Reta and histamine reaction: swelling, big red patch at the injection site, and itching — anyone else?
- Thread starter CraigLSU
- Start date
Hambocommando
Explorer
Reta hasn't done that to me, but Tirz absolutely did! It got bad enough that I had to quit it altogether. Whether this is the reason Reta hasn't triggered anything for me I can't say for sure, but on the day I inject, I also put 500mcg of KPV into a spot roughly two inches from where the Reta goes in. On top of that, it seems to ease the unbearable skin sensitivity and itching I get between my shoulder blades the day after my Reta shot.
DragonOfTheSea
Explorer
The KPV part is interesting... I'm curious whether it might do something for the skin sensitivity/allodynia I've been getting from the Reta. A kit is on its way, so I'll find out.
DunningKruger
Explorer
It happens without fail, every time. The reaction sticks around for roughly 10 or 11 days. Once cortisol falls and histamine climbs at night, the flare-up gets even more intense. At times a red border shows up alongside it. KPV gives me no relief. In fact, my KPV shots also swell and flare. What a blast!
justaguy97
Explorer
For anyone here who has histamine reactions to GLPs:
Do you use filtering?
Do you use filtering?
wiggle_zoom
Explorer
Across 5 separate batches, I've dealt with histamine reactions: that covers 3 compounds (sema, tirz, reta), with sema and tirz coming from 2 different suppliers. Each round of itching stuck around for 5 to 7 days. When I tested BAC water alone (from 2 suppliers), nothing happened at all.
At a drugstore near me I picked up a lotion combining calamine with an antihistamine. It takes the edge off and gets me through the roughest stretch of the itch. The best fix I've landed on so far is going deeper with the injection. It's not reliable, but these days a histamine reaction hits me roughly 20% of the time.
Going deeper does sting more. On top of that, I have concerns it might raise certain risks (since it looks like it sidesteps the immune system) and possibly cut down how well the GLP-1s work. I've come across accounts from people who said their histamine reactions ultimately faded. Fingers crossed I reach that point eventually.
At a drugstore near me I picked up a lotion combining calamine with an antihistamine. It takes the edge off and gets me through the roughest stretch of the itch. The best fix I've landed on so far is going deeper with the injection. It's not reliable, but these days a histamine reaction hits me roughly 20% of the time.
Going deeper does sting more. On top of that, I have concerns it might raise certain risks (since it looks like it sidesteps the immune system) and possibly cut down how well the GLP-1s work. I've come across accounts from people who said their histamine reactions ultimately faded. Fingers crossed I reach that point eventually.
DragonOfTheSea
Explorer
That's a fair point to raise..
I run all my peptides through a filter, and I haven't run into any histamine problems.
justaguy97
Explorer
Just a heads-up: peptides aren't sterile, so keep that in mind when making choices. Here are a few current photos of R30 and T60 as a reminder:
ISRs (injection site reactions) most often come from moldy or unsterile peptides. Remember, this isn't pharmacy grade.
Thankfully, PES filters can make these completely sterile and safe. I'm fine using these vials since they've been filtered
ISRs (injection site reactions) most often come from moldy or unsterile peptides. Remember, this isn't pharmacy grade.
Thankfully, PES filters can make these completely sterile and safe. I'm fine using these vials since they've been filtered
lessthanhalf
Explorer
At least 5 to 10% of participants in the drug company studies experienced injection site reactions, and I really hope what they were given was sterile. That makes it hard to argue contamination explains the majority of cases. Some certainly are contaminated, sure, yet we lack solid data on how often that happens. A few colony forming units per vial could plausibly produce the growth you see on agar plates, though such a small number probably will not trigger an acute immune response, and in most cases your immune system will clear them before an infection takes hold. A larger burden could set off an immune reaction, but then infection would worry me more. I am not saying filtration is pointless or that peptides from China meet medical sterility standards. What I am saying is that I have still not come across anyone on this forum reporting an infection after a subcutaneous peptide injection.
lessthanhalf
Explorer
That's curious. My guess is that the dermis holds far more resident immune cells than subcutaneous fat does, which would account for a weaker reaction when the shot goes deeper. What it triggers is an immune response, and I doubt the trace amounts of whatever your immune system is targeting would do any harm, so I wouldn't worry about the immune system being bypassed. Set against the sheer volume of junk — bacterial fragments and metabolites included — that crosses from the gut into the blood daily, I doubt it would matter much. One possibility is that you're reacting to the benzyl alcohol in the bac water, so have you tried plain water for injections instead? Being allergic to all 3 peptides strikes me as somewhat improbable.
