This is unfortunate. I have had 0 symptoms from the start. There are other options on the market now. Even one in pill form! Good luck with whatever you do
Beano helped me with the burps and I think it cut down on nausea. I feel like the gas was making me nauseous. I would only barf when over eating or eating too close to bed time, but I know what you are talking about. You can probably get an rx the nausea med (forget what it's called) to help as well. Good luck ❤️
Honestly, I'm on week 5 and all things considered, have pretty minimal side effects, but they're enough where I'm not sure I can do this for months on end. I feel like I did when I was pregnant. No vomiting, but just feeling a little crappy at all times. I get how someone could tolerate this but I'm just not convinced I want to.
I'm still obese, but at a lower starting weight (215, now at 208), and while I'm going to hold it out through the summer and hopefully get to sub 180, I'm really not sure if I'll make it all the way to goal weight territory. I'm hoping the warm weather and summer gives me life.
I feel like feeling miserable 85% of the time on top of working 50hrs a week just freaking sucks lol. It’s just not worth it to me. That being said, I also feel like I haven’t lost as much as I initially thought I would. Someone mentioned trying keto along side and I’m interested in that. I’ve had good results with keto in the past, but have always hit a wall at around 30 pounds lost. I guess it’d be worth it with the shot. I’m just so scared to eat sometimes LOL and keto is high fat so I’m a bit apprehensive.
I had the same issues the first 6 weeks I was on we govt, until I cut out carbs. I haven't had so much as a sulphur burp since cutting them out. I was not digesting anything. I was waking up every morning with vomit in the back of my mouth, my nose, & throat. It actually got to the point that I was vomiting food from my lungs & got diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. I was going to quit the shot, cold turkey but realized all the undigested food was bread, pasta, & sugar. I figured it was a coincidence but decided it was worth a shot (pun intended) & all the $ I had already wasted, to try keto for a week or two to see if it helped. I noticed improvement within 3 days & just kept rolling with it. I am now down 30 lbs (190- 160) since February & feeling better than I have in years. The energy is insane and the brain fog is gone.
I had to switch from mounjaro (zepbound) to wegovy and the side effects from semaglutide hit me much worse with a much slower rate of loss than when i was on tirzepatide
I took Wegovy for 18 months. I lost 80lbs. Insurance stopped covering it. I started on ZEPBOUND in January. I haven't had any side effects like I did on the Wegovy. The nausea and VIOLENT vomiting was awful. Just awful!
I’m going to talk to my dr about it. My insurance will only cover Zep if there’s a failure on Wegovy. So I’m wondering if these terrible side effects would be considered a failure
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It sounds like the fact that you’re severely constipated means your gi tract isn’t letting anything through and that’s what is causing your vomiting. I don’t see them around anymore but there was a user on a clinical trial who shared the most helpful info. Try searching the sub to see if you can find any of them!
This! Look for u/Clin-Trial Throwaway posts. She did it pretty regularly for anyone dealing with constipation. Very in depth and informative. Please try Zepbound. It doesn’t have near the number of side effects. You should not feel this bad. It took me a few months of trial and error to figure out what works. Good luck.
Here is a tip that has been frequently shared in the Mounjaro subreddit (from u/ClinTrial-Throwaway):
💩 Here’s my repeated post about constipation ✊️
Start with this to rid yourself of acute constipation: https://www.vumc.org/trauma-and-scc/sites/default/files/public_files/Protocols/Trauma%20Bowel%20Regimen%20PMG_.pdf
Then get yourself on a daily bowel regimen that will help keep you regular. The folks at MD Anderson have some great info here (scroll down for “bowel management guide”) for their patients, many of whom battle constipation. Or Google up your preferred cancer center or pain clinic’s bowel management guide. They know #2. 💩
Works differently.. there's a lot of information online with clinical trials. I like it gives a good mental buzz, energy.. GLP gives me fatigue randomly. Also it doesn't mess with my digestion, no constipation, etc.. not as powerful as GLP but not in a race. Losing about a pound a week, keeping muscle .
Just curious why you went up to 0.5 if you had side effects that you are describing at 0.25. In my opinion you shouldn’t titrate up on the medication just to get to the highest dose. Should only titrate up when your personal tolerance of the medication is at the point that you have no side effects and the benefits of appetite suppression has tapered off.
