INTRO Stepping out of the shadows

[A-Train]

Hi everybody,

The title says it: I sat quietly reading here for a long time before working up the nerve to post. Nothing personal in that - I'm simply very introverted and quiet - but I've enjoyed a great many of your discussions and the generosity in them.

What finally pushed me to 'introduce myself' was reading a discussion about whether peaks and valleys are needed with Reta, and wanting to add something to it.

Right now I'm 9 shots into my new reta journey. An extremely conservative 0.25mg was where I began, held for 3 weeks, before titrating up to the thrilling 0.5mg that I've run for the past 6 weeks. Plenty of you will reckon I'm simply wasting good medicine, I know, and on that we'll just have to disagree.

Around shot 7 or 8 I switched to dosing every 6 days rather than 7, and that is what led me both to the peaks and valleys discussion mentioned above and to this introduction - me stepping outside my comfort zone to write to you all. Full circle, as they say! Anyway, heavy fatigue, brain fog and anhedonia had been troubling me - quite possibly unrelated to reta - but I decided to find out whether a 6-day dose leaves me feeling any better.

Where to start... I'm a 30sF, and weight has been a battle ever since I swore off exercise for good after a decade of serious training and D-I athletics. Roughly 10 years back, at my heaviest of 260lb, I went for the gastric sleeve. That worked well for a few years, until I ballooned back to 230lb. For years I held that 230, largely thanks to a prescribed stimulant for executive dysfunction. Then about 2 years ago PMDD symptoms started, I was put on SSRIs, and another 30 went on. These days movement has shifted from 'I can, but don't want to' to 'I can't, I'm out of breath and everything hurts'. Change was (and is) overdue. Ozempic never interested me when it launched. Tirz caught my eye, though I stayed sceptical. But that lady Reta - she got me to dive in.

So that's me. I nervously hope this story lives up to Captain Zippity's standards, and that I'll be chatting with you all before long!

 

[birdwhacker]

Since you began the reta, have you... dropped any pounds?

And lol, welcome

 

[308fan]

What results have you seen from Reta up to this point? What changes have you observed since you began?

 

[Rtrain]

Glad you could join us. Wishing you the very best!

 

[A-Train]

birdwhacker said:

Since you began the reta, have you... dropped any pounds?

And lol, welcome

Appreciate it! Down 2lbs total

308fan said:

What results have you seen from Reta up to this point? What changes have you observed since you began?

Down just 2lbs at this point, though the change is unmistakable — not just with hunger, but with how much I want junk food

Rtrain said:

Glad you could join us. Wishing you the very best!

Thanks, my fellow rail friend!

 

[birdwhacker]

A-Train said:

birdwhacker said:

Since you began the reta, have you... dropped any pounds?

And lol, welcome

Appreciate it! Down 2lbs total

308fan said:

What results have you seen from Reta up to this point? What changes have you observed since you began?

Down just 2lbs at this point, though the change is unmistakable — not just with hunger, but with how much I want junk food

Rtrain said:

Glad you could join us. Wishing you the very best!

Thanks, my fellow rail friend!

Being "that guy" isn't something I'm eager to do, and it's genuinely good that the medication is assisting with cravings and lifestyle changes. For folks dealing with problems like ours, 0.5mg reta beats no reta at all.

Still, I'll play that guy for a moment. Every study had participants begin at either 2mg or 4mg. Sure, nobody needs to jump straight to that level, but it does give you a reference point for how well it works. The people in those studies dropped weight fast, and those were the amounts they were on.

My approach was similar going in — I figured I'd take 0.5mg and just remain there. Instead, it did nothing for me, so I moved up to the 2mg starting dose inside the first week. No side effect I had stuck around past a day. Over the first five weeks I dropped roughly 18lbs too. For the first two weeks I basically ate almost nothing, though by week 3 my diet and exercise were fully sorted out.

My view is that a countdown is running on these drugs. Before tolerance builds or side effects appear, they'll only work for so long – that's been true of every drug I've taken, and I doubt Reta will be a huge exception.

