Strive Pharmacy Compounded Tirzepatide Review (2026): What Arrived in the Blue Box, What the Label Says, and How Long the Vial Lasts
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Quick answer: Strive Pharmacy in Gilbert, Arizona compounded and shipped my order in a blue corrugated cooler box by UPS Next Day Air. Four gel packs were thawed but still cold, which the pharmacy's own card says to expect. The vial was tirzepatide with glycine and B12 at 10 mg/5 mg/500 mcg per mL, a 2 mL fill, with a beyond-use date 90 days after the compounding date.
This article is drawn from the GLP Winner provider review series. The order described here was placed through MEDVi, which is not a GLP Winner partner. Neither MEDVi nor Strive Pharmacy, which compounded and dispensed the medication, paid for this article, saw it before publication, or directed its conclusions. GLP Winner pays the reviewer for her time. Reviewer details are withheld for privacy.
For the signup, the pricing, the add-on offers, and how cancellation works, read the full MEDVi Compounded Tirzepatide Review (2026). This article is only about what the pharmacy sent.
Have questions or concerns? Reach out to the team here.
Who reviewed this shipment?
I am a woman in my 40s who has been on compounded tirzepatide for five months at a 5 mg dose. This was not my first box from a compounding pharmacy, so I had something to compare it to. I ordered through MEDVi. Strive Pharmacy is who actually made and mailed the medication.
How did the Strive Pharmacy order arrive?
It came by UPS Next Day Air in a blue corrugated box from Strive Pharmacy in Gilbert, Arizona. The side panel is printed "PERISHABLE / Refrigerate Upon Arrival" with two this-way-up arrows.
The side of the box.
The prescription was dispensed on September 10 and the box reached me on September 16, six days later. There was no tracking number and no carrier notification; I found out who was carrying my medication by reading the box when it arrived. The pharmacy's name is printed on it, so it is not what I would call discreet if that matters to you.
Did the medication arrive cold?
Inside is a white styrofoam cooler. On top of it sat a Strive card headed "Keep Your Medication Refrigerated." Under the lid were four Nutri-Ice gel packs, wet with condensation and still cold.
Box open: the cooler, and the storage card sitting on top of it.
Two of the four gel packs. Wet, soft, still cold.
The card is the first thing you see, and it tells you what to expect before you can start worrying. Under "Storing Your Medication," it reads:
We package every refrigerated medication with ice packs to help maintain internal temperatures during transit. It is common for ice packs to be partially thawed when your package arrives, the goal is for your medication to arrive cool upon receipt.
Place your medication into the fridge upon arrival to maintain product integrity and quality. Keep it refrigerated until the listed beyond-use date (BUD), then discard any remaining product.
Below that, under "Connect for Care," it asks: "Do you suspect tampering? Need to cancel your prescription? Have questions? Scan the QR code or call Toll Free 855-405-5993 to connect." That is a pharmacy putting a tamper question and a phone number on the first piece of paper you touch, which I appreciated.
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What does the Strive Pharmacy label say?
The vial came sealed inside a blue Strive bubble mailer with the pharmacy label on the outside, and there are three labels to read across the mailer, the receipt, and the vial itself.
The sealed blue mailer the vial came in, with the pharmacy label and the info sheet.
The mailer label reads: TIRZEPATIDE/GLYCINE/B12 10MG/5MG/500MCG/ML 2ML VIAL INJ. Directions: "INJECT 43 UNITS (0.43 ML) SUBCUTANEOUSLY ONCE WEEKLY FOR 4 WEEKS. DISCARD 28 DAYS AFTER FIRST VIAL PUNCTURE." Quantity 2 / 2 ML, zero refills, dispensed September 10, 2026. Made 08/17/26. BUD 11/15/26. It also carries the line "This is a compounded drug," the pharmacist's initials, and a refill-by date of 09/10/27.
Next to the label is an orange sticker that reads, top to bottom: HUMAN, REFRIGERATE SHIP COLD, PROTECT FROM LIGHT, RX ONLY, LIQUID: UNIFORM, PINKISH RED, STRIVE PHARMACY LLC. That last line matters more than it looks. It tells you what the liquid is supposed to look like, so if yours arrives cloudy or a different color you have something to compare against.
The receipt label repeats the drug name and strength, says "Refer to RX label for specific dosing instructions," and is marked NEW, "Price: see receipt," "Bill PRESCRIBER," and TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE. The pharmacy's address and both phone numbers are printed at the top: 1275 E Baseline, Suite 104, Gilbert, AZ 85233, 480-626-4366, and toll free 855-405-5993.
The vial. Inactive ingredients on the label, and the 28-day rule.
The vial itself is 2 mL amber glass with a blue flip cap and a silver crimp. Its label lists the inactive ingredients, sodium chloride, benzyl alcohol, sodium phosphate dibasic heptahydrate, and sterile water for injection, and repeats the rule in its own words: "Vial expires 28 days after initial entry." It is marked for subcutaneous injection and as compounded.
