Gastric Sleeve vs Weight Loss Injections: Which is Better? Treated

Gastric Sleeve vs GLP-1: Which is Better?

This is entirely based on your personal preference and situation. Both methods are safe and effective for most people, but factors like cost, your feelings on surgery, and whether you want a permanent or temporary treatment could be deciding factors.

Medically reviewed by

Alexandra Cristina Cowell, Writer & Clinical Content Reviewer

	Gastric sleeve	Weight loss injections
Average weight lost	Mean total weight loss after one year: 25%.	Mean total weight loss after one year: 6%-20% for all GLP-1 injections.
How long does it last?	A permanent, non-reversible procedure that involves removing part of your stomach.	Reversible and temporary. The medicines only work when used.
Invasiveness	Surgical procedure requiring anesthesia.	Little to no invasiveness. Requires subcutaneous injections daily or weekly.
Initial cost	Free through provincial health plans (like OHIP) if you meet the criteria.	Typically not covered by public plans for weight loss. Out-of-pocket costs start around $400 - $600 CAD per month.
Lifetime cost	Free under public healthcare. Privately, it’s a one-time cost of approximately $15,000 - $20,000 CAD.	Depending on insurance, one year of treatment can cost $4,800 to $7,200 CAD.
Risks and side effects	All surgeries have risks: Blood clots; infection. Other complications include stomach leak, nutrition deficiency, gallstones, and excess skin.	Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, headaches, fatigue.
Recovery time	Four to six weeks for a full recovery.	No recovery time, but side effects should subside within a few weeks.

Gastric sleeve

Weight loss injections

Average weight lost

Mean total weight loss after one year: 25%.

Mean total weight loss after one year: 6%-20% for all GLP-1 injections.

How long does it last?

A permanent, non-reversible procedure that involves removing part of your stomach.

Reversible and temporary. The medicines only work when used.

Invasiveness

Surgical procedure requiring anesthesia.

Little to no invasiveness. Requires subcutaneous injections daily or weekly.

Initial cost

Free through provincial health plans (like OHIP) if you meet the criteria.

Typically not covered by public plans for weight loss. Out-of-pocket costs start around $400 - $600 CAD per month.

Lifetime cost

Free under public healthcare. Privately, it’s a one-time cost of approximately $15,000 - $20,000 CAD.

Depending on insurance, one year of treatment can cost $4,800 to $7,200 CAD.

Risks and side effects

All surgeries have risks: Blood clots; infection. Other complications include stomach leak, nutrition deficiency, gallstones, and excess skin.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence, headaches, fatigue.

Recovery time

Four to six weeks for a full recovery.

No recovery time, but side effects should subside within a few weeks.

Cost

Gastric sleeve

A gastric sleeve is free under provincial health plans, but there’s often a waiting list of several years. You’ll also have to meet extensive criteria before you can have the surgery, as it's often a last resort treatment.

If you go private, the surgery can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $22,000 CAD. The waiting time will be much shorter, sometimes even less than a month.

Weight loss injections

Provincial coverage for weight loss injections is currently rare. Most patients rely on private health insurance, which may cover a portion of the cost.

Privately, a year’s supply of Zepbound can cost around $5,500 CAD and a year’s supply of Wegovy can cost around $6,500 CAD. While this is significantly more expensive than public surgery, there's often no waiting time and a lower eligibility criteria (BMI of 30+ or 27+ with a weight-related health condition).

Efficacy

Both methods are effective at helping you lose weight. People lose an average of 25% of their body weight within a year after gastric sleeve, while you can lose up to 20% of your body weight within 72 weeks (a little over a year) of using tirzepatide (zepbound).

Safety

Both treatment methods are safe, but there’s a risk of getting side effects with each option. That said, the benefits of weight loss usually outweigh the potential risks and side effects of treatment.

Gastric sleeve

The surgery itself is very safe, with many patients having no complications. While there’s a slight risk of side effects, a study found that people who underwent gastric sleeve surgery had a reduced risk of mortality, complications, and reintervention.

Additional health benefits include reduced blood pressure, a lower risk of stroke, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, and much more. Type 2 diabetes may also be reversed.

Weight loss injections

Weight loss injections are generally safe and well-tolerated. Although nearly all users may experience gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, these effects are usually manageable. In fact, only 1.8% of patients discontinued treatment with tirzepatide due to side effects. Furthermore, most side effects tend to subside within a few weeks as your body adjusts to the medication.

Other health benefits include reduced blood pressure, a lower risk of stroke, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular disease, and improvement in blood sugar levels and knee and joint pain.