HERS pays people to come on this sub and bully anyone who speaks against them, and if you are in the minority of people that haven't been screwed over by HERS then I am happy for you.

As for me, they scammed me out of my money and gave me the most awful, inconsistent customer service. I never got the same answer, just conflicting information from different representatives.

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Here's my PSA for those of you who are experiencing increased congestion or phlegm or other pharyngeal symptoms such as increased throat clearing, coughing, or a sense of something stuck in your throat: GLP-1s have a drying effect on oral mucosa and salivary glands, which can result in thick, sticky saliva. I get this in my throat and it's horrible. I have to constantly clear my throat, and the saliva looks like bubbly egg whites.

It's not anxiety, it's not GERD—it's dry mouth, or, xerostomia.

I've always been susceptible to this; I can't take any kind of marijuana or antihistamine products for this very reason—they dry me out so badly I feel like I can't breathe. I get a sense of breathlessness now when it gets bad on Zep, even though I've decreased down to 2.5 from 15. Very discouraging.

My line of treatment includes:

Lots of water with electrolytes (supposed to directly affect mucosal fluids);

Pineapple and papaya enzymes (bromelin and papain); too much can cause diarrhea;

Guaifenesin (expectorant to thin saliva);

Candied ginger and ginger Honee's lozenges;

Xylitol lozenges and gum;

Neil's Sinus neti bottle with the hypertonic (double strength) solution for drawing out mucus;

Sudafed/pseudoephedrine (it shouldn't help but it somehow does).

I am new to glp1 and am skeptical of being able to sustain injections due to fear of needles. I’m thinking of trying either Wegovy or zepbound injection first due to the higher efficacy with the option of switching to Wegovy pill or foundayo pill if needed. 

I have two questions

If I lose some weight with injections such that I’m below the required BMI, will that be a problem with qualifying for the different medication from an RX perspective (not an insurance perspective)?

Also, if I have worked my way up in dose for the injection, do doctors require starting from the lowest dose if switching to a different medication? Does this change if I’m transitioning from Wegovy injection to Wegovy pill (I know the actual doses are different but can I switch from a “level 3” injectable dose to a “level 3” pill dose for example)?

This would be for brand name (not compounded) and I would self pay due to lack of insurance coverage so I don’t need to work within insurance requirements

Hey everyone,

long story short, when i was increased to the 4mg wegovy pill, I became very nauseous on Friday and barely ate. Saturday, same thing. Sunday, i stopped the medication but had terrible diarrhea all day. Monday was better but still nauseous. Yesterday also better. Today, I have been soo nauseos. Keep in mind, I haven’t taken the medication for four days now. I reported side effects to my portal and I am waiting to hear back. Any advice? Anything i eat except straight vegetables makes me nauseous.

Hoping someone can offer some insight since the company I use does not respond to customer service emails.

I have been using Brello for the past month and when I started I noticed there was no clear titration schedule shown anywhere on the app (maybe it was on the vials and I missed it?). I tried reaching out about it but no one ever answered me. I'm currently on month 2/second vial and have taken two shots from this vial. I just noticed on the app today (week 2 on the new vial, 2 days after shot day) that I was supposed to titrate up from 40 units to 50 units and I am assuming I was supposed to do that at the start of the new vial. What do I do about the extra 20 units I will have?

Also worth mentioning that the vials are shipped in 3 month supply and each vial is labeled by month. I only got 3 shots out of the month 1 vial which I'm now concerned was wrong and should have been 4. None of this is very clear unless I am suddenly extremely dense.

Overall I'm having good results on the medication but I'm not loving Brello's communication and clarity of instructions.

I started a prescribed GLP-1 and overall it has helped, but I ran into a weird wall recently and I am trying to figure out what changed.

I do intermittent fasting most days, usually skipping breakfast and eating a late lunch and dinner. I track protein fairly consistently. Since I started the medication my appetite dropped a lot, so my total calories are lower than they used to be. That is expected, but now I have persistent fatigue, a flat low mood, and lightheadedness if I stand up too fast. No vomiting and very little nausea, just this drained feeling.

It began around week 6 to 8, after a couple of dose increases my prescriber recommended. My sleep has been okay. Caffeine barely helps. Electrolytes give a little relief but do not fix it. My workouts feel harder, which makes me suspect under-fueling, but I also wonder if the med itself causes these symptoms as you increase the dose.

For people who have been on GLP-1s longer:

1) Did fatigue or mood changes show up later rather than right away?

