Long Haul Reta users - 1-2+ years

[TriDiddy]

Bep2030 said:

TriDiddy said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

My time on Reta is roughly 3.5 months, and a couple months in I picked up on the libido issue too. I began a daily 5.0 mg dose of Tadalafil (Cialis), which sorted it out completely. This is certainly worth checking into, in my opinion.

Appreciate the suggestion! My guess is that it's only effective for guys?

Libido problems at 22 aren't something you should be dealing with. My suggestion is to book an appointment with your Dr and have your hormones tested. Daily low-dose Tadalafil (Cialis) does offer advantages for women, though whether it would fix your situation, I can't say.

 

[Skidude]

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

Did this start happening only lately? If that's the case, getting hormones checked and similar testing could be worth considering.

Anecdotally, certain peps such as pt-141 or oxytocin have provided help to women.

What Reta frequently gets noted for:

Blunting the urge for alcohol, drugs, and possibly sex too.

A worthwhile rabbit hole to explore (Reta would be relevant here as well):

Anhedonia (loss of pleasure) and depressed libido from GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro stem from overlapping brain circuits. These drugs modulate dopamine and serotonin pathways in reward centers, which suppress food cravings but can also dampen motivation, general joy, and sexual desire. Severe calorie restriction and rapid hormonal shifts also contribute. [1, 2, 3]

Why It Happens

• • Reward Circuit Overlap: The brain areas managing food rewards also control pleasure and sexual drive.
  • Dopamine Modulation: Lower dopamine signaling reduces the urge for hedonistic activities, including sex.
  • Physical Depletion: Extreme low-calorie intake causes fatigue, stress, and drops in vital hormones like testosterone. [1, 2, 3, 4]

What You Can Do

• • Talk to your doctor: Discuss adjusting or lowering your dose, as anhedonia often links to higher maintenance levels.
  • Check your nutrition: Ensure you eat enough calories, protein, and healthy fats to support natural hormone production.
  • Review other factors:

Click to expand...

 

[BNLFL]

Bep2030 said:

BNLFL said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

What's your age?

I am 22 years old

So much for my hypothesis.

Skidude said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

Did this start happening only lately? If that's the case, getting hormones checked and similar testing could be worth considering.

Anecdotally, certain peps such as pt-141 or oxytocin have provided help to women.

What Reta frequently gets noted for:

Blunting the urge for alcohol, drugs, and possibly sex too.

A worthwhile rabbit hole to explore (Reta would be relevant here as well):

Anhedonia (loss of pleasure) and depressed libido from GLP-1 medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro stem from overlapping brain circuits. These drugs modulate dopamine and serotonin pathways in reward centers, which suppress food cravings but can also dampen motivation, general joy, and sexual desire. Severe calorie restriction and rapid hormonal shifts also contribute. [1, 2, 3]

Why It Happens

• • Reward Circuit Overlap: The brain areas managing food rewards also control pleasure and sexual drive.
  • Dopamine Modulation: Lower dopamine signaling reduces the urge for hedonistic activities, including sex.
  • Physical Depletion: Extreme low-calorie intake causes fatigue, stress, and drops in vital hormones like testosterone. [1, 2, 3, 4]

What You Can Do

• • Talk to your doctor: Discuss adjusting or lowering your dose, as anhedonia often links to higher maintenance levels.
  • Check your nutrition: Ensure you eat enough calories, protein, and healthy fats to support natural hormone production.
  • Review other factors:

Click to expand...

Honestly, if you're female and that age (just guessing), you ought to be going at it like a rabbit.

 

[SVT810E]

Shittersfull said:

Nobody? I realize there are plenty of threads scattered around with bits of info on this. I've been searching too, and what I find is really inconsistent. Let's gather everything in one spot.

A few folks say don't cycle off — I get their reasoning and largely feel the same. I'll pose some questions to get things going:

1. For those who've rebuilt their routines, can maintain those new habits, and would rather not remain on glp's — how did you stop your glp? (I assume those folks aren't around this forum anymore?)

2. Plenty of people must stop glps, since after the wieght comes off, a dr can't prescribe them anymore. So you go looking for grey, end up here. You spend the following month getting your "no source discussion" banner taken down, then you're back on glps. Share your story. What was that month like? Did you return to the same glp? Was it just as effective?

