Beyond shedding pounds, what else do GLP-1 medications offer?

[HouseCat]

Many individuals will need to stay on GLP-1s indefinitely — that's definitely true in my case. Some remain at the dose where they last dropped pounds, while others step their dose down. I'm aware plenty of people quit entirely, but I'm not one of them. The absence of food noise is something I cherish, and on top of that there are heart-related advantages. Even though drinking isn't an issue for me, I truly appreciate how tirzepatide kills my urge to consume alcohol. It also helps quiet my OCD (BFRD) patterns.

Should trade regulations shift, or embargoes or other such complications arise that stop me from obtaining these medications at such a favorable price later on, I prefer keeping a fairly sizeable reserve. Knowing that regardless of what occurs in the coming months or years, I'll still have access to this incredible, life-changing drug gives me peace of mind.

 

[HouseCat]

Shittersfull said:

Shittersfull said:

In my opinion, most folks in this community are going to rely on glp's in some form for as long as they live. There's always a cause behind being over wieght. That cause doesn't automatically disappear just becouse the pounds come off. My goal is to spend the rest of my days free of foods noise. Right now my freezer holds 2 kits of reta plus 1 kit of tirz. The only reason I don't keep a much bigger stash is that a superior option could hit the market, and I'm still unsure which one will suit me best for maintenance. Reta is the only one Iv used so far. For maintenance, I'm considering alternating tirz with one of the newer amylin peps. Honestly, not having a lifetime supply gives me anxiety.

A follow-up from me: I prepare for emergencies, and I keep a food stash. Should a crisis hit, that reserve stretches much further. Even in the worst case where I die of starvation, I won't have to endure hunger. Picture 10 individuals sealed in a fallout shelter for an extended period. Only bland, barely adequate rations, almost nothing to occupy the time, and constant hunger. I'd bet their relationships would be far smoother without that hunger gnawing at them. Plus, there would be far less waste to manage.

Nobody's hoping for an overflowing toilet!

 

[bada bing]

Tirzepatide and Retatrutide both work well for me. Even at relatively low doses, I drop pounds. What has really stood out, though, is the sheer amount of mental and emotional activity happening under the surface, and how strongly these compounds act on the brain. Whether that's mostly good or mostly bad, I can't say for certain. About a month into Tirzepatide, I found myself thinking, "I've got to keep a supply of this on hand." These medications clearly carry a psychological dependence component. I had never fully grasped how taxing it is to exist in a world of constant plenty while carrying a brain built for scarcity. It feels like removing a pebble from your shoe after a 10-mile walk.

So yes, my freezer now holds years' worth. I'm familiar with the research on the bodily advantages, and I'm noticing some of them myself. But that's not the reason for my stockpile. What I truly value is turning down the volume on food noise and getting through the day with less of it. That's why those vials are sitting in my freezer.

 

[Grogu]

bamagirl26 said:

Grogu said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Other members have already covered the many advantages that go past weight reduction, so I won't repeat those. One I haven't noticed anyone bring up: this drug class also seems to assist with a range of addictions. Tirzepatide, for instance, seems to help a lot of people dealing with alcohol use disorder. Right now tirzepatide is being studied in clinical trials for a long list of addictions and behaviors (more than I can name here). So that's another thing.

Good "deals" are also part of why people stockpile. Someone may spot kits going for a very low price and want to seize that pricing, or the big milligram vials. For my part, I prefer my products independently tested, and that's far simpler when I purchase multiple kits from one batch instead of buying a single kit at a time and chasing down testing for every batch.

Last, keep in mind that how severe the disease is determines a lot, but these medications will probably need to be taken for life. Think about other maintenance drugs that no one would question you taking forever (statins, blood pressure medications, and so on) — glp-1s for people who are obese or were obese are probably the same. So when your horizon stretches across your whole life, 5 years really isn't much.

That's a really insightful way to look at it. Plus, with the way prices for everything keep climbing higher and higher, it's almost like locking in tomorrow's needs at today's cheaper rate! Hehehehe (as she hurriedly moves funds into coinbase to get ready for life well past her 90s... (just joking)

On the bright side (though it can also be seen as a downside), peptide prices have been falling steadily, and so has the quality. Recently, there's been an uptick in cases involving high endotoxins, completely absent peptides, sterility failures, and similar issues. That might make a stronger case for stocking up heavily right now—not to save money, but to secure a certain level of quality. We even received a test result that came back positive for f3nt (or possibly its precursors); the specifics remain unclear.

