Giant Semaglutide Thread (and other GLP-1 / GIP agonists)

[Doodle]

Wanted to create a thread where everyone can post their experiences with different sourced Semaglutide.

Who are you using?
Pharma vs non?
Dosage?
How long have you been taking it?
What are your thoughts?
Have you lost weight?
Side effects?
Oral vs injection?
Tests?

 

[Ghoul]

Thank you. Didn't know it was hypoglycemia

Improved beta cell function makes insulin response to an increase in blood glucose happen fast and intensely. Increased insulin sensitivity means muscles easily absorb glucose from blood, bringing glucose levels down so fast and hard it overshoots into low blood sugar.

Normally alpha cells sense this low sugar state and release glucagon, which triggers the liver to synthesize glucose to make sure there's enough to keep you going. But GLP suppresses glucagon release, making the liver slow to respond to the need for glucose, and bam, fatigue until the liver catches up.

The way to avoid this is to figure out which foods spike glucose. Generally any carb or sugar that's absorbed very quickly, ie, high "glycemic index" foods, which you can look up. But the thing you realize with a CGM is some low GI foods unexpectedly trigger a quick glucose spike, and some that should trigger a spike don't. There's just too much variation in human digestion and metabolism to have one list that applies to everyone.

Some companies offer "discovery kits" of different nutrition bars that you can use with a CGM to map out how your system absorbs different nutrients and get a good handle on what your high glucose triggers are.

 

[Earthworm Jim]

T

Improved beta cell function makes insulin response to an increase in blood glucose happen fast and intensely. Increased insulin sensitivity means muscles easily absorb glucose from blood, bringing glucose levels down so fast and hard it overshoots into low blood sugar.

Normally alpha cells sense this low sugar state and release glucagon, which triggers the liver to synthesize glucose to make sure there's enough to keep you going. But GLP suppresses glucagon release, making the liver slow to respond to the need for glucose, and bam, fatigue until the liver catches up.

The way to avoid this is to figure out which foods spike glucose. Generally any carb or sugar that's absorbed very quickly, ie, high "glycemic index" foods, which you can look up. But the thing you realize with a CGM is some low GI foods unexpectedly trigger a quick glucose spike, and some that should trigger a spike don't. There's just too much variation in human digestion and metabolism to have one list that applies to everyone.

Some companies offer "discovery kits" of different nutrition bars that you can use with a CGM to map out how your system absorbs different nutrients and get a good handle on what your high glucose triggers are.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I was kind of at a loss.

 

[gpack]

Weird question, maybe, but I have some semaglutide available that I bought for my girlfriend - I tried it at 0.25mg a while back but didn't really feel anything. Obviously a few doses of 0.25mg isn't giving it a fair chance to do its thing, so I'm not saying it doesn't work.

I've recently fluffed up a bit than I'd like and want to lose 15-20lbs. It seems like people absolutely love tirzepatide here, so do you think it's worth using the sema or ordering some tirz (or reta, maybe?) and waiting a few weeks before getting started? Sema seems to be old news now

 

[Ghoul]

Weird question, maybe, but I have some semaglutide available that I bought for my girlfriend - I tried it at 0.25mg a while back but didn't really feel anything. Obviously a few doses of 0.25mg isn't giving it a fair chance to do its thing, so I'm not saying it doesn't work.

I've recently fluffed up a bit than I'd like and want to lose 15-20lbs. It seems like people absolutely love tirzepatide here, so do you think it's worth using the sema or ordering some tirz (or reta, maybe?) and waiting a few weeks before getting started? Sema seems to be old news now

Nothing wrong with Sema. I'd argue it's the most potent of the GLPs, and once you max out at 2.4mg, if you need further loss a shift to Tirz.

If you felt nothing at .25mg, don't waste your time at that dose. Start with .50mg. Once you do feel an effect, don't titrate up the following week. You could end up overdoing it (a bad idea with Sema. You need at least 2 weekly doses to feel most of what that dose will do.

The main advantage of Tirz is that GIP acts as an anti-nauseant, so it's a "gentler" experience. That actually works against effectiveness for some people.

