Food poisoning while on GLP-1: when to resume dosing?

Ahobo1

Ahobo1

Explorer
Joined
Jun 28, 2026
Messages
41
Reaction score
0
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Food poisoning really is miserable when you're on GLP-1s...

My injection was Sunday, July 5th, and by Wednesday, July 8th, the food poisoning symptoms kicked in. I've dealt with food poisoning a few times in the past, and this round felt just like those, so I figured I'd just ride out a couple of days of running to the bathroom and eating plain toast. Yeah, that plan didn't hold up.

Here we are on July 14th—6 days into symptoms and 7 days since my last solid BM. Yesterday (the 13th) I ended up at Urgent Care, where the doctor started me on antibiotics and ordered a full bloodwork panel plus a stool sample. Free bloodwork, at least!

After the first antibiotic dose yesterday, today was the first morning I didn't wake up needing to sprint to the bathroom. Whatever they gave me seems to be helping.

I didn't take my reta dose on the 12th, so I'm 2 days behind now. Jumping back in right as my gut is finally calming down seems like a bad idea. So my question is: should I hold off until my regular dose day on the 19th? That would put a full 2 weeks between shots. I'm a bit worried that's too long a gap, but I also don't want to set my GI tract off again right now.
 
Ahobo1 said:

Food poisoning really is miserable when you're on GLP-1s...

My injection was Sunday, July 5th, and by Wednesday, July 8th, the food poisoning symptoms kicked in. I've dealt with food poisoning a few times in the past, and this round felt just like those, so I figured I'd just ride out a couple of days of running to the bathroom and eating plain toast. Yeah, that plan didn't hold up.

Here we are on July 14th—6 days into symptoms and 7 days since my last solid BM. Yesterday (the 13th) I ended up at Urgent Care, where the doctor started me on antibiotics and ordered a full bloodwork panel plus a stool sample. Free bloodwork, at least!

After the first antibiotic dose yesterday, today was the first morning I didn't wake up needing to sprint to the bathroom. Whatever they gave me seems to be helping.

I didn't take my reta dose on the 12th, so I'm 2 days behind now. Jumping back in right as my gut is finally calming down seems like a bad idea. So my question is: should I hold off until my regular dose day on the 19th? That would put a full 2 weeks between shots. I'm a bit worried that's too long a gap, but I also don't want to set my GI tract off again right now.
Click to expand...
My hunch is that you've picked up Cyclospora — the parasite that's been making its way around the US. Whether the UC ran tests, I can't say.

Was sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim (aka Bactrim) given to you?

Either way.... The short answer is no. When a person is dealing with an active GI infection or some other source of pronounced diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or an ileus, the usual guidance is to pause the GLP-1 medication until they've gotten better.[/B]
 
Jfrick11 said:

Ahobo1 said:

Food poisoning really is miserable when you're on GLP-1s...

My injection was Sunday, July 5th, and by Wednesday, July 8th, the food poisoning symptoms kicked in. I've dealt with food poisoning a few times in the past, and this round felt just like those, so I figured I'd just ride out a couple of days of running to the bathroom and eating plain toast. Yeah, that plan didn't hold up.

Here we are on July 14th—6 days into symptoms and 7 days since my last solid BM. Yesterday (the 13th) I ended up at Urgent Care, where the doctor started me on antibiotics and ordered a full bloodwork panel plus a stool sample. Free bloodwork, at least!

After the first antibiotic dose yesterday, today was the first morning I didn't wake up needing to sprint to the bathroom. Whatever they gave me seems to be helping.

I didn't take my reta dose on the 12th, so I'm 2 days behind now. Jumping back in right as my gut is finally calming down seems like a bad idea. So my question is: should I hold off until my regular dose day on the 19th? That would put a full 2 weeks between shots. I'm a bit worried that's too long a gap, but I also don't want to set my GI tract off again right now.
Click to expand...
My hunch is that you've picked up Cyclospora — the parasite that's been making its way around the US. Whether the UC ran tests, I can't say.

Was sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim (aka Bactrim) given to you?