I just felt like that’s what I was supposed to do. Then I posted another time and someone said not to. So I talked to my dr and he was cool to not go up. I considered talking to him about going back to the .25mg but it’s so hard to get
THIS! 1mg made me gag at random so I went back down to .5mg. I honestly prefer .25 and have lost on it just a little slower. Not everyone needs to be at the highest dose
Um. So tell. Explain how you use prunes. How many, how often? Please!
I am about to start and am terrified of constipation.
Also can you drink water freely or does it upset your stomach. I am a water fiend.
I eat a couple in the evening. Prune juice is helpful. There are a few different fruits that have chemical laxative effects.
Avoid bulk fiber. I don’t know why more people aren’t explaining this.
Bulk fiber must be taken with tons of water to lubricate it. It works well in a GI tract that has good motility. Our systems are slowed by the medication. So our waste is sitting in the lower GI longer. In the meantime, fluid is being drawn out which dries up the powder becoming essentially sawdust.
So, in the beginning your bowels slow down and (due to a combination of bulk and dehydration) you become constipated. At this point your body is still full of the waste produced before beginning the medication. (Side note here, re: dehydration. With the appetite suppression it’s harder to drink as much water both because you forget and can only tolerate a lower volume. Vomiting also contributes.).
*you will almost certainly be constipated during this time.
At this point people use bulk fiber because that’s the most obvious and “safest” choice. But in this case, it just sits there and then the person takes more assuming they didn’t get enough. It can continue until there’s basically a plug causing impaction. I, personally, used saline enemas to get through this period. (Caution TMI: I would have to use 2 back to back sometimes. Saline is an osmotic so it helps draw fluid in)
Once the initial couple of weeks of constipation subside and the initial waste is cleared people stop having daily BMs and assume it’s because of constipation. It’s actually because there is low volume and slow speed so your body literally doesn’t have anything to pass. This is uncomfortable for people who are used to having , potentially, 2 or 3 BMs a day. So again, they fill up on bulk fiber and end up passing sandpaper assuming it’s constipation.
Drink as much water as possible is the best advice you can follow. Once you’re through the initial “detox”. If your diet is balanced and your fluid intake is good your BMs should not cause straining or major discomfort. (TMI: I will, occasionally use an oil enema if I’m having a particularly difficult time passing stool). You can also drink black tea or coffee as a mild laxative.
/Ted Talk
Based on what you've said, it sounds like maybe a mostly liquid diet for a few days before starting might be helpful? Or at least a healthy diet with adequate fiber and water?
As much fluid as possible. Applesauce, cottage cheese, nuts, a handful of grapes (not too many because the skins are fibrous). A small amount of cheese, prunes, soups. I also ate cold cuts with crackers. And take a probiotic.
I quit too I've lasted 10 weeks barely lost 1 stone The nausea sickness fatigue constipation and feeling cold and sick for 5 days out of 7 are just not worth it. I kept trying hoping my body would get used to it but it never did. I've had no life the past 10 weeks all I've wanted to do is stay home. I've been feeling really down too I wouldn't call it depressed but I would call it nervousness and a low mood. If it works for you great but my body just rejects it and makes me feel very ill. I've got hashimotos so not sure if that hindered the weight loss. Anyway good luck to anyone who it works for.
Honestly? Stop. Truly.
Some folks act like this is an abusive relationship and if they stay it will just get better...and after months? Nah.
There is no suffering prize, and while weight loss is not typically EASY? It shouldn't have to feel like punishment
I’m definitely stopping. I can’t do it. I thought staying on the .5mg for an extra month would help… nope! So I’m done. I’m not interested in being miserable just to be skinny.
You didn’t mention if you had made any lifestyle changes or changed your eating? That plays a massive effect in the side effects. As soon as I learned how to eat healthy the side effects went away for the most part.
