Glp vs GLP-1
You are deciding between two options.
Reference and calculator, not medical advice. Dosing figures below are transcribed from FDA-approved prescribing information and link back to it. Last reviewed August 2026.
"GLP" on its own is not a thing you can be prescribed. It is the abbreviation for glucagon-like peptide, and it is incomplete without a number — like saying "vitamin" instead of naming which one.
What proglucagon actually produces
GLP-1 and GLP-2 are both cut from the same precursor protein. This is the complete list of what that protein yields.
- GlucagonRaises blood glucose. The hormone the whole family is named after.
- GLP-1Glucagon-like peptide-1. Regulates appetite and caloric intake; the target of every medication on this site.
- GLP-2Glucagon-like peptide-2. Acts on the intestine — increases intestinal blood flow and inhibits gastric acid secretion. Nothing to do with appetite.
- OxyntomodulinAlso cleaved from proglucagon. No approved analogue on the US market.
There is no GLP-3. The numbering stops at two because only two glucagon-like peptides are produced. No such hormone appears in the physiology literature, and a search of the FDA drug label database returns zero results for it.
In practice, when people write GLP they almost always mean GLP-1, because that is the one every weight and diabetes medication in this category targets. Clinics and forums shorten it constantly. It is not wrong as shorthand; it just does not name a second thing to compare the first against.
The distinction that does exist and does matter is between the hormone and the drugs. GLP-1 is something your body already makes. A GLP-1 receptor agonist is a manufactured molecule that binds the same receptor — semaglutide, for instance, is described in its label as a GLP-1 analogue with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. People often use "GLP-1" to mean the medication, which is what makes sentences like "I started GLP-1" readable but technically loose.
Side-by-side
Structural facts from each product’s prescribing information.
| Product | Active ingredient | Indication | Frequency | Start | Max labelled | Steps to max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zepbound Eli Lilly | Tirzepatide | Weight management | Weekly | 2.5 mg | 15 mg | 6 |
| Wegovy Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide | Weight management | Weekly | 0.25 mg | 2.4 mg | 5 |
| Wegovy tablets Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide (oral) | Weight management | Daily | 1.5 mg | 25 mg | 4 |
| Ozempic Novo Nordisk | Semaglutide | Type 2 diabetes | Weekly | 0.25 mg | 2 mg | 4 |
Common questions
- Is "GLP" ever used correctly on its own?
- As a family name, occasionally — the glucagon-like peptides collectively. In everyday use it is shorthand for GLP-1 and reads fine in context.
- What is a GLP-1 agonist versus a GLP-1?
- The first is a drug that activates the receptor; the second is the hormone your body produces. Almost every consumer use of "GLP-1" means the drug.
Sources and last review
Every dosing figure on this page is transcribed from an FDA-approved label and links back to it. Conversions are arithmetic you can repeat by hand. Nothing here is reviewed by a clinician, and this site does not employ one — which is exactly why what I do publish stays traceable to its source.
- Zepbound (Tirzepatide) prescribing information — Eli Lilly, label revised 6 May 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Wegovy (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 30 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
- Ozempic (Semaglutide) prescribing information — Novo Nordisk, label revised 10 June 2026, checked 7 August 2026
Transcribed from the labels above and checked by me — Gavin, who builds this site, takes a GLP-1, and is not a clinician. Last reviewed August 2026. Found an error? [email protected] — I treat corrections as bugs. How this site is built and funded.