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Retatrutide (LY-3437943) is a new drug being developed by Eli Lilly and Co. It’s intended to be used for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity and is presently undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials.

As is always the case with medications that may support weight loss, Retatrutide is getting a lot of attention but its future remains unclear.

Although the new obesity drug may gain FDA approval at some point in 2023, statistics show only 28% of obesity medications that make it through Phase 2 trials pass through to Phase 3.

Nevertheless, if Retatrutide successfully makes it through Phase 3 clinical development it may gain FDA approval and become available as a prescription weight loss drug.

That will only leave the Phase 4 trials. This is where doctors and drug companies monitor how well the drug works for the patients who are using it and try to discover the rarer side effects. If you think that sounds like using the general population as Guinea pigs, you are not far wrong. [1]

Retatrutide has much in common with several other weight loss medications including Victoza (Liraglutide) and Wegovy (Semaglutide). Using either one often can cost around $1,500 per month.

If Retatrutide gains approval as a weight loss drug, the price is likely to be similar, making it very expensive to use.

Many people who want to use Retatrutide will not be able to afford it, while others may not be obese enough to qualify for a prescription. Both issues are likely to create a huge demand for over the counter (OTC) Retatrutide alternatives that are easier to obtain and cheaper to use.

At the moment, the best Retatrutide alternative for people wanting to lose fat is undoubtedly PhenQ, with Zotrim snapping at its heels.

PhenQ: A Natural Fat burner, Fat Blocker, and Appetite Suppressant

CLICK to view PhenQ price and availability

Most weight loss medications can present side effects and health risks. PhenQ was developed to help people seeking a safe alternative to Phentermine – a prescription appetite suppressant that can place unnecessary strain on the heart.

These days, PhenQ is equally popular with people seeking natural products that are safer than weight loss injections like Victoza and Wegovy. With over 190,000 satisfied PhenQ customers and a money-back guarantee, PhenQ is an excellent alternative to Retatrutide and most other prescription weight loss medications. It provides a combination of scientifically proven ingredients, has no known side effects, and is affordable enough to help people wanting to reduce weight on a tight budget.

The Results to Expect from PhenQ

Most prescription weight loss medications only provide support in one or two areas. For instance, Phentermine and Wegovy only suppress appetite. All Xenical (Orlistat) can do is reduce calorie intake by inhibiting the digestion of dietary fats.

PhenQ does all these things and more.

It can help you to lose weight by:

• Controlling your hunger and cravings
• Accelerating your metabolism, calorie expenditure, and fat loss
• Providing a natural energy boost to ward off diet-related fatigue
• Enhancing your mood
• Inhibiting fat cell formation
• Blocking dietary fats

Thanks to PhenQ’s multi-faceted approach to weight loss, the average user is losing 9-12 pounds per month.

PhenQ Ingredient Highlights

PhenQ provides 13 ingredients. Some of them are botanical extracts, others are nutrients such as vitamins and amino acids. None of them are included without good reason.

Let’s take a look at a few of the key players.

Nopal

Nopal is a cactus extract that increases satiety so that you can eat less and still avoid hunger. People have been using nopal in this way over many generations.

Researchers have recently discovered nopal can further support weight loss by restricting the absorption of dietary fats and by causing changes in the gut microbiota that modify metabolism for the better. [2, 3]

Caffeine and B Vitamins

PhenQ provides caffeine to help prevent fatigue. Caffeine also increases metabolism and fat loss. That’s why many cheap diet pills provide caffeine in high doses. This increases the risk of jitters and other side effects.

PhenQ has less caffeine in it than the average cup of coffee. It’s enough to be beneficial but does not go over the top.

Instead of overloading your system with caffeine, PhenQ provides several B vitamins.

B vitamins increase vitality. You can find them in all of the best energy drinks.

InnoSlim

InnoSlim is a branded ingredient. It provides Panax ginseng and Astragalus membranaceus. These herbs are mainstays of traditional Chinese medicine.

Bearing in mind the abilities of both herbs, InnoSlim will likely offer numerous health benefits. However, the pharmaceutical company that created the ingredient appears to be most interested in its ability to influence adiponectin and the AMPK signaling pathway.

Adiponectin is a hormone that helps the body break down fat and take advantage of the energy within it. Among other things, AMPK helps provide a faster metabolism. [4, 5]

Capsimax

One of the most important ingredients in PhenQ, Capsimax is a proprietary blend that provides capsicum extract.

Capsimax uses a special delivery technology that ensures the capsicum is delivered directly into the gut instead of the stomach. This enhances the overall benefits and prevents the ingredient from upsetting delicate stomachs.

Research shows capsaicin supports weight loss in several ways including suppressing hunger, boosting metabolism, and Inhibiting adipogenesis (fat cell formation). [6]

a-Lacys Reset

a-Lacys Reset is a proprietary blend of alpha lipoic acid (antioxidant) and cysteine (amino acid).

