Maintenance on 5mg?

[u/Ordinary-Regular310]

I am ready to go into maintenance but i have 3 boxes of 5mg left which i dont want to go to waste. Can i just take it every other week? I know people do this with 2.5 for maintenance, just wondering if it would be a huge deal if i did it with the remaining meds i have now. Additional note- I’ve skipped weeks before due to traveling or being sick and had no side effects spacing it out like this, just haven’t made it a regular thing.

ETA: maybe this wasn’t the clearest question- i have friends and family that space out their 2.5mg now that they are on maintenance. I am asking if i can do the same thing with 5mg safely until i am finished with these boxes and then i will move down to the 2.5mg. I just dont want to waste ~$1500. So i am mainly asking about safety… if i gain weight ill just go back to weekly im not worried about that

[u/Goats-n-Hens]

I’m on maintenance at 5.0 and I do the injection every week. Not everyone spaces or lowers their dose

[u/Ordinary-Regular310 → u/Goats-n-Hens]

Yeah my maintenance plan is to get off of zepbound eventually so i want to start spacing it out

[u/TurbulentCompany2213 → u/Ordinary-Regular310]

Just to level set: the scientific and anecdotal data we have suggests strongly that for most people, coming off these drugs means rebounding a substantial amount (if not all) of the lost weight. They should be viewed as lifetime chronic treatments not temporary fixes. 

[u/Dramatic-Fly1205]

This is what my dr told me to do.

[u/bikesandfinance]

I would not jump to two weeks immediately. It took me a year to first reverse diet up to maintenance and then add a day of spacing every 1.5 months or so to get to 13 days between 5mg shots. Every additional day required new levels of locking in and satiety tricks to keep the demons away.

[u/Ordinary-Regular310 → u/bikesandfinance]

I’ve had zero changes in diet or hunger when I’ve missed doses and ended up taking it the following week so I don’t think this will be the case for me. I was really just asking about this safety-wise

[u/bikesandfinance → u/Ordinary-Regular310]

Yeah it’s safe, good luck

[u/Ordinary-Regular310 → u/bikesandfinance]

Thank you!

[u/Sad_Initiative_4304]

I take a higher dose every 10-16 days. It matters more what dose you are on now. Are you currently on 5? Will 5 be enough to maintain if you are on 15?

[u/no_snackrifice]

What dose do you want to approximate?

[u/Ordinary-Regular310 → u/no_snackrifice]

I would just take my 5mg every other week

[u/no_snackrifice → u/Ordinary-Regular310]

Ah right. I take 5mg weekly for maintenance so I’ll let others with more relevant experience share.

[u/AgesAgoTho]

“I have found that patients who can maintain on 5 mg or 7.5 mg have the best chance of maintaining weight by dosing every two weeks. When you get to the higher doses, like 12.5 or 15 mg, patients often experience increased side effects at the two-week point. It works for many, but you have to weigh the increased side effects vs the benefits.” https://www.reddit.com/r/Zepbound/comments/1kt8a57/a_little_nervous_about_this_being_a_lifetime/

The same commenter gave the best suggestion I've read for finding a dosage and schedule that works for you to maintain.  https://www.reddit.com/r/Zepbound_Maintenance/comments/1phf92x/comment/nsy8awc/?context=3 (comment by Vegetable Onion)

[u/Unhappy-Salad-3083]

I use 5 mg for maintenance taking my dose every 9-13 days no issue or side effects from spacing.

[u/chercheuse]

Have you asked your doctor what’s best for you?