Is Ozempic or Qsymia better for weight loss?

Ozempic reports 6.4% average weight loss and Qsymia 9.8%, each from its own trial. The two were not compared against each other, so the higher figure is not a result of a head-to-head and this page does not present it as one. What is comparable is what each costs, below.

Which is cheaper, Ozempic or Qsymia?

Qsymia, at $75 a month against $349 — a difference of $274 a month, or $3,637 over a year counting 13 fills a year for Ozempic and 12 for Qsymia. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate. Above the maintenance dose, the optional higher dose costs more: Ozempic at 2 mg is $499 a month.

Can you switch between Ozempic and Qsymia?

They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.

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Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) vs Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate)

Verdict

Qsymia is the better choice of the two, winning on entry price (halfrx score 7.1 against 5.1).

Computed from the stored fields, so it moves when a price does. Nothing here is written by hand or by a model.

Which is cheaper, Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) or Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate)?

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) is $199–$499 a month all-in, read from its own page on 2026-09-22; Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) is $66–$75, read from its own page on 2026-09-22. At the maintenance dose the gap is $274 a month, which is $3,637 across a year, counting 13 fills for Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) and 12 for Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate). Trial weight loss was 6.4% against 9.8%, from separate trials with different populations, so the gap is not a measured difference between the two. Every axis below is computed from stored fields rather than written by hand, so the comparison moves when a price does. Both were last checked on 2026-09-22. Neither carries an FTC action, a state action, a BBB F grade or an FDA warning letter. The published formula scores them 5.1 and 7.1 out of 10, arithmetic over the same stored fields rather than an editor's preference.

Head to head

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) against Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate), one row per axis, with the side that wins each axis marked.
What decides it	Ozempic $199–$499/mo	Qsymia $66–$75/mo
Entry priceQsymia (phentermine/topiramate) is $133/mo cheaper to start — $66 against $199.	—	✓ better here
Regulatory and complaint riskNeither carries a lawsuit, an FDA warning letter or a supply-risk flag.	tied	tied
Average weight loss in trialsOzempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) reports 6.4% and Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) 9.8%, each from its own trial. They were not compared against each other, and the populations, durations and endpoints differ, so the higher number is not a better result — it is a different study.	not comparable	not comparable

What the trials, the titration and a year actually say

Axis	Ozempic	Qsymia
Mean weight loss in the cited trial	6.4%	9.8%
The trial that figure comes from	No percentage of body weight appears anywhere on the Ozempic label, which has no weight-management section: its three trial sections cover glycemic control, cardiovascular outcomes and kidney outcomes, and all report weight in kilograms. This figure is worked out from the label's own kilograms — 6.4 kg lost from a 100.1 kg mean baseline at week 40 on 2 mg — and is an arithmetic step the label does not take.	CONQUER, Study 2 on the label, 56 weeks: 9.8% mean weight loss at the 15 mg/92 mg dose against 1.2% on placebo, intention-to-treat.
Maintenance dose	0.5 mg to 2 mg once weekly	7.5 mg / 46 mg daily
Earliest week you reach it	week 5	week 3
Year one at the published price of every step	$4,237	No titration prices recorded

Trial percentages are quoted from the label or the named trial beside them. They are not a head-to-head result: different populations, different durations, different endpoints. That is why the comparison above scores this axis as not comparable rather than awarding it to the higher number. The year-one figures walk each titration step at its published price and count the thirteen fills a 28-day month bills. The full arithmetic is published.

Go to Ozempic ↗Go to Qsymia ↗

Read the price gap carefully: these two are not the same purchase

These are different molecules — semaglutide against phentermine and topiramate — so this is a comparison of two treatments, not of two prices for one.
Against every medication on this site with a verified maintenance price, Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label) is the 5th cheapest of 9 and Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) the 1st — the cheapest of them all is $75.

Novo Nordisk

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

5.1

$199–$499/mo all-in

verified 2026-09-22

Off-label for weightBoxed warning

Vivus

Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate)

7.1

$66–$75/mo all-in

verified 2026-09-22

Weaker moleculeREMS restrictedControlled substance

Ozempic (semaglutide, diabetes label)

Pros

+New self-pay patients pay $199 for the first two monthly fills on TrumpRx, through 31 December 2026, then $349 a month at 0.25 to 1 mg.[2]
+Identical active molecule to Wegovy.[2]
+If you have type 2 diabetes, this is the on-label product and the one insurance is most likely to cover.[2]

Cons

−Using it for weight loss without diabetes is off-label. Insurers deny it on that basis and prescribers vary in willingness.[2]
−Its top dose is 2 mg, against 2.4 mg for standard Wegovy and 7.2 mg for Wegovy HD; the Ozempic label reports no weight-loss percentage to set beside Wegovy's.[5]
−Prescribing it off-label for weight competes with diabetes patients for supply — a recurring shortage driver.[2]

Sources

Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate)

Pros

+9.8% mean weight loss at the top dose in CONQUER, intention-to-treat — the strongest result available from an oral non-GLP-1 drug.[2]
+$74.99/mo through Qsymia Engage home delivery for anyone, $65.99 for Costco members, and generic phentermine/topiramate ER runs roughly $50–$100 — an order of magnitude under branded GLP-1 list prices.[1]
+Approved down to age 12, as Wegovy and Saxenda are; Zepbound is for adults only.[2]

Cons

−Topiramate raises the risk of oral clefts when taken in the first trimester. The label recommends a negative pregnancy test before starting and every month during treatment, with effective contraception, and Qsymia is dispensed only through pharmacies certified under an FDA REMS.[6]
−Phentermine is a controlled substance with cardiovascular contraindications.[2]
−Cognitive side effects — word-finding difficulty and trouble concentrating — are common enough to be a frequent reason people stop.[2]
−Its 9.8% in CONQUER is under half the 20.9% tirzepatide reached in SURMOUNT-1 on Zepbound's label, a separate trial in a different population, so this is not a head-to-head result.[7]

Sources

Ozempic side effects →Qsymia side effects →Ozempic dosage →Qsymia dosage →

Comparisons are computed from the fields on each card, not written by hand or by a model, so they change when the data does. Information only, not medical advice. halfrx may earn a commission from some links, which never changes what a comparison says.

Everything on Ozempic

Everything on Qsymia

Ozempic against Qsymia, answered

Is Ozempic or Qsymia better for weight loss?: Ozempic reports 6.4% average weight loss and Qsymia 9.8%, each from its own trial. The two were not compared against each other, so the higher figure is not a result of a head-to-head and this page does not present it as one. What is comparable is what each costs, below.
Which is cheaper, Ozempic or Qsymia?: Qsymia, at $75 a month against $349 — a difference of $274 a month, or $3,637 over a year counting 13 fills a year for Ozempic and 12 for Qsymia. Both figures are the maintenance price rather than an introductory rate. Above the maintenance dose, the optional higher dose costs more: Ozempic at 2 mg is $499 a month.
Can you switch between Ozempic and Qsymia?: They are different molecules, so this is a change of medication rather than of brand, and the one you move to is started on its own dosing schedule.