Tirz stalled. Time to bump up?

Core_Cookie92

Core_Cookie92

Well-known member
Hello,

Been taking tirzepatide for about a month and a half, at 2.5mg each week. The first month was amazing (lost about 13 pounds!), but the last couple of weeks my weight hasn't changed (was 262lbs, now 249lbs).

I noticed my appetite is way lower, and the food chatter in my brain is almost gone, with basically zero bad effects.

Should I go to 5mg, or try 2.5mg every 5-6 days? Or just stick with 2.5mg/week and hope things start moving again?

I snagged some reta (10mg vials), and I'm thinking of switching, but don't know.

Thanks!
 
Rapid weight loss at the start is normal because you lose water weight. It slows down after a short time, then might begin again at a more sustainable pace. Your body's composition can change so if you are eating the same, that may be it. Body fat % scales at home aren't usually super accurate.

Upping your tirz dose to 5mg is fine, unless you are having problems. Boosting more than once per month can cause issues because of how long the medicine takes to reach its highest level in your system; side effects might not show up for a while. But you've been on 2.5mg for a month and a half already. Usually, the recommendation is to increase by 2.5mg monthly until you hit 15mg. A lot of people here will say to keep the dose as low as possible for as long as it works. I'd say go with what the guidelines say, because that has the most studies behind it. How crucial it is to up your dose depends on your age, other medical issues, how overweight you are, and maybe how long you've been overweight. I can't say without your age and height.
 
Thanks for your input.

I am 60 years old, 5'11", started at 262lbs (BMI 36). I gained around 45 pounds during COVID (lost about 10lbs at the gym before starting tirz).

I'm not having side effects at 2.5mg/week, and I'm eating the same food (mostly low carb) since the first week of tirz.

Next week I will inject again, and I am unsure what to do, because I saw that you should give it 4 weeks of no weight loss before upping the dose, and others say to increase monthly if you don't have side effects, as you mentioned.
 
My tirz journey started with formula from a compounding pharmacy and was supervised by a doctor. Each month I filled out a questionnaire to see if I needed a higher dose. So, the standard medical advice is to stay on the smallest dose that works. It took eight months to get to 15 mg. Stalls are unavoidable and last only a short time.

I'd say increase it, if you can tolerate it.
 
Thank you,

Can you share what questions were on the questionnaire?

If I decide to increase to 5mg, hoping no bad effects, what can I expect? Less appetite, more weight loss with the same food, something else?
 
I would totally increase the dose (if I were you) because I did (when I was you). After all, there's a good reason for the recommendation.
But don't get antsy if you don't see the same fast losses as at first.
And IMO, don't switch to Reta just because you have a 2-week stall at your starting dose. It sounds like the Tirz is doing its job for you.
 
Sure, I'm going from memory, it's been a few months:

Are you having any of these (common and uncommon side effects)?
How hungry have you been lately? (choices from "Always starving!" to "Never hungry!")
Last question was like: "Is your current dose good enough?" With choices such as: Yes, doing fine, I need a stronger dose, or I'm never hungry, this dose might be too much.

There were other questions, but those are the ones I recall.

I went up a dose every month except I stayed at 10 mg for 3 months. I was losing 1-2 pounds each week, then stopped around 10 weeks in. The doc upped it and I was at 15 mg by month 8. A year later, I'm down 95 pounds, A1C is almost 2% lower, and I stopped taking 4 blood pressure pills.

Good luck!
 
I also started with the "low and slow" mindset with tirzepatide ... before reading about the GLP-1 plateau that happens around a year. Then I moved to the official, tested protocol, which I wish I had done from the jump.

BTW, 2.5 mg isn't even a real dose of tirz ... it's to get you started and see if you react badly to the drug.
 
I'd up the tirz before switching to something else. You haven't even been at a working dose yet. I've waited the 4 weeks of the standard protocol before increasing and then, if I could handle it, I upped the dose. Although I admit, sometimes I increased by a mg or two at a time with low and slow in mind. I'm saving any other meds for later when I might stall or for keeping the weight off. I've lost 60+ pounds since May doing this.
 
I've used compounded trizepatide for a year, and last month switched to a grey market source. I started at 2.5 for a month, 5.0 for a month, and went up because I was thinking about food too much and not losing much weight. At 7.5, I really noticed less food noise and more weight loss. I was on that for 4 months because it was working. Then I went to 10mg because of a stall and used that dose for 4 months, and just moved to 12.5mg and am losing again, but slowly. I've lost 60 pounds and only want to lose another 5-10. The closer I get, the harder it is to lose.
I guess my body is used to the medicine. I don't plan to go to 15.0mg, but we'll see, and if I don't lose the last weight, I just might stay on 12.5 for maintenance.
Good luck! It's been life-changing for me, and I'm glad I found it because the compound prices were too high.
 
One more thing: bad effects are most common about 2-4 months after you start, and after dose increases, like feeling sick or digestive issues, because those are the usual problems. Not everyone gets them, but it's common and usually fades over time. If you do, don't increase the dose for a while, or stop completely until it calms down, then restart at a low dose and up the dose more slowly.

Also, it depends on how well it's working. If you're losing weight and not always hungry, and sticking to your diet is easy, then you don't have to up the dose fast. But I'd aim for at least 10 mg per week to get the other benefits of tirzepatide, like lowering the risk of lots of health problems, especially diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and some cancers. And since you aren't seeing a doctor, get your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol checked.

I wouldn't try retatrutide yet. Since you started on tirzepatide, try it properly and see how it works for 6-12 months, then figure out what to do depending on weight loss, hunger, and bad effects.
 
I read this thread earlier in the week, and it really got me thinking. I've decided it's time to increase my dose; I've been on 2.2 for nine weeks, lost about 13 pounds in the first seven weeks, and now I'm stuck. It might not be a stall, but I think I'm just thinking about/negotiating with myself about food and eating more. That's not good. I went to 4.4 today and I'll stay there until I need to increase it again, and I won't try to force myself to stay on that dose if it stops working; and I won't feel bad about it. Thank you all.
 
Update:

After one week at 5mg, my weight is going down again (2 pounds this week is good).

Just a coincidence? ... I'll post another update soon.

Thanks for the advice
 
I agree with
ZepBounder said:
So, the standard medical advice is to stay on the smallest dose that works. It took eight months to get to 15 mg. Stalls are unavoidable and last only a short time.

I'd say increase it, if you can tolerate it.
Click to expand...

Yep, exactly! The goal isn't to get to 15mg ASAP. It's to find the dose that gives you the results you want with the fewest side effects possible. Once you plateau, then it's time to consider increasing.
 
So this is what normal people feel like. That was my exact thought first week on it. Haven't felt in control like that since I was younger. It's helping way more than just hunger stuff too. Hoping these get approved for other types of addiction, could change so many lives.
 
Were you still stalled by late August after that first injection? I hit fifteen milligrams and got stuck, took a month off but A1C just kept improving. Got to the point where I realized I had to eat even less to keep losing. For me, checking the scale less and trying one change at a time works better.
 
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