Liraglutide for weight loss: what TikTok gets right and wrong

What did @msamberray actually say?

She walked through her injection technique on camera, then explained she had been cycled through three different GLP-1 medications in a short period: first "tricep tide" (tirzepatide), then "semi-glute tide" (semaglutide), and now liraglutide, prescribed by her PCP. Each switch, she said, happened because the previous drug became unavailable. She ended by asking her followers for personal experiences with liraglutide.

To be clear, she made no dramatic weight loss claims. She did not prescribe a dose or promise results. This was essentially a vulnerable, curious post from someone trying to figure out what they just got handed at the pharmacy. That context matters when evaluating what she got right and wrong.

Does the science back this up?

The general arc of her story, switching between GLP-1 drugs due to supply issues, is completely plausible and reflects a real supply problem in this drug class. However, the direction of her switch raises clinical questions worth examining.

Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist and in head-to-head data outperforms semaglutide on weight loss. Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) is a selective GLP-1 agonist. Liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) is the oldest of the three for weight management and generally produces the most modest results. The SCALE trial (Pi-Sunyer et al., 2015, New England Journal of Medicine) showed liraglutide 3.0mg produced roughly 8% mean body weight loss over 56 weeks. By comparison, the SURMOUNT-1 trial (Jastreboff et al., 2022, NEJM) showed tirzepatide achieving up to 22.5% mean weight loss at the highest dose. Stepping down to liraglutide after tirzepatide is a meaningful clinical downgrade in expected efficacy, not just a lateral swap.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

Her injection technique, popping the cap, dialing the dose, tipping the pen to clear air, and injecting, is broadly consistent with standard subcutaneous pen injection procedure. She did not do anything visibly dangerous in what she described. Credit where it is due.

Where things get murkier is her framing of the medication history. The sequence she described, tirzepatide unavailable, then semaglutide unavailable, then liraglutide, tracks with the documented compounded GLP-1 shortage situation. The FDA had tirzepatide on its shortage list until early 2025, and semaglutide compound availability has been contested. But it is worth noting: if she was receiving these through a telehealth or compounding channel, the drugs she received were compounded versions, not the brand-name products. Compounded and FDA-approved brand-name GLP-1s are not the same product, and she does not appear to know that distinction or mention it.

There is also no acknowledgment that moving from tirzepatide to liraglutide likely means reduced weight loss outcomes. Her followers deserve to know that before they assume her results will match what they have seen from Wegovy or Mounjaro content online.

What should you actually know?

If you are on liraglutide after being on tirzepatide or semaglutide, the expected weight loss ceiling is lower. That is not a failure on your part, it is pharmacology. Liraglutide requires daily injections compared to once-weekly dosing for semaglutide and tirzepatide, which affects adherence in clinical practice (Davies et al., 2015, Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology).

The supply disruptions she described are real. The FDA shortage list for compounded GLP-1 drugs has shifted repeatedly since 2023, and many telehealth platforms have cycled patients between agents as a result. However, patients should ask their prescriber directly:

• Am I receiving a compounded or FDA-approved brand-name product?
• Why was this specific medication chosen over alternatives?
• What weight loss outcome is realistic on this agent at this dose?
• What is the titration schedule and how long before I assess response?

Asking followers on TikTok for anecdotal reassurance is understandable. But anecdotal responses will not tell you whether liraglutide is the right clinical choice for your specific history, weight, and metabolic profile. That conversation belongs with your prescriber.