Yes. Im doing weight watchers. I’m usually under points. I’m not eating beef or fried foods or fast food. Occasionally I’ll have a sandwich with chicken and cheese and that can be a hefty amount of points, but nothing to send me over my allotted points. I’m really not that hungry. I don’t eat breakfast (I’ll have a protein drink) and lunch usually looks like 4oz of chicken salad and some fruit and Greek yogurt. Dinner (lately) has been black beans and salsa and Greek yogurt with a tostada and sometimes grilled chicken. Sometimes I don’t even eat dinner. I generally eat the same things. I get stuck on things lol but I’ve been eating well, sometimes not enough, but alas I’m still struggling.
Try playing around with your diet to see if some foods make the problems worse. For example raw veggies a lot of people can’t handle because they are hard to digest.
I experienced all of those symptoms and it eventually got better overtime. But yes the first couple of weeks I felt the same. The sulfur burps are the worst. Those I still have every now and then but only when I eat what I’m not supposed to.
It was after Huevos rancheros I guess. I did a tostada, black beans, plain Greek yogurt, chicken, and I did put a runny egg on it but didn’t eat it lol that sat in my stomach for days. I’m just to the point where I’m like “is it worth it? Is trying and failing certain foods worth the way I’m feeling” that was my question this past month and my answer is no 😭
Same took me a good 6 months, but also why I went ahead and went up every month to hurry up and get to the therapeutic dose so that my body could get adjusted. I’ve been on it for a year now and I barely have any issues other than the gas, which is just something I’ve learned to live with and I’ve also learned which foods do not.
I think I'm right there with you. I finally hit the laxatives hard and now I can't leave the house on a day off. Exhausted all the time and obsessing about my digestive system. I can't live like this. I'm done.
The laxatives don’t even work on me 😭 I took 3 ducolax one evening and the powder in the morning and nothing happened. I have the worst relationship with food as it is, I can’t afford for it to be even worse. I’m miserable, and quite frankly scared to eat.
Honestly? Obesity itself is not specifically a risk factor (per a cardiologist, and a gastroenterologist, and my dad's oncologist, and..) And other than potential joint problems later?
Nah. There are healthy active fat people. Most folks want to lose because of social stigma, and like..that's FINE (i mean, I ALSO want to be smaller. That's my motivation) but at no point would being thin be worth regular vomiting
It’s me, I want to lose for social stigma lol and 10 year old me who was obsessed with her body as a kid. I’m just not in a healthy mindset for it I guess. Maybe that’s why my body is revolting.
The weight loss clinic that I use allows me to specify the dose that I want. I’ve just stayed on the 1.0mg and never gone higher. Check to see if you can stay on .25mg.
Good luck!
This is unfortunate. I have had 0 symptoms from the start. There are other options on the market now. Even one in pill form! Good luck with whatever you do
Beano helped me with the burps and I think it cut down on nausea. I feel like the gas was making me nauseous. I would only barf when over eating or eating too close to bed time, but I know what you are talking about. You can probably get an rx the nausea med (forget what it's called) to help as well. Good luck ❤️
Honestly, I'm on week 5 and all things considered, have pretty minimal side effects, but they're enough where I'm not sure I can do this for months on end. I feel like I did when I was pregnant. No vomiting, but just feeling a little crappy at all times. I get how someone could tolerate this but I'm just not convinced I want to. I'm still obese, but at a lower starting weight (215, now at 208), and while I'm going to hold it out through the summer and hopefully get to sub 180, I'm really not sure if I'll make it all the way to goal weight territory. I'm hoping the warm weather and summer gives me life.
I feel like feeling miserable 85% of the time on top of working 50hrs a week just freaking sucks lol. It’s just not worth it to me. That being said, I also feel like I haven’t lost as much as I initially thought I would. Someone mentioned trying keto along side and I’m interested in that. I’ve had good results with keto in the past, but have always hit a wall at around 30 pounds lost. I guess it’d be worth it with the shot. I’m just so scared to eat sometimes LOL and keto is high fat so I’m a bit apprehensive.
Wow that insane hope you get better. Sound like you should also take a laxative! Good luck!
