A
- Agonist
- A substance that switches on a receptor in the body. A GLP-1 agonist switches on GLP-1 receptors.
B
- Beyond-use date
- The date after which a compounded medication shouldn't be used. It's printed on the vial label.
- BMI
- Body mass index: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. It's used to screen for weight-related health risk.
C
- Compounded medication
- A medication prepared by a pharmacy for a specific patient's prescription. Compounded medications aren't FDA approved.
- Concentration (strength)
- How much medication is in each milliliter of liquid, written as mg/mL. Semaglutide 2.5 mg/mL has 2.5 mg in every mL.
F
- FDA approved
- A drug the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reviewed and approved for specific uses based on clinical trials.
G
- GHRH
- Growth-hormone-releasing hormone. It tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. Sermorelin and tesamorelin are GHRH analogs.
- GIP
- Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, a gut hormone that boosts insulin release after meals. Tirzepatide and retatrutide act on it.
- GLP-1
- Glucagon-like peptide-1, a gut hormone released after eating that increases fullness, slows digestion, and helps release insulin.
- GLP-1 receptor agonist
- A medication that copies GLP-1. Semaglutide is one.
- Glucagon
- A hormone that raises blood sugar and helps the body use stored energy. Retatrutide also acts on the glucagon receptor.
- Growth hormone secretagogue
- A substance that prompts your body to release its own growth hormone, such as ipamorelin.
H
- Half-life
- How long it takes for half of a medication to leave your body. A long half-life is why GLP-1s can be taken weekly.
I
- Incretin
- A family of gut hormones, including GLP-1 and GIP, that increase insulin release after meals.
- Investigational
- A medication still being studied in clinical trials and not yet FDA approved, such as retatrutide.
M
- Maintenance dose
- The dose you stay on long term after finishing your step-up schedule.
- mcg and mg
- Micrograms and milligrams. 1 mg equals 1,000 mcg, so 500 mcg is 0.5 mg.
O
- Off-label
- Using an approved medication for a purpose, dose, or group of people it wasn't specifically approved for.
P
- Peptide
- A short chain of amino acids. Many hormones, including GLP-1, are peptides.
- Phase 2 / phase 3 trial
- Stages of clinical research. Phase 2 tests doses and early results in a few hundred people; phase 3 confirms results and safety in thousands.
- Placebo
- An inactive treatment used in trials to compare against the real medication.
- Plateau
- A period when weight stays about the same despite continuing treatment. It's common and doesn't mean the medication stopped working.
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)
- A B vitamin often added to compounded GLP-1 vials, commonly at 10 mg/mL.
S
- SIG
- Short for the Latin signa, meaning "write." It's the dosing instruction on a prescription, such as "0.25 mg sub-Q once per week."
- Subcutaneous (sub-Q)
- An injection into the fatty layer just under the skin, usually in the stomach, thigh, or upper arm.
T
- Titration
- Starting at a low dose and increasing it in steps to reduce side effects.
- Triple agonist
- A medication that activates three receptors. Retatrutide acts on GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors.
U
- U-100 syringe
- An insulin syringe marked for 100 units per mL. 10 units equals 0.1 mL.
- Units
- The markings on a U-100 syringe. Your dose in units is the line you draw the plunger to.
V
- Visceral fat
- Fat stored deep in the abdomen around the organs, linked to higher health risk.
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