Constantly freezing, unsure of the cause or remedy — could this be a side effect?

[mysteriousfossa]

I've been taking 2mg of Reta for about 5 weeks. From the moment I began, I've felt extremely cold all the time, even with warm clothing on and while living in Australia. Is this a side effect anyone else has run into, or am I losing my mind?

 

[miameow]

mysteriousfossa said:

I've been taking 2mg of Reta for about 5 weeks. From the moment I began, I've felt extremely cold all the time, even with warm clothing on and while living in Australia. Is this a side effect anyone else has run into, or am I losing my mind?

Nope, you're not alone. Among the reta side effects I dealt with, this one ranked as the most miserable. It stuck around the whole time; even during June I felt chilly. Since stopping reta, I've warmed back up.

 

[Grrrem]

This seems to be a fairly typical reaction. While I was in England during spring, I dealt with it too, and at first I just assumed the weather was still chilly. The realization only hit when I walked into the staff break room, announced how freezing it was, and switched on my small heater — everyone else just gave me puzzled looks.

For me it was at its worst at my starting dose of 2mg and again when I moved up to 4mg. After several weeks on 4mg, it stopped, and since increasing to 6mg the side effects haven't come back.

 

[spanky2026]

Not reta, tirz instead — I definitely went through this, though it cleared up in about a month. It's a fairly typical side effect.

 

[eidos]

With Reta, this occasionally occurs for me. One day last week, while attempting to rest in my room, the temperature was 27°C, yet I still needed to pull the blanket over myself. When I checked my temperature, nothing was off. My thyroid hormone levels also came back normal. I suppose it’s merely nerve-related, "idiopathic" paresthesia (what doctors call it when they mean “I don’t know”).

 

[Cuzman]

Ha, so it isn't only me! For weeks I've been feeling cold, although over here in Oz it's winter. Figured the weight loss had to be behind it. If the pounds are coming off, I can put up with feeling cold

 

[reta-stacker]

I felt chilly, though I assumed it came from losing insulating fat. It wasn't right away — it showed up after I'd dropped some weight, maybe several weeks into things. The side effect that has stuck around the longest for me is skin sensitivity. It's been nearly 4 months at this point.

 

[Skidude]

mysteriousfossa said:

I've been taking 2mg of Reta for about 5 weeks. From the moment I began, I've felt extremely cold all the time, even with warm clothing on and while living in Australia. Is this a side effect anyone else has run into, or am I losing my mind?

Absolutely, Tirz gave me that too..

for a stretch, my hands and feet were hit hardest

 

[woundcarping]

During winter, while I was on Reta, I felt freezing... it's a fairly typical side effect, and thankfully it doesn't really bother me. Sometimes I'd be in the truck with the heated seat on and the heater cranked all the way up. After several weeks, it became less intense.

It's summer now where I am in the southeastern US, and I'm still getting cold inside. I've always preferred colder temperatures, which was funny considering my location. These days my house is kept at 73-74* instead of sleeping with it set down at 68*. I work outdoors, and so far the heat hasn't been a problem, though I spend more time operating a machine now than I did in previous years.

 

[Builderman]

I’ve run into the same problem. Ever since I shed that first 20 pounds, I’ve been freezing all the time. Being a big guy, I basically never get cold, so this has caught me off guard as a side effect.

 

[Seasonal1]

For the past few weeks, when I'm in my recliner at night, I've been raising the AC a few degrees. I grab a blanket. I'm definitely cold. The Reta never crossed my mind.

 

[oldjarhead]

mysteriousfossa said:

I've been taking 2mg of Reta for about 5 weeks. From the moment I began, I've felt extremely cold all the time, even with warm clothing on and while living in Australia. Is this a side effect anyone else has run into, or am I losing my mind?

I get what you mean — for me, nothing showed up until I reached 4mg. That nonstop chill eventually faded, yet even the slightest draft now hits my skin like a blast of arctic air. I'm still carrying extra weight and have always tended to overheat, so I figure it would be even worse if I weren't 60 pounds from my target. I can't offer a fix, but in some way, we're all a bit crazy.