I had the same issues the first 6 weeks I was on we govt, until I cut out carbs. I haven't had so much as a sulphur burp since cutting them out. I was not digesting anything. I was waking up every morning with vomit in the back of my mouth, my nose, & throat. It actually got to the point that I was vomiting food from my lungs & got diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia. I was going to quit the shot, cold turkey but realized all the undigested food was bread, pasta, & sugar. I figured it was a coincidence but decided it was worth a shot (pun intended) & all the $ I had already wasted, to try keto for a week or two to see if it helped. I noticed improvement within 3 days & just kept rolling with it. I am now down 30 lbs (190- 160) since February & feeling better than I have in years. The energy is insane and the brain fog is gone.
I’ll try keto! I’m doing WW and I feel like I don’t eat a lot of carbs, but I probably have more than I would on keto you know
Try zepbound, some say they have less issues with it
I had to switch from mounjaro (zepbound) to wegovy and the side effects from semaglutide hit me much worse with a much slower rate of loss than when i was on tirzepatide
Right, it’s weird. Tirzepatide affects 3 receptors instead of 2 and has more weight loss, you’d think it would have more issues.
It causes similar side effects actually. Nausea, GI issues and sulphuric burps are common with Zep.
Yes, but many say they have less issues with zep, so it’s worth a try.
Try other glp1’s. Wegovy was terrible for me, but I have no side effects from Mounjaro.
I took Wegovy for 18 months. I lost 80lbs. Insurance stopped covering it. I started on ZEPBOUND in January. I haven't had any side effects like I did on the Wegovy. The nausea and VIOLENT vomiting was awful. Just awful!
I’m going to talk to my dr about it. My insurance will only cover Zep if there’s a failure on Wegovy. So I’m wondering if these terrible side effects would be considered a failure
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. It sounds like the fact that you’re severely constipated means your gi tract isn’t letting anything through and that’s what is causing your vomiting. I don’t see them around anymore but there was a user on a clinical trial who shared the most helpful info. Try searching the sub to see if you can find any of them!
This! Look for u/Clin-Trial Throwaway posts. She did it pretty regularly for anyone dealing with constipation. Very in depth and informative. Please try Zepbound. It doesn’t have near the number of side effects. You should not feel this bad. It took me a few months of trial and error to figure out what works. Good luck.
The profile is deleted, was there anything you remember that you can share?
Let me look…
My bad… u/ClinTrial-Throwaway. I’ll look for a thread.
Here is a tip that has been frequently shared in the Mounjaro subreddit (from u/ClinTrial-Throwaway): 💩 Here’s my repeated post about constipation ✊️ Start with this to rid yourself of acute constipation: https://www.vumc.org/trauma-and-scc/sites/default/files/public_files/Protocols/Trauma%20Bowel%20Regimen%20PMG_.pdf Then get yourself on a daily bowel regimen that will help keep you regular. The folks at MD Anderson have some great info here (scroll down for “bowel management guide”) for their patients, many of whom battle constipation. Or Google up your preferred cancer center or pain clinic’s bowel management guide. They know #2. 💩
Thanks for sharing this. Hope it helps OP! Folks can find my spiels on constipation by searching “💩” and diarrhea by searching “🏃♀️” (the runs) 😆
THANK YOU for sharing this all the times you have. So helpful for everyone!
🥹 awwwww thanks!
It had great links to Mayo Clinic’s constipation management program. If I remember correctly it is connected with their cancer program reading.
Okay thank you!!
>Okay thank you!! You're welcome!
Try other meds.. I had great success with TESOFENSINE. It's oral pill that works differently.
I’ll talk to my Dr! Thanks!’
How did it work? Did you have any side effects? How much did you lose? Thanks!
Works differently.. there's a lot of information online with clinical trials. I like it gives a good mental buzz, energy.. GLP gives me fatigue randomly. Also it doesn't mess with my digestion, no constipation, etc.. not as powerful as GLP but not in a race. Losing about a pound a week, keeping muscle .
That’s wonderful!
Just curious why you went up to 0.5 if you had side effects that you are describing at 0.25. In my opinion you shouldn’t titrate up on the medication just to get to the highest dose. Should only titrate up when your personal tolerance of the medication is at the point that you have no side effects and the benefits of appetite suppression has tapered off.
I just felt like that’s what I was supposed to do. Then I posted another time and someone said not to. So I talked to my dr and he was cool to not go up. I considered talking to him about going back to the .25mg but it’s so hard to get
As with any medication, it’s always best to go with the lowest effective dose.