 

[Beansnapper]

carriekaye said:

Wow, there is so much more you're overlooking! To start with, maintenance matters. For me, the weight would probably return if I quit the drug. That alone means I never want to go off it. Whenever you quit the behavior that made you drop weight—whatever that behavior is—the pounds come back.

These drugs also fight inflammation strongly, and they ease a wide range of conditions where inflammation drives the symptoms. Examples include joint pain and sleep apnea, numerous autoimmune problems, and plenty more.

On top of that, these drugs correct many metabolic problems. The majority of "western lifestyle diseases" (diabetes, heart disease, cancers, gout, arthritis, PCOS... the list is endless) share insulin resistance as the main underlying cause. These drugs assist in reversing that insulin resistance. They can help stop, manage, and often undo these conditions.

So yes, there are many reasons to keep a steady supply on hand.

These seem like wonder medications. I shed 25 pounds with them, and right now I'm tapering off because I figured the ret wasn't the only factor—my entire approach to eating has changed, so I hoped I could stop needing the ret. Looks like I'll need to reconsider that. What maintenance dose works well, or does it vary from person to person? I'm fortunate that low doses of anything tend to work on me; as a research subject, I'm inexpensive.

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

I wasn't suggesting anything—I asked a genuine question. Sorry I annoyed you.

 

[birdwhacker]

It appears to have made my spending decisions far less rash.

 

[lastresort]

I believe it could potentially lower hematocrit as well.

 

[Tinkerbell2222]

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

 

[Tinkerbell2222]

In my case, the thought of going back to being FAT is something I never want, which is why I stockpile My worry was that the grey market might get shut down at some point, and I couldn't bear the idea of losing access to my new companions tirz, reta, cagri…now that I've been in maintenance for 2-1/2 years, I'm easing off the stockpiling just a bit

 

[Grogu]

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

It's a shame, but many folks show up here thinking these drugs are just a way to drop weight, and that after hitting their target, sheer determination and habit tweaks will be sufficient to keep it off. For certain individuals, especially those who might never have qualified under the original prescribing guidelines, that could hold true. Yet for a large number of us, the real issue lies in some disruption within the brain-gut signaling system that fuels obesity. Obesity is a medical condition a person lives with, not some personal failing. I realize I'm saying this to people who already get it.

Over the course of my life, I've likely shed more than 1,000 pounds in total, so I'm quite skilled at dropping weight. The puzzle has always been preventing the return. Still, after my very first tirzepatide injection, I understood that Lilly had discovered a workable treatment for my obesity.

Does that make it a cure? No. Is it a treatment? Without a doubt. A cure suggests you address the condition and then halt. A treatment typically involves ongoing therapy because, once you take it away, the underlying condition remains and can flare back up.

 

[Seasonal1]

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

I'm completely with you on that. There are folks who stay at their maximum dosage and never step it down, and others who, even at that top dose, find holding their goal weight a real fight.

Having gone from obese to overweight, my freezer is stocked with these medications because I refuse to go through weight loss again. I've been down this path multiple times, and it's not a trip I look forward to. With goal weight getting nearer, maintenance is often on my mind and how it will play out. My guess is that Tirz, Reta, Cargi, and down the line Elora, at certain doses, will remain part of this lab rat's routine permanently.

 

[Redz]

lastresort said:

I believe it could potentially lower hematocrit as well.

I'm getting labs done on Thursday, so we'll see whether that holds up. Back in June, my hematocrit came in at .51, and I've been using Reta ever since. My guess is it'll have come down by now. I also take 225mg of TRT, which is prescribed.

 

[CandyCap]

Grogu said:

bamagirl26 said:

Grogu said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Other members have already covered the many advantages that go past weight reduction, so I won't repeat those. One I haven't noticed anyone bring up: this drug class also seems to assist with a range of addictions. Tirzepatide, for instance, seems to help a lot of people dealing with alcohol use disorder. Right now tirzepatide is being studied in clinical trials for a long list of addictions and behaviors (more than I can name here). So that's another thing.

