Reta Trials — Subject #007

[BNLFL]

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

I considered it as well, but ultimately decided against it. Drawing with a 31g works perfectly for me.

woundcarping said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

Obviously, it’s your choice, but there’s no need for that. For water based peptides, it just means extra cost and extra trouble, with little to no real advantage.

Same here — after only a couple of considerations, I abandoned that notion.

 

[ChubbyOp]

BNLFL said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

I considered it as well, but ultimately decided against it. Drawing with a 31g works perfectly for me.

woundcarping said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

Obviously, it’s your choice, but there’s no need for that. For water based peptides, it just means extra cost and extra trouble, with little to no real advantage.

Same here — after only a couple of considerations, I abandoned that notion.

I suppose I'm just inexperienced with syringes. While I was drawing, it looked like the needle might bend and snap off. Unless the 30g syringes I've got are just like that

 

[BNLFL]

ChubbyOp said:

BNLFL said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

I considered it as well, but ultimately decided against it. Drawing with a 31g works perfectly for me.

woundcarping said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

Obviously, it’s your choice, but there’s no need for that. For water based peptides, it just means extra cost and extra trouble, with little to no real advantage.

Same here — after only a couple of considerations, I abandoned that notion.

I suppose I'm just inexperienced with syringes. While I was drawing, it looked like the needle might bend and snap off. Unless the 30g syringes I've got are just like that

Aim directly for the middle of the vial. Should one get bent, throw it away. Still, put the peptides back in.

 

[ChubbyOp]

BNLFL said:

ChubbyOp said:

BNLFL said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

I considered it as well, but ultimately decided against it. Drawing with a 31g works perfectly for me.

woundcarping said:

ChubbyOp said:

chipsandsalsayall said:

Following. One piece of advice: don't skimp when it comes to syringes. That brand you named isn't familiar to me. My picks are Easy-Touch and Sure-Comfort.

I may actually test those out. These needles didn't really satisfy me. I'd prefer to find luer lock ones, so I can use a larger gauge for pulling and a smaller gauge when injecting.

Obviously, it’s your choice, but there’s no need for that. For water based peptides, it just means extra cost and extra trouble, with little to no real advantage.

Same here — after only a couple of considerations, I abandoned that notion.

I suppose I'm just inexperienced with syringes. While I was drawing, it looked like the needle might bend and snap off. Unless the 30g syringes I've got are just like that

Aim directly for the middle of the vial. Should one get bent, throw it away. Still, put the peptides back in.

Understood, appreciate it! That’s what I’ll stick with going forward

 

[weightlossking84]

ChubbyOp said:

BNLFL said:

Which syringes did you end up getting? You should stick with 1 dose for 4 weeks before making any changes. My own starting dose was 2mg.

For injections I picked up 1 Ml syringes equipped with 30Ga needles, and for reconstitution I went with 3 Ml syringes that have 23 ga needles. One friend of mine began at 2 Mg and felt awful, while another friend we both know started at 2 mg and had no issues at all. Drawing on what I’d been through with the other glps, I chose to meet in the middle at 1 mg. At this point (day 2) nothing unusual has come up and there’s been no reaction where I injected, so I’ll likely continue this dose through the coming month.

My dosing went .5 for 4 weeks, then .75 for 4 weeks, then 1 for 4 weeks, and I moved up to 1.5 not long ago. The jump to 1.5 made a hugeee difference.

 

[ChubbyOp]

weightlossking84 said:

ChubbyOp said:

BNLFL said:

Which syringes did you end up getting? You should stick with 1 dose for 4 weeks before making any changes. My own starting dose was 2mg.

For injections I picked up 1 Ml syringes equipped with 30Ga needles, and for reconstitution I went with 3 Ml syringes that have 23 ga needles. One friend of mine began at 2 Mg and felt awful, while another friend we both know started at 2 mg and had no issues at all. Drawing on what I’d been through with the other glps, I chose to meet in the middle at 1 mg. At this point (day 2) nothing unusual has come up and there’s been no reaction where I injected, so I’ll likely continue this dose through the coming month.

My dosing went .5 for 4 weeks, then .75 for 4 weeks, then 1 for 4 weeks, and I moved up to 1.5 not long ago. The jump to 1.5 made a hugeee difference.

My initial plan was to increase to 2, though once these 4 weeks are done I might give 1.5 a shot. As of today, I've got another 2 weeks left at 1.

 

[weightlossking84]

ChubbyOp said:

weightlossking84 said:

ChubbyOp said:

BNLFL said:

Which syringes did you end up getting? You should stick with 1 dose for 4 weeks before making any changes. My own starting dose was 2mg.

For injections I picked up 1 Ml syringes equipped with 30Ga needles, and for reconstitution I went with 3 Ml syringes that have 23 ga needles. One friend of mine began at 2 Mg and felt awful, while another friend we both know started at 2 mg and had no issues at all. Drawing on what I’d been through with the other glps, I chose to meet in the middle at 1 mg. At this point (day 2) nothing unusual has come up and there’s been no reaction where I injected, so I’ll likely continue this dose through the coming month.

My dosing went .5 for 4 weeks, then .75 for 4 weeks, then 1 for 4 weeks, and I moved up to 1.5 not long ago. The jump to 1.5 made a hugeee difference.

My initial plan was to increase to 2, though once these 4 weeks are done I might give 1.5 a shot. As of today, I've got another 2 weeks left at 1.

