Tiny tirzepatide dose increases?

HappyRoad

HappyRoad

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Anyone know about adjusting doses in smaller steps than 2.5mg? Like, moving from 2.5mg to just 3mg? I can't find much info, probably because most people aren't measuring individual doses from vials. Makes sense that studies focus on the standard increases.
 
I upped my dose by 1mg at a time using compounded stuff. I'd go from 5mg to 6mg when the food noise started coming back. Lots of people mess with their schedule, too, like doing it every 5 or 6 days.
 
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I've experimented with this. You can either increase the amount you inject each week or inject the same amount more often (like every 6 days). I use a calculator that projects how much Tirz is in my system to adjust dosage/schedule very precisely. Makes sense to use the smallest dose needed to get results. Less sides and stretches your supply!
 
I'm doing it, but it's all trial and error. I go up by 0.5mg increments. The jump from 5mg to 7.5mg messed me up, so I dropped to 5.5mg the next week and been doing 0.5mg increases since. I'm at 6.5mg now.
 
Because of the half-life, splitting the dose (2x a week) worked better for me, and I've been doing smaller increases than recommended. I inject 6mg weekly, split in two injections, and am doing pretty well in my third month, down 20lbs total. If you use a syringe, you can adjust to smaller sizes to help with adverse side effects.
 
I always assumed the official dosage increases had more to do with the limitations of the injector pens? It'd be a pain to make a pen for every 0.5mg step. I bet going slower would be better.
 
They've spent a fortune researching this stuff, but I'm doing small increases and stayed on 2.5 for months. Just hit 5mg. I'm thinking about maintenance soon, even though I want to lose a few more pounds. I'll figure out the right dose regardless of the official recommendations.
 
It's all anecdotal. No one tested this in a controlled manner. I inject twice a week, which isn't what's suggested, but seems to match the 5-day half-life better. Lots of people quit because of side effects, so slower increases would probably help. But some people don't see results until 10mg, so going slow would take a long time.
 
That's like my plan. I went from 2.5 to 5, and that first week was… rough. I won't go into details. Going from 5 to 6 at the end of the month. But I'm down 35lbs, so I'm not complaining.
 
On tirz, I was at 2.5mg for about 6 weeks, then 5mg for 2. Then I swapped to Reta and stayed at 5mg for 2 more weeks to let the Reta build up. Reta: 2mg for 2 weeks, 3 mg for 2 weeks, 4mg for 2 weeks, 5mg for 2 weeks, etc. Up to 8 now. Staying here for a bit. I've been splitting doses every 3.5 days after the 2nd week on tirz.
 
My sister and I increase by .25 after a stall. We also mess with frequency, like 6 days vs 7, or 3.5. We're holding at 6mg since we'll be on this for a long time. Been on 8 months. She's lost 40 with 20 to go, I've lost 24 with 5 to go.
 
I think the standard protocol is about making manufacturing and inventory easier, plus avoiding lawsuits. And also $$$. I've read that some people do well on 5mg, so starting lower than 2.5mg might help reduce initial sides. A 0.5 or 1mg bump might help you avoid plateaus. 5mg seems great for many. Most of my weight loss happened around 5mg. Studies say that going past 10mg a week won't mean much more weight loss. And most weight loss happens early on. Maybe stretch increases to target 1.5-2.0 lbs per week when 10mg is close to your goal. I lost 40 in 6 months. Doing 8mg tirz every 5 days, and just added Cagri. For me, dosage change happens a few weeks before the weight loss.
 
Makes sense about the pens. I mean, they tell you to toss them after 56 days, but people are using them for months! As long as it's clear and refrigerated, it's probably fine. I've heard of people doing that with insulin too. I bet they put that date on there to be safe, but it's probably good way longer if you are careful.
 
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