Low dose Zepbound ok?

Like FunkyBetter said, those pens start at 2.5mg. Some folks inject the medicine into sterile vials so they can measure out smaller doses, but that's a pain and not super common.

I tell people to stick with the starting dose for a month at least to see how they handle it. Most people do just fine with the regular doses. Some get side effects, but usually those get better in a month or two. Honestly, I think some people worry TOO much about side effects and psych themselves out.

I had some side effects, but they weren't bad at all. Mostly just felt full all the time, like after Thanksgiving dinner, and a little nausea that went away with some Gravol. I also figured out that greasy food made the nausea worse.
 
My experience is that Tirzepatide (Zepbound) has fewer side effects compared to Semaglutide (Wegovy).

I am currently on 7.5mg weekly, and I have had no adverse effects so far. The general consensus with this medication seems to be quite favorable. However, individual results may vary.
 
I'll give a different take. I started Tirz at 1.25mg, and bumped it up slowly on purpose. I did 1.25mg every five days for like, a month and a half, then went to 1.66mg every five days for about two months. 1.66mg every five days is basically the same as 2.32mg weekly, for perspective. I barely felt anything – just a little less hungry and some fullness. I dropped about 15 pounds in three months. I seem to lose weight slower than other people, 'cause even now on higher doses, I'm only losing a pound or so a week. The weight loss is so gradual that no one has noticed yet...except my closet, lol.

So, yeah 1.25 can still work, but I probably could have gone up sooner. My main thing was to avoid increasing the dose by more than 50% to try and keep side effects away. From what I've read, the 2.5mg to 5.0mg jump seems to cause issues for a lot of Tirz/Zepbound users, and I wanted to skip that. I probably would have been fine on the regular schedule, I usually handle meds well, but going slow meant zero side effects.
 
I agree with @Pops about the slow and steady approach.
Pops said:
My main thing was to avoid increasing the dose by more than 50% to try and keep side effects away.
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That's a smart way to go about it if you're worried. Everyone reacts differently!
 
So I'm on Ozempic, not Zepbound, but my doc doesn't want to increase me to 2mg because he sees side effects. I've been on 1mg for like, a year and a half, and only lost 15-20 pounds total. My A1c is good. Should I just go to 2mg or try splitting the dose like I read online?
 
Hey @BigTex_LessNextYear, I saw someone online say they went from 1mg to 1.5mg by counting clicks on the pen. They did that for a month before going to 2mg. Some people do split doses long term to keep the medicine levels steady in their blood and avoid side effects.

They said for the 2mg pen, 74 clicks is the full dose, so 37 clicks is 1mg, and about 27 clicks is 0.75mg, and 18 is 0.50. Might be worth a shot?
 
I tried going from 1mg to 2mg...and I was throwing up after every meal. Had to titrate back down and go slower. Everyone really is different.
 
@King_Notes, I agree that the return of appetite can be frustrating. However, it may simply indicate that the lower dose is insufficient to maintain the desired effect. Discuss increasing your dose with your doctor to mitigate this.
 
The appetite suppression even at this lower dose is honestly insane. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it keeps working like this and that I can skip some of the side effects everyone's been talking about.
 
74 and had a great run on Mounjaro once I ditched metformin — they caused explosive diarrhea together. Mounjaro alone gives mild constipation I handle with a stool softener once a month. Down 60 lbs, blood pressure solid.
 
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