How long did Reta's temporary side effects last for you?

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bgddy32

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I'll go first. I figured the bloating and the bathroom troubles were just my new normal, but around week 3 things started to level out. That got me thinking: which side effects did you guys deal with early on that eventually faded once your body adjusted?

Sleep is the other one for me. It's improved somewhat, so I'm hoping that keeps heading in the right direction too.
 
no bloating for me, but my mouth stayed dry for several weeks. after 2 months, my skin is still sensitive. my heart rate went back to normal at around 1 month. sleep was never a problem, though i've used melatonin for years, so who knows. no pain at all -- apart from skin sensitivity that's uncomfortable now and then -- and no bowel problems. 2 months in, i'm still freezing when i get into bed, yet i can keep the AC on all day without issue, which makes no sense.

not going to the bathroom often has been a really odd adjustment lol
 
bgddy32 said:

I'll go first. I figured the bloating and the bathroom troubles were just my new normal, but around week 3 things started to level out. That got me thinking: which side effects did you guys deal with early on that eventually faded once your body adjusted?

Sleep is the other one for me. It's improved somewhat, so I'm hoping that keeps heading in the right direction too.
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I don't know your dosage. From my experience, things intensify with each increase. I began around 6mg and I'm now at 8mg. The other one is heartburn—it only shows up occasionally right before sleep on injection day. When I first started, it happened every night.
 
BNLFL said:

bgddy32 said:

I'll go first. I figured the bloating and the bathroom troubles were just my new normal, but around week 3 things started to level out. That got me thinking: which side effects did you guys deal with early on that eventually faded once your body adjusted?

Sleep is the other one for me. It's improved somewhat, so I'm hoping that keeps heading in the right direction too.
Click to expand...
I don't know your dosage. From my experience, things intensify with each increase. I began around 6mg and I'm now at 8mg. The other one is heartburn—it only shows up occasionally right before sleep on injection day. When I first started, it happened every night.
Click to expand...
I take 2mg per week as a split dose. Honestly, it amazes me that after exactly 1 month, every side effect I had is gone... my bowel movements are back to how they were, and last night I slept 7 hours, which hadn't happened in a month.

What I keep wondering is whether fewer side effects means the reta is working less — like you no longer get that appetite suppression (feeling full sooner) or the food noise quieting. This matters a lot to me because I don't want to go above 4mg, and I'd like to remain at 2mg for as long as I can.
 
Lightheadedness. Constant lightheadedness. Plus my blood pressure is running low. I have to add extra salt to all my food and take electrolytes every day. When the day's calorie deficit gets too big, suddenly the dizziness hits with no warning. I'm hoping it fades away within a month or two...
 
My GI problems cleared up within the first 2 weeks. There was a lot of ‘bowel clenching’, like I needed a BM but there wasn’t much there, and that was at just 1mg split across 2 doses.

When I moved up to 4mg split during month 2, fatigue hit me hard. It was probably because I was eating less, though I kept my gym schedule going.

At 6mg, anhedonia showed up. Again, it was very obvious in the back half of month 2 and all through month 3. Skin sensitivity also appeared around that time.

I’m at 8mg per week now in month 4. My energy has leveled out and the anhedonia is only a small fraction of what it used to be. The skin sensitivity has gotten worse. It isn’t really painful, but it is irritating, especially near my waist where pants sit and where my shirt ‘rubs’ my back.
 
Pete369 said:

My GI problems cleared up within the first 2 weeks. There was a lot of ‘bowel clenching’, like I needed a BM but there wasn’t much there, and that was at just 1mg split across 2 doses.

When I moved up to 4mg split during month 2, fatigue hit me hard. It was probably because I was eating less, though I kept my gym schedule going.

At 6mg, anhedonia showed up. Again, it was very obvious in the back half of month 2 and all through month 3. Skin sensitivity also appeared around that time.

I’m at 8mg per week now in month 4. My energy has leveled out and the anhedonia is only a small fraction of what it used to be. The skin sensitivity has gotten worse. It isn’t really painful, but it is irritating, especially near my waist where pants sit and where my shirt ‘rubs’ my back.
Click to expand...
You saw things calm down before you moved up a dose — was the reason you titrated that the side effects had eased and reta's effects were starting to wear off?
 
bgddy32 said:

BNLFL said:

bgddy32 said:

I'll go first. I figured the bloating and the bathroom troubles were just my new normal, but around week 3 things started to level out. That got me thinking: which side effects did you guys deal with early on that eventually faded once your body adjusted?

Sleep is the other one for me. It's improved somewhat, so I'm hoping that keeps heading in the right direction too.
Click to expand...
I don't know your dosage. From my experience, things intensify with each increase. I began around 6mg and I'm now at 8mg. The other one is heartburn—it only shows up occasionally right before sleep on injection day. When I first started, it happened every night.
Click to expand...
I take 2mg per week as a split dose. Honestly, it amazes me that after exactly 1 month, every side effect I had is gone... my bowel movements are back to how they were, and last night I slept 7 hours, which hadn't happened in a month.

