in 84 days LillyDirect self-pay — Foundayo™ (orforglipron) 2.5 mg moves to $199/month See the changelog
WalletNoise

Zepbound® (tirzepatide) — 12.5 mg

Your cheapest verified route right now

verified price

$449 /month

LillyDirect self-pay

Verified Sep 29, 2026 · zepbound.lilly.com

Per year at 12 fills
$5,388
A plan exclusion is not the end. Under ACA rules you have 180 days to appeal, and secondary indications (sleep apnea for Zepbound, cardiovascular risk for Wegovy) run through different criteria. See your PBM's policy page.
Ramp cost calculator

What the climb costs

Close

Both doses are yours to state, not ours to suggest. WalletNoise prices the schedule you describe and never recommends a dose, a target, or a pace — that is your prescriber's call.

12-month total $5,637 13 fills
Average per fill $433.61 peak $449
Flat at 12.5 mg $5,837 what multiplying today's price gives you
Climbing saves $200 lower doses cost less on the way up
Cost per fill, 2.5 mg to 12.5 mg
  • 2.5 mg 1×
  • 5 mg 1×
  • 7.5 mg 6×
  • 10 mg 1×
  • 12.5 mg 4×
$0 $250 $500 2.5 mg — $299 Oct5 mg — $399 Nov7.5 mg — $449 $449 Dec7.5 mg — $449 Jan7.5 mg — $449 7.5 mg — $449 Feb7.5 mg — $449 Mar7.5 mg — $449 Apr10 mg — $449 May12.5 mg — $449 Jun12.5 mg — $449 Jul12.5 mg — $449 Aug12.5 mg — $449 Sep

Fills at each dose on the way up

Reset to the label minimum
  • 2.5 mg 1 +
  • 5 mg 1 +
  • 7.5 mg −6 +
  • 10 mg 1 +
  • 12.5 mg then hold

Minus stops at the label's minimum interval — this never shows a schedule faster than the manufacturer's. Staying longer on a dose is yours to choose.

Every fill, dated and priced (13)
  1. 1 Oct 9, 2026 2.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $299
  2. 2 Nov 6, 2026 5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $399
  3. 3 Dec 4, 2026 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  4. 4 Jan 1, 2027 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  5. 5 Jan 29, 2027 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  6. 6 Feb 26, 2027 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  7. 7 Mar 26, 2027 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  8. 8 Apr 23, 2027 7.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  9. 9 May 21, 2027 10 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  10. 10 Jun 18, 2027 12.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  11. 11 Jul 16, 2027 12.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  12. 12 Aug 13, 2027 12.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
  13. 13 Sep 10, 2027 12.5 mg LillyDirect self-pay $449
This is arithmetic, not a plan. Fills are spaced 28 days apart — the label's own supply length — and priced on the date each one falls, so dated price changes are already included. Your prescriber decides whether you step at all, and many people stay at a lower dose.
The label's own words (once weekly)

Initiate at 2.5 mg once weekly for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, increase to 5 mg once weekly. The dosage may be increased in 2.5 mg increments after at least 4 weeks on the current dosage. The 2.5 mg dosage is for initiation and is not approved as a maintenance dosage. Maximum 15 mg once weekly.

Verified Sep 15, 2026 ·pi.lilly.com

Every route we can price

Verified prices outrank cheaper estimates. Reference rows inform, never win.

  1. Rank 1

    LillyDirect self-pay

    $449/mo

    Rises to $699/month if the refill condition is missed.

    • Refill within 45 days to keep this price
    • Lilly's direct channel. Vial and KwikPen at identical self-pay prices at every tier. Telehealth not included.

    Verified Sep 29, 2026 · zepbound.lilly.com

  2. Rank 2

    Discount card at retail (GoodRx and similar)

    verify locally
    $299/mo
    • GoodRx sells the KwikPen presentation: its GLP-1 savings page says 'Zepbound KwikPens ... starting at $299 per month', and the Zepbound page defaults to a KwikPen prescription with a separate switch to the single-dose pen that it does not price
    • Dose- and pharmacy-dependent. Verify at your ZIP before relying on it.

    Verified Sep 8, 2026 · goodrx.com

  3. TrumpRx

    reference verify locally
    $299/mo
    • Routes you to LillyDirect, where the price varies by dose
    • Government referral site — does not sell drugs or process payments; issues coupons or routes to manufacturer DTC channels. Every figure it shows is a starting-at price — the site's own column is headed 'Lowest' — so it is a floor for the cheapest dose or intro offer, never a flat price.

    Verified Sep 16, 2026 · trumprx.gov

  4. Retail list price (reference)

    reference verify locally
    $1,087/mo
    • Cited to TrumpRx, which displays $1,087 as Zepbound's list price; drugs.com stopped publishing it and now shows the LillyDirect self-pay tiers instead
    • Context anchor only — what the drug costs with no route at all. Walk-in cash at retail typically exceeds WAC.

    Verified Sep 16, 2026 · trumprx.gov

Share or post this breakdown

Posting in r/Zepbound, r/Mounjaro, or a patient group? Copy a formatted markdown comparison with verified source citations:

Markdown Summary

Not your situation?

The same dose, priced the other ways it can be paid for. Most people arrive unsure which of these they are in — and it changes the answer more than anything else on this page.

Paying cash — uninsured, or not using insuranceCommercial plan that covers itMedicareMedicaid

Fighting a denial instead?

Coverage criteria and appeal routes, from the payers' own documents:

Aetna (CVS Health)Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (FEP)CVS CaremarkElevance Health / Anthem (CarelonRx)Express Scripts (Evernorth / Cigna)HumanaKaiser PermanenteMedicaid (state-by-state)Medicare (Part D + GLP-1 Bridge)Optum Rx (UnitedHealthcare)