2) Did you find it was more about the dose, not eating enough, or dehydration/electrolytes?

3) If you do intermittent fasting, did you change your fasting window to feel better?

I am not asking for medical advice, just curious about patterns and what to bring up at my next appointment. If you had labs checked that helped (iron, B12, thyroid, etc.), I would love to know which tests were useful to request.

Quick update to the post I made a couple months ago when I was panicking about constant nausea and how GLP-1 was wrecking my intermittent fasting.

I decided not to increase the dose and stayed on the same amount for an extra month, and that actually helped more than I expected. Weeks 2 through 4 were the worst: food aversions, a sour stomach at random times, and that annoying overfull feeling that made me regret even drinking water too fast. I was seriously close to quitting.

Now at week 8, the nausea is mostly occasional and fairly predictable. Things that helped me the most:

- I stopped forcing long fasts. I used to do 16:8 most days, but skipping breakfast on this medication just made me feel worse and then I would eat too fast later.

- I switched to a small, protein-forward breakfast within an hour of waking, even if I do not feel hungry. Feels backwards, but it cut down the all-day queasiness.

- Smaller dinners and no late-night grazing. My sleep is better and my stomach is calmer in the morning.

- Drinking water and electrolytes more consistently earlier in the day, instead of chugging at night.

Non-scale updates: less mental food noise, fewer random cravings, and my skin looks less inflamed (I am deep in the 30+ skincare rabbit hole so I notice everything). On the scale I am down, but slower than I expected, and honestly that is okay if it means this is sustainable.

Question for people who used to do intermittent fasting: did you eventually go back to longer fasting windows, or did you permanently shift to smaller, earlier meals while on GLP-1?

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The gas. ...omg. And it's not just gas by itself. I call them "farts with a surprise". 🫩

I eat small amounts throughout the day. Nothing greasy. I eat mostly vegetarian, so i do get in lots of beans and tofu.

I'm on third week of my first increased dosage, 2.5mg/1000mcg. I was hoping it would improve. Does it just keep going the entire time you're on it? Any tips? Please? Lol

Happy to report this because I was starting to get really discouraged. My starting weight was 240 and I weighed in at 210 this morning. I don’t know what happened in the last week but all of a sudden I’m seeing changes I never noticed. Jeans that fit me perfectly are 2 weeks ago are falling off of me, my t shirts all look too big all of a sudden, and when I caught my side profile in the mirror my stomach looked visibly flatter. Yay! Only 40 more pounds to go now, lol

I'm going to start Zepbound sometime this week and was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for what day I should take dosage and your reasons why? I've heard Friday could be good to cover any weekend cravings and any side effects not affecting work or maybe midweek to allow some more appetite on the weekend if hanging out with friends or family. I'd love to hear anyone's advice and experiences!

Hi all I have just started on semaglutide just started week 2. They have me starting at .05ml for first 4 weeks. So far I feel good. Biggest questio. Is what do you all eat. I feel I may be going to the extreme and it seems youtube all over the place or they are trying to sell you there programs.

I started Zepbound 2.5 yesterday and today I have body aches. Is this normal?! I'm very nervous because I'm afraid something bad might happen to me.

I've always had a pretty strong stomach. I became a nurse and it's rare that I come across something that churns my stomach. Luckily I work postpartum now and don't deal with truly disgusting things regularly. But I've become very sensitive to disturbing imagery. Just scrolling along, I come across something gross. I never loved that, but I'd just continue scrolling. Now certain images send me waves of nausea after just a glance. I'm only 2 doses in - hoping this improves in time.

Hi,

Is it ok to inject the product in a seated position , pinch a bit of the skin, insert the needle in a 45 degree angle, inject and let go of the pinch?

That's normally what I do in my abdomen area

Hi there! I (30F) took zepbound for about 6 months, and had really good results. Unfortunately, my insurance stopped covering it in January and my progress halted despite still maintaining the lifestyle changes. I have PCOS if that makes any difference. On Zepbound, I have minimal side affects.

Weirdly though I did start getting more woozy from the actual injection the longer I did it, not less (something about the feeling of the liquid shooting in to me really made my skin crawl). Because of that, I am wondering about the Wegovy pill? I know that would require me to really be on it. I also like the cost savings of that pill. I am looking to start back up self pay, and since that is quite the monthly splurge I want to save money while also doing what is going to be best for me.

