Switching from Reta to Tirz for Inflammation and Mast Cells

CuttingEdgeScience said:

drswole said:

CuttingEdgeScience said:

I plan to move over to Tirz from Reta, since I keep coming across accounts from other people praising it as better for inflammation. Living with POTS, MCAS/MC, and similar issues, I've been stunned by how many foods I previously had to give up are now tolerable, yet I have a hunch that Tirz might bring about deeper shifts at the source of inflammation.

Does anyone know whether the dosing is different for the two? Once side effects kicked in at a higher titration, I ended up staying at 1.5 mg of Reta. Reta has cut down food noise a lot for me, but my weight hasn't moved much (I'm only slightly above the "normal" range, though I used to be lower before getting sick.)

Any input or observations would be welcome!
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my guess is that tirz gets called "better" for inflammation simply because far more people are on it (it's prescribable and so on) compared to reta. possibly it's more about the situation than tirz actually being superior.

another possibility: does the glucagon activity of Reta get in the way a bit?

though honestly, every GLP-1 that hits the GIP receptor for inflammation brings down systemic inflammation.

for me, the sweet spot came from slowly titrating up to 4mg a week; after roughly a month at that dose i could eat properly while still getting the benefits i was after (lipids)

could adding TA1 or TB500 help with inflammation?
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It makes sense that Tirz has a much larger user base - here, I've come across several accounts from people with mast cell conditions who made the switch away from Reta. My own view is that for those of us already dealing with some form of POTS or Dysautonomia, the heart rate effects that come with Glucagon activation are a drawback. On top of that, I have ADHD, so anhedonia as a side effect might be one more thing to weigh in the balance.

At 2 mg of Reta I was already experiencing side effects, so I stepped back down, and my increases had been fairly gradual throughout. What's strange is that even low doses clearly affected my appetite, yet I wondered whether inflammation might be preventing the weight from coming off. I hoped to get up to 2.5 mg, but that didn't work out. Over a few weeks I went down to 1.5 mg, then to 1 mg. As I went, I felt better - my mood and other sensory problems appeared to diminish.

So yesterday I took my first 1 mg dose of Tirz. Something definitely felt different, and for now I'll say I can see what people have been describing. Breathing seems slightly easier. My pain is reduced, even though I didn't fall asleep until 4 AM, and today I received two new lots of IVIg for my infusion with almost no side effects, which is pretty uncommon.

My food noise hasn't really changed, but it's only been a day, and I'm likely still winding down from the 1.5 mg doses I was on before. Food tolerance remains fine, and if anything my GI system is calmer. Only time will show how this experiment turns out - I wanted to see the difference for myself before recommending anything either way to other friends in the chronic illness group.
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it does sound as though you've landed on something that works in your case, so tirz fits your needs! if you suspect inflammation is the thing holding you back, trying other compounds to reduce it further is always an option
 
birdwhacker said:

I don't know what your MCAS looks like, but in my case the main symptom is itching unless I keep it controlled with antihistamines.

Try not to pin all your hopes on tirz or reta fixing every problem. Yes, they'll help you drop weight, and that alone improves a lot of things, and it's possible they bring down certain inflammatory biomarkers and could even help with arthritis.

Still, based on what you're describing, adding BPC (which has specific uses for MCAS) along with KPV seems like it would serve you better.
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With a Tryptase level in the 30's and a whole cluster of conditions — POTS/Dysautonomia, Small Fiber Neuropathy, Autoimmune Autonomic Neuropathy, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, IBS, ME/CFS, MCAS, Suspected Mastocytosis, Chronic Insomnia, and a history of Chronic Migraine — my symptom burden is substantial. The care I receive is top-tier, yet it still isn't enough, and it bothers me when people with POTS/MCAS describe GLP-1 as having resolved everything for them; I keep asking myself what makes my situation different.

