Reta and early mood swings – how long before things evened out for you?

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damy2604

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I’m in week 2 of taking reta, and I’ve been having noticeable shifts in mood.

If you’ve gone through this already: how many weeks did that early stretch go on for you? At what point did your mood level out? I’d like to hear what it was like for you.
 
I’ve been using Reta for roughly 1 month, beginning at a very low dose: .5 mg/wk, then gradually increasing to 2mg a week, with a goal of 4mg/wk/ split into 2 shots. Mood swings haven’t been a problem for me.
 
At the higher doses I use, 4-6 mg, I have seen that I get a bit more on edge and irritable for a day or two following my injection, which I take once every 6 days.
 
Started low at .333 mg, and 6weeks in I am on week 12, taking 1 mg twice weekly, which holds me at a steady 3 mg saturation with zero mood swings.
 
At higher doses, anhedonia shows up for me—below that point, it doesn't. Still, since it stems from Glp-1 agonism, it's a recognized side effect.
 
My wife and I began our rats on 1.0 mg 5 weeks ago on Saturday. Apart from mild GI trouble, nothing much came up — probably because we follow OMAD and carnivore, so shifting away from a single daily meal eaten to fullness took some getting used to. Mood was completely unaffected (unless you count my rat already being a grumpy old man, that is...).

Over the past 3 weeks I've moved up to 1.5, while my wife's "subject" sits at 2 and has stayed there for 3 weeks, since her rat carries more fluff than mine. Even so, she hasn't reported any mood shifts or changes either.

Roughly 2 days after each dose I still get some GI trouble, but it's manageable (not trying to derail your thread). I hope your rat gets some relief from the mood swings!
 
AlexSilver said:

Started low at .333 mg, and 6weeks in I am on week 12, taking 1 mg twice weekly, which holds me at a steady 3 mg saturation with zero mood swings.
Click to expand...
I'm considering moving toward a comparable approach (smaller, yet along the same lines). What kind of results have you seen, and was it the inability to tolerate the spike following the shot that led you to split it into 2 doses instead of taking 1 bigger one?
 
LabRatts said:

AlexSilver said:

Started low at .333 mg, and 6weeks in I am on week 12, taking 1 mg twice weekly, which holds me at a steady 3 mg saturation with zero mood swings.
Click to expand...
I'm considering moving toward a comparable approach (smaller, yet along the same lines). What kind of results have you seen, and was it the inability to tolerate the spike following the shot that led you to split it into 2 doses instead of taking 1 bigger one?
Click to expand...
Before my very first injection, I spent 4 weeks reading up on everything. I figured a microdose would be the smartest route so I could sidestep a bunch of those annoying little side effects. Another factor: a buddy of mine was in tears because his results faded within just 2 days or so. That pushed me toward dosing every 3 days, which keeps my levels fairly steady.

glp1plotter.com

My starting point was .25 for 2 injections, and I felt absolutely nothing, so I raised it to .33 and the change was immediate. At the 6-week mark (weight was clearly coming off), my plan was a modest 2x increase to .7, but CalmLogic pointed out that since my reason for taking it was blood sugar, that amount wouldn't deliver the full Reta benefits. So I plugged things into the plotter and settled on 1 mg as the next jump. He was correct. My blood sugar is far more steady now. Plenty of anti-inflammatory benefits as well. And the pounds keep coming off. It even appears to have resolved a hives issue I used to have. Happy to ditch the Loratadin. Weight loss was never my reason for starting Reta, so I never stepped on a scale, and I still haven't, lol. Yet my clothes keep feeling looser. Ended up buying a new belt. For my entire life I was 250 (61yrs). My guess is I'm around 210 at this point.
 
AlexSilver said:

LabRatts said:

AlexSilver said:

Started low at .333 mg, and 6weeks in I am on week 12, taking 1 mg twice weekly, which holds me at a steady 3 mg saturation with zero mood swings.
Click to expand...
I'm considering moving toward a comparable approach (smaller, yet along the same lines). What kind of results have you seen, and was it the inability to tolerate the spike following the shot that led you to split it into 2 doses instead of taking 1 bigger one?
Click to expand...
Before my very first injection, I spent 4 weeks reading up on everything. I figured a microdose would be the smartest route so I could sidestep a bunch of those annoying little side effects. Another factor: a buddy of mine was in tears because his results faded within just 2 days or so. That pushed me toward dosing every 3 days, which keeps my levels fairly steady.