Good "deals" are also part of why people stockpile. Someone may spot kits going for a very low price and want to seize that pricing, or the big milligram vials. For my part, I prefer my products independently tested, and that's far simpler when I purchase multiple kits from one batch instead of buying a single kit at a time and chasing down testing for every batch.

Last, keep in mind that how severe the disease is determines a lot, but these medications will probably need to be taken for life. Think about other maintenance drugs that no one would question you taking forever (statins, blood pressure medications, and so on) — glp-1s for people who are obese or were obese are probably the same. So when your horizon stretches across your whole life, 5 years really isn't much.

That's a really insightful way to look at it. Plus, with the way prices for everything keep climbing higher and higher, it's almost like locking in tomorrow's needs at today's cheaper rate! Hehehehe (as she hurriedly moves funds into coinbase to get ready for life well past her 90s... (just joking)

On the bright side (though it can also be seen as a downside), peptide prices have been falling steadily, and so has the quality. Recently, there's been an uptick in cases involving high endotoxins, completely absent peptides, sterility failures, and similar issues. That might make a stronger case for stocking up heavily right now—not to save money, but to secure a certain level of quality. We even received a test result that came back positive for f3nt (or possibly its precursors); the specifics remain unclear.

Later testing revealed the result had been a false positive. On top of that, the substance came from a brewer, putting it in an entirely separate category (and if it had genuinely been positive, fentanyl could have been introduced during any of the numerous points where people handle it along the way)

 

[Grogu]

CandyCap said:

Grogu said:

bamagirl26 said:

Grogu said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Other members have already covered the many advantages that go past weight reduction, so I won't repeat those. One I haven't noticed anyone bring up: this drug class also seems to assist with a range of addictions. Tirzepatide, for instance, seems to help a lot of people dealing with alcohol use disorder. Right now tirzepatide is being studied in clinical trials for a long list of addictions and behaviors (more than I can name here). So that's another thing.

Good "deals" are also part of why people stockpile. Someone may spot kits going for a very low price and want to seize that pricing, or the big milligram vials. For my part, I prefer my products independently tested, and that's far simpler when I purchase multiple kits from one batch instead of buying a single kit at a time and chasing down testing for every batch.

Last, keep in mind that how severe the disease is determines a lot, but these medications will probably need to be taken for life. Think about other maintenance drugs that no one would question you taking forever (statins, blood pressure medications, and so on) — glp-1s for people who are obese or were obese are probably the same. So when your horizon stretches across your whole life, 5 years really isn't much.

That's a really insightful way to look at it. Plus, with the way prices for everything keep climbing higher and higher, it's almost like locking in tomorrow's needs at today's cheaper rate! Hehehehe (as she hurriedly moves funds into coinbase to get ready for life well past her 90s... (just joking)

On the bright side (though it can also be seen as a downside), peptide prices have been falling steadily, and so has the quality. Recently, there's been an uptick in cases involving high endotoxins, completely absent peptides, sterility failures, and similar issues. That might make a stronger case for stocking up heavily right now—not to save money, but to secure a certain level of quality. We even received a test result that came back positive for f3nt (or possibly its precursors); the specifics remain unclear.

Later testing revealed the result had been a false positive. On top of that, the substance came from a brewer, putting it in an entirely separate category (and if it had genuinely been positive, fentanyl could have been introduced during any of the numerous points where people handle it along the way)

To be honest, I haven't kept up with it, but from the start the whole thing felt unclear. It's good that it turned out to be a false positive. Even so, it's frightening.

When I joined one of the earliest group tests, it screened for that, and my reaction was . I haven't come across many groups that include it in their testing. I've considered picking up some test strips, though I do have a different way of reducing this risk.

 

[CandyCap]

Grogu said:

CandyCap said:

Grogu said:

bamagirl26 said:

Grogu said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Other members have already covered the many advantages that go past weight reduction, so I won't repeat those. One I haven't noticed anyone bring up: this drug class also seems to assist with a range of addictions. Tirzepatide, for instance, seems to help a lot of people dealing with alcohol use disorder. Right now tirzepatide is being studied in clinical trials for a long list of addictions and behaviors (more than I can name here). So that's another thing.

Good "deals" are also part of why people stockpile. Someone may spot kits going for a very low price and want to seize that pricing, or the big milligram vials. For my part, I prefer my products independently tested, and that's far simpler when I purchase multiple kits from one batch instead of buying a single kit at a time and chasing down testing for every batch.