Either way.... The short answer is no. When a person is dealing with an active GI infection or some other source of pronounced diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or an ileus, the usual guidance is to pause the GLP-1 medication until they've gotten better.[/B]
Click to expand...
Appreciate the reply. I'm in Canada, not the US, and as far as I know there isn't a cyclosporiasis outbreak happening here. Even so, the stool samples I'm handing in will be checked for it anyway.

Azithromycin was what the doctor put me on first. Their plan: if that doesn't do the job and the stool test identifies a particular parasite, then we'd change antibiotics to one aimed at that parasite specifically.
 
Ahobo1 said:

Jfrick11 said:

Ahobo1 said:

Food poisoning really is miserable when you're on GLP-1s...

My injection was Sunday, July 5th, and by Wednesday, July 8th, the food poisoning symptoms kicked in. I've dealt with food poisoning a few times in the past, and this round felt just like those, so I figured I'd just ride out a couple of days of running to the bathroom and eating plain toast. Yeah, that plan didn't hold up.

Here we are on July 14th—6 days into symptoms and 7 days since my last solid BM. Yesterday (the 13th) I ended up at Urgent Care, where the doctor started me on antibiotics and ordered a full bloodwork panel plus a stool sample. Free bloodwork, at least!

After the first antibiotic dose yesterday, today was the first morning I didn't wake up needing to sprint to the bathroom. Whatever they gave me seems to be helping.

I didn't take my reta dose on the 12th, so I'm 2 days behind now. Jumping back in right as my gut is finally calming down seems like a bad idea. So my question is: should I hold off until my regular dose day on the 19th? That would put a full 2 weeks between shots. I'm a bit worried that's too long a gap, but I also don't want to set my GI tract off again right now.
Click to expand...
My hunch is that you've picked up Cyclospora — the parasite that's been making its way around the US. Whether the UC ran tests, I can't say.

Was sulfamethoxazole plus trimethoprim (aka Bactrim) given to you?

Either way.... The short answer is no. When a person is dealing with an active GI infection or some other source of pronounced diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or an ileus, the usual guidance is to pause the GLP-1 medication until they've gotten better.[/B]
Click to expand...
Appreciate the reply. I'm in Canada, not the US, and as far as I know there isn't a cyclosporiasis outbreak happening here. Even so, the stool samples I'm handing in will be checked for it anyway.

Azithromycin was what the doctor put me on first. Their plan: if that doesn't do the job and the stool test identifies a particular parasite, then we'd change antibiotics to one aimed at that parasite specifically.
Click to expand...
That's good to hear. I'm in Mexico, and it's present here as well. Unless a PCR was done, it usually takes 3 samples to catch it.... But if the Azith is already helping, that's excellent. What tends to happen here is that people pick up cyclospora, which weakens the immune system, and then there's also an overgrowth of normal flora.... Or even introduction of new ones. So people end up with the parasite plus 2 or 3 bacteria.... Sometimes one gets cleared and you're left with the rest. I believe that's why people improve, then decline, then improve. The key point is that testing was done, so you'll have answers soon enough.

But I would definitely still pause the med until you're feeling better.
 
Honestly, I'm not sure how I'd handle it. But since I normally deal with loose stools as a side effect, my tendency would be to use partial dose(s) so my levels don't drop too drastically, and to "test the waters."
 
About a month back, I ended up 3 days behind on a dose because I was traveling. The following morning I took my 9mg and had no problems at all.
 
Curious — what makes you sure this is food poisoning or gastroenteritis and not a reaction to reta? When side effects come on strong and out of nowhere, they can look a lot like a gut infection (vomiting and/or diarrhoea). That becomes far less probable when someone has stayed on the same dose for a long stretch, though it is not so improbable if they have only just begun or are moving up in dose. It matters when it comes to starting reta again after things calm down. Should it come back once reta is restarted, I suppose that gives you your answer.
 
lessthanhalf said:

Curious — what makes you sure this is food poisoning or gastroenteritis and not a reaction to reta? When side effects come on strong and out of nowhere, they can look a lot like a gut infection (vomiting and/or diarrhoea). That becomes far less probable when someone has stayed on the same dose for a long stretch, though it is not so improbable if they have only just begun or are moving up in dose. It matters when it comes to starting reta again after things calm down. Should it come back once reta is restarted, I suppose that gives you your answer.
Click to expand...