Although the ingredient was originally developed to function as a high-potency antioxidant, it subsequently proved to be very good for accelerating fat loss.

a-Lacys Reset also improves muscle mass, helping to increase energy expenditure and provide a trimmer, leaner-looking physique.

PhenQ Pros 

• Available right now
• Reasonable pricing
• Does not require a prescription
• Provides proven ingredients
• Supports weight loss in several ways
• Safe and effective with no known side effects
• No need for needles or injections
• 60-day money-back guarantee

PhenQ Cons

• Contains a small amount of caffeine
• Only available from the official website

Where to Buy PhenQ

PhenQ is only available from the official website. However, the manufacturer offers rapid free shipping to most countries.

Customers who order two bottles of PhenQ instead of one get an extra bottle free of charge.

However, if you want to get the maximum savings, take advantage of the opportunity to get five bottles of PhenQ for the price of three.

Zotrim: A Herbal Hunger Reducer

CLICK to View Zotrim price and availability

Zotrim is a herbal diet pill that’s been available for more than 20 years. It’s not as versatile as PhenQ but it has excellent customer reviews and has outperformed prescription drugs in clinical trials.

Zotrim is an appetite suppressant. It’s great both for losing weight and for controlling hunger and cravings. However, although Zotrim can help you to lose weight more quickly, it won’t help you to burn fat as fast as PhenQ.

Nevertheless, Zotrim is a good second choice if PhenQ becomes temporarily unavailable due to increasing market demand.

Like PhenQ, Zotrim has a money-back guarantee. That’s something you never get when you buy prescription drugs. Even options that will cost you over $1000 per month to use.

The Results to Expect from Zotrim

Zotrim makes reducing body weight less unpleasant by controlling hunger and preventing cravings for snacks.

That may not sound like much but it’s a clinically-proven appetite suppressant that works.

The formulation also provides a modest energy boost to help prevent diet-related fatigue.

Zotrim Ingredient Highlights

Zotrim has six ingredients. The three most important ones are South American herbs. The formulation also provides a small dose of caffeine and a couple of B vitamins to stop your diet making you feel like you are running on half-charge.

The three herbal ingredients are yerba mate, guarana, and damiana.

Although all three herbs are occasionally used in diet pills, research shows they have far more to offer when they are combined.

None of the herbs could do this alone but, their union gives them the power to delay gastric emptying. [7]

When gastric emptying slows, food stays inside the stomach for longer. This maintains satiety, dulling the desire for food.

Zotrim Pros 

• You can buy it right now
• Does not require a prescription
• Reasonably priced
• Has beaten prescription drugs in clinical trials
• Safe and effective with no known side effects
• No need for needles or injections
• 100-day money-back guarantee

Zotrim Cons

• Contains a small amount of caffeine
• Only available from the official website
• Not as versatile as PhenQ
• You need to order 2 or more bottles to get the money-back guarantee

Where to Buy Zotrim

You can only buy this supplement from the official website but using it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

As is the case with all the top diet pills, Zotrim’s manufacturer offers rapid free shipping.

When you buy two boxes of Zotrim, you get a third box for free. Increase your order to three boxes and you will get two free boxes instead of one.

What is Retatrutide and How Does It Work?

Retatrutide (Eli Lilly and Company) is a drug that’s injected once per week, just underneath the skin. As with similar drugs that have already gained FDA approval for weight loss, such as Victoza and Wegovy, Retatrutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

When they enter the body, drugs of this type mimic the behavior of the gut hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).

GLP-1 receptor agonists regulate blood sugar and insulin, helping to prevent the blood sugar spikes and crashes that can be so dangerous for type 2 diabetics.

They also slow gastric emptying. This increases satiety, dulling the desire for food intake. You may recall, Zotrim suppresses appetite by doing the same thing.

However, Retatrutide may be able to outperform alternative weight loss injections that mimic GLP-1 because it also produces synthetic increases in two additional hormones – glucagon and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).

Some research suggests Retatrutide’s ability to influence glucagon may enhance its hunger-suppressing ability. It may also make the drug more versatile by boosting metabolism, but these abilities require further study.

Meanwhile, by artificially increasing GIP, Retatrutide may have a superior ability to control blood sugar (compared to standard GLP-1 receptor agonists).

Preliminary analysis from the Phase 2 trials is certainly promising. It suggests that non-diabetic individuals, who have a BMI of 30+ and have weekly Retatrutide injections may reduce their body weight by as much as 24% in 48 weeks.

The Potential Risks and Side Effects of Retatrutide

Eli Lilly plans to reveal full details of the Phase 2 clinical trials in June 2023 at the 2023 American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions conference. This will include information about the side effects (if any) that the test subjects endured.

So, although there is a lot of excitement about the weight loss potential of the new drug, as far as its safety profile goes, we are still in the dark.

However, Retatrutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. We do know that this type of drug can cause many side effects.