Steady but slow

 

[ChubbyOp]

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

 

[LongevitybroTX]

tubby said:


In my experience, any lab ordered at my annual physical is "covered" by my insurance (although admittedly, I haven't pushed this very far to test the limit there). Where I get hosed is that only "preventative" labs get paid by my insurance before I meet my deductible. Any lab that could be rationalized as being even loosely related to my diabetes diagnosis (in other words, just about every lab) is subject to my deductible before being covered. This is because they're no longer considered preventative and now are supposedly related to disease management. Since I have a HDHP and I'll never hit my deductible that means I'm footing the bill for them at the inflated rate my insurance and clinic agreed upon.

As they've figured out a way to get my out of pocket on the labs to over $500 for 6 basic labs, I guess that means this year I'm moving all of the "routine" ones to cash pay with a private lab (which will bring the cost down to under $100 for me and give me whatever minor satisfaction comes with knowing I'm cutting into my clinic's revenue by some small amount).

Click to expand...

Honestly, if Function Health covers the labs you want along with a few hundred more, it's a really solid value.

 

[Smiter]

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Nice work, Mr. Bond. [Subject #007], I'll give your routine a shot.

 

[BNLFL]

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Dropping 8lbs over 2 days is excessive. Did 2.5mg leave you unable to keep anything down, hurting, and having diarrhea?

 

[WLBLD]

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Not everyone is able to increase at that pace. Responses vary from person to person. Perhaps drop back to 2 on your next dose, or even return to 1.5 or 1.75. Given how much harder it hit you, consider stepping up by only .5mg per increase so you don't risk a repeat. Hope you're feeling better!!

 

[ChubbyOp]

Smiter said:

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Nice work, Mr. Bond. [Subject #007], I'll give your routine a shot.

Truthfully, staying at 2mg longer would have been smarter. The weight's been coming off at a consistent 2.5 lbs per week, and that rate suits me just fine.

 

[ChubbyOp]

BNLFL said:

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Dropping 8lbs over 2 days is excessive. Did 2.5mg leave you unable to keep anything down, hurting, and having diarrhea?

Way too much, no question about it haha. There was pain, and I basically became a fountain. I tried my hardest to at least keep fluids going in, but at this point I'm really dehydrated. Right now I'm on pedialyte to get my electrolytes back up

 

[ChubbyOp]

WLBLD said:

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Not everyone is able to increase at that pace. Responses vary from person to person. Perhaps drop back to 2 on your next dose, or even return to 1.5 or 1.75. Given how much harder it hit you, consider stepping up by only .5mg per increase so you don't risk a repeat. Hope you're feeling better!!

What I intend to do is drop back to 1.5 for the upcoming dose and stay there for 4 weeks, letting my weigh-ins determine whether I continue. My goal is to treat this as a marathon, not a sprint.

 

[BNLFL]

ChubbyOp said:

WLBLD said:

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Not everyone is able to increase at that pace. Responses vary from person to person. Perhaps drop back to 2 on your next dose, or even return to 1.5 or 1.75. Given how much harder it hit you, consider stepping up by only .5mg per increase so you don't risk a repeat. Hope you're feeling better!!

What I intend to do is drop back to 1.5 for the upcoming dose and stay there for 4 weeks, letting my weigh-ins determine whether I continue. My goal is to treat this as a marathon, not a sprint.

For my part, sticking with a dose for 4 weeks seems like a solid approach, and I track it carefully. Right now I'm at 8 and climbing the ladder. The one exception was 6mg — I stayed there for 7 weeks since it was working so well. After that came 7mg, which lasted just 2 weeks with little to show for it. My weigh-in lands next Friday, so I'll find out what 8mg is doing. These injections are finally making themselves felt. For a week and a half there have been zero side effects, even on the day I pin.

 

[WLBLD]

ChubbyOp said:

WLBLD said:

ChubbyOp said:

Quick check-in. Things have been wild lately. I've dropped 10 pounds. For doses 1-3 I used 1mg (spaced 5 days apart). Dose 4 bumped up to 1.5mg. The sole effect I felt was a bit extra heartburn. Gym visits have been zero, though I've been on my feet working the ground quite a bit, averaging 12-13000 steps daily, and that's before counting the rigging I've been hauling around. At home we mostly eat chicken and turkey because red meat doesn't sit well with my wife. Calories aren't something I track, but protein gets top priority and I try to get carbs mainly from veggies. With the most recent dose (thur 14th) I gambled and went straight to 2.5mg. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. I'm aware slow and steady wins the race but curiosity killed the cat. Two days of pain and toilet time followed. Keeping my hydration up has been a struggle. 8 pounds gone in two days. Now I'm doing better, so my main focus is fluids and getting back the minerals I lost

Not everyone is able to increase at that pace. Responses vary from person to person. Perhaps drop back to 2 on your next dose, or even return to 1.5 or 1.75. Given how much harder it hit you, consider stepping up by only .5mg per increase so you don't risk a repeat. Hope you're feeling better!!

What I intend to do is drop back to 1.5 for the upcoming dose and stay there for 4 weeks, letting my weigh-ins determine whether I continue. My goal is to treat this as a marathon, not a sprint.

There's no reason to hurry things along or end up feeling that unwell a second time!

 

[ChubbyOp]

Injection day! I waited 6 days so the leftover amount would drop to roughly 1.25mg, then I injected 2mg. That happened at 5:30am today, and right now I feel okay, though the true test comes tomorrow. Fasted weigh-in showed 388, which means 14lbs gone across 26 days. No need to worry — I won’t repeat that kind of dose jump, lesson learned. If you’re still on the fence about starting Reta, please go back to my previous update and factor it in.