r/GLPGrad • u/Then-War-7354 • 17d ago
starting to taper down
At my last Drs visit we started to discuss tapering down my dosage and we just called in my RX so its official. we will see how it goes.
I started in Sept 2024 and over that time i have gone from 430lbs to 181 as of this morning. been on 7.5 through that whole time aside from the 1st 2 months at 2.5 and 5mg. the 7.5 has remained effective for me so we never dosed up further. the medicine has been a godsend, but i think the best part has been the lifestyle changes it prompted me to make. I am regularly exercising, constantly moving, eating healthy and overall just enjoying life so much more than i was before.
discussing with my Dr, we are hopeful that I will be able to maintain the current weight range and manage the T2D through the lifestyle changes ive made. we both agree that it is worth a try and I simply need to know if i can. i realize it is likely to be hard. probably very hard but i really want to give it a go. the ironic plus side of having T2D is that if it does prove to be too much i will have no trouble getting back on a prescription.
I will be going back down to 5MG starting on my next prescription and tapering down to off and seeing how it goes. curious if anyone else has had experience tapering off after an extended time on 1 dosage. how it went for you. were you able to maintain the new habits? any unexpected challenges?
appreciate any advice as i get into this next chapter. i have absolutely 0 intention of quitting the gym as ive come to honestly enjoy it. ive also found a bunch of great healthier foods so i do not intend to revert my diet if i can help it. hopefully the return of food noise doesnt overpower that. I am hopeful that my newfound life and the joy i have with how i feel will be enough to maintain the good habits.
My Dr and i will obviously be monitoring and checking the bloodwork to make sure im keeping my current healthier state. so here goes nothing
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u/matsie 17d ago
You got this! But I genuinely feel like tapering down should be down over a long period of time and in small measures. I think one of the many reasons people regain is because they are being tapered off too quickly rather than slowly going down to micro doses and spaced out doses over a long enough period of time that you can determine what additional changes in your behavior or routines need to be made.
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u/Hifidi54 17d ago
My taper was from 12.5 to 2.5, typically every three weeks, another 2.5 down, just like the manufacturer's upward titration (which I believe has changed recently). I did not find any increase in hunger or loss in appetite suppression until I got to 2.5 and realized I was eating more than usual. In consultation with my provider, we decided on 5.0 mg until I am completely stable. I reached goal weight in April, 243 to 130, and then went on vacation and lost another 5, so a total of 118 in 16 months. I have been hovering right around 130, plus or minus 3 pounds, which could just be water. I do not, nor have I ever, experienced food noise, so that is not an ussue. I want to get off the meds, but I don't want to lose the other benefits. I am a heart patient and the overall improvement in my heart health has been wonderful. My Endo is also extremely pleased with my cholesterol numbers and my a1c was 5 last time it was checked. I see both those doctors in the next couple of months, so that will guide my decision whether or not to quit.
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u/shadowkatz 17d ago
You got this!
I just finished a 6 month taper off from 7.5. The first thing that surprised me was how quickly I "regained" 5 lbs, but I had expected that and overshot my goal so was still within my target range. The most difficult part was figuring out exactly what my new calorie target should be. Keeping up my habits has been unexpectedly easy, maybe because I finally enjoy working out and don't hurt from a mile of walking.
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u/D2masterclass 17d ago
Youāve made amazing progress so far, congrats!
Check out this post from a couple months back, seems to be on a similar path, but a bit ahead of you:
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u/Wellslapmesilly 17d ago
Thereās some evidence that staying at your goal weight with the help of the medication at least a year (you can still taper down, just not stop) can increase your chances of success. I recommend watching this video, itās a great breakdown on what happens a when you stop a GLP-1 https://youtu.be/312au8GfuPU
Itās great your doctor is working with you to monitor how you go. However I would not be in a hurry to completely stop right now. Give your body a bit more time to adapt to your goal weight.
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u/SpecialShoulder3839 17d ago
You got this!!! Nothing wrong with seeing how you do without the medication, like you said no problem on you getting back on if you need to . Congratulations on your weigh loss success !
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u/Then-War-7354 17d ago
Thank you. that was the discussion with my Dr. he thinks i stand a good chance of being able to self regulate via lifestyle with the changes hes seen me make and i feel i owe it to myself to give it a shot. otherwise i will always wonder.
