Zepbound side effects scaring me from starting meds

[Anonymous]

I'm in my early 50s and perimenopausal. Scared about the side effects. I have a demanding day between work and kids' responsibilities (3 kids, middle school and under), so being nauseous or generally not feeling well enough to handle the day's demands would be problematic. I am reading that the first couple of days after injection are not easy. I'm wondering if there are strategies to put into place to mitigate the side effects noted for the first couple of days. (Scared to start ... and scared not to start.) Dont have a lot to lose, but due to comorbidity issues doc wants me to get to normal BMI.

[Anonymous]

I take my shot (Wegovy) Friday nights so I feel fine by Monday. I’ve been on the medication for 4 months now and side effects are minimal, even as the dosage has gone up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my early 50s and perimenopausal. Scared about the side effects. I have a demanding day between work and kids' responsibilities (3 kids, middle school and under), so being nauseous or generally not feeling well enough to handle the day's demands would be problematic. I am reading that the first couple of days after injection are not easy. I'm wondering if there are strategies to put into place to mitigate the side effects noted for the first couple of days. (Scared to start ... and scared not to start.) Dont have a lot to lose, but due to comorbidity issues doc wants me to get to normal BMI.

Many experience zero side effects. I didn’t have any issues at all, except dietary changes required me to take fiber supplements. A bit of fear is completely understandable, but don’t let that stop you from following a process recommended by your physician. For the right person, Zep is a miracle drug.

You can do this!

Ps I lost 100 lbs and am now normal weight.

[Anonymous]

You will have to start with a low dose, so you will have an idea about side effects. I’ve been taking Zepbound since August 2023, and have had few side effects. My biggest issue early on was not being hungry and not eating enough, which led to low blood sugar and unpleasant shaking, weakness, brain fog. It’s important to eat regularly, even if just small meals. It’s also important to eat high fiber foods to keep you regular.

You tend to hear about side effects from those who have severe ones and trolls discouraging people from trying the meds. For me, Zebound been a miraculous gift. I’ve been able to completely change my diet, increase my activity, improve all health markers, and drop 100 pounds with minimal side effects. It is worth a try!

[Anonymous]

Have been taking low dose Zepbound since March and am down 30 pounds. No big nausea. Irregularity and occasional diarrhea the only side effects but not unmanageable. Am really glad I did it after a decade of being 45 to 50 pounds overweight. Post menopausal so regular diet and exercise was not moving the needle at all.

[Anonymous]

I'm on day 3 of the zepbound starting dose and have had very few side effects. Some mild nausea is basically all. I started Friday just in case I had worse side effects, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

[Anonymous]

I have had no symptoms except I’m not hungry and took a nap the day I got the shot.

[Anonymous]

Why don’t you try any of the other options if you are concerned about side effects and don’t have much to lose?

Your doctor should be able to walk you through all of the options.

[Anonymous]

The side effects are not that bad.

The side effects of being overweight are much worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in my early 50s and perimenopausal. Scared about the side effects. I have a demanding day between work and kids' responsibilities (3 kids, middle school and under), so being nauseous or generally not feeling well enough to handle the day's demands would be problematic. I am reading that the first couple of days after injection are not easy. I'm wondering if there are strategies to put into place to mitigate the side effects noted for the first couple of days. (Scared to start ... and scared not to start.) Dont have a lot to lose, but due to comorbidity issues doc wants me to get to normal BMI.

I was so scared to start! I started compounded tiirzepatide because I wanted to be able to control the dose and pay out of pocket. I started at 2.5 and had VERY LITTLE side effects. I was so shocked! I have a few great tips. Number one take the shot at night! Be sure you let it get to room temperature first and pinch the injection site super hard and then release it slowly while you inject slowly. Be extra well hydrated with electrolytes and be sure to take some fiber gummy‘s. Day two and three I don’t believe that you’ll experience very many side effects – or at least I don’t know of many people who have. I was a little tired but still able to function! I ate small protein packed meals every two hours and incorporated protein shakes and protein bars to be sure that I was always eating a little bit. I drink extra electrolytes, Continue to exercise, and continue to take fiber to be sure didn’t suffer any regularity. I truly never suffered nausea, constipation, or anything like that. Plan to titrate up very very slowly if you can and look up how to break stalls if you need to before you up your dose. I am still at .30 which is really low on week 10 and losing! I weighed 175, have lost 18 lbs and am within 12 lbs of my goal weight!! Started August 19. I follow Countess of Shopping on you Tube and the Reddit threads.
I am so happy I did this!!

[Anonymous]

Stay hydrated. Be sure to eat and get protein. Stay away from alcohol, greasy foods, heavy foods, tomato sauce, sugar, anything that makes you gassy now before starting Zepbound and stop eating before you feel full.

I take mine on Thursday at noonish and always take a walk within a hour of taking it. It tends to soothe the noise in my head of "will I get sick? do I feel nauseous?"

Listen to your body. Not everyone has terrible side effects. But be sure to have some Tums type of meds, Pepto, lemon or alcohol swabs for nausea and electrolyte water on hand.

[Anonymous]

Have been on for 4 months and zero side effects except losing weight.

[Anonymous]

Really be careful with what you eat! I eased up and had tummy symptoms.. sugar and dairy! bleh.

[Anonymous]

I tried it for several months and it made me so sleepy I couldn’t function and had to stop. It was so disappointing.

[Anonymous]

Same. Extreme fatigue and had issues with blurred vision in my left eye. I did discover that I eat portions sizes that are much too large. So coming away from it with some knowledge of how to start portioning foods properly almost outweighs the vision loss in one eye.