3. Did you change glp's for maintenance? Why? How did it go?

Huh? They absolutely can. Long-term maintenance is one of the indications for these drugs. They're prescribed for that purpose constantly. If a doctor is trying to take away a medication that's keeping you healthy, tell him/her to get fucked and go find a competent doctor.

To answer your question, this September will mark two years on reta for me. Never been healthier and never felt better. Just cruising on 12mg. There are people still on it who were already in maintenance when I started.

 

[Shittersfull]

SVT810E said:

Shittersfull said:

Nobody? I realize there are plenty of threads scattered around with bits of info on this. I've been searching too, and what I find is really inconsistent. Let's gather everything in one spot.

A few folks say don't cycle off — I get their reasoning and largely feel the same. I'll pose some questions to get things going:

1. For those who've rebuilt their routines, can maintain those new habits, and would rather not remain on glp's — how did you stop your glp? (I assume those folks aren't around this forum anymore?)

2. Plenty of people must stop glps, since after the wieght comes off, a dr can't prescribe them anymore. So you go looking for grey, end up here. You spend the following month getting your "no source discussion" banner taken down, then you're back on glps. Share your story. What was that month like? Did you return to the same glp? Was it just as effective?

3. Did you change glp's for maintenance? Why? How did it go?

Huh? They absolutely can. Long-term maintenance is one of the indications for these drugs. They're prescribed for that purpose constantly. If a doctor is trying to take away a medication that's keeping you healthy, tell him/her to get fucked and go find a competent doctor.

To answer your question, this September will mark two years on reta for me. Never been healthier and never felt better. Just cruising on 12mg. There are people still on it who were already in maintenance when I started.

Funny you mention that — my doctor said the same thing to me: the prescription could only continue while I stayed at a healthy wieght. That was roughly a year ago. I walked away without filling the script. Back then glp's were a total blank to me. Then a few months down the line, a buddy put me onto reta, and I've gone grey from the very start.

Appreciate you shareing.

 

[Omxxl]

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

If reta has been part of your routine for a few months and your libido has pretty much vanished, the truth is you're far from the only one — I went through the same thing. It's a lot more widespread than most people let on, and almost nobody brings it up. Typically several factors pile up together. When your body is stuck in a long stretch of eating less, it simply isn't interested in sex, particularly if the cut is aggressive, and on top of that the queasiness and overall digestive strangeness from these meds hardly get you in the mood. For many people, though, the real culprit is hormonal — rapid fat loss can throw off your estrogen and testosterone, because fat tissue itself makes hormones, so shedding it quickly can crash your levels harder than you'd think. Then add low iron, B12 or zinc, all of which are extremely common during a hard cut, along with the tiredness, stress and mood swings that come with the medication, and you've got a lot stacked against you.

What has genuinely worked for others (and for me) is getting proper bloodwork rather than guessing — request estradiol, total and free testosterone, SHBG, prolactin, a thyroid panel, ferritin, vitamin D and B12; that gives you far more information than any supplement can. If you're dropping weight very aggressively, it may really be worth easing off the pace a little, and don't cut fat too low in your diet either, since it's literally the raw material your body uses to produce sex hormones. Sleep and stress deserve more credit than they get too — constantly elevated cortisol essentially competes with your sex hormone output. Choosing weights over pure cardio also appears to help keep hormones on a more even keel. And frankly, simply being open with your partner and removing the pressure helps more than any of the physical measures.

As for supplements, zinc is worth a mention because it's often low in people on hard cuts and it contributes to testosterone production; vitamin D if you're deficient (which many people are without realizing it); maca root, which has some genuine research supporting it for libido even if the effect is modest; and omega-3s, which assist more indirectly with hormone production and overall energy. Just get tested before you start taking things blindly — there's no point in zinc if your levels are already fine.

If you're already following some kind of medical protocol, really just raise this with whoever is overseeing it; slowing the rate of the cut or correcting an actual deficiency tends to do more than anything you can buy off the shelf.

 

[HARLEYV2]

Omxxl said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

If reta has been part of your routine for a few months and your libido has pretty much vanished, the truth is you're far from the only one — I went through the same thing. It's a lot more widespread than most people let on, and almost nobody brings it up. Typically several factors pile up together. When your body is stuck in a long stretch of eating less, it simply isn't interested in sex, particularly if the cut is aggressive, and on top of that the queasiness and overall digestive strangeness from these meds hardly get you in the mood. For many people, though, the real culprit is hormonal — rapid fat loss can throw off your estrogen and testosterone, because fat tissue itself makes hormones, so shedding it quickly can crash your levels harder than you'd think. Then add low iron, B12 or zinc, all of which are extremely common during a hard cut, along with the tiredness, stress and mood swings that come with the medication, and you've got a lot stacked against you.