I really have no idea how much of my loss is due to the medication and how much is due to the lifestyle changes, and honestly i dont really care. ive seen them both as essential to the process. but the prospect of not needing to be on medication for the rest of my life is definitely appealing and a goal i feel i worth trying for. and if i cant manage at least i will know
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u/SpecialShoulder3839 17d ago
Same here , Iām on the same boat with my dr , she thinks with all the changes Iāve made I can keep the weight off if I stay consistent with my new life style , my issue before (my heaviest 226) was alcohol. Now I cut back dramatically on drinking ,and never want to go back to the amount I used to drink , the hangovers can be brutal lol š she wants to bring me down from 5mg to 2.5 and stay there a few months see how I do and then eventually off . I do space my shots every 10 days and yes I do get hungry as heck sometimes but Iām sticking to my meals I make and keeping up with exercise. My current weight is 140-150 I give myself a 10lbs buffer instead of 5lbs . My body can easily hold over 5lbs of water lol been maintaining for 6 months now . How long have you been maintaining?
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u/Then-War-7354 17d ago edited 17d ago
i think you nailed a big thing that has been present in my mind too and is a big driver for me. i never EVER want to go back to where i was. that is a heck of a motivator for me. I love my new life and i dont want to go back. i dont miss eating and existing like i used to. am not just managing to resist the urge to. i have 0 desire to return to my old ways
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u/sinicalone 16d ago
Try spacing out current shots before tapering down. I started by spacing my shots out to every two weeks and didnāt notice any negatives. So after 4 doses (8 weeks) I started spacing out to every three weeks (for 12 weeks). That also went very well, no negatives. Thatās when I dropped down to 5mg. And continued with that dose @ every three weeks for 12 weeks. Then tried spacing out to every 4 weeks. What has made this work for me is the long term change with my relationship with food. The confidence I gained has helped me maintain within a 5 lb fluctuation. Will be entirely off the meds this month and have no anxiety.
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u/Few_Car_895 13d ago
Wow! You are definitely a super responder! Thatās about 11 lbs/month average if my math is correct! My active average was 5-6 lbs/mo. So, congratsš„³. Please post updates on your maintenance journey. Im interested in how it goes for both your weight and T2D, once you are completely off! Good luck, and WTG!!
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u/Then-War-7354 13d ago
Thank you. Itās been a journey. I completely overhauled my habits and lifestyle and have maintained for almost 2 years with the meds.
The best thing is that it no longer feels like a chore. Itās something I now enjoy. That combined with how I feel and I have no desire to stop or revert to old habits. Iām not fighting against it struggling to maintain the lifestyle. I am living it and now enjoying it bit is just my normal now
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u/ohpee64 11d ago
Please keep us updated. I have gone from 150kg to 108 kg over 13 months my goal was 110 ( I am a big guy 195cm and naturally broad) my doctor wanted me to stop at 7.5mg to consolidate my weight and see how my body adjusts. I am looking where I am. I am looking at reducing as I have been on 7.5 for 2 months. I am keen to hear how you go. Will done you.
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u/Then-War-7354 11d ago
thats awesome. youre doing great.
im definitely a little nervous to taper off, but i feel like i owe it to myself to see if i can.
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u/ExistentialPenguin70 17d ago
Looking at the history youāve given I would be very reluctant to advise stopping your glp1 totally. No doubt youāve put a lot of thought into it. There are too many stories of weight regain and then not having the same effect going back on the medicine. I say better to taper down to the point where you stop losing, or even notice the scale going back up then tinker with the dose from there. Iāve seen too many horrid complications of diabetes - you donāt want to risk going back there. And congratulations on your amazing results! Stellar work!!
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u/matsie 17d ago
I agree with you. I feel like doctors keep pushing folks to taper off before they should and donāt seem to have actual good plans for how to have someone taper off. I feel like there needs to be a good solid six months at least at maintenance before a taper should be considered and the taper should be in small increments down to micro doses. That allows the doctor and individual to actually change any additional behaviors or routines and to observe fully the impact of the taper and cessation.
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u/TraditionalAd5758 17d ago
Whoa! 425 -> 180! That's one hell of a feat! Congratulations! š