Summer48
Explorer
Yep, every one of those symptoms for me. The one thing I still haven't tried is wiping the spot down with alcohol pads — instead I washed it with soap and water prior to pinning. So maybe that's the culprit!
Summer48
Explorer
I haven’t done any filtering myself up to now, so I’m unable to tell whether that would change anything. Still, I might give it a try before long.
wiggle_zoom
Explorer
I ran the identical protocol I use for peptides, except the syringe contained only BAC water. Same swabs, same needles, everything. With BAC water by itself, there is zero reaction.
Sterile water is sitting here unused — I have not yet reconstituted anything with it in place of BAC water. The whole vial would need to be finished off in a short window. Since BAC water alone triggers nothing for me, switching to sterile water probably won't fix this anyway.
My first guess was an allergy to whatever filler is in the lyophilized powder. But the timing of my histamine reactions doesn't line up with that. With sema, the first 2-3 shots were fine. It showed up later (around #4 or #5?) and each time got worse. With tirz, shot #1 was clean. Shot #2 gave a tiny reaction. Shot #3 brought an unmistakable histamine reaction, and it escalated after that. Reta followed the same script: nothing initially, then worsening. That points to the active ingredient itself. Dammit!
Summer48
Explorer
For me, the first 6 or so shots caused nothing. After that, each injection brought a reaction. Switching to grey stopped them, though I'll have to wait and see whether that holds as the weeks pass.wiggle_zoom said:
I have tried doing exactly the same routine I do for peptides, but injecting BAC water alone. Same alcohol pads, same syringes, etc. I get no reaction at all when inject only BAC water.
I have bought sterile water but I have not tried reconstituting with sterile water instead of BAC water. I would have to use up the whole vial pretty quickly. And given that I don't get a reaction to BAC water, I don't expect the swap from BAC water to sterile water to solve the problem.
I thought maybe I was allergic to the filler they use in the lyophilized powder. But then, my histamine reactions don't follow quite the right pattern. When I started sema, I did not have a reaction for the first 2-3 injections. It started a bit later (maybe #4 or #5?) and got progressively worse. When i started tirz, I did not have a reaction to the first injection. Then a teeny-tiny reaction to the second. Then a clear histamine reaction to the third, and progressively worse from there. Same for reta: no reaction at first, then worsening over time. Makes me think I am actually reacting to the active ingredient. Dammit!
Click to expand...
BNLFL
Explorer
I'm wondering about syringes, and do you use alcohol pads to wipe the injection area?
Kadeeglp123
Explorer
Wow, I have been dealing with the same thing on Tirz!! Eventually I found a different injection method that stops them! I add 1-2 units of plain bac water on top of the medication in the syringe, pushed it in slowly, and used just half of the 12.5 mg — no reaction!! The following morning I took the remaining half in exactly the same manner, and I have been thrilled with no reaction. I have kept this up for 5 months, and I used to get that large red itchy lump lasting 5-6 days — woo hoo!!
lessthanhalf
Explorer
That does sound like an allergy to every one of them, which is a bit of a rough deal. Reacting to the filler mannitol seems unlikely to me, since the molecule is too small to trigger an immune response. Some people are simply more prone to developing allergies than others, and the fact that this was not present at the start but came on quickly more or less guarantees the drug itself is the cause — particularly since sema, tirz and reta all followed roughly the same pattern. Whether it is safe to continue using them depends on how unpleasant and itchy the reactions are; it could be fine as long as there is absolutely no sign of a systemic reaction. Do antihistamines give you any relief? I cannot think of an easy way to combine a tiny dose of injectable antihistamine with the GLP to head off the local reaction, since those are prescription-only and a doctor would be unlikely to prescribe it for that purpose.wiggle_zoom said:
I have tried doing exactly the same routine I do for peptides, but injecting BAC water alone. Same alcohol pads, same syringes, etc. I get no reaction at all when inject only BAC water.
I have bought sterile water but I have not tried reconstituting with sterile water instead of BAC water. I would have to use up the whole vial pretty quickly. And given that I don't get a reaction to BAC water, I don't expect the swap from BAC water to sterile water to solve the problem.
I thought maybe I was allergic to the filler they use in the lyophilized powder. But then, my histamine reactions don't follow quite the right pattern. When I started sema, I did not have a reaction for the first 2-3 injections. It started a bit later (maybe #4 or #5?) and got progressively worse. When i started tirz, I did not have a reaction to the first injection. Then a teeny-tiny reaction to the second. Then a clear histamine reaction to the third, and progressively worse from there. Same for reta: no reaction at first, then worsening over time. Makes me think I am actually reacting to the active ingredient. Dammit!
Click to expand...