What is in the vial, and what dose is 43 units?
The vial holds 10 mg of tirzepatide per mL. At 43 units, or 0.43 mL, that comes to 4.3 mg of tirzepatide a week. If you're switching pharmacies, check the concentration and unit count on your label and multiply them out before your first injection. GLP Winner has a helpful article on how to understand this if you're not familiar.
The vial also has glycine and vitamin B12 compounded in with the tirzepatide. I didn't know that until I had it in hand. At 43 units a week, each dose has about 2.15 mg of glycine and 215 mcg of B12 along with the 4.3 mg of tirzepatide. Strive's product page says the B12 and glycine "are added to the formulation to complement patient care plans regarding possible side effect management and muscle support."
Four weekly doses at 0.43 mL draw 1.72 mL from the 2 mL fill, which leaves about 0.28 mL in the vial when the 28 days are up. The liquid is pinkish red, which is what the orange sticker says it should be.
What paperwork comes with a Strive Pharmacy order?
More than most boxes I have opened, and all of it from the pharmacy rather than the provider.
Everything that came out of the box.
What came in the box:
- One 2 mL amber glass multi-dose vial with a blue flip cap, inside a sealed blue Strive bubble mailer
- Ten Clever Choice Comfort EZ insulin syringes, 31 gauge, 1 cc, 5/16 inch
- Ten Pharmacist Choice alcohol prep pads
- Four Nutri-Ice gel packs and a styrofoam cooler
- A Strive tri-fold injection brochure with photographed steps and a dose chart
- A two-page compounded tirzepatide information leaflet
- A Strive pharmacist contact card
- A Strive marketing postcard
- The packing slip
Syringes, alcohol pads, the receipt, and the card with the pharmacist's hours.
The info sheet tucked in with the mailer is headed "Tirzepatide/Glycine/B12" with a REFRIGERATE badge and three "Tips for Medication Use": review all instructions prior to use, ensure correct dose before injecting, and scan the QR code on the back for injection instructions.
The tri-fold. Photographed steps and a unit chart for both syringe sizes.
The tri-fold is the piece I would hand a first-timer. It runs in three panels. The first, "gather your supplies," tells you to read the whole sheet before starting, verify you are using an orange-capped insulin syringe, verify the medication, dose, and instructions on your prescription label, choose a site on the front or outer thigh or two inches from the belly button, and wash your hands. The second, "prepare your medication," walks through cleaning the stopper, drawing air into the syringe to the dose amount, injecting the air into the vial, inverting the vial, pulling back past your dose, tapping out bubbles, and pushing to the prescribed dose, with eight photographed steps alongside. The third covers the injection itself at a 45-degree angle and disposal in a sharps container. A boxed line in the middle says to administer immediately after drawing the dose, and to discard the dose if you do not. At the bottom is a chart showing what 5, 10, and 20 units look like on a 30-unit syringe and what 20, 35, and 50 units look like on a 100-unit syringe.
Can you reach a pharmacist at Strive Pharmacy?
Yes, and the contact details appear on four separate pieces of paper in the box.
The pharmacist contact card says it outright: "If you have any questions about your medication or would like to speak to a pharmacist, call 1 (855) 405-5993 M-F 9am-8pm PT and Saturday 8am-2pm PT. For general inquiries, please email info@strivepharmacy.com." Those are stated hours, in a stated time zone, which is more than I usually get.
The storage card gives the same toll-free number under "Connect for Care" and frames it for three situations: suspected tampering, needing to cancel a prescription, and general questions. The receipt label carries both the toll-free line and a local Gilbert number, 480-626-4366. The vial label and the info sheet both point to strivepharmacy.com.
I did not need to call. But a Saturday window and a stated time zone are the two things I would want to know before I had a label question at 4 PM on a weekend, and both are printed.
How long is the medication good for?
Two different clocks, and you need both.
The beyond-use date printed on the label is 11/15/2026. The vial was made on 08/17/26, which puts the beyond-use date exactly 90 days after compounding. It runs from the compounding date, not from the dispensing date, which was 09/10/26. By the time it reached my door on September 16, 60 days of that window were left.
The 28-day rule is the one that will actually govern your vial. Both the mailer label and the vial label say to discard 28 days after the first puncture, regardless of how much solution is left or how far away the beyond-use date still is. For a four-week supply drawn at one dose a week, the two windows land in roughly the same place.
So: do not let the November date fool you into thinking a half-used vial from October is fine. The clock that matters starts the first time you put a needle in it.
Final Takeaway
Strive Pharmacy shipped a cold vial in a box that told me what to expect before I opened it. The label was complete, the pharmacy named itself on every piece of paper, and the pharmacist's hours and time zone were printed rather than left for me to guess. The orange sticker told me what color the liquid should be, which is a small thing I had never seen before. Read your own label rather than assuming the unit count carries over from a previous prescription, because the concentration decides the dose. Keep both dates in mind: the beyond-use date on the vial, and the 28 days that start the first time you puncture it. If anything on your label is unclear, the pharmacist's number is on the card, the storage sheet, and the receipt.
