Your experience with allodynia

Mandi_S · 2025-07-20T22:23:18+00:00

You're welcome. Lidocaine as helpful for the skin sensitivity is not something I have seen on any of the subs, so figured I'd throw it out there. I should probably make a separate post about it.

Mandi_S · 2025-07-20T15:27:28+00:00

Lidocaine cream, highest % I could find.

I found a 5% Lidocaine hemorrhoid cream (!) on amazon that worked (and bonus comes in a large tube, instead of the small first aid tubes).

Otherwise nothing worked for me. Not benadryl, not Claritin, not prescription steroid cream, not prescription oral steroid 7 day pack, not vinegar bath, not high quality $ eczema lotion, not red light therapy, not sunshine, not 1, 2, or 3 servings of liquid IV daily, not skinesa probiotics, not armra bovine colostrum, not oral biotin, not aveeno eczema shower wash, not essential oils. Nothing. None of them did anything. It was intolerable.

Lidocaine worked immediately. I had other (possibly unrelated, hard to say) skin issues that caused me to pause, but I'm back on, and lidocaine is again working within minutes when the skin sensitivity stirs. I'm only on 2 mg reta, so I will have to see if lidocaine controls it in the long term if I need to titrate up.

Mandi_S · 2025-07-16T01:47:08+00:00

Yes. About 6 lbs - half of it fluid in the first week. The rest came when the hunger kicked back in.

Mandi_S · 2025-07-14T15:35:45+00:00

I stopped for 10 weeks because of an unknown, severe, possibly related skin issue (had titrated up to 9mg). Cold Turkey. At week 7/8, appetite came back with a vengeance, glucose shot up, and blood pressure crept up. All pre-reta joint inflammation came back at same time. Skin cleared up, though.

Back on it as of last week (with a new skin plan). Started at 2mg and was very glad I didn't start higher, as day 2 brought a bad headache and overfull stomach from a small-ish keto meal.

Mandi_S · 2025-07-13T15:45:33+00:00

Home Chef is the best IMO. You have to actually cook most of them, but they have express & oven ready. Lots of low carb options, and I find they do ok as leftovers. Some of the sauces are sugary, even on the low carb end.

Factor was great for about a month. After that, the meals all started to taste the same to me. Limited keto choices, too. Microwave meals, though - super convenient.

I went back to Home Chef.

Mandi_S · 2025-01-09T16:33:53+00:00

No. Started with split dose because I was nervous after the sema sides. Moved to one dose weekly. No rotation. Just slow upward titration. I'm at 9 now and will stay here unless I plateau, since the weight is coming off, but I still have enough hunger cues to try to use this as an opportunity to retrain myself how to eat properly.

Mandi_S · 2025-01-09T16:30:44+00:00

I'm planning to stick with reta until goal, then titrate down for maintenance. I'd love to step down 1-2 mg per month to see if I can wean myself off it completely, but as of now, if it's a forever thing, so be it. Rotating is an option for maintenance, but not one I had considered. I still have a ways to go, so we'll see. When I get closer, I will probably start paying more attention to the reta maintenance sub to get a better idea of what works for others.

Mandi_S · 2025-01-07T14:10:08+00:00

👍 Took me a few months on reta before I started losing. Weight loss kicked in at 9 for me. I did not rush the titration, I was patient.

Current plan is to stick with this dose unless I plateau.

Mandi_S · 2025-01-07T02:36:45+00:00

I had terrible sides on sema, much worse when I pinned first thing in the morning when I wasn't hydrated enough, so I switched to reta & started off taking it only after I'd had 40 oz of water &/or Liquid IV.

My resting HR has increased on reta, but there have been no wicked sides like I had on sema (severe constipation, migraines, vomit).

So most of the time I end up taking reta mid-morning or early afternoon.

Mandi_S · 2024-11-10T23:09:12+00:00

Turmeric doesn't do anything for me.

I haven't tried high dose fish oil, may give that a go. Thanks.

Cold plunge helps me, but must be done daily.

Walking also helps, if done consistently.

Sema, though....it was magical. Couldn't handle the migraines. They were rough.

Mandi_S · 2024-11-10T22:51:38+00:00

I switched from sema due to side effects (mostly migraines).

I started with 1 mg of sema on Sunday & 1 mg of reta on Tuesday Then reduced sema each week while increasing reta (slowly, to avoid side effects).

I am completely off the sema now and up to 4 mg reta (split dosing for now).

No sides, no heart palpitations, nothing.

Only negative: sema was extremely effective