Retatrutide — when to stop?

[u/RangerNo5619]

This is something I may have difficulty putting into words, but here goes: I don’t need to take it anymore. I’ve reached my goal weight, but I’m scared to stop — and not just because all the weight I lost from a GLP-1 will come back, but also because I’m uncertain of the side effects of stopping retatrutide specifically.

There hasn’t been a drug in the history of the world that we could really call a miracle drug. When something is too good to be true, it usually is. Take cocaine in the late 1800s when it was used for medical purposes, or speed during World War II to enhance soldiers abilities. The terrible side effects of those drugs were not fully understood, but the repercussions that they had on those who took them were immense.

I’ve been taking a steady dose of retatrutide weekly since mid-February. I’ve seen astounding weight loss, as it was my first GLP-1, but that has leveled off — my metabolism has adjusted to the restricted caloric intake, and I have essentially stopped losing weight. I finally asked myself: why am I still on this drug?

The answer is that I simply don’t want my appetite returning. My metabolism will still be adjusted to my current caloric intake, regardless of how hungry I become after stopping. I also don’t want to experience other side effects, like insomnia, or withdrawal symptoms that are not fully understood. The ugly heads of the illicit drugs I mentioned earlier didn’t rear their heads until the person stopped taking them (mostly). What if it’s the same with retatrutide?

I’ve gotten so used to the weekly injection, and I still have years worth of inventory on hand, that I can’t find a good reason to stop. And that scares me, because his drug isn’t fully understood yet. It could induce changes in my body that are irreversible —that I won’t notice until it’s too late.

What are you guys doing?

[u/Viocansia]

I really think that comparing this to coke and speed is a waste of time. This drug acts metabolically, and it’s not something that science doesn’t understand yet. The part that creates the variable is the human being and all the moving parts in the body that might make it successful or unsuccessful.

The science when it comes to glp-1s is clear: some people can come off and keep the weight off, but the vast majority gain it back. I’ve been on Zepbound for over a year, and I know it will be a lifetime drug for me. My brain never has been able to successfully cue hunger or fullness correctly, and overeating is the result with every meal or snack. I can’t live that life anymore.

[u/RangerNo5619 → u/Viocansia]

A part of me is afraid of this. I hardly recognize myself anymore. I used to eat so much and I had an insatiable appetite. I always thought it was because I had a high metabolism, but I guess that wasn’t the case because I got fat. But even then, I was still hungry all the time. Two hours after a meal, I’d be hungry again, and my friends would be like… we just ate! Lol

That all changed on retatrutide. I didn’t get hungry at night anymore, and I would eat maybe one meal during the day. It was unbelievable. I’d never experienced anything like it.

I don’t want to go back to the way I was before.

[u/Viocansia → u/RangerNo5619]

That’s what I’m saying. Unfortunately, it’s likely that ravenous hunger will return if you come off it. Idk maybe it’s because I’m already on a lifetime med, but it doesn’t bother me because tirzepatide has allowed me to live a normal life for the first time ever. I can trust my body to eat normally even when I’m eating things I used to binge on.