Three words get used loosely in GLP-1 pricing, and the difference can cost you hundreds of dollars.
Starter price
The first month, often at the lowest dose. The number most providers advertise, because it is the lowest they can show.
Refill price
Subsequent months. Some keep this equal to the starter price; others raise it. MEDVi published semaglutide pricing uses a lower first-month and higher refill price, and secondary sources report a similar tirzepatide pattern — so the entry number may not reflect month two onward.
Maintenance price
What you pay at your steady, higher dose. With dose-tiered providers this can be meaningfully higher than the starter; with flat-rate providers it equals the starter.
Takeaway
When a provider advertises one number, ask which of the three it is — then ask for the other two, for the doses you will actually take. See the same-term pricing tables →