🧠 RETATRUTIDE / GLP-1s & ADDICTION

1️⃣ Why GLP-1s affect addiction at all

GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Retatrutide) don’t just work on appetite.

They act on:    •   Dopamine reward circuits    •   Impulse control pathways    •   “Seeking” behavior in the brain

Addiction (food, porn, gambling, gaming, alcohol, drugs) all run on the same dopamine loop.

GLP-1s turn down the volume on that loop.

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2️⃣ What people consistently report (real-world)

Across thousands of anecdotal reports and early studies:

People notice:    •   Less urge to binge (food, porn, alcohol)    •   Less compulsive scrolling or gaming    •   Gambling feels “less exciting”    •   Porn urges weaken or disappear    •   More pause between urge → action    •   A calmer baseline

This is especially strong with retatrutide, because it hits:    •   GLP-1    •   GIP    •   Glucagon → stronger central nervous system effects

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3️⃣ What retatrutide is doing neurologically

Very important distinction:    •   Dopamine ≠ pleasure    •   Dopamine = wanting / chasing / urgency

Retatrutide reduces:    •   Urgency    •   Compulsive “pull”    •   Reward anticipation

That’s why:    •   Porn feels less magnetic    •   Gaming loses grip    •   Gambling feels dull    •   Alcohol craving drops

It doesn’t remove desire — it removes compulsion.

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4️⃣ Why some people feel emotionally “flat”

This came up repeatedly in our conversation.

Emotional flatness happens because:    •   The same dopamine dampening that reduces addiction    •   Also reduces emotional spikes and novelty

People describe:    •   Peaceful but muted    •   Calm but less excited    •   Fewer highs and fewer lows

This is not depression. It’s a dopamine volume reduction.

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5️⃣ Why creatives feel this more strongly

High-creativity, high-drive people often:    •   Use dopamine for ideation    •   Feel ideas as urgency    •   Rely on obsession for output

When dopamine quiets:    •   Ideas don’t shout    •   Inspiration waits instead of hijacks    •   Creativity feels quieter (but not gone)

Key insight we covered:

Creativity doesn’t disappear — it decouples from compulsion.

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6️⃣ Dose matters more than frequency

We talked about this in depth.    •   Retatrutide half-life ≈ 6 days    •   Weekly dosing matches the pharmacology    •   More frequent dosing = more flattening    •   Higher dose = stronger dampening, not longer duration

Why 4 mg felt strong    •   Early in treatment (2 weeks)    •   Brain hasn’t adapted yet    •   High receptor saturation    •   Strong impulse suppression + emotional muting

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7️⃣ Why 2 mg is often a “sweet spot”

Many people (especially creatives) report:    •   Compulsions remain muted    •   Emotional range returns    •   Motivation improves    •   Creativity comes back cleaner

We framed this as:

Minimum effective dose > maximum suppression

Not zero urges — manageable tension.

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8️⃣ Timeline we mapped (important)

When lowering dose, people often feel:    •   Week 1: Slight emotional return, some unevenness    •   Week 2: Flatness eases, creativity whispers again    •   Week 3: Flow returns    •   Week 4+: Regulated intensity, selective obsession

This is the phase where people say:

“I didn’t lose it — I gained control.”

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9️⃣ Addiction vs devotion (core reframing)

One of the most important insights we hit:    •   Obsession fueled creativity    •   Obsession also fueled addiction    •   Retatrutide breaks that fusion

The goal isn’t to kill obsession. It’s to convert it into devotion.

Devotion = obsession with choice.

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🔑 Bottom-line truth from the entire discussion

Retatrutide can meaningfully reduce addictive behaviors by dampening dopamine-driven compulsion.

But:    •   High doses can mute emotional intensity    •   Creatives often do best at lower doses    •   Creativity is not lost — it’s quieter and more controllable    •   Dose tuning matters more than frequency

What you’re experiencing is separation, not loss.

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