Spacing out doses for maintenance?

[Mel]

standard dosing schedule is 2.5 for 4 weeks, 5 for 4, 7.5 for 4, 10 for 4, 12.5 for 4, then 15 until goal. some people respond fast and stay low. i never went above 10 until the last 10 pounds, then 15 for a month. took 18 months total to drop 90.

 

[Mix_Guy]

The 5mg every-other-week stretch for maintenance is documented - most people who try it find 10-12 days is the practical window before noise returns.

 

[Done]

Dose stretching is the standard maintenance move - most people land somewhere between 8 and 12 days and find they stay stable.

 

[goofy_basil]

The steady state approach - going in at lower doses to let levels accumulate gradually - is exactly right for avoiding the worst of the sides. The assumption that smaller peaks are less likely to cross the symptom threshold holds up in practice for most people.

 

[picklejogger]

the analogy holds - if appetite and weight are stable at the current dose and you're not trending in the wrong direction, there is no reason to increase. the default in most areas of medicine is minimum effective dose, which is especially true for anything taken long term. the exception is if something changes: regain starts, hunger returns noticeably, or you're trying to reach a lower target

 

[toastymover11]

Might just be your body settling into a natural spot for you. Worth a conversation with your doctor about switching to something like Mounjaro if that seems worthwhile, otherwise this could simply be your baseline, better to shift focus toward holding steady rather than pushing for more.

 

[bagel_peeler01]

Third maintenance-dose thread I've seen this week, lol. Getting close to goal myself and hoping to eventually drop to 2-4mg. Guess we'll find out when I get there.

 

[pickle_holdsteady]

Great job holding steady, hoping I manage the same! I'm at 10mg too and never had to go past that. Such a solid medication.

 

[Pierhead]

Is that maintenance-level for you, or still on the way down?

No offense, but this genuinely makes me laugh. My spouse and I both went from a small starting amount all the way up to a much higher one. Now I bounce between two moderate amounts just to hold steady.

 

[Leah B.]

Bouncing between a couple different dose levels while figuring out maintenance. Also went about 5 lbs past my second goal. Seem to be holding fairly steady with maybe a 2 lb swing either way. Honestly wouldn't mind putting back on about 5 lbs at this point.

 

[pickle_wkone]

Similar setup to yours, just on Reta instead. Kicked off at 2mg for four weeks, following the Lilly trial timeline. Same as you, held each amount until the scale stopped budging. Did that through 4mg and 6mg. After that I started freelancing my own dose sizing. Eventually landed at 9mg, and four weeks there got me past my second goal with room to spare. Just started a 6mg maintenance dose this past Friday. Whatever the scale tells me next decides whether I hold there or trim further. Personally I think watching the scale trend is the single best tool for figuring this stuff out. Only weigh in once weekly, Fridays, always the same scale.