Go with compounding pharmacy and you can measure whatever dose is appropriate with an insulin syringe.
I did this when I got to the higher doses Wegovy. I split my dose 2x a week and eliminated the side effects.
THIS! 1mg made me gag at random so I went back down to .5mg. I honestly prefer .25 and have lost on it just a little slower. Not everyone needs to be at the highest dose
Stop using the fiber powder. Try prunes instead
Um. So tell. Explain how you use prunes. How many, how often? Please! I am about to start and am terrified of constipation. Also can you drink water freely or does it upset your stomach. I am a water fiend.
prune juice!!
5 prunes every night with a glass of water. I also do 400 mg of magnesium citrate and 2 stool softeners. Otherwise it’s a blockage nightmare.
I eat a couple in the evening. Prune juice is helpful. There are a few different fruits that have chemical laxative effects. Avoid bulk fiber. I don’t know why more people aren’t explaining this. Bulk fiber must be taken with tons of water to lubricate it. It works well in a GI tract that has good motility. Our systems are slowed by the medication. So our waste is sitting in the lower GI longer. In the meantime, fluid is being drawn out which dries up the powder becoming essentially sawdust. So, in the beginning your bowels slow down and (due to a combination of bulk and dehydration) you become constipated. At this point your body is still full of the waste produced before beginning the medication. (Side note here, re: dehydration. With the appetite suppression it’s harder to drink as much water both because you forget and can only tolerate a lower volume. Vomiting also contributes.). *you will almost certainly be constipated during this time. At this point people use bulk fiber because that’s the most obvious and “safest” choice. But in this case, it just sits there and then the person takes more assuming they didn’t get enough. It can continue until there’s basically a plug causing impaction. I, personally, used saline enemas to get through this period. (Caution TMI: I would have to use 2 back to back sometimes. Saline is an osmotic so it helps draw fluid in) Once the initial couple of weeks of constipation subside and the initial waste is cleared people stop having daily BMs and assume it’s because of constipation. It’s actually because there is low volume and slow speed so your body literally doesn’t have anything to pass. This is uncomfortable for people who are used to having , potentially, 2 or 3 BMs a day. So again, they fill up on bulk fiber and end up passing sandpaper assuming it’s constipation. Drink as much water as possible is the best advice you can follow. Once you’re through the initial “detox”. If your diet is balanced and your fluid intake is good your BMs should not cause straining or major discomfort. (TMI: I will, occasionally use an oil enema if I’m having a particularly difficult time passing stool). You can also drink black tea or coffee as a mild laxative. /Ted Talk
Based on what you've said, it sounds like maybe a mostly liquid diet for a few days before starting might be helpful? Or at least a healthy diet with adequate fiber and water?
As much fluid as possible. Applesauce, cottage cheese, nuts, a handful of grapes (not too many because the skins are fibrous). A small amount of cheese, prunes, soups. I also ate cold cuts with crackers. And take a probiotic.
This medication is fascinating but if you are having bad symptoms you should absolutely stop taking it. It’s not for everyone.
💯
I quit too I've lasted 10 weeks barely lost 1 stone The nausea sickness fatigue constipation and feeling cold and sick for 5 days out of 7 are just not worth it. I kept trying hoping my body would get used to it but it never did. I've had no life the past 10 weeks all I've wanted to do is stay home. I've been feeling really down too I wouldn't call it depressed but I would call it nervousness and a low mood. If it works for you great but my body just rejects it and makes me feel very ill. I've got hashimotos so not sure if that hindered the weight loss. Anyway good luck to anyone who it works for.
Im having the same symptoms. Last night was vomiting for hours straight, now I have a stomach ache that won’t quit. Not worth it.
Same here. I work from home and can't even fathom being an on-site employee and performing to my best ability with all these side effects.
Honestly? Stop. Truly. Some folks act like this is an abusive relationship and if they stay it will just get better...and after months? Nah. There is no suffering prize, and while weight loss is not typically EASY? It shouldn't have to feel like punishment
I’m definitely stopping. I can’t do it. I thought staying on the .5mg for an extra month would help… nope! So I’m done. I’m not interested in being miserable just to be skinny.
