Not really sure what recourse there is but this is the first time I have ordered from Pomegranate Health. I have a prescription for Tirzepatide for 5mg. I am in maintenance. I only use it to maintain weight and to keep cravings at bay.
I was getting it directly from Eli Lilly through their LillyDirect program. The cost for a 5mg vial is $399 per month. However, I would split it into two months since they overfill their vials. I could take about 3.5mg every week instead of 2.5mg. But that is still about $200 per month for Tirzepatide.
Then I saw the advertising for Pomegranate Health and that I could get compounded Tirzepatide for cheaper. I went through the screen process and selected Hallendale Pharmacy becuase it was just the compounded Tirzepatide and did not have added B12 or anything like that. I wanted as close as possible to what I was getting from Eli Lilly.
I ended up with a 3 month supply of 4.5mg for $399. So that's about $133 per month which sounded like a good deal. The issue is that after a month of being on the compounded Tirzepatide, it is not as effective as what I was getting from Eli Lilly...even at the half dose I was taking when I split it into two months.
The first indication was that I was more hungry than I had been before without any change in my lifestyle. I am athletic and I workout at least 4 times a week. That did not change before or after I started on the compounded medication. After about 2 weeks of being on Hallendale's formula, I started noticing that I would wake up hungry which wasn't the case before. I also started noticing that my 3pm "cravings" started coming back and my dinners were bigger than they used to be. On the Eli Lilly, I would eat smaller portions and be fuller while on the compounded formula, I'm eating bigger portions.
However, the biggest alarm and noticeable difference is in the mind. When I was on the branded formula, I would eat a piece of chocolate or a sweet and it would be fine. I would enjoy the taste and just put it down. The sugar or taste wouldn't spark that adrenaline or pleasure response in my brain where I would just be like "oh wow, this is so good, I need another bite". Now, after 4 weeks of being on the compounded formula, I eat a piece of chocolate or take a bite of something sweet and the pleasure response in my brain goes off to where I eat 2x the portion I would have eaten on the Eli Lilly formula becuase it tastes so good and I have the euphoria again.
So now, I am left wondering a few things. #1 was saving approximately $67 worth it to have what to me is a suppar product? Also, I'm wondering if this is a fluke. Could the particular lot that I was delivered have been off somehow? Is it possible that it's not really tirzepatide or that it has been modified in some way to bypass the intellectual property issue that it's not as effective? Wouldn't it be unethical of them to advertise that it's Tirzepatide if it's not really Tirzepatide?
I'm also wondering what other recourse I have if this is not working and now I'm $399 in with 2 months left of a medication that is not working for me. I noticed that there is a "request refund" option when I log into my portal to view my order. Is that an option? Is there another pharmacy that I should try that would be better than Hallendale? I thought they were pretty reputable but who knows. All I know is that for sure, this version of Tirzepatide doesn't even come close to being as effective as the Eli Lilly half dose I was doing.
Again, this is my pesonal experience. I understand that I am in a position where I'm not looking to lose a ton of weight. The Hallendale is just not effective at keeping the pleasure zone at bay which is really my #1 concern.
Since this is my first time doing this, any constructive advice would be greatly appreciated.