What has genuinely worked for others (and for me) is getting proper bloodwork rather than guessing — request estradiol, total and free testosterone, SHBG, prolactin, a thyroid panel, ferritin, vitamin D and B12; that gives you far more information than any supplement can. If you're dropping weight very aggressively, it may really be worth easing off the pace a little, and don't cut fat too low in your diet either, since it's literally the raw material your body uses to produce sex hormones. Sleep and stress deserve more credit than they get too — constantly elevated cortisol essentially competes with your sex hormone output. Choosing weights over pure cardio also appears to help keep hormones on a more even keel. And frankly, simply being open with your partner and removing the pressure helps more than any of the physical measures.

As for supplements, zinc is worth a mention because it's often low in people on hard cuts and it contributes to testosterone production; vitamin D if you're deficient (which many people are without realizing it); maca root, which has some genuine research supporting it for libido even if the effect is modest; and omega-3s, which assist more indirectly with hormone production and overall energy. Just get tested before you start taking things blindly — there's no point in zinc if your levels are already fine.

If you're already following some kind of medical protocol, really just raise this with whoever is overseeing it; slowing the rate of the cut or correcting an actual deficiency tends to do more than anything you can buy off the shelf.

Dopamine is the straightforward explanation. Dopamine gets suppressed by Glps. The pleasures you get from life come from Dopamine. What once felt close to your heart stops carrying any weight. According to some, Oxytocin can raise Dopamine levels and fix that problem. I notice I keep staring at my Motorcycle, which I used to ride every week before Reta. For some time now I haven't gotten on it. The Reta is probably why. Oxytocin doesn't cost much, so I might test it on myself.

 

[Bep2030]

Omxxl said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

If reta has been part of your routine for a few months and your libido has pretty much vanished, the truth is you're far from the only one — I went through the same thing. It's a lot more widespread than most people let on, and almost nobody brings it up. Typically several factors pile up together. When your body is stuck in a long stretch of eating less, it simply isn't interested in sex, particularly if the cut is aggressive, and on top of that the queasiness and overall digestive strangeness from these meds hardly get you in the mood. For many people, though, the real culprit is hormonal — rapid fat loss can throw off your estrogen and testosterone, because fat tissue itself makes hormones, so shedding it quickly can crash your levels harder than you'd think. Then add low iron, B12 or zinc, all of which are extremely common during a hard cut, along with the tiredness, stress and mood swings that come with the medication, and you've got a lot stacked against you.

What has genuinely worked for others (and for me) is getting proper bloodwork rather than guessing — request estradiol, total and free testosterone, SHBG, prolactin, a thyroid panel, ferritin, vitamin D and B12; that gives you far more information than any supplement can. If you're dropping weight very aggressively, it may really be worth easing off the pace a little, and don't cut fat too low in your diet either, since it's literally the raw material your body uses to produce sex hormones. Sleep and stress deserve more credit than they get too — constantly elevated cortisol essentially competes with your sex hormone output. Choosing weights over pure cardio also appears to help keep hormones on a more even keel. And frankly, simply being open with your partner and removing the pressure helps more than any of the physical measures.

As for supplements, zinc is worth a mention because it's often low in people on hard cuts and it contributes to testosterone production; vitamin D if you're deficient (which many people are without realizing it); maca root, which has some genuine research supporting it for libido even if the effect is modest; and omega-3s, which assist more indirectly with hormone production and overall energy. Just get tested before you start taking things blindly — there's no point in zinc if your levels are already fine.

If you're already following some kind of medical protocol, really just raise this with whoever is overseeing it; slowing the rate of the cut or correcting an actual deficiency tends to do more than anything you can buy off the shelf.

Really useful info, appreciate it!!

 

[LadderCo5]

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

Stumbled across this thread by chance, and I'm really glad I did!

Age 35 here, and Reta has been part of my routine for almost 2 months now. Once I reached 4mg, the side effects pushed me to drop back down to 2mg. My original idea was to run just 1 cycle and then reassess, and I never intended to remain on Reta over the long term. So far I've dropped 10 pounds. I'm also on TRT and got blood work done. The results came back showing low libido and low iron, and my doctor mentioned these could be linked to the Reta. I'm beginning to taper off TRT and will run a cycle of HCG and Kisspeptin, hoping that helps me bring my natural testosterone back up after the weight loss.

