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?

 

[PappyJ]

Not craving sugar but maybe efficacy has dwindled down quick to my liking. Maybe I'm expecting too much or I'm already too deep into calorie restriction already.

I'll just suck it up some more and maybe add another .5mg in 1 weeks.

Don’t forget why you use semaglutide. It is to control homeostatic feeding. Hypothalamus will suppress satiety and increase ghrelin. If in a fast (too low on calorie restriction) it will go into protect mode.

 

[Casebian]

I've been taking 60mcg per day bumped up from 40mcg per day qsc sema doing the job for me don't have cravings so I'm well able to diet

No sides at the moment I'm eating around 1800 cals a day and it's more than enough this stuff is great I would be starving eating 1800 cals a day 180 p rest carbs and fat

 

[IshRod]

Are you seeing any issue with hydration levels interfering with the dexa results? Tirz seems to dry people out and they stop holding onto so much water. Dexa is notoriously bad for providing accurate muscle data when paired with varying levels of hydration.

 

[PappyJ]

Are you seeing any issue with hydration levels interfering with the dexa results? Tirz seems to dry people out and they stop holding onto so much water. Dexa is notoriously bad for providing accurate muscle data when paired with varying levels of hydration.

We haven’t started using tirzepitide yet here in clinic Sema and lira mainly. We will be starting this month. We have been speaking to diabetes colleagues familiar with roll out in US. I am doing a bit more research and figured this would be a great place to look as you guys share the lived experience and are very focused on overall physical results.

 

[LeroyJenkins]

Anyone start with a lower dose of tirz than the recommended 2.5mg?

 

[freddymac]

Observations after using Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the past couple of years. Keep in mind that this is just how my body reacted and these drugs can show massively different effects on people. I’ve done multiple multi month cycles of both of these over the past 3 years. Pharma and UGL.

1 Tirzepatide is the clearly superior drug in terms of how it feels, side effects, results. Semaglutide is like a punch in the gut where you really feel the stomach effects like you can’t eat even if you wanted too like you ate cement where as tirzepatide you just aren’t hungry.

2 there’s something more to these drugs that it easing or potentiating fat loss above and beyond just calorie restriction. I lose more weight on the same calories while on sema and then even more on tirz.

3 the dosages should be stepped up in far smaller steps than what is prescribed now. Pharma dosages are based on mean experiences so they suggest a dose protocol that is good for the average person. I think for example tirz should be started at 1mg a week and people should go up in 1mg increments only when they feel like the dosage is not working as well. This last tirzepatide cycle I had the same results after a few months of 1mg increases vs previously doing the pharma suggested 2.5 to 5 to 10.

4 there’s no difference between pharma and UGL in how the drugs work.

6 there is a huge rebound appetite effect

7 my current thinking is that semaglutide should be used as the cruise drug and tirz the diet cycle drug. So something like 20 weeks of a cutting phase using tirz stepping up at 1mg increments every 3-4 weeks followed by cruise until next cut of .5 mg semaglutide. Or something like that.

8 I cannot weight to see how this class of drugs evolves via research over the next 10 years. If you look at the material improvement between sema and tirz in just 2 years the way this class of drugs should evolve over the next 10 will be astounding I think.

9 at some point we need to get a better understanding of why these drugs behave so massively different in people. Its almost at the level of response differences we see in moonshot cancer drugs

That’s it. Again. This is based solely on my experience.

 

[LeroyJenkins]

Observations after using Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the past couple of years. Keep in mind that this is just how my body reacted and these drugs can show massively different effects on people. I’ve done multiple multi month cycles of both of these over the past 3 years. Pharma and UGL.

1 Tirzepatide is the clearly superior drug in terms of how it feels, side effects, results. Semaglutide is like a punch in the gut where you really feel the stomach effects like you can’t eat even if you wanted too like you ate cement where as tirzepatide you just aren’t hungry.

2 there’s something more to these drugs that it easing or potentiating fat loss above and beyond just calorie restriction. I lose more weight on the same calories while on sema and then even more on tirz.

3 the dosages should be stepped up in far smaller steps than what is prescribed now. Pharma dosages are based on mean experiences so they suggest a dose protocol that is good for the average person. I think for example tirz should be started at 1mg a week and people should go up in 1mg increments only when they feel like the dosage is not working as well. This last tirzepatide cycle I had the same results after a few months of 1mg increases vs previously doing the pharma suggested 2.5 to 5 to 10.