Potential Side Effects

The most common side effects are gastrointestinal, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and changes in bowel movement.

Less common side effects may include gallbladder problems and kidney failure.

Areas of Greater Concern

GLP-1 receptor agonists may also present a risk of pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas gland) and increase the risk of certain types of cancer.

The risks associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists are often disputed but pretty hard to ignore. Recent research, published in Diabetes Care in February 2023, suggests this type of drug can increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Especially in people who have been using GlP-1 receptor agonists for 1-3 years. [8]

Ten years previous to this, the same journal shared details of a study that was inconclusive about the risks GLP-1 receptor agonists may present. [9]

Above all else, this shows that, when it comes to pharmaceutical interventions, it can take many years to learn what the potential side effects may be.

Due to the dangers obesity presents, the FDA obviously considers the benefits medications like Victoza and Wegovy may provide to justify the potential risks.

However, although these drugs continue to be available via prescription, the FDA insists they are distributed with black box warnings.

In addition to being displayed on the drug information sheets, the warnings of cancer and organ harm are also present on the manufacturers’ websites.

If Retatrutide gains FDA approval for weight loss and becomes the next Wegovy alternative, it seems likely that ELi Lilly will have to issue similar warnings.

However, Retatrutide is not a standard GLP-1 receptor agonist. It influences two additional hormones as well. Although this may increase the benefits, it may also add to the risks.

Similar Anti Obesity Medications

There are several injectable weight loss drugs and medications that work in a similar way to Retatrutide. Here are the most common in 2023 that are prescribed by health professionals and doctors.

Semaglutide (brand names Wegovy and Ozempic)

Wegovy is FDA approved as an anti obesity medication (not diabetes). Ozempic is to treat diabetes.

Liraglutide (brand names Victoza, Saxenda)

Both Victoza and Saxenda are approved to help reduce body weight and body mass index.

Dulaglutide (brand name Trulicity)

Trulicity is approved for patients that need to reduce body weight.

Retatrutide Obesity Medicine Summary

There is always a lot of excitement about any new drug that may support weight loss. Retatrutide is no exception and its potential to possibly outperform existing weight loss medications has generated additional interest.

However, even if the drug manages to move forward into Phase 3 clinical trials and subsequently gain FDA approval, it could be many years before all the potential side effects become apparent.

Bearing in mind the risks GLP-1 receptor agonists may present, if Retatrutide does become available as a weight loss injection, there are good arguments for avoiding it and choosing a safe OTC alternative instead.

The cost of using Retatrutide may also prove to be prohibitively expensive for many people who need to lose weight. It seems highly likely that it may cost at least as much as Wegovy. Due to its extra abilities, Retatrutide may even cost more.

With a potential cost of $1500+ per month, Retatrutide could prove to be the most expensive weight loss injection to date.

The cost of the treatment will not be the only thing that stops many people from using it. Even those who are willing to pay for it may not be obese enough to qualify for a prescription.

As we pointed out at the start of this article, many people will need to seek out OTC Retatrutide alternatives that are easier to obtain and cheaper to use.

Retatrutide FAQs

Is Retatrutide already available?

No. It will need to pass through Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical testing before the FDA considers it for approval as a weight loss medication.

How do you use Retatrutide?

If it becomes available in the future, Retatrutide will be a weight loss injection. Users will require one injection per week, delivered just under the skin.

This type of medication is generally supplied in pre-dosed injector pens, so Retatrutide should be relatively easy to use.

Does Retatrutide cause side effects?

Retatrutide is still an experimental drug. At this stage the potential side effects are unknown. However, the side effects and dangers are likely to be very similar to those of similar medications such as Victoza and Wegovy.

Research Sources on Retatrutide (LY-3437943) for 2023

1. What is a Phase 4 Clinical Trial?: https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-a-Phase-4-Clinical-Trial.aspx
2. Effects of Cactus Fiber on the Excretion of Dietary Fat in Healthy Subjects: A Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Clinical Investigation: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4109417/
3. Physical and Dietary Intervention with Opuntia ficus-indica (Nopal) in Women with Obesity Improves Health Condition through Gut Microbiota Adjustment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8912383/
4. InnoSlim: https://nulivscience.com/ingredients/innoslim/
5. The Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) Signaling Pathway Coordinates Cell Growth, Autophagy, & Metabolism: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249400/
6. Dietary Capsaicin and Its Anti-obesity Potency: From Mechanism to Clinical Implications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426284/
7. Weight Loss and Delayed Gastric Emptying Following a South American Herbal Preparation in Overweight Patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11424516/
8. GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and the Risk of Thyroid Cancer: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article-abstract/46/2/384/147888/GLP-1-Receptor-Agonists-and-the-Risk-of-Thyroid?redirectedFrom=fulltext
9. Do GLP-1–Based Therapies Increase Cancer Risk?: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/36/Supplement_2/S245/30403/Do-GLP-1-Based-Therapies-Increase-Cancer-Risk