Aunt's health is declining on Tirz :(

FitGirl

FitGirl

Well-known member
Hey all, my aunt is 65 and not doing well. She had a heart incident and a stroke years ago. She's overweight and wants to improve, so I started her on Tirzepatide thinking it'd be better than Retatrutide given her health history. It's been 2 months, and she hasn't dropped a pound, or felt better. She was on 2.5mg for 4 weeks, and now she's on 5mg every 5 days. I visited her and she's in rough shape – super swollen, lots of fluid retention (I think that’s most of her weight). I was there all day, and she's not eating much, but her pantry isn't full of healthy stuff. I know you aren't medical pros, and she needs to see a real doctor, but she's refusing. Maybe someone here has seen something like this and can help? I think if she could just pee out some fluid and see the scale move, she'd be more motivated. But the scale isn't budging!
 
That sounds like possible congestive heart failure or kidney problems. She needs to see a doctor, ASAP. I'm not a doctor, and this isn't medical advice, but seriously, get her seen.
 
Yeah, just looking at her, I'm worried she's approaching heart failure. But she's still refusing medical help. I was hoping to get some weight off to reduce the pressure on her.
 
Seriously, push her to a doctor! If she has a heart attack tonight, do you want to be the one giving her meds you got online? You'd be an easy target to blame, just saying.
 
It's nice that you're trying to help, but this situation's beyond what peptides or diet changes can safely address. She needs a medical assessment. Fluid overload from possible heart failure sounds likely, not just fat. Tirzepatide can't fix that and might even complicate things.
 
Trying to "flush fluid" without medical advice (with diuretics, supplements, etc.) can be really risky, even deadly. If she's retaining that much fluid, her heart and kidneys might already be struggling. Weight loss meds won't help with that strain... proper medical evaluation and treatment will. I know she's refusing, but this is urgent. Even a quick trip to urgent care or the ER to check her heart, lungs, and kidneys could prevent a much worse outcome.

Honestly, I'd stop the Tirzepatide and focus on getting her seen. The scale isn't the problem... the swelling is the big warning sign. 😢
 
You said she had a stroke. Is she thinking clearly enough to make sound health choices? Or has she always avoided doctors? Heart failure could be the reason for the fluid retention, especially considering her previous heart problem.

It sounds like her condition may be life threatening if it keeps getting worse without medical care. Here in Australia, we have aged care teams that can assess people at home; maybe there's something similar where you are. If you're her caregiver, you might need to decide that she needs help, even if she doesn't agree. But if she can think clearly and is just making risky choices, there's not much you can do besides try to talk her into treatment. Get other family members to help convince her to visit a doctor or get admitted to a hospital to figure things out.
 
Okay, I understand. I appreciate the input – I needed to hear it. She's mentally okay, and I'm not legally in charge, but I'll keep pushing everyone to get her to a doctor ASAP.
 
While I totally agree she needs a doctor NOW... in the meantime:

* Try Midol bloat relief
* Drink more water
* Protein shakes with fiber
* Multivitamin, maybe extra Vitamin D and B complex
 
I'm new to this stuff but reading this thread is scary. I'm in the UK... how much does Tirz cost elsewhere?
 
Thanks everybody, I'm trying to get her to go. Waiting to hear back. It's frustrating. She's so stubborn.
 
If she does start to feel better after getting medical help, maybe the tirz will help more then. I've heard people get all kinds of energy from it even without weight loss. Saw someone online say it's like a "miracle drug" for energy. But first she has to get the swelling under control!
 
That is a meaningful result. The alcohol craving reduction on tirz is real and does not get nearly enough attention compared to the weight loss side. Six months sober from 1-2 bottles a day is a big outcome. The thread title and this story are completely different experiences of the same medication.
 
5 years out and well-maintained with solid recomp is the long-game data point for what's possible. The food noise plus perimenopause combination is exactly where a lot of women in their 50s find the hunger control piece becomes genuinely harder without pharmacological support. For the OP's aunt at 65 with the cardiac history, the risk/benefit calculation on Tirz is different from a healthy patient - cardiologist sign-off would be the right first step.
 
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