Make sure you don't eat beyond your appetite. Sema will PUNISH you about an hour later. Just stop when no longer hungry and you'll be ok, dodging most sides.

 

[gpack]

Nothing wrong with Sema. I'd argue it's the most potent of the GLPs, and once you max out at 2.4mg, if you need further loss a shift to Tirz.

If you felt nothing at .25mg, don't waste your time at that dose. Start with .50mg. Once you do feel an effect, don't titrate up the following week. You could end up overdoing it (a bad idea with Sema. You need at least 2 weekly doses to feel most of what that dose will do.

The main advantage of Tirz is that GIP acts as an anti-nauseant, so it's a "gentler" experience. That actually works against effectiveness for some people.

Make sure you don't eat beyond your appetite. Sema will PUNISH you about an hour later. Just stop when no longer hungry and you'll be ok, dodging most sides.

Thanks. Do you mean it's the most potent at 2.4mg or just in general? I'd only be on for 12 (maybe 16) weeks, so I'm not sure I'd make it to that dose. I just kinda got fat while pursuing my strength goals n wanna get down to 15ish% bf again. Not really looking for appetite annihilation, just easier diet adherence

Cheers for the help. Appreciate you (again)

 

[Ghoul]

Thanks. Do you mean it's the most potent at 2.4mg or just in general? I'd only be on for 12 (maybe 16) weeks, so I'm not sure I'd make it to that dose. I just kinda got fat while pursuing my strength goals n wanna get down to 15ish% bf again. Not really looking for appetite annihilation, just easier diet adherence

Cheers for the help. Appreciate you (again)

I mean it's the hardest to "eat through". It's not just killing the psychological aspect of appetite, it physically punishes you if you eat beyond your appetite. And that's a delayed effect. So if you stuff yourself despite not being hungry, about an hour later you're going to be bent over the toilet.

 

[keengkong]

I mean it's the hardest to "eat through". It's not just killing the psychological aspect of appetite, it physically punishes you if you eat beyond your appetite. And that's a delayed effect. So if you stuff yourself despite not being hungry, about an hour later you're going to be bent over the toilet.

That's the reason that I can't take semaglutide.

 

[hcgfiend123456]

I'm honestly surprised how easy it was to get prescribed and prior auth submitted via teledocs. I simply said i was obese with high lipids and the provider prescribed and submitted my p.a. No verification or labwork was needed at all. You could be underweight and they'd still prescribe it...

I'm planning to finish up my UGL Reta, will keep escalating reta till ~25mg then probably switch over to Tirz 15mg US Pharma. I've been upgrading most of my stuff from India/CN PCT -> US Pharma. If i knew it was so easy, i would have done it much sooner lol.

any particular reason for the switch?

 

[hcgfiend123456]

Anyone have CGM data or anecdotes from tirz, i wonder about the increased insulin sensitivity as the doses increase from 5mg+.
my chatgpt tells me its pretty negligable like 5-10% insulin sensitivity increase going from 5mg->10mg.

I'm at 6mg and I was having to eat some dirty meals to get my calories in since my appetite isnt really there, and then those meals slowed my digestion so.

not really hungry enough for plain old chicken and rice but I would like to get more donuts

I am on 6mg tirz and have experienced two hypoglycemic reactions from an over exaggerated insulin response, I believe. Admittedly I ate a very high glycemic breakfast the day the largest reaction occurred after eating nothing but eggs in the morning for almost 4 weeks straight.

I would highly suggest eating as consistently as possible and not having a high glycemic meal in the morning.

 

[Photon]

any particular reason for the switch?

Pharma vs ugl Is the biggest reason
Better bg control

 

[hcgfiend123456]

Pharma vs ugl Is the biggest reason
Better bg control

Better BG control? Blood glucose? how so? the pharma is better in this way? any explanation for it?

 

[Ghoul]

Better BG control? Blood glucose? how so? the pharma is better in this way? any explanation for it?