 

[BNLFL]

My home feels like an oven, yet I've been experiencing the cold sensation described earlier, though it appears to resolve on its own.

 

[sheilarae74]

Even after 7 months and reaching 6mg/wk, this keeps occurring frequently for me. One upside: my central air has gotten much less use this summer.

 

[jpru2001]

Yeah, I'm cold nonstop. In my case it isn't tied to reta at all — this happens to me whenever I'm running a big calorie deficit...going back to well before GLP1s were around.

 

[IAmAMeatPopsicle]

So I suppose I'm aiming for the trifecta here.. Raynauds Syndrome, Dysautonomia, and now, seemingly, Reta FTW! Is there a prize for me?

 

[skaylife]

During my first few months on Tirz, I went through the same thing. My guess is that it ties into eating fewer calories and dropping weight quickly, since your metabolism starts adjusting to that. Once your weight loss slows down and your body starts drawing on stored fat for energy, though, the feeling goes away.

 

[boytres]

I was on Tirz for a year, and the cold I experienced is something I still can't account for. The worst hit areas were my hands and fingers.

I've always been an active guy, someone who ran hot rather than cold, and cold weather genuinely appealed to me. Switching to Reta, that same chilly feeling is still there, but for me it's much milder than what Tirz caused.

Even after stepping away from GLP1's for a while, my hands stayed cold. Whether that's simply permanent now, I have no idea. So rather than spending on fast food, it looks like I'll be buying winter gear forever.... I suppose the system gets its win in the end.

 

[skaylife]

boytres said:

I was on Tirz for a year, and the cold I experienced is something I still can't account for. The worst hit areas were my hands and fingers.

I've always been an active guy, someone who ran hot rather than cold, and cold weather genuinely appealed to me. Switching to Reta, that same chilly feeling is still there, but for me it's much milder than what Tirz caused.

Even after stepping away from GLP1's for a while, my hands stayed cold. Whether that's simply permanent now, I have no idea. So rather than spending on fast food, it looks like I'll be buying winter gear forever.... I suppose the system gets its win in the end.

When GLP-1 medications cause coldness as a side effect, it affects the entire body. Take, for example, wanting to wrap yourself in a blanket in a room where no one else is feeling cold.

Persistently cold hands specifically may point to a different cause. Up until 10 years ago, I smoked 40 sigarettes/day. My hands were always cold until I stopped. A long time back, I also had the same issue from carpal thunnel syndrome in both hands, and it resolved after surgery.

 

[boytres]

skaylife said:

boytres said:

I was on Tirz for a year, and the cold I experienced is something I still can't account for. The worst hit areas were my hands and fingers.

I've always been an active guy, someone who ran hot rather than cold, and cold weather genuinely appealed to me. Switching to Reta, that same chilly feeling is still there, but for me it's much milder than what Tirz caused.

Even after stepping away from GLP1's for a while, my hands stayed cold. Whether that's simply permanent now, I have no idea. So rather than spending on fast food, it looks like I'll be buying winter gear forever.... I suppose the system gets its win in the end.

When GLP-1 medications cause coldness as a side effect, it affects the entire body. Take, for example, wanting to wrap yourself in a blanket in a room where no one else is feeling cold.

Persistently cold hands specifically may point to a different cause. Up until 10 years ago, I smoked 40 sigarettes/day. My hands were always cold until I stopped. A long time back, I also had the same issue from carpal thunnel syndrome in both hands, and it resolved after surgery.

These symptoms did show up for me too — I felt cold the entire time, with my hands and fingers affected most severely.

After a GP examination, nothing underlying turned up, and the cause was put down to Tirz use (Mounjaro back then). I don't smoke and don't drink alcohol either.

Now I'm taking Reta, and honestly the full-body cold sensation is just as strong; it's only the cold hands and fingers that stick around. No idea why, but at least it's something I can handle.