Using retatrutide to stop drinking and other substance use

Omxxl

Omxxl

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I've been on retatrutide for 10 months now. My body has changed a lot, and I'm sitting at 12% body fat. There's no more weight I need to drop.

But I've been stepping the dose down, and right now I'm at 1 mg/week after being as high as 4 mg/week. As that has happened, the pull toward alcohol has come back.

Here's the thing: for 10 months I didn't drink, and I didn't even want to. Now the desire is there, and when it shows up, I also get the feeling of wanting to use other substances. This was something I dealt with years back, so maybe staying on a low dose of retatrutide is what I need to keep the alcohol cravings from coming back.

Anyone else had this happen?
 
Pretty much identical for me. Once I reached my goal and dropped to 2 mg/week, the cravings for alcohol came back. Not anything major, but it wasn't the same "take it or leave it" attitude I had while on the higher dose.

You could look into naltrexone as another option. It reduces the dopamine reward you get from drinking, which may help lower the desire to drink.
 
this is the thing that worries me most. after losing the weight, i'm confident i can keep up a healthy lifestyle. what scares me is losing the anxiety suppression that reta provides.
 
While I was taking Reta, my desire to drink didn't go down at all. I wouldn't say I have a problem with alcohol, though I do like having a glass of wine. So personally, I'm happy that Reta didn't take that away.
 
I used to binge drink on weekends. By the time I began Reta, I had already been sober for 6 weeks. Now it's been 3 months and I have zero urges. In roughly a month I should reach my weight target. My diet feels dialed in, but should the alcohol cravings return, I'll track down a low dose that does the job.
 
I'm also in maintenance, though at 6 and 8mg, staying stable while the subcutaneous belly fat slowly comes off. Previously I was at 10mg. Beer still tastes good to me, but I could only get through 2 before feeling full. These days I can have a couple more, and I do now and then, but it's nowhere near what it was before I began at the start of January. My weight isn't being affected by it, which I'm happy about.
 
Reta was one of the factors that led me to begin it. For more than 20 years my drinking has been steady and functional, exceeding what I would prefer. And naturally the weight ups and downs have followed along with it. Nearly right away, reta cut down my urge to drink, and from everything I hear, that should keep getting better as my dose goes up. Same as OP, I'm left wondering whether those of us who get this kind of help will have to stay on a maintenance dose?
 
quietone said:

Reta was one of the factors that led me to begin it. For more than 20 years my drinking has been steady and functional, exceeding what I would prefer. And naturally the weight ups and downs have followed along with it. Nearly right away, reta cut down my urge to drink, and from everything I hear, that should keep getting better as my dose goes up. Same as OP, I'm left wondering whether those of us who get this kind of help will have to stay on a maintenance dose?
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It seems like new advantages of these GLP1s are being discovered constantly..

Compared with Tirz, Reta hasn't been researched as much, though it will probably share a lot of the same effects.

In the Tirz study, those who stopped didn't just put back on a large portion of the weight they had shed — their body makeup ended up with a higher fat proportion.

On top of that, halting and then resuming affected how well the earlier dosing worked.

My plan is to keep taking these the same way I take my prilosec.

I can't say what, all, either one is doing; but I'm no longer overweight and I don't get heartburn 😀
 
Omxxl said:

I've been on retatrutide for 10 months now. My body has changed a lot, and I'm sitting at 12% body fat. There's no more weight I need to drop.

But I've been stepping the dose down, and right now I'm at 1 mg/week after being as high as 4 mg/week. As that has happened, the pull toward alcohol has come back.

Here's the thing: for 10 months I didn't drink, and I didn't even want to. Now the desire is there, and when it shows up, I also get the feeling of wanting to use other substances. This was something I dealt with years back, so maybe staying on a low dose of retatrutide is what I need to keep the alcohol cravings from coming back.

Anyone else had this happen?
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From the perspective of a person who has stopped drinking: if a small dose does manage to dull the urges for you, then I could see treating that stretch of time as a short-term aid, something to lean on while you take another look at how you relate to alcohol and other substances. Not the permanent solution — more like a pause that lets you breathe.

When the pull is less loud, it can open up room to dig into the harder stuff: accepting yourself, figuring out what matters to you, and understanding what those substances were doing for you in the first place.
 
DunningKruger said:

From the perspective of a person who has stopped drinking: if a small dose does manage to dull the urges for you, then I could see treating that stretch of time as a short-term aid, something to lean on while you take another look at how you relate to alcohol and other substances. Not the permanent solution — more like a pause that lets you breathe.

When the pull is less loud, it can open up room to dig into the harder stuff: accepting yourself, figuring out what matters to you, and understanding what those substances were doing for you in the first place.
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I've reached my goal weight (though I'm toying with shedding a bit more, just because... 👍)....but I plan to remain at my current GLP doses....I enjoy how it changes my relationship with food...I'm still able to eat, just typically less...this weekend I ate more since we were celebrating and put on a couple pounds...no big deal because I'll likely drop it over the week since I don't experience huge food cravings at my current dose...

What's not to like? I can easily picture myself staying at my current dose, with the occasional small adjustment up or down when needed....forever!....😎👍
 
quietone said:

Reta was one of the factors that led me to begin it. For more than 20 years my drinking has been steady and functional, exceeding what I would prefer. And naturally the weight ups and downs have followed along with it. Nearly right away, reta cut down my urge to drink, and from everything I hear, that should keep getting better as my dose goes up. Same as OP, I'm left wondering whether those of us who get this kind of help will have to stay on a maintenance dose?
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My guess is that it does. Here we are, relying on a weight-loss medication that happens to deliver a long list of additional advantages -- yet those advantages only stick around while we keep taking it.
 