The part that truly frustrates me is that I haven't dropped any weight (on Reta, at least), which leaves me wondering whether systemic inflammation is the reason. Interestingly, BPC appears to act specifically on the gut barrier and to dampen immune activation. It interacts with both mTOR and NF-kB, which fits that picture as well. KPV looks to work through comparable routes of shutting down activated inflammatory pathways. Perhaps the dials simply aren't being adjusted enough to bring the inflammation under control. If there is a clonal process in me that hasn't been found yet, it could be holding these pathways switched on through Tryptase signaling... it all comes down to pulling the correct levers to restore some form of homeostasis.
 
spanky2026 said:

For years I took a prescription anti-inflammatory. Once I'd been on Tirz for about 2 months, I stopped that medication completely, with my doctor's sign-off. Tirz works so well as an anti-inflammatory in my case that the previous prescription simply wasn't needed anymore.
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That's helpful to hear! I'm going to stick with Tirz and give it time to see what happens. My guess is that I'll handle it fine, and that larger doses will suit me better than Reta did, since even pre-clinical doses of Reta gave me side effects.
 
TeresaHip said:

I deal with lupus along with ongoing pain. Since so many people praised reta, I dropped my tirz dose a lot a few weeks back and introduced reta. That was the biggest error I've ever made! My inflammation and pain returned much worse and triggered a lupus flare. I stopped it and raised my tirz dose back up. These days I take a small amount of cag when needed.
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Reading your report gives me hope — the past week has been the best I can recall in a long time. Reta had benefits that carried over, and things have kept improving since I started Tirz. I'm eager to see what the next few weeks bring, especially if the dose goes up. Right now I'm on 1 mg. In MCAS case reports, even unintentionally larger doses tended to turn out mostly favorable.
 
CheesyPotato said:

Tirz brought my inflammation down to nearly nothing—I took it for over 2 years—but eventually it quit working for me. I began Reta 6 weeks back; appetite suppression is only now showing up, while inflammation remains unaffected.. at least for now.
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Should Reta be lowering inflammation?
 
CuttingEdgeScience said:

birdwhacker said:

I don't know what your MCAS looks like, but in my case the main symptom is itching unless I keep it controlled with antihistamines.

Try not to pin all your hopes on tirz or reta fixing every problem. Yes, they'll help you drop weight, and that alone improves a lot of things, and it's possible they bring down certain inflammatory biomarkers and could even help with arthritis.

Still, based on what you're describing, adding BPC (which has specific uses for MCAS) along with KPV seems like it would serve you better.
Click to expand...
With a Tryptase level in the 30's and a whole cluster of conditions — POTS/Dysautonomia, Small Fiber Neuropathy, Autoimmune Autonomic Neuropathy, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, IBS, ME/CFS, MCAS, Suspected Mastocytosis, Chronic Insomnia, and a history of Chronic Migraine — my symptom burden is substantial. The care I receive is top-tier, yet it still isn't enough, and it bothers me when people with POTS/MCAS describe GLP-1 as having resolved everything for them; I keep asking myself what makes my situation different.

The part that truly frustrates me is that I haven't dropped any weight (on Reta, at least), which leaves me wondering whether systemic inflammation is the reason. Interestingly, BPC appears to act specifically on the gut barrier and to dampen immune activation. It interacts with both mTOR and NF-kB, which fits that picture as well. KPV looks to work through comparable routes of shutting down activated inflammatory pathways. Perhaps the dials simply aren't being adjusted enough to bring the inflammation under control. If there is a clonal process in me that hasn't been found yet, it could be holding these pathways switched on through Tryptase signaling... it all comes down to pulling the correct levers to restore some form of homeostasis.
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Do you keep a log of what you eat? What's your sleep quality like? Have you added any form of physical activity? Those things are the most probable sources (and they can drive inflammation too).
 
CuttingEdgeScience said:

I plan to move over to Tirz from Reta, since I keep coming across accounts from other people praising it as better for inflammation. Living with POTS, MCAS/MC, and similar issues, I've been stunned by how many foods I previously had to give up are now tolerable, yet I have a hunch that Tirz might bring about deeper shifts at the source of inflammation.

Does anyone know whether the dosing is different for the two? Once side effects kicked in at a higher titration, I ended up staying at 1.5 mg of Reta. Reta has cut down food noise a lot for me, but my weight hasn't moved much (I'm only slightly above the "normal" range, though I used to be lower before getting sick.)

Any input or observations would be welcome!
Click to expand...
Reta was my first GLP, nothing else came before it.

If I don't stick with Reta, what am I giving up? Is there a mechanism where Reta burns fat more effectively, while Tirz handles appetite suppression better? Beyond managing inflammation, what else does Tirz do better than Reta?
 
Pixel-pocket said:


Is Reta supposed to reduce inflammation?

