How long does tirzepatide stay in your system?

There are a number of reasons you may need to stop tirzepatide. Maybe the side effects are just too overwhelming. Or perhaps you’re trying to conceive or undergoing surgery. Whatever the case may be, you’re likely wondering, “how long does tirzepatide stay in your system?”  

The short answer: It can take about 25–30 days, or one month, for tirzepatide to fully flush out of your body. For more information on how long tirzepatide stays in your body, and what you can expect during the process, read on.

Tirzepatide can stay in your system for about 25–30 days, or one month, after your last dose. This timeline is based on the drug’s half-life of about five days. And it’s generally the same whether you’re taking Mounjaro or Zepbound since both drugs have the same active ingredient and, thus, the same half-life. 

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Tirzepatide has a half-life of 117 hours, which is approximately five days. 

A drug’s half-life is how long it takes for half of a dose to leave your body. After one half-life, about 50% of the drug remains. After another half-life, it reduces by half again (25%), and so on. 

Drug half-lives help determine:

• How often a medication needs to be taken to keep working properly. Tirzepatide reaches peak levels in your bloodstream within 1–3 days after you take a dose. It has a half-life of about five days, which is why it is designed for once-weekly dosing.

• How long it takes for a drug to work effectively. With regular use, most drugs reach steady, consistent levels in your body after about 4–5 half-lives. Because tirzepatide’s half-life is around five days, this takes roughly four weeks, which is why doses are increased on a monthly schedule to give the body time to adjust when starting treatment.

• How long it takes for a drug to clear from your body. It usually takes about 4–5 half-lives for a drug to be mostly eliminated from your system after stopping it. Since tirzepatide has a half-life of about five days, using basic math: 5 days × 5 half-lives = 25 days.

Note that Mounjaro’s prescribing information lists a tirzepatide half-life of about five days, while Zepbound’s prescribing information reports a half-life of 5–6 days in people with overweight or obesity. Based on the higher end of that range, a 6-day half-life × 5 half-lives = 30 days.

Thus, tirzepatide stays in your system for about 25–30 days after your last dose. 

Here’s a quick look at how long it may take for tirzepatide to clear from your body, based on its five-day half-life. FYI, stopping tirzepatide doesn’t mean that the effects stop instantly. Rather, the effects of tirzepatide — both the benefits and side effects — may fade gradually.

The main factor affecting how long tirzepatide stays in your system is the drug’s half-life. Your age, body weight, sex, race, and ethnicity do not play a major role in how quickly it flushes from your system, based on research of how tirzepatide gets processed in the body. 

While researchers found slight differences in how quickly the drug moves through bodies of different sizes, the average half-life was still around 5.4 days. Moreover, studies show that neither kidney nor liver function have an effect on the level of tirzepatide in your system.

As such, healthcare providers don’t need to make tirzepatide dosage adjustments based on kidney problems, liver problems, or body weight. Instead, the recommended dosage is based on the condition being treated, how well you tolerate the medication, and how well it works for you. 

If you are taking a higher dose of tirzepatide, such as 10 mg or 15 mg, the drug will still clear your system on the same 30-day timeline as lower doses. 

There are a handful of situations that may require you to stop tirzepatide, such as an upcoming surgery or trying to conceive. Here’s what you need to know, depending on your reason for stopping tirzepatide.

You’re going to have surgery

One of tirzepatide’s possible serious side effects is pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation. 

Because the medication slows down digestion, there’s a risk there could still be some food in your stomach during a surgical procedure, even when you fast beforehand. This raises the risk of aspiration (inhaling food or liquid into the lungs) while you’re under anesthesia or deep sedation.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends stopping tirzepatide one week prior to your procedure.

If you plan to have surgery or a procedure that requires going under (or at least being sedated a lot), tell your healthcare provider as soon as possible. They can help you navigate stopping tirzepatide in advance and let you know when it’s safe to resume treatment. 

You’re pregnant or trying to conceive

Tirzepatide is not recommended for people who are pregnant as it may cause harm to the fetus. 