4 there’s no difference between pharma and UGL in how the drugs work.

6 there is a huge rebound appetite effect

7 my current thinking is that semaglutide should be used as the cruise drug and tirz the diet cycle drug. So something like 20 weeks of a cutting phase using tirz stepping up at 1mg increments every 3-4 weeks followed by cruise until next cut of .5 mg semaglutide. Or something like that.

8 I cannot weight to see how this class of drugs evolves via research over the next 10 years. If you look at the material improvement between sema and tirz in just 2 years the way this class of drugs should evolve over the next 10 will be astounding I think.

9 at some point we need to get a better understanding of why these drugs behave so massively different in people. Its almost at the level of response differences we see in moonshot cancer drugs

That’s it. Again. This is based solely on my experience.

Nice write-up. Thanks for that. I've been on sema for a almost 2 months and have never needed to go beyond 1mg every 5 days. I just picked up a couple kits of tirz to see how I respond.
I think I'll try 1mg to start, as you've suggested. It'd be nice to be able to make it go a little further, given the price.

 

[freddymac]

Observations after using Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the past couple of years.

That’s it. Again. This is based solely on my experience.

Wrote this half asleep on the train this morning so apologies for my poor grammar and spelling


Just wanted to add that I think the next big breakthrough will be an oral version of these that exhibit the same efficacy.

 

[DECLAN]

Wrote this half asleep on the train this morning so apologies for my poor grammar and spelling


Just wanted to add that I think the next big breakthrough will be an oral version of these that exhibit the same efficacy.

How fat are you when you used it? Did you do it on a contest prep setting? What's the range and rate of loss on what dose was it optimal, can you elaborate on your protocol and results?

We're you able to keep the weight off, it is well appreciated when you give advice to partner it with results and experience on the process you went through.

 

[DECLAN]

Don’t forget why you use semaglutide. It is to control homeostatic feeding. Hypothalamus will suppress satiety and increase ghrelin. If in a fast (too low on calorie restriction) it will go into protect mode.

I am trying to emulate how a doctor who is also a pro utilize semaglutide on his clients, to suppress appetite on the end of their cut. The main goal is to keep the massive cravings when you're already deep into cutting.

I am due for a diet break and wanted to make the transition to eating on a maintenance as smooth as possible, and being on my fifth month of my cut the calories are on the lowest side, thus I'm employing it at the end when I think it will help me the most.

So, are you saying it's useless when you are already in a very low hypocaloric state? Any studies or experience on this?

 

[Country Club Hero]

Observations after using Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for the past couple of years. Keep in mind that this is just how my body reacted and these drugs can show massively different effects on people. I’ve done multiple multi month cycles of both of these over the past 3 years. Pharma and UGL.

1 Tirzepatide is the clearly superior drug in terms of how it feels, side effects, results. Semaglutide is like a punch in the gut where you really feel the stomach effects like you can’t eat even if you wanted too like you ate cement where as tirzepatide you just aren’t hungry.

2 there’s something more to these drugs that it easing or potentiating fat loss above and beyond just calorie restriction. I lose more weight on the same calories while on sema and then even more on tirz.

3 the dosages should be stepped up in far smaller steps than what is prescribed now. Pharma dosages are based on mean experiences so they suggest a dose protocol that is good for the average person. I think for example tirz should be started at 1mg a week and people should go up in 1mg increments only when they feel like the dosage is not working as well. This last tirzepatide cycle I had the same results after a few months of 1mg increases vs previously doing the pharma suggested 2.5 to 5 to 10.

4 there’s no difference between pharma and UGL in how the drugs work.

6 there is a huge rebound appetite effect

7 my current thinking is that semaglutide should be used as the cruise drug and tirz the diet cycle drug. So something like 20 weeks of a cutting phase using tirz stepping up at 1mg increments every 3-4 weeks followed by cruise until next cut of .5 mg semaglutide. Or something like that.

8 I cannot weight to see how this class of drugs evolves via research over the next 10 years. If you look at the material improvement between sema and tirz in just 2 years the way this class of drugs should evolve over the next 10 will be astounding I think.

9 at some point we need to get a better understanding of why these drugs behave so massively different in people. Its almost at the level of response differences we see in moonshot cancer drugs

That’s it. Again. This is based solely on my experience.