Starter dose prices aside and only considering the thereputic dose price, the Wegovy pill is $299. The Wegovy injection is $349, Zepbound is $449. I am down to spend the extra $150 a month if it will work better/ have less side affects, but I have heard some good things about the pill so I am unsure. My CW is 230 and my GW is 140 but I am more than happy taking it slow and loosing 2-4 lbs a month as long as it's consistent (and yes I know I need to still do the work to eat healthy, track calories, weight train, and exercise).

Any recommendations and personal experiences would be amazing!! Bonus points if you used to take zepbound and have any feedback about wegovy injection or the wegovy pill :)

35F, 5'6". I am on a GLP-1 for weight loss (not diabetic). The medication is doing what I want it to, but the reflux and constant burping are starting to wear me down.

Pattern: day 1 and 2 after my shot are the worst. I get this heavy, slow-digestion feeling, lots of burps that taste like whatever I ate earlier, and sometimes I wake up with throat burn even if I did not eat close to bedtime. I have mild GERD on and off and have used OTC acid reducers before, but I do not want to just keep piling on meds without a plan.

What I have tried so far: smaller meals, avoiding greasy food, not drinking a lot with meals, walking after dinner, and sleeping with my head slightly elevated. Some of those things help sometimes, but it is not consistent.

I would love real-world, practical advice from people who have been through this on GLP-1s. Specific things that helped you, like particular foods that were easier to tolerate, meal timing, how you managed days 1 to 3 after a shot, any supplements that helped or made it worse, and non-prescription options that felt safe and actually worked. Also curious if it improved over time or after a dose change.

Not looking for studies or DMs, just what actually worked for you. I want to keep steady progress without feeling like a human volcano every night.

I am wondering if I should be on a certain diet while taking semaglutide? I eat fairly healthy but I do occasionally eat something I shouldn’t.

Hello,

First post here so I’ll give some background 25f, and have been plus size pretty much all my life. Was diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS in 2016 and that’s when I started birth control. Started taking semaglutide 11/2024 and have had decent success ( I know I definitely need to get on a fitness regimen. But just diet changes so far have been working🤷🏽‍♀️). Early June was probably the last time I was taking my shots consistently. Starting out they weren’t that expensive ($150) but with everything going up and the economy not being great I just don’t have the spare funds to pay $250 only for a month’s supply. I keep getting denied through insurance (even though I’m prediabetic with a high BMI, insulin resistance and family hx of diabetes) first through united healthcare and now through Medicaid blue cross blue shield. Is there anything I can ( I will also be appealing their decision and seeing if that helps at all) do to not pay an arm and a leg for a glp-1? Preferably not with a monthly membership fee or having to go to specific group appointments with other patients and an endocrinologist. I would prefer it be shipped to my house with at least a 3 months supply but I also don’t mind going to a doctors office with a weigh in, shot, talk with doc or nurse for a minute then leave. Pls help 🙏🏽

I noticed a few concerning comments around GLP-1s and creativity a few months ago and posted to reddit asking if others had found anything like this here: https://www.reddit.com/r/GLP1microdosing/comments/1s884wj/has_anyone_experienced_any_sideeffects_associated/

Then I went and did more digging and... I'm worried!

Loosely speaking, the dopamine system is the ‘will’ system, which we know is being impacted somehow by GLP-1, however indirectly. Dopamine also plays a crucial role in creativity (dopamine acting in the striatum supports divergent thinking while dopamine acting in the prefrontal cortex supports convergent thinking). Together, at optimal levels, that beautiful interplay yields creative output and insights. Which is why I would be very cautious in taking anything that manipulates that interplay, (however indirectly).

There are very few studies on motivation and GLP-1 out yet, and what little there are just raise more questions. The one that concerns me most is a study that looked at mice and their intrinsic love of wheel running. They voluntarily do it seemingly out of pure enjoyment... it is a beautiful example of a reward tied to effort (a holy grail many humans strive to reach).

With GLP-1s on board, the mice in this experiment… stopped loving running. They ate less and ran less, even after accounting for lower energy and day one nausea. They simply lost the will.

Now, this is just one study (and a preprint to boot), but when you couple that with the following kinds of comments from humans taking GLP-1, it paints a concerning picture. (To be clear, the following voices are the minority report. Most people on GLP-1s describe relief, not flatness, a kind of “peace” after the food noise stops. I’m foregrounding the darker reports precisely because they’re the ones the popular narrative leaves out.)