 

[DC_143C]

LadderCo5 said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

Stumbled across this thread by chance, and I'm really glad I did!

Age 35 here, and Reta has been part of my routine for almost 2 months now. Once I reached 4mg, the side effects pushed me to drop back down to 2mg. My original idea was to run just 1 cycle and then reassess, and I never intended to remain on Reta over the long term. So far I've dropped 10 pounds. I'm also on TRT and got blood work done. The results came back showing low libido and low iron, and my doctor mentioned these could be linked to the Reta. I'm beginning to taper off TRT and will run a cycle of HCG and Kisspeptin, hoping that helps me bring my natural testosterone back up after the weight loss.

Instead of kisspeptin, have you thought about enclomiphene? When I was looking into kisspeptin, I came across info suggesting it can cause receptor desensitization. For me, enclomiphene delivered precisely the outcome I was after, dosed at 12.5mg 2x weekly. After 8 weeks, my total T climbed by about 50%, going from 316 ng/dl to 484 ng/dl, and my shbg/estradiol remained right in the low-middle of normal ranges, basically unchanged from where they started.

Subjectively, I felt significantly better across the board. My sleep improved somewhat, and my mood stayed remarkably steady and upbeat—or at minimum, content—as if I had complete inner calm and assurance about my role in the world and where I'm headed. It seemed like I was making better gym progress without altering my routine. Managing my diet became simpler. Truly, everything was positive; I experienced no negative side effects worth mentioning, aside from slight mood swings in the first couple of weeks, which passed fast. Foolishly, I used up my supply before getting more, and right now I'm just waiting for a new order to arrive. Having been off it for a couple of weeks, it's only confirming how big an impact it was having, lol.

 

[LadderCo5]

DC_143C said:

LadderCo5 said:

Bep2030 said:

I've now been using reta for 1.5 years. Since I've reached my goal weight, I take 2mg once a week as a maintenance dose. In the past, I was doing 5mg split across two injections per week.

The one side effect that's really giving me trouble is a drop in libido/sexual desire. When I stopped completely for a few weeks, I did see a small uptick in libido (though it still wasn't back to where it used to be). But the food noise returned too, so I restarted reta at a maintenance dose. I'm going to give kisspeptin a try now, hoping it will address this problem.

Stumbled across this thread by chance, and I'm really glad I did!

Age 35 here, and Reta has been part of my routine for almost 2 months now. Once I reached 4mg, the side effects pushed me to drop back down to 2mg. My original idea was to run just 1 cycle and then reassess, and I never intended to remain on Reta over the long term. So far I've dropped 10 pounds. I'm also on TRT and got blood work done. The results came back showing low libido and low iron, and my doctor mentioned these could be linked to the Reta. I'm beginning to taper off TRT and will run a cycle of HCG and Kisspeptin, hoping that helps me bring my natural testosterone back up after the weight loss.

Instead of kisspeptin, have you thought about enclomiphene? When I was looking into kisspeptin, I came across info suggesting it can cause receptor desensitization. For me, enclomiphene delivered precisely the outcome I was after, dosed at 12.5mg 2x weekly. After 8 weeks, my total T climbed by about 50%, going from 316 ng/dl to 484 ng/dl, and my shbg/estradiol remained right in the low-middle of normal ranges, basically unchanged from where they started.

Subjectively, I felt significantly better across the board. My sleep improved somewhat, and my mood stayed remarkably steady and upbeat—or at minimum, content—as if I had complete inner calm and assurance about my role in the world and where I'm headed. It seemed like I was making better gym progress without altering my routine. Managing my diet became simpler. Truly, everything was positive; I experienced no negative side effects worth mentioning, aside from slight mood swings in the first couple of weeks, which passed fast. Foolishly, I used up my supply before getting more, and right now I'm just waiting for a new order to arrive. Having been off it for a couple of weeks, it's only confirming how big an impact it was having, lol.

Appreciate the suggestion! I'll remember that ahead of going back on TRt. My order was just enough for a single brief kisspeptin cycle plus HCG 5000. Labs are planned for October so I can see how things look. Given what you got, was there any shift in your hemoglobin?