glp1plotter.com

My starting point was .25 for 2 injections, and I felt absolutely nothing, so I raised it to .33 and the change was immediate. At the 6-week mark (weight was clearly coming off), my plan was a modest 2x increase to .7, but CalmLogic pointed out that since my reason for taking it was blood sugar, that amount wouldn't deliver the full Reta benefits. So I plugged things into the plotter and settled on 1 mg as the next jump. He was correct. My blood sugar is far more steady now. Plenty of anti-inflammatory benefits as well. And the pounds keep coming off. It even appears to have resolved a hives issue I used to have. Happy to ditch the Loratadin. Weight loss was never my reason for starting Reta, so I never stepped on a scale, and I still haven't, lol. Yet my clothes keep feeling looser. Ended up buying a new belt. For my entire life I was 250 (61yrs). My guess is I'm around 210 at this point.
Click to expand...
One reply packed with so much good stuff — thanks! It sounds like you've got things dialed in, and I'm eager to tweak my own dose as I go. My starting point was essentially my goal weight, aiming for metabolic perks plus a bit of body recomp. I'm 59 years old, was 175# at roughly 15% bf when I began, and now sit near 174 at 13% bf. This week the GI trouble at peak was the mildest it's been, so I'll repeat the same dose this coming Saturday to find out whether I'm adjusting or that was simply a one-off. Thanks again, and enjoy your research!
 
LabRatts said:

My wife and I began our rats on 1.0 mg 5 weeks ago on Saturday. Apart from mild GI trouble, nothing much came up — probably because we follow OMAD and carnivore, so shifting away from a single daily meal eaten to fullness took some getting used to. Mood was completely unaffected (unless you count my rat already being a grumpy old man, that is...).

Over the past 3 weeks I've moved up to 1.5, while my wife's "subject" sits at 2 and has stayed there for 3 weeks, since her rat carries more fluff than mine. Even so, she hasn't reported any mood shifts or changes either.

Roughly 2 days after each dose I still get some GI trouble, but it's manageable (not trying to derail your thread). I hope your rat gets some relief from the mood swings!
Click to expand...
What's the reason for bringing up the rat? I don't get what that's supposed to mean. It's obvious that you're the one doing it.
 
CNCCurrency said:

LabRatts said:

My wife and I began our rats on 1.0 mg 5 weeks ago on Saturday. Apart from mild GI trouble, nothing much came up — probably because we follow OMAD and carnivore, so shifting away from a single daily meal eaten to fullness took some getting used to. Mood was completely unaffected (unless you count my rat already being a grumpy old man, that is...).

Over the past 3 weeks I've moved up to 1.5, while my wife's "subject" sits at 2 and has stayed there for 3 weeks, since her rat carries more fluff than mine. Even so, she hasn't reported any mood shifts or changes either.

Roughly 2 days after each dose I still get some GI trouble, but it's manageable (not trying to derail your thread). I hope your rat gets some relief from the mood swings!
Click to expand...
What's the reason for bringing up the rat? I don't get what that's supposed to mean. It's obvious that you're the one doing it.
Click to expand...
Wow, what a mystery that would be! 😅😂😆
 
With tirz I went through something similar: a couple of days where nothing felt enjoyable, plus moments of genuine ... anger? I'm testing whether L-tyrosine can counter that flat, joyless feeling.
 
JulezZ said:

With tirz I went through something similar: a couple of days where nothing felt enjoyable, plus moments of genuine ... anger? I'm testing whether L-tyrosine can counter that flat, joyless feeling.
Click to expand...
So I'm not the only one! A few months after I started Tirz, I began noticing the same thing. These days it has eased off somewhat, though certain days I'm still easily set off — but since I recognize what's happening, I usually stop myself before I lash out. My spouse went through something similar a few months into Tirz as well; we ended up in a real shouting match, the first one in our whole marriage, and honestly neither of us could figure out what we were even fighting about lol
 
During week 1 and week 2 of taking Reta, I went through what I now see as mood swings. I wouldn't blame Reta itself for them — my eating plan was the real cause. I'd done my research and read about what Reta does, but the actual drop in my appetite still caught me off guard.

Across those first 2 weeks, my daily calories swung between 600 and 1800 k/cal. For an obese male, that was far below what even a 2lb/week deficit would require. My body wasn't prepared for it and responded poorly. After I got my diet in order (protein first, low fat, remaining carbs), my mood and energy settled in roughly 2 days.

that's just my experience, your mileage may vary...
 
I've spent roughly 4 months on Tirz, and during the past 1 month I've added Reta on top of it. Personally, mood swings have never been an issue for me — neither during those initial weeks nor at any later point. Things have stayed fairly even throughout. Since these meds hit each person differently, I've made an effort to keep an eye on anything shifting, though in my case that side has been trouble-free.

A lot of folks say the emotional rollercoaster usually appears in the beginning and then levels off once the body gets used to it, so I hope that's how it plays out for you. From what I gather, that 1st month can be somewhat all over the place for certain people, but that doesn't automatically mean it stays that way.
 
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