Last, keep in mind that how severe the disease is determines a lot, but these medications will probably need to be taken for life. Think about other maintenance drugs that no one would question you taking forever (statins, blood pressure medications, and so on) — glp-1s for people who are obese or were obese are probably the same. So when your horizon stretches across your whole life, 5 years really isn't much.

That's a really insightful way to look at it. Plus, with the way prices for everything keep climbing higher and higher, it's almost like locking in tomorrow's needs at today's cheaper rate! Hehehehe (as she hurriedly moves funds into coinbase to get ready for life well past her 90s... (just joking)

On the bright side (though it can also be seen as a downside), peptide prices have been falling steadily, and so has the quality. Recently, there's been an uptick in cases involving high endotoxins, completely absent peptides, sterility failures, and similar issues. That might make a stronger case for stocking up heavily right now—not to save money, but to secure a certain level of quality. We even received a test result that came back positive for f3nt (or possibly its precursors); the specifics remain unclear.

Later testing revealed the result had been a false positive. On top of that, the substance came from a brewer, putting it in an entirely separate category (and if it had genuinely been positive, fentanyl could have been introduced during any of the numerous points where people handle it along the way)

To be honest, I haven't kept up with it, but from the start the whole thing felt unclear. It's good that it turned out to be a false positive. Even so, it's frightening.

When I joined one of the earliest group tests, it screened for that, and my reaction was . I haven't come across many groups that include it in their testing. I've considered picking up some test strips, though I do have a different way of reducing this risk.

I keep fentanyl test strips on hand at all times — a close friend lost their son to fentanyl poisoning, and we do volunteer work with the nonprofit founded in his memory. A few days back I wrote posts about testing the same product from a different brewer, and that one also came back positive for fentanyl.

To be completely candid, it would be highly unusual to find fentanyl in medications originating from China. They do produce the precursor chemicals, but the vast majority of the finished product actually comes out of Mexico.

 

[MarshmallowCactus]

Because my main reason for taking it isn't shedding pounds, what stands out most to me is the chance it lowers inflammation, neuroinflammation included. The FDA keeps delaying trials for a gene therapy that could stop my inherited condition from making me lose my mind (literally) within the next 20 years, so I'm trying anything I believe could cut neuroinflammation.

So yes, unless evidence shows otherwise, I intend to stay on it for life.

 

[Tinkerbell2222]

Grogu said:

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

It's a shame, but many folks show up here thinking these drugs are just a way to drop weight, and that after hitting their target, sheer determination and habit tweaks will be sufficient to keep it off. For certain individuals, especially those who might never have qualified under the original prescribing guidelines, that could hold true. Yet for a large number of us, the real issue lies in some disruption within the brain-gut signaling system that fuels obesity. Obesity is a medical condition a person lives with, not some personal failing. I realize I'm saying this to people who already get it.

Over the course of my life, I've likely shed more than 1,000 pounds in total, so I'm quite skilled at dropping weight. The puzzle has always been preventing the return. Still, after my very first tirzepatide injection, I understood that Lilly had discovered a workable treatment for my obesity.

Does that make it a cure? No. Is it a treatment? Without a doubt. A cure suggests you address the condition and then halt. A treatment typically involves ongoing therapy because, once you take it away, the underlying condition remains and can flare back up.

I’m with you that this counts as a treatment. How each person maintains looks different. My own routine goes like this: after dropping 90 pounds, I quit glp1 drugs abruptly. My weight sits around 135, and whenever it climbs by 5 pounds, or hits 140 or higher, I restart glp1 drugs and stay on them until that gain comes off, which tends to take three to 4 weeks. At that point I stop once more, and it generally takes roughly 6 weeks before 6 pounds come back. Doing this has held me around 135-140ish for 2-1/2 years. Whether that’s the right way or not, it’s what works in my case. I appreciate not keeping separate fat clothes and skinny clothes in my closet. Only skinny clothes live there, and as long as I have any control over it, that won’t change.