So following the protocol from a different study where people began at 4mg and were titrated up by +2mg each month (and had better weight loss), I did the same thing and moved to 4.6mg weekly. Starting at 0.5 and titrating fast, plus going to 4mg rather than 3mg after the first month, has left me very happy with my journey.

That's simply my experience and what worked for me. Rapid titration like mine isn't something I'll tell you to copy, but getting onto the minimum effective dose of 2-4mg as soon as you can, then holding there however long you want, is something I'd strongly recommend. A lot of people do well that way.

The glucagon pathway is said to begin activating around the 6-8mg point, so my plan is to titrate up to that as soon as I can and remain at that dose for a longer stretch.

Good luck and read up!

 

[A-Train]

birdwhacker said:

A-Train said:

birdwhacker said:

Since you began the reta, have you... dropped any pounds?

And lol, welcome

Appreciate it! Down 2lbs total

308fan said:

What results have you seen from Reta up to this point? What changes have you observed since you began?

Down just 2lbs at this point, though the change is unmistakable — not just with hunger, but with how much I want junk food

Rtrain said:

Glad you could join us. Wishing you the very best!

Thanks, my fellow rail friend!

Being "that guy" isn't something I'm eager to do, and it's genuinely good that the medication is assisting with cravings and lifestyle changes. For folks dealing with problems like ours, 0.5mg reta beats no reta at all.

Still, I'll play that guy for a moment. Every study had participants begin at either 2mg or 4mg. Sure, nobody needs to jump straight to that level, but it does give you a reference point for how well it works. The people in those studies dropped weight fast, and those were the amounts they were on.

My approach was similar going in — I figured I'd take 0.5mg and just remain there. Instead, it did nothing for me, so I moved up to the 2mg starting dose inside the first week. No side effect I had stuck around past a day. Over the first five weeks I dropped roughly 18lbs too. For the first two weeks I basically ate almost nothing, though by week 3 my diet and exercise were fully sorted out.

My view is that a countdown is running on these drugs. Before tolerance builds or side effects appear, they'll only work for so long – that's been true of every drug I've taken, and I doubt Reta will be a huge exception.

So following the protocol from a different study where people began at 4mg and were titrated up by +2mg each month (and had better weight loss), I did the same thing and moved to 4.6mg weekly. Starting at 0.5 and titrating fast, plus going to 4mg rather than 3mg after the first month, has left me very happy with my journey.

That's simply my experience and what worked for me. Rapid titration like mine isn't something I'll tell you to copy, but getting onto the minimum effective dose of 2-4mg as soon as you can, then holding there however long you want, is something I'd strongly recommend. A lot of people do well that way.

The glucagon pathway is said to begin activating around the 6-8mg point, so my plan is to titrate up to that as soon as I can and remain at that dose for a longer stretch.

Good luck and read up!

Thanks for the tips, and nice work on dropping the weight!

My starting dose was that small because medications hit me really hard. A doctor once pushed back on me, insisting the short-term "low dose" steroid shots for my back pain couldn't possibly be behind the cushings symptoms I was having — even though the stretch marks, moon face, and hump back had appeared out of nowhere.

After my 2nd dose, and then again after my 2nd dose of 0.5mg, I did feel side effects (fatigue, nausea). So I looked into it and settled on spending no less than 4 weeks at every dose. That way, each step up gets enough time to reach a steady state in my body, and I can get a clear picture of how that dose feels.

Losing too quickly isn't something I want, since I kicked off a lifestyle change at the same time as starting reta. My worry is that if the weight comes off as fast as it did with the gastric sleeve, I won't have had the chance to genuinely build healthy habits. I'd already be at the mountaintop, so to speak, and staying disciplined gets much harder for me once I'm there. Looking back, I took my surgery weight loss for granted and maybe arrogantly told myself "I'll be okay" while I kept breaking habits and slipping back into old patterns.

With all that said, I'm planning to move to 1mg on my next dose lol

Last week I found this YouTube video, and it made me feel a bit more confident about how I'm titrating. I realize it isn't about Reta, but I still thought it was useful: Zepbound Dosing: Your Doctor Probably Didn't Tell You About This Issue

 

[birdwhacker]

A-Train said:

birdwhacker said:

A-Train said:

birdwhacker said:

Since you began the reta, have you... dropped any pounds?