If pharma is an option, it's the right choice for a long term / lifetime type of maintenance med. The benefits are at the margin and not easily quantified, but I'm sure they're there, and even if small in the short term, add up over time.

Consistant dosing, near guarantee of zero endotoxin / bacteria load, proven lack of clinically significant immunogenicity (which I think is a greatly underappreciated risk with all UGL protein drugs, and likely explains the "it stops working altogether / much sooner than a week" issue many UGL GLP users experience. (I'm not referring to the normal reduced appetite suppression that tracks with fat loss.)

And of course the small but not 0 risk of a "hot shot" of some wrong / incorrectly manufactured compound. I have seen 2 examples of a single vial in a kit containing the wrong compound. Short of testing every vial prior to use, there's no way to protect against that risk.

 

[Photon]

I was basically in "Maintenance" with Sema (wegovy). I had reached the expected 20% weight loss at 2.4 and stopped feeling anything from it.

The thing about Tirz, is that one of GIP's main purposes is to counteract the rather brutal sides of GLP only drugs like Sema when you're still in strong appetite suppression. phase. Tirz is much gentler as a result of GIP acting like an anti-nausea compound, while GLP still shuts down psychological food noise.

But when you get accustomed to "appetite suppression" being the Sema hammer of punishing physical discomfort preventing you from eating, Tirz's appetite suppression is a gentle suggestion by comparison, so it was difficult to detect, Besides, at 15mg, there was only another 3-4% weight loss to go before it maxed out anyway, at which point no more suppression either, and you go into maintainance mode

Would you consider switching to wegovy 7.2mg once it's approved?
I'd be using above 20mg of reta a week by then, i don't think the appetite suppression is going to be an issue.

 

[Ghoul]

Would you consider switching to wegovy 7.2mg once it's approved?
I'd be using above 20mg of reta a week by then, i don't think the appetite suppression is going to be an issue.

No I'm so accustomed to Tirz at this point, my metabolic markers (BP,
Lipids, A1C, HS-CRP) are so dialed in, and I've built up such a buffer supply of Zepbound pens, and I don't need to lose any weight, I see no reason to switch. If I needed to lose more weight, higher dose Sema would probobly be my choice.

 

[SlamSumTest]

Was gonna say I’m 2 weeks into Reta but have to drop it for now, but holy smokes at 2mg the appetite suppression is insane. I’m switching to tirz as my body seemed to reject the Reta but I’ll be running tirz at a smaller dose than 2.5.

The lack of food noise is amazing. I’m already pretty lean at 13-15% bf max but looking to take it to that next level, then come off it and see if I can maintain most of it. My last 6 month bulk really messed up my hunger signaling and I was always starving when trying to cut; became habitual to have large portions of even clean foods.

At this rate I’m pretty sure I just need to run 1-2mg of tirz for what I’m going far being that I’m close enough, any higher I’d prob not eat for multiple days lol…

Being able to stay peeled without thinking of food and can divert my mental energy to my job, studying and social life is great. I wonder what the catch is…

Bonus: I always relied on 3 cups of coffee as a crutch and nicotine when cutting. But I’ve noticed lately 1 cup of coffee does it for me and I don’t crave nicotine as much.

 

[Ghoul]

Was gonna say I’m 2 weeks into Reta but have to drop it for now, but holy smokes at 2mg the appetite suppression is insane. I’m switching to tirz as my body seemed to reject the Reta but I’ll be running tirz at a smaller dose than 2.5.

The lack of food noise is amazing. I’m already pretty lean at 13-15% bf max but looking to take it to that next level, then come off it and see if I can maintain most of it. My last 6 month bulk really messed up my hunger signaling and I was always starving when trying to cut; became habitual to have large portions of even clean foods.

Being able to stay peeled without thinking of food and can divert my mental energy to my job, studying and social life is great. I wonder what the catch is…

GLP sides are the catch. Like the ever increasing list of diseases it treats and prevents, from dementia and skin disorders, to cancer and drug addiction. Lower all cause mortality. Too much for researchers to even begin to get a handle on in the next 20 years.