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No idea whether it is meant to, but since Tirz gave me the unexpected bonus of less inflammation, I figured Reta might do something similar. Plenty of posts across various forums have researchers reporting reduced inflammation. Equally, I have read accounts where it did less, or even left joints aching, everyone is different but I had hopes it would help 🙂

EL's own words: Lilly has retatrutide in Phase 3 clinical trials covering type 2 diabetes, obesity, knee osteoarthritis pain, chronic low back pain, moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and cardiovascular and renal outcomes.

The Phase 3 work is done, now sitting in TRIUMPH-4 - adults carrying obesity or overweight plus knee osteoarthritis, without diabetes, alongside a healthy diet and physical activity.

Watching how that trial lands will be interesting.
 
In my early 50s, the Tin Man-like all-over stiffness and soreness really set in, and I simply assumed it was aging. Once I start moving—whether exercising or doing yard work—I limber up, but as soon as I stop, the stiffness returns. For 2 years, my wife used Sema and Tirz with excellent results, and now she's due to reorder. I plan to buy T60 so we can split it and find out whether it reduces this whole-body soreness and stiffness.
 
JimGainz said:

In my early 50s, the Tin Man-like all-over stiffness and soreness really set in, and I simply assumed it was aging. Once I start moving—whether exercising or doing yard work—I limber up, but as soon as I stop, the stiffness returns. For 2 years, my wife used Sema and Tirz with excellent results, and now she's due to reorder. I plan to buy T60 so we can split it and find out whether it reduces this whole-body soreness and stiffness.
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I'll be watching for your updates, since chronic pain is part of my daily life.
 
CuttingEdgeScience said:

I plan to move over to Tirz from Reta, since I keep coming across accounts from other people praising it as better for inflammation. Living with POTS, MCAS/MC, and similar issues, I've been stunned by how many foods I previously had to give up are now tolerable, yet I have a hunch that Tirz might bring about deeper shifts at the source of inflammation.

Does anyone know whether the dosing is different for the two? Once side effects kicked in at a higher titration, I ended up staying at 1.5 mg of Reta. Reta has cut down food noise a lot for me, but my weight hasn't moved much (I'm only slightly above the "normal" range, though I used to be lower before getting sick.)

Any input or observations would be welcome!
Click to expand...
Could it be that weight numbers drop less while body measurements rise, given that Reta goes after fat instead of muscle?
 
5byfive said:


Are you tracking calories? How is your sleep? Have you started any type of exercise? Those are the most likely culprits (and also causes of inflammation).

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I'm keeping an eye on things, to a degree — my food intake has clearly dropped compared to what it used to be, and I wasn't eating a huge number of calories in the first place. Snacking is something I hardly do now. Lately I've ramped up exercise, particularly because Tirz has made it possible for me to cover longer walking distances, and I've been getting out much more frequently. On top of that, I'm only mildly overweight — so I'm unsure how that factors in compared with how these medications behave in obesity, diabetes, and similar conditions.
 
IronCircuit said:

CuttingEdgeScience said:

I plan to move over to Tirz from Reta, since I keep coming across accounts from other people praising it as better for inflammation. Living with POTS, MCAS/MC, and similar issues, I've been stunned by how many foods I previously had to give up are now tolerable, yet I have a hunch that Tirz might bring about deeper shifts at the source of inflammation.

Does anyone know whether the dosing is different for the two? Once side effects kicked in at a higher titration, I ended up staying at 1.5 mg of Reta. Reta has cut down food noise a lot for me, but my weight hasn't moved much (I'm only slightly above the "normal" range, though I used to be lower before getting sick.)

Any input or observations would be welcome!
Click to expand...
Reta was my first GLP, nothing else came before it.

If I don't stick with Reta, what am I giving up? Is there a mechanism where Reta burns fat more effectively, while Tirz handles appetite suppression better? Beyond managing inflammation, what else does Tirz do better than Reta?
Click to expand...
Because Reta acts at the glucagon receptor, it has a bigger capacity for burning fat — it raises metabolic rate and pushes the body to burn more fat. But that same activity is behind tachycardia and other unwanted effects as well. For my particular set of conditions, Tirz has far more testimonials when it comes to controlling inflammation.

I would love to have more information about how these drugs interact at the different receptors; that might shed light on part of the reason — but so far I have not come across any studies.
 
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