Symmetry said:

I used to binge drink on weekends. By the time I began Reta, I had already been sober for 6 weeks. Now it's been 3 months and I have zero urges. In roughly a month I should reach my weight target. My diet feels dialed in, but should the alcohol cravings return, I'll track down a low dose that does the job.
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That's great!!
 
DunningKruger said:

From the perspective of a person who has stopped drinking: if a small dose does manage to dull the urges for you, then I could see treating that stretch of time as a short-term aid, something to lean on while you take another look at how you relate to alcohol and other substances. Not the permanent solution — more like a pause that lets you breathe.

When the pull is less loud, it can open up room to dig into the harder stuff: accepting yourself, figuring out what matters to you, and understanding what those substances were doing for you in the first place.
Click to expand...
I've been thinking about beginning psychological treatment for my problematic drinking and drug use—not anything serious or outside social norms, but habits I'm ready to leave behind.

Thank you all for the many fascinating replies, friends.
 
A couple of months back I reached my 3rd goal, and these days I'm maintaining. My old relationship with alcohol was really bad, and by now I've essentially been off it for more than a year. To me, that's what Reta has given me. Once in a while I've had a few beers, but that's my limit, and the hangover alone makes me reconsider drinking at all. I'm hoping 6 mg will be sufficient to keep every craving away, and if staying on it for life is what that takes, then that's what I'll do.
 
Having seen firsthand how much damage alcohol can do across so many relationships in my life, I want to say how wonderful it is that Reta (and Tirz) is making such a difference for so many of you, changing your lives in ways that truly matter.

Honestly and sincerely, it fills me with joy that this is helping so many of you reach sobriety. It truly brings me close to tears knowing these drugs can help SO many people. Keep it up - I'm wishing every one of you the greatest possible success in something this hard.

Keep up the GREAT work. You're worth it 💕💕
 
Nice work on the transformation!

I can relate, because ever since I started tirze I haven't touched a drink — and what matters more to me is that I no longer feel pushed to have one. It has eased that kind of urge for me as well.

Provided the cost stays within reach, I figure it's an obvious call to find that maintenance dose in the sweet spot that keeps those cravings in check, and that's something I've been thinking about doing myself.
 
Flash-BCR said:

I've reached my goal weight (though I'm toying with shedding a bit more, just because... 👍)....but I plan to remain at my current GLP doses....I enjoy how it changes my relationship with food...I'm still able to eat, just typically less...this weekend I ate more since we were celebrating and put on a couple pounds...no big deal because I'll likely drop it over the week since I don't experience huge food cravings at my current dose...

What's not to like? I can easily picture myself staying at my current dose, with the occasional small adjustment up or down when needed....forever!....😎👍
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It's pretty much the same approach I described taking with the 6 and 8 mg. Staying on 10mg Reta and dropping 2lbs/week wasn't something I could keep up. The mirror still shows that subcutaneous belly fat going away bit by bit, though my weight is holding fairly level. Some definition is finally showing up in my arms and stomach. My legs have never had any fat on them, and I don't check out my butt. 😱
 
I'm not carrying a huge amount of excess weight that needs to come off, but the alcohol suppression caught me completely off guard once I began — and WOW. Where I used to drink often, these days it's roughly a beer or two each week. For a stretch of a few months, my two roommates and I were putting away a 24 pack every day, and stopping was getting harder since all of us kept egging each other on. Once Reta kicked in, the first two days were like a switch being flipped and the cravings vanished, and truthfully the health gains from that far outweigh what comes from dropping ~30lbs. Now I get to have both benefits at once 🙂

Once I reach my goal weight and start experimenting with maintenance dosing, controlling alcohol cravings is going to be one of the things I aim for.
 
BNLFL said:

It's pretty much the same approach I described taking with the 6 and 8 mg. Staying on 10mg Reta and dropping 2lbs/week wasn't something I could keep up. The mirror still shows that subcutaneous belly fat going away bit by bit, though my weight is holding fairly level. Some definition is finally showing up in my arms and stomach. My legs have never had any fat on them, and I don't check out my butt. 😱
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I'm pretty sure the Reta is making a difference in my midsection. My stomach appears to be getting smaller ever since I began taking it. It could be that I notice it more simply because I'm dropping weight everywhere, but over the past week or so, getting dressed actually makes me happy, and when I do my injection there isn't as thick of a pinch. WINNNNNING!!!
 
Bruce Campbell said:

I'm not carrying a huge amount of excess weight that needs to come off, but the alcohol suppression caught me completely off guard once I began — and WOW. Where I used to drink often, these days it's roughly a beer or two each week. For a stretch of a few months, my two roommates and I were putting away a 24 pack every day, and stopping was getting harder since all of us kept egging each other on. Once Reta kicked in, the first two days were like a switch being flipped and the cravings vanished, and truthfully the health gains from that far outweigh what comes from dropping ~30lbs. Now I get to have both benefits at once 🙂

Once I reach my goal weight and start experimenting with maintenance dosing, controlling alcohol cravings is going to be one of the things I aim for.
Click to expand...
It really is strange when you think about it. As far as I know, I've never had a drinking problem — I've always been too scared of going past that point. Still, alcohol is woven so deeply into how people socialize that choosing not to drink almost comes across as odd. I enjoy heading to the tailgates, having a few drinks, feeling happy and silly and letting my guard down. Drinking just seems tied to celebrating and enjoying game day. But these days I don't actually want alcohol, and I catch myself thinking, hmm, this is strange — should I drink a beer just for the sake of it? Same thing when I go out with friends. Wine was always my drink, yet it no longer appeals to me. A beer seems to do the trick instead, and once I've had it, I'm done.
 
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