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Strive Pharmacy?
Strive Pharmacy is a compounding pharmacy at 1275 E Baseline, Suite 104, Gilbert, AZ 85233. It compounded and dispensed the compounded tirzepatide described in this article, and it is named on the shipping box, the mailer, the vial, the receipt, and every printed insert. Its published contact points are 855-405-5993 toll free, 480-626-4366 local, and info@strivepharmacy.com.
Is Strive Pharmacy the same company as the provider I ordered from?
No. They are two separate businesses doing two different jobs. I ordered through MEDVi, a telehealth provider, and MEDVi's clinician wrote the prescription. Strive Pharmacy compounded the medication and shipped it. The provider handles your account, pricing, and support. The pharmacy handles what is in the vial. Everything on the provider side is covered in our full MEDVi Compounded Tirzepatide Review, linked at the top of this article.
Do you know which pharmacy will fill your order before you pay?
Not in my case. The pharmacy name appeared when the box arrived, not during checkout. If knowing your pharmacy in advance matters to you, it is worth asking a provider before you order, because some name it up front and some do not.
Does compounded tirzepatide from Strive Pharmacy arrive cold?
Mine did. It shipped UPS Next Day Air in a blue corrugated box with a styrofoam cooler and four Nutri-Ice gel packs. The gel packs were thawed and wet with condensation, and the vial was still cold when I unpacked it.
Why were my ice packs melted, and is the medication still okay?
Strive Pharmacy addresses this on the card sitting on top of the cooler. It says it is common for ice packs to be partially thawed on arrival and that the goal is for the medication to arrive cool. Mine were soft and the vial was cold. If anything about the shipment looks wrong, the same card tells you to call 855-405-5993.
What does 10 mg/5 mg/500 mcg per mL mean on the label?
It is a three-part compound. Tirzepatide is 10 mg per mL, glycine is 5 mg per mL, and vitamin B12 is 500 mcg per mL, all in the same solution. Strive's product page describes the glycine and B12 as additions meant to complement side-effect management and muscle support. A single draw gives you all three.
How many milligrams is 43 units of this vial?
4.3 mg. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 43 units is 0.43 mL, and at 10 mg per mL that comes to 4.3 mg of tirzepatide. Each dose also carries about 2.15 mg of glycine and 215 mcg of B12. This changes entirely with concentration, so the same unit count on a different vial is a different dose. Check the mg per mL on your own label.
Is compounded tirzepatide supposed to be pink?
Mine was pinkish red, and the pharmacy's own orange sticker says "LIQUID: UNIFORM, PINKISH RED," so that is the expected appearance for this particular compound with B12 in it. If yours is cloudy, has particles, or is a different color from what the pharmacy's label says to expect, call the pharmacist before you inject.
What is the beyond-use date, and how long did mine have?
The beyond-use date is the last date the compounded preparation should be used, and it is printed on the label. Mine read 11/15/2026 against a compounding date of 08/17/26, which is a 90-day window. Because the vial was dispensed 09/10/26 and reached me 09/16/26, 60 days of that window remained on arrival.
How long can you use a multi-dose compounded vial after opening it?
Both labels on my order say to discard it 28 days after the first puncture. That clock starts at first entry and runs independently of the beyond-use date, so a vial can still be inside its beyond-use date and past its 28 days. For a four-week supply at one dose a week, the two windows land in roughly the same place.
How should compounded tirzepatide be stored?
The card in my box says to place the medication in the fridge upon arrival and keep it refrigerated until the beyond-use date, then discard any remaining product. The orange sticker adds "protect from light." These are the pharmacy's own instructions for this preparation, so follow the ones that come with yours.
Are syringes and alcohol pads included?
Yes. My order came with ten Clever Choice Comfort EZ U-100 insulin syringes at 31 gauge, 1 cc, 5/16 inch, and ten Pharmacist Choice alcohol prep pads. At one dose a week that is more than a four-week supply needs.
Can you talk to a pharmacist about a compounded order?
Yes. The contact card in the box says to call 1 (855) 405-5993, Monday through Friday 9am to 8pm Pacific and Saturday 8am to 2pm Pacific, to speak to a pharmacist, and to email info@strivepharmacy.com for general inquiries. The storage card lists the same number for tampering concerns, prescription cancellation, and questions.
Does Strive Pharmacy include injection instructions?
Yes, and they are the most complete I have received. A tri-fold brochure walks through supplies, drawing the dose, and injecting, with eight photographed steps and a chart showing 5 through 50 units on both a 30-unit and a 100-unit syringe. The info sheet also carries a QR code to the injection instructions online.
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Provider ReviewsProvider reviews are real patients who are paid for their time by GLP Winner. They purchase medications as a patient and write about their experience from start to finish, and share their perspective of their buying experience. Your own experience may vary from theirs, and providers reviewed are never given the opportunity to review the article prior to posting. Providers do not pay for the review or the opportunity to be reviewed.