What I keep wondering is whether fewer side effects means the reta is working less — like you no longer get that appetite suppression (feeling full sooner) or the food noise quieting. This matters a lot to me because I don't want to go above 4mg, and I'd like to remain at 2mg for as long as I can.
Click to expand...
In that case, you've gotten really fortunate. For 6 weeks we sat at 4mg, and eventually that sensation simply faded out. Then 6 weeks at 6mg, with things slowing down near the end of 6mg. Things are different at 8mg though — I constantly feel completely full. My appetite is terrible, my sleep is terrible, but the heartburn has more or less gone away. I've been on 8 for 4 weeks and intend to remain at this level until I reach my goal, which is roughly 10lbs away. After that, I'll work out a maintenance dose.
 
bgddy32 said:

Pete369 said:

My GI problems cleared up within the first 2 weeks. There was a lot of ‘bowel clenching’, like I needed a BM but there wasn’t much there, and that was at just 1mg split across 2 doses.

When I moved up to 4mg split during month 2, fatigue hit me hard. It was probably because I was eating less, though I kept my gym schedule going.

At 6mg, anhedonia showed up. Again, it was very obvious in the back half of month 2 and all through month 3. Skin sensitivity also appeared around that time.

I’m at 8mg per week now in month 4. My energy has leveled out and the anhedonia is only a small fraction of what it used to be. The skin sensitivity has gotten worse. It isn’t really painful, but it is irritating, especially near my waist where pants sit and where my shirt ‘rubs’ my back.
Click to expand...
You saw things calm down before you moved up a dose — was the reason you titrated that the side effects had eased and reta's effects were starting to wear off?
Click to expand...
For me it was both things. The stomach issues cleared up, but about a week later the late-evening cravings returned with a vengeance. My dosing wasn't the usual double-up either — I moved through 1mg, 2mg, 3mg, 4mg, 5mg, 6mg, 7mg, and 8mg on a weekly basis using split doses. Those numbers just mark the points where I felt the worst of the side effects either peak or fade. I only bumped things up when I caught myself wanting food at night even after having a protein shake or a small snack.
 
Pete369 said:

bgddy32 said:

Pete369 said:

My GI problems cleared up within the first 2 weeks. There was a lot of ‘bowel clenching’, like I needed a BM but there wasn’t much there, and that was at just 1mg split across 2 doses.

When I moved up to 4mg split during month 2, fatigue hit me hard. It was probably because I was eating less, though I kept my gym schedule going.

At 6mg, anhedonia showed up. Again, it was very obvious in the back half of month 2 and all through month 3. Skin sensitivity also appeared around that time.

I’m at 8mg per week now in month 4. My energy has leveled out and the anhedonia is only a small fraction of what it used to be. The skin sensitivity has gotten worse. It isn’t really painful, but it is irritating, especially near my waist where pants sit and where my shirt ‘rubs’ my back.
Click to expand...
You saw things calm down before you moved up a dose — was the reason you titrated that the side effects had eased and reta's effects were starting to wear off?
Click to expand...
For me it was both things. The stomach issues cleared up, but about a week later the late-evening cravings returned with a vengeance. My dosing wasn't the usual double-up either — I moved through 1mg, 2mg, 3mg, 4mg, 5mg, 6mg, 7mg, and 8mg on a weekly basis using split doses. Those numbers just mark the points where I felt the worst of the side effects either peak or fade. I only bumped things up when I caught myself wanting food at night even after having a protein shake or a small snack.
Click to expand...
Ah, got it, so it sounds like this is just how it goes — roughly 4 week cycles while your body gets used to things before you hit it with a higher dose... damn, I was actually enjoying how I feel right now lol
 
bgddy32 said:


Ah okay seems like this is standard then 4 week cycles before your body adjusts before you slam it with more... damn i was looking forward to how i feel now lol

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I’ve come across a lot of personal accounts from folks who say they never saw a reason to go above 2-4mg. In my case, I’d already dropped from 295 down to 235 before starting, and over the past 2 years my weight has swung between 215 and 235 depending on the season. Processed foods are mostly gone from my diet; my wife has celiac disease and a corn allergy, so meals are built around protein and vegetables, sweets aren’t a big snacking thing, I’ve stuck with the gym for 5 years, and I’m carrying a decent amount of muscle. I figure individual response involves many variables, including how hard you’re cutting versus what your body needs energy-wise.
 
Mochizuki0124 said:

The bloating hit me hard for about a week or 2. I also discovered fast that my lactose intolerance is roughly 3x worst.
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Mine seemed to go on for 3 weeks, haha
 
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