And lol, welcome

Appreciate it! Down 2lbs total

308fan said:

What results have you seen from Reta up to this point? What changes have you observed since you began?

Down just 2lbs at this point, though the change is unmistakable — not just with hunger, but with how much I want junk food

Rtrain said:

Glad you could join us. Wishing you the very best!

Thanks, my fellow rail friend!

Being "that guy" isn't something I'm eager to do, and it's genuinely good that the medication is assisting with cravings and lifestyle changes. For folks dealing with problems like ours, 0.5mg reta beats no reta at all.

Still, I'll play that guy for a moment. Every study had participants begin at either 2mg or 4mg. Sure, nobody needs to jump straight to that level, but it does give you a reference point for how well it works. The people in those studies dropped weight fast, and those were the amounts they were on.

My approach was similar going in — I figured I'd take 0.5mg and just remain there. Instead, it did nothing for me, so I moved up to the 2mg starting dose inside the first week. No side effect I had stuck around past a day. Over the first five weeks I dropped roughly 18lbs too. For the first two weeks I basically ate almost nothing, though by week 3 my diet and exercise were fully sorted out.

My view is that a countdown is running on these drugs. Before tolerance builds or side effects appear, they'll only work for so long – that's been true of every drug I've taken, and I doubt Reta will be a huge exception.

So following the protocol from a different study where people began at 4mg and were titrated up by +2mg each month (and had better weight loss), I did the same thing and moved to 4.6mg weekly. Starting at 0.5 and titrating fast, plus going to 4mg rather than 3mg after the first month, has left me very happy with my journey.

That's simply my experience and what worked for me. Rapid titration like mine isn't something I'll tell you to copy, but getting onto the minimum effective dose of 2-4mg as soon as you can, then holding there however long you want, is something I'd strongly recommend. A lot of people do well that way.

The glucagon pathway is said to begin activating around the 6-8mg point, so my plan is to titrate up to that as soon as I can and remain at that dose for a longer stretch.

Good luck and read up!

Thanks for the tips, and nice work on dropping the weight!

My starting dose was that small because medications hit me really hard. A doctor once pushed back on me, insisting the short-term "low dose" steroid shots for my back pain couldn't possibly be behind the cushings symptoms I was having — even though the stretch marks, moon face, and hump back had appeared out of nowhere.

After my 2nd dose, and then again after my 2nd dose of 0.5mg, I did feel side effects (fatigue, nausea). So I looked into it and settled on spending no less than 4 weeks at every dose. That way, each step up gets enough time to reach a steady state in my body, and I can get a clear picture of how that dose feels.

Losing too quickly isn't something I want, since I kicked off a lifestyle change at the same time as starting reta. My worry is that if the weight comes off as fast as it did with the gastric sleeve, I won't have had the chance to genuinely build healthy habits. I'd already be at the mountaintop, so to speak, and staying disciplined gets much harder for me once I'm there. Looking back, I took my surgery weight loss for granted and maybe arrogantly told myself "I'll be okay" while I kept breaking habits and slipping back into old patterns.

With all that said, I'm planning to move to 1mg on my next dose lol

Last week I found this YouTube video, and it made me feel a bit more confident about how I'm titrating. I realize it isn't about Reta, but I still thought it was useful: Zepbound Dosing: Your Doctor Probably Didn't Tell You About This Issue

Thank you!

Regarding everything else, I get it entirely — I simply wanted to share my own approach and outcomes with you, so the info is there should you ever want it. Perhaps someday you'll meet somebody similar to me and can relay what I've learned. I've got friends who react strongly to even small amounts of medications, supplements, THC — and I'm the complete opposite of that. People know me for shrugging off practically anything I put in my body. Week old pizza left out at room temperature, a whole month of prescription meds taken in 1 day, or accidentally doubling my reta dose — whatever it is, it typically does what it's supposed to on me, for better or worse

I also have a hunch that those who experience side effects from reta might be undernourished as well. Make sure you're getting a reasonable quantity of vitamin D, in inverse proportion to how much sun you get, plus a good trace mineral complex containing zinc and copper, magnesium glycinate, TMG, fish oil, and a methylated B complex!