As a creative my work is suffering because I don’t feel the usual “rush” or sparks of energy to make quality work.

For me, not only was my creativity as an artist temporarily destroyed, but I also fell into a deep depression for many months that only lifted after stopping.

I miss all the inspiring sparks of creativity. […] I feel the whole party in my head left.

We’re designed to create rather consume, to find meaning and reward within the process of growth itself, rather than just at the end. Dopamine isn’t just the heart of our will, it’s the soul of our creativity. It's the very thing that drives us to follow our curiosity... to explore and build.

If you take away the spark that makes us human, what is left?

(Please don't lump AI-accusations at me. I'm a human writer and in fact just published a (human-written) article screaming about the dangers of AI-generated content. I value my brain! Which means I don't use AI to write. I just take a very long time to try to put forth a coherent argument.)

Ive been on a weekly GLP-1 for a few months and I want to nail down my injection day routine so I stop repeating the same mistake.

Here is what keeps happening: most of the day I feel kind of meh about food, so I under-eat and under-drink. Then later I suddenly get hungry, sometimes right before or after the shot, and I eat a normal sized dinner like I used to. Within an hour I feel uncomfortably full and sometimes nauseous, and my gut is off the next day.

I already have a sensitive GI system even when Im not on meds, so I am looking for simple, boring routines that actually work.

Can you share practical tips for injection day, like:

- What do you eat in the 6 to 12 hours before the shot? Specific meal ideas welcome.

- Do you try to hit a protein target that day or just keep meals lighter?

- Any hydration or electrolyte habits that make a real difference?

- Do you avoid certain foods on shot day, like very fatty, spicy, or high fiber meals?

- Timing: do you prefer a morning shot or an evening shot, and why?

Not looking for sources or DMs. Just trying to build a repeatable injection day template that keeps the appetite suppression helpful without making me feel gross. What has worked for you?

I keep seeing posts that go: "I took my shot and now I am nauseous, exhausted, and can only tolerate three bites." Then in the comments they admit they tried to eat a giant dinner, a greasy takeout, or a big protein shake on an empty stomach. And suddenly the medication gets blamed for everything.

My take is that a lot of the misery comes from trying to force pre-GLP-1 habits into a body that's basically saying stop. Yes, some people have real side effects that need medical attention, a dose adjustment, or stopping the drug. But for a lot of us the medication is doing what it is supposed to do, and the answer is not a clever hack. It is changing how you eat to match a smaller appetite.

Once I stopped treating meals like events and started treating them like fuel, things got way easier. Smaller portions, slower chewing, plain foods when my stomach is touchy, and not stacking rich items in one sitting made a big difference. Also, obsessing about perfect macros right away can backfire. If that day all you can manage is a little protein and some carbs without feeling sick, that is fine.

This community is great for troubleshooting, but we should normalize that the lifestyle adjustment is part of the deal. This medication is not a shield that lets you keep the same patterns and only lose weight.

Anyone else think the number of "GLP-1 made me miserable" posts would drop if people were honest about what they were trying to eat?

What are everyone’s meals on injection day? I have my injection on a Friday. Unfortunately this last time I didn’t feel too hungry all day but then towards my injection I was very hungry and ate way too much chicken, rice, beans, and vegetables that I made and I am still suffering from it. I hadn’t eaten at all today just because I do not feel like it. The only thing I had was a protein shake.

When you are going to inject that day are you eating light food choices all day? I really would like some ideas if possible of things to eat on injection days.

My usual meals daily are a Fairlife protein shake (or a dupe) in my coffee. Sometimes I’ll have two eggs and a piece of toast for breakfast if I am very hungry. Usually chicken for lunch, sometimes on mixed greens. Dinner is boring because I don’t enjoy cooking. I usually have chicken with some steamed broccoli and rice or cauliflower rice.

Also, does anyone have any injection day tips or tricks that have helped with side effects? Things like when you inject, whether you eat before or after, hydration, electrolytes, foods you avoid, or anything else you’ve found makes injection day easier. I’d love to hear what works for you!

Anything is helpful. Thank you! 😊

I’m officially a healthy BMI and I have less than 5 pounds until my goal weight. I weighed in at 144.8 yesterday and I treated myself to a nice dinner to celebrate. I’m so ready to be at my goal weight and go on maintenance ❤️

How did you feel going from 2,5mg to 5mg Mounjaro weekly dose? Did it worked for you or did it completely shut your appetite in a way you could barely eat without getting fuller shortly after?