmacy.
Mon. April 29th: Received a text from Emerge letting me know my order had been shipped. On the same day, I received the tracking from Fedex, confirming the same :)Tues. April 30th: Received my FIRST shipment, that was delivered super well (pics below)

What I LOVE About Emerge

They only utilize 503a pharmacies including Hallandale & Empower (more on what a 503 a Pharmacy is below). I currently get my meds from Hallandale- as they do not add B12, etc. whereas Empower does.-

You can pause/cancel the service at any time for any reason (no time commitment either)-There are NO platform fees. Yep- you really only pay the monthly subscription for the meds and that’s it (VERY straightforward)-

They take HSA/FSA payments-

They outreach to YOU, refilling at week 3 of your current medication bottle. This all occurs via text and they are SUPER responsive-

The practitioners are licensed physicians and NPs that are all available via text (and of course who do the prescribing). You CAN ask anything at anytime (seriously)-

Truly unmatched Customer Service. –

If you get pukey & need Zofran, etc. you can also request this via text to be called into a local pharmacy!-

FREE OVERNIGHT Shipping with COLD packs with FedEx (and trackable)- You can bump up to the max doses 12.5 mg (and more recently 15 mg)- for existing customers only-

Pricing

This is the current fee schedule (again the only payment you will make monthly). It is based up the dosage you are on:

> 2.5 mg (starter dose): $287/ month supply

>5 mg: $345/month supply>

7.5 mg: $379/month supply

>10 mg: $397/month supply>12.5 mg: $442/month supply

>15 mg: $467/month supply—-

For comparison I was paying, $89/month to Sequence/WW for their monthly subscription fee AND $500 for Zep Bound (with a coupon from Eli Lilly)

What’s a Compounding Pharmacy

503a pharmacy A compounding pharmacy creates customized medications tailored to the specific needs of individual patients. When new medications are in short supply, compounding pharmacies can:

Formulate Equivalent Medications: They can produce equivalent formulations of the medication using the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). This ensures patients have continued access to necessary treatments.-

By compounding medications, these pharmacies help mitigate the impact of shortages and ensure that patients receive the medications they need. That said the FDA across the board does not approve any compounded medications, but there are stringent requirements they still must follow.

Check out more on the pharmacy here! https://hallandalerx.com/

My experience on Compound vs name brand.

My experience has been GREAT. While my symptoms I have had- including heartburn and spotty nausea are spot on with Tirzepritade. The one primary difference is that the compounded meds do NOT come in the fancy pen as Zepbound (or Monjouro would)- but rather you self inject with insulin type needles. But honestly- think these are better than the pen in terms of the sting? Maybe its just me!

I’m now on the 7.5 mg dosage and loving life! TONS of appetite suppression and ZERO food noise/obsessive thoughts. Heartburns still there, but overall loving a nearly 40 pound loss since April 1!! My blood pressure (my primary issue directly connected to my weight) is STABLE!!!!

Honestly coupled with a healthy lifestyle this medicine is a GAME changer. I’ll talk more about this in another post (on the ins and outs of what a day looks like)

Seem like a fit?

If Emerge seems like the right thing for you…….. here’s a link to SIGN UP and get a cost savings for me and YOU! https://go.emergeweight.com/HDTh1PIf —

I’ve also failed to take good progress pics… but below gives you an idea!