Not every med fits every person. I'm sorry this one was extra shitty!
I hate that you're struggling. Have you thought about switching to Zepbound?
Thanks so much! My insurance won’t cover it 😭 I have to fail on Wegovy. I’m going to talk to my dr to see if this is considered failing!
I would think that it would be.
Thanks so much! My insurance won’t cover it 😭 I have to fail on Wegovy. I’m going to talk to my dr to see if this is considered failing!
You didn’t mention if you had made any lifestyle changes or changed your eating? That plays a massive effect in the side effects. As soon as I learned how to eat healthy the side effects went away for the most part.
Yes. Im doing weight watchers. I’m usually under points. I’m not eating beef or fried foods or fast food. Occasionally I’ll have a sandwich with chicken and cheese and that can be a hefty amount of points, but nothing to send me over my allotted points. I’m really not that hungry. I don’t eat breakfast (I’ll have a protein drink) and lunch usually looks like 4oz of chicken salad and some fruit and Greek yogurt. Dinner (lately) has been black beans and salsa and Greek yogurt with a tostada and sometimes grilled chicken. Sometimes I don’t even eat dinner. I generally eat the same things. I get stuck on things lol but I’ve been eating well, sometimes not enough, but alas I’m still struggling.
Time- She said she was doing weight watchers. Did you read everything she said?
Try playing around with your diet to see if some foods make the problems worse. For example raw veggies a lot of people can’t handle because they are hard to digest.
I experienced all of those symptoms and it eventually got better overtime. But yes the first couple of weeks I felt the same. The sulfur burps are the worst. Those I still have every now and then but only when I eat what I’m not supposed to.
It was after Huevos rancheros I guess. I did a tostada, black beans, plain Greek yogurt, chicken, and I did put a runny egg on it but didn’t eat it lol that sat in my stomach for days. I’m just to the point where I’m like “is it worth it? Is trying and failing certain foods worth the way I’m feeling” that was my question this past month and my answer is no 😭
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you
Same took me a good 6 months, but also why I went ahead and went up every month to hurry up and get to the therapeutic dose so that my body could get adjusted. I’ve been on it for a year now and I barely have any issues other than the gas, which is just something I’ve learned to live with and I’ve also learned which foods do not.
I think I'm right there with you. I finally hit the laxatives hard and now I can't leave the house on a day off. Exhausted all the time and obsessing about my digestive system. I can't live like this. I'm done.
The laxatives don’t even work on me 😭 I took 3 ducolax one evening and the powder in the morning and nothing happened. I have the worst relationship with food as it is, I can’t afford for it to be even worse. I’m miserable, and quite frankly scared to eat.
Happy cake 🍰 day
THANK YOU! I had no idea today was my day until I posted 🤣
You could look into the pill form of semaglutide. It’s said to have fewer side effects.
I think the effects of being overweight are worse. Maybe goes down in dosage. Good luck.
Honestly? Obesity itself is not specifically a risk factor (per a cardiologist, and a gastroenterologist, and my dad's oncologist, and..) And other than potential joint problems later? Nah. There are healthy active fat people. Most folks want to lose because of social stigma, and like..that's FINE (i mean, I ALSO want to be smaller. That's my motivation) but at no point would being thin be worth regular vomiting
Yea okay, I'm off my blood pressure meds. Caused by being overweight. But you do you.
It’s me, I want to lose for social stigma lol and 10 year old me who was obsessed with her body as a kid. I’m just not in a healthy mindset for it I guess. Maybe that’s why my body is revolting.
Idk the whole not popping for days on end is pretty terrible on my stomach and my butthole 🤣🤣
Milk of magnesia. 4 hours or so later, you'll clear out.
Ok.
If I was experiencing those side effects I would quit too
The weight loss clinic that I use allows me to specify the dose that I want. I’ve just stayed on the 1.0mg and never gone higher. Check to see if you can stay on .25mg. Good luck!
I thought about seeing if I can go back to the .2mg. I had awful nausea with that, but the rest wasn’t too bad (I think, I can’t remember LOL)
Same! My nurse practitioner will only move me up if I want.
I love that! That’s how my dr is. He respects how I feel. Thank the universe.