• If you become pregnant while taking tirzepatide, stop taking it and inform your healthcare provider immediately. 

• If you want to become pregnant, tell your healthcare provider. It’s recommended to stop tirzepatide at least two months before trying to conceive.

It’s worth noting that tirzepatide can make oral contraceptives (i.e. birth control pills) less effective, especially when starting tirzepatide or when increasing your dose. It’s recommended to switch to a non-oral form of birth control (e.g. IUDs) or add a barrier form of birth control (e.g. condoms) for at least four weeks after starting tirzepatide and after each dose increase.

You can’t tolerate the side effects

Tirzepatide can cause a number of side effects, most commonly nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, and abdominal pain. Quitting tirzepatide due to severe gastrointestinal side effects is one of the most common reasons why people stop taking tirzepatide. In fact, in clinical studies, up to 10% of people ultimately decided to stop tirzepatide for this reason.

If you’re experiencing persistent or severe side effects on Zepbound or Mounjaro, talk to your healthcare provider. They may have tips for making side effects more manageable, or they may lower your dose to see if that helps. 

And if you ultimately decide to stop tirzepatide because of side effects, your provider can explain how to do so safely. It may involve gradually lowering your dose over a period of weeks, or they may tell you to simply stop taking it. 

You’re switching to another medication

If you’re switching to another GLP-1 medication, such as Ozempic or Wegovy (two (semaglutide drugs), your healthcare provider will tell you when to stop taking tirzepatide and when to start the new drug. You should never take two GLP-1s at the same time.

Studies show that it’s safe to switch from one GLP-1 to another within 3–10 days of the last dose. If you want to stay on your current dosing schedule, your provider may recommend starting the new GLP-1 medication one week later, on your regular dosing day.

To reduce the risk of side effects, your provider may start you at a low dose of the new medication and titrate up from there — even if you were on a high dose of tirzepatide.

When you stop taking tirzepatide, you may notice the treatment benefits (and any side effects) gradually decrease as the drug clears your body. While it takes 30 days for tirzepatide to flush out of your system, some effects may fade earlier. Specifically, you may notice:

• Increased hunger and food cravings

• Less fullness after eating

• Fewer GI side effects

• Higher blood sugar levels

If you were taking tirzepatide for weight loss, you may experience weight gain. 

• In one study, people took Zepbound for 36 weeks and lost nearly 21% of their body weight. Then they stopped the medication. A year later, they had regained about two-thirds of the weight back.

• Other studies have found that people regain about 21 pounds after stopping tirzepatide. 

• People who were taking higher dosages of tirzepatide tend to regain more weight.

If you were taking tirzepatide for type 2 diabetes, you may experience weight gain and an increase in your HbA1c levels, according to studies of people who stopped tirzepatide.

No, there isn’t anything you can do to flush tirzepatide out of your system faster.  The body clears tirzepatide over time, and thanks to the drug’s half-life, that process can take about 30 days. 

In the meantime, there are things you can do to manage side effects like nausea or constipation. These include:

• Staying hydrated, but drink fluids slowly to avoid feeling over-full.

• Avoiding fatty, fried, spicy, and sugary foods.

• Eating smaller portions, more frequently, as opposed to larger meals more spread out.

• Staying upright or going for a short walk outside after eating. (In other words, avoiding lying down.) 

• Eating bland and water-rich foods such as crackers or soup.

If you experience severe or persistent side effects, contact your healthcare provider. 

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Tirzepatide remains in your body for about one month after your final dose. While you cannot speed up this process, knowing what to expect can help you manage the transition safely.

• It takes approximately 25–30 days after your last dose for tirzepatide to fully leave your system.

• If you are undergoing surgery or planning pregnancy, you should stop tirzepatide well in advance — typically one week for surgery and two months for conception — as advised by your healthcare provider. 

• As tirzepatide clears from your body, benefits like appetite suppression will likely fade, which can potentially lead to increased hunger or weight gain.

• Always talk to your healthcare provider before stopping tirzepatide, especially if you are managing severe side effects or switching to another GLP-1 medication.