I’ve been using both for a couple years now too with little breaks in between. Sema was great at first but lost effectiveness earlier and actually has some uncomfortable sides.

Tirz is fantastic but I notice I have to bump up dosage often now. Can’t wait to try this new Retro stuff coming out. Hopefully it’s affordable like the others.

 

[freddymac]

How fat are you when you used it? Did you do it on a contest prep setting? What's the range and rate of loss on what dose was it optimal, can you elaborate on your protocol and results?

We're you able to keep the weight off, it is well appreciated when you give advice to partner it with results and experience on the process you went through.

Fair criticism. At work but will try to respond with more detail later.

 

[mchammertime]

I ran two 3 month courses earlier in the year. 6 foot tall and was 204lbs with some visceral stomach fat that had accumulated during covid that I was having difficulty erasing. I've also been on TRT (injections)/ HcG (injections) / anastrozole for about 10 years. I'm 62 YO.

Long story short...am I pleased to have tried it? Yes. Did I lose weight? Yes, by the end of the two courses, I was down to about 181lbs. However, when I discontinued (as warned and expected), I started to gain some of it back. I'm probably about 190lbs now...3 months after discontinuing.
Would I recommend it? Well, I don't think it is a LONG TERM solution unless you can afford staying on it indefinitely (it cost about $700 for my two courses) AND if the side effects go away after a short period (more on that below.)

SPECIFIC ANSWERS:

Who are you using?
>>>>compounded semaglutide from Revive RX (url obvious) in the US.

Pharma vs non?
>>>>> pharma

Dosage?
>>>> it was a ramped dosage. .25ml (25 units) weekly for weeks 1-4. Then, increased amounts for weeks 4-8, and again increased weeks 8-12. And the second course again had a ramp.

How long have you been taking it?
>>>> took it for 6 mo.

What are your thoughts?
>>>> noted in the opening paragraph

Have you lost weight?
>>>> noted in the opening paragraph

Side effects?
>>>> Absolutely. The nausea, which was supposed to go away after a few weeks, persisted through the 6 months. Was it unbearable? No. It only lasted for a few minutes and completely went away after taking zofran (generic), which was very cheap (like $5 for a 30 day supply). Of course, I might need to hit the zofran as many as twice per day sometimes. The nausea was simply annoying AF...nothing really more than that. But, for me, I would have drawn the line if I did not have the zofran on hand.

Oral vs injection?
>>>>Injection as noted above

Tests?
>>>> no / none

Great insight , I found when I microdose the nausea is at minimal, as I inject Hgh twice a day I mix it in my shots, so it’s almost like super microdosing

 

[ThinkDeroid]

Semaglutide is like a punch in the gut where you really feel the stomach effects like you can’t eat even if you wanted too like you ate cement where as tirzepatide you just aren’t hungry.

I am using Semaglutide since 8 weeks and I don't have any of those "stomach effects". It is just smooth, not hungry, no cravings on hard calorie deficit and even a small meal is enough to be full for half the day.

 

[Tomlikebeetroot]

A question to those using tirzepitide - we are getting reports from weight loss colleagues that they are seeing significant muscle mass loss. any experience with this here?

Happy to share my own results via pm if you like?

I experienced a higher % of muscle loss on ozempic, and switched to tirz when the shortages started.

 

[Tomlikebeetroot]

Damn I'm up to 1mg per week if QSC semaglutide and still hungry

Weight loss for me didn’t really start until I hit 1.5mg dose

 

[DECLAN]

Weight loss for me didn’t really start until I hit 1.5mg dose

I will administer it 1 mg every 5 days and increase as needed.

 

[Fixingrocks]

Anyone start with a lower dose of tirz than the recommended 2.5mg?

If I were starting over I absolutely would start at a lower dose. Even now, I'm at a pretty high dose, but I split it and take half dose every 4 days.

 

[MingDao]

2 there’s something more to these drugs that it easing or potentiating fat loss above and beyond just calorie restriction. I lose more weight on the same calories while on sema and then even more on tirz.

Aren't these drugs tricking your body into assuming that it is fed, therefore your resting metabolic rate stays normal, while in calorie restricted state it would slow down.

 

[alie]

You could have gotten that pen for 200. Pharma but w.e
Even then, could have gotten alot more more for half that cost

how can he have gotten that pen for $200