I've been taking reta for 2 months at an unchanged dose, and the only issue I've ever had was mild constipation. I've dealt with food poisoning multiple times in the past, and this felt identical. From what I know, reta side effects usually show up 1 or 2 days after the most recent dose and clear up within a few days. In my case, symptoms began 4 days after the last dose and went on for 6 days.
 
Worst for me was the evening of the injection plus the following day. Those effects cleared up a long time back now, apart from trouble sleeping.
 
Hope you're on the mend. Honestly, it seems like everyone in the US ought to have a Bactrim prescription sitting at home, because SOOOOOOO many folks are coming down with something!! I ended up tossing a few bags of Taylor Farms salad. what a waste
 
bamagirl26 said:

Hope you're on the mend. Honestly, it seems like everyone in the US ought to have a Bactrim prescription sitting at home, because SOOOOOOO many folks are coming down with something!! I ended up tossing a few bags of Taylor Farms salad. what a waste
Click to expand...
That same brand was something my wife used to purchase as well.
 
BNLFL said:

bamagirl26 said:

Hope you're on the mend. Honestly, it seems like everyone in the US ought to have a Bactrim prescription sitting at home, because SOOOOOOO many folks are coming down with something!! I ended up tossing a few bags of Taylor Farms salad. what a waste
Click to expand...
That same brand was something my wife used to purchase as well.
Click to expand...
remove it from the house! My son told me to toss everything in the fridge, and I said, no way - we had some of the asian salad and didn't get sick, so I figure our bag was fine, but even so, I threw the other bags away.
 
bamagirl26 said:

Hope you're on the mend. Honestly, it seems like everyone in the US ought to have a Bactrim prescription sitting at home, because SOOOOOOO many folks are coming down with something!! I ended up tossing a few bags of Taylor Farms salad. what a waste
Click to expand...
Yeah, azithromycin cleared it up. I'm still waiting on the parasite cultures to identify exactly what I picked up. On the bright side, the whole thing came with free complete bloodwork 😭 so at least I know all my levels are looking great
 
Posting this here for anyone who comes across this thread later.

On the 14th I took my usual injection — that was the first day I felt completely back to normal. In the end I was only 2 days behind my normal schedule. But wow, my reta levels have clearly dropped. The hunger is back. Shotsy says that if I take my regular dose tomorrow, I'll be back to where I was before the food poisoning. Fingers crossed that knocks the hunger back down. If it doesn't, then next week I'm moving up to 3mg!
 
I spent my childhood fishing along Mexico's coastlines, so stomach bugs were just part of life. Immodium was our go-to first defense, and it basically reduced the flow to a slow drip, if you will. Provided you stayed on top of fluids and electrolytes, it typically ran its course. Our family doctor, who had practiced in Africa earlier in his career, told us to keep some flagyl doses on hand. It won't cure anything, but it can help you through a rough patch. La bufadora is no joke. Stay safe buddy
 
and if nothing else works, triple ply charmin gets my strongest recommendation.



189be4bda74251dd577bf20ffa97f9cc9a5e9b91ff4af4a25e1e64c2737233a0.gif
 
A few weeks back, I came down with food poisoning too, but it cleared up faster for me — roughly 3 days. To give my stomach a break, I ended up missing 1 week of Reta. My dose isn’t high, just 1 mg.
 
bamagirl26 said:

BNLFL said:

bamagirl26 said:

Hope you're on the mend. Honestly, it seems like everyone in the US ought to have a Bactrim prescription sitting at home, because SOOOOOOO many folks are coming down with something!! I ended up tossing a few bags of Taylor Farms salad. what a waste
Click to expand...
That same brand was something my wife used to purchase as well.
Click to expand...
remove it from the house! My son told me to toss everything in the fridge, and I said, no way - we had some of the asian salad and didn't get sick, so I figure our bag was fine, but even so, I threw the other bags away.
Click to expand...
Straight into the bin. It was on the news.
 
Back
Top