 

[Grogu]

Tinkerbell2222 said:

Grogu said:

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

It's a shame, but many folks show up here thinking these drugs are just a way to drop weight, and that after hitting their target, sheer determination and habit tweaks will be sufficient to keep it off. For certain individuals, especially those who might never have qualified under the original prescribing guidelines, that could hold true. Yet for a large number of us, the real issue lies in some disruption within the brain-gut signaling system that fuels obesity. Obesity is a medical condition a person lives with, not some personal failing. I realize I'm saying this to people who already get it.

Over the course of my life, I've likely shed more than 1,000 pounds in total, so I'm quite skilled at dropping weight. The puzzle has always been preventing the return. Still, after my very first tirzepatide injection, I understood that Lilly had discovered a workable treatment for my obesity.

Does that make it a cure? No. Is it a treatment? Without a doubt. A cure suggests you address the condition and then halt. A treatment typically involves ongoing therapy because, once you take it away, the underlying condition remains and can flare back up.

I’m with you that this counts as a treatment. How each person maintains looks different. My own routine goes like this: after dropping 90 pounds, I quit glp1 drugs abruptly. My weight sits around 135, and whenever it climbs by 5 pounds, or hits 140 or higher, I restart glp1 drugs and stay on them until that gain comes off, which tends to take three to 4 weeks. At that point I stop once more, and it generally takes roughly 6 weeks before 6 pounds come back. Doing this has held me around 135-140ish for 2-1/2 years. Whether that’s the right way or not, it’s what works in my case. I appreciate not keeping separate fat clothes and skinny clothes in my closet. Only skinny clothes live there, and as long as I have any control over it, that won’t change.

Big Pharma has offered barely any direction when it comes to maintenance. One study did keep people on an unchanged dose across multiple years, and those people did not put on weight — yet we still lack answers about whether that amount was actually necessary, or whether the interval between doses might have been stretched, and so on. It sounds like you've landed on a routine that suits you, which is great! Well done on the weight you've lost, and on keeping it off through maintenance.

 

[Tinkerbell2222]

Ag

Seasonal1 said:

lessthanhalf said:

Beansnapper said:

I've noticed folks amassing supplies that would last for years, and I'm curious what's driving that choice. Surely they aren't so heavy that they'd require a supply stretching half a decade, right? It seems like there's some detail I'm not grasping.

Your question seems to assume that once an obese or overweight person drops the weight, the problem is solved and they simply remain lean forever. But according to the research and the experiences shared by many people here, the real challenge isn't taking weight off, it's preventing it from coming back. It's extremely common for someone with obesity to lose weight through a diet, then put it back on, sometimes over and over across their lifetime.

From my perspective, GLP drugs such as reta or tirz are excellent for weight loss maintenance, far better than just about any alternative out there. They also assist with losing the weight to begin with. For the majority of obese individuals, this is a long-term or lifelong issue, meaning they will need to remain on GLP drugs long term to avoid regaining, and these drugs come with plenty of additional health advantages as well.

Even though sema may become much cheaper in the coming years, reta or tirz are unlikely to be affordable anytime soon, unless you go through the grey or black market, and that market is fairly unstable and could be disrupted, so having a decent stockpile is simply practical protection against that possibility. In my case, these drugs are literally necessary for staying alive long term, so holding 5 years worth is just reasonable.

I'm completely with you on that. There are folks who stay at their maximum dosage and never step it down, and others who, even at that top dose, find holding their goal weight a real fight.

Having gone from obese to overweight, my freezer is stocked with these medications because I refuse to go through weight loss again. I've been down this path multiple times, and it's not a trip I look forward to. With goal weight getting nearer, maintenance is often on my mind and how it will play out. My guess is that Tirz, Reta, Cargi, and down the line Elora, at certain doses, will remain part of this lab rat's routine permanently.

Same here — I'm happy to be a "skinny" guinea pig for life! If only these meds had existed back then. Still, I'm having the time of my life, dropping from a size 18+ down to a "6" and savoring every slender second!

 

[bamagirl26]

MarshmallowCactus said:

Because my main reason for taking it isn't shedding pounds, what stands out most to me is the chance it lowers inflammation, neuroinflammation included. The FDA keeps delaying trials for a gene therapy that could stop my inherited condition from making me lose my mind (literally) within the next 20 years, so I'm trying anything I believe could cut neuroinflammation.

So yes, unless evidence shows otherwise, I intend to stay on it for life.

I'd really like to find out more about this!