Every type of cell with a GLP receptor, and that's most of them, from neurons in your brain to nerves in your feet, that gets touched by the magic hormone starts a chain reaction of gene expression that leads to enhanced cell survival, reduced oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory signaling.

But this has been hinted at for 30 years, when doctors started noticing the (rich) diabetics being treated with early, expensive GLPs (as an alternative to insulin) appeared to become healthier and live longer than their non diabetic counterparts.

On the other hand, we're in the wild west with UGL GLPs, and there's a possibility some people may be developing a long lasting, or even permanent immunity to the entire class of life and health extending drugs through exposure to poorly made copies, and reckless use of these potent meds.

 

[SlamSumTest]

GLP sides are the catch. Like the ever increasing list of diseases it treats and prevents, from dementia and skin disorders, to cancer and drug addiction. Lower all cause mortality. Too much for researchers to even begin to get a handle on in the next 20 years.

Every type of cell with a GLP receptor, and that's most of them, from neurons in your brain to nerves in your feet, that gets touched by the magic hormone starts a chain reaction of gene expression that leads to enhanced cell survival, reduced oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory signaling.

But this has been hinted at for 30 years, when doctors started noticing the (rich) diabetics being treated with early, expensive GLPs (as an alternative to insulin) appeared to become healthier and live longer than their non diabetic counterparts.

On the other hand, we're in the wild west with UGL GLPs, and there's a possibility some people may be developing a long lasting, or even permanent immunity to the entire class of life and health extending drugs through exposure to poorly made, and reckless use of these potent meds.

Well said, I’ve always been fine with UGL AAS but I am willing to pay up for pharma Sema or Tirz, but it seems difficult to get from online clinics even if paying out of pocket — especially since my BMI is already very healthy and any practitioner would tell me to see a psychiatrist if I asked for a GLP1

All jokes aside, The lack of food noise, lower desire to use caffeine/nicotine, increased mental focus on other stuff is amazing.

 

[Liter O' Test]

On the other hand, we're in the wild west with UGL GLPs, and there's a possibility some people may be developing a long lasting, or even permanent immunity to the entire class of life and health extending drugs through exposure to poorly made copies, and reckless use of these potent meds.

... comforting

 

[Ghoul]

Well said, I’ve always been fine with UGL AAS but I am willing to pay up for pharma Sema or Tirz, but it seems difficult to get from online clinics even if paying out of pocket — especially since my BMI is already very healthy and any practitioner would tell me to see a psychiatrist if I asked for a GLP1

All jokes aside, The lack of food noise, lower desire to use caffeine/nicotine, increased mental focus on other stuff is amazing.

It's an epiphany when "food noise", and other addictive behavior "noise" finally shuts down. You don't even realize it was there until it goes quiet.

A lot of my contempt for addicts, and the obese, that I think most of us harbor, went away once the link to biology went from theoretical to something experienced. Even the inner "don't you have willpower??" self criticism finally STFU.

Now my contempt is reserved for fat people who have access, but choose not to take action to fix themselves. A surprising number. In the US something like 75% who have coverage and qualify don't bother, and most that do drop it within a year, 95% regaining the weight they lost.

 

[Ghoul]

... comforting

Filter, use hospira BAC or at least make your own with pharma grade ingredients, dilute to at least the ratio pharma uses, stick as closely as you can to pharma protocol, don't stack them, try to settle on one GLP and stick with it long term.

Thats about the most you can do to minimize risk.

Post in thread 'Skin Rash/Hives from Reta'

Oct 21, 2025

@Ghoul thoughts? You seem like a GLP1 expert here

This happens with Tirz as well, but less frequently.

It's 7x more likely when antibodies are present.

I used to warn about protein drug immunogenicity and mostly lost interest, even though it's a MAJOR issue as far as drug developing scientists, pharma companies, and the FDA are concerned.

In brief, to minimize this potential immune response (which may end up becoming a long lasting, or even permanent problem once it occurs:

1. Stick to the pharma protocol. Especially once a week dosing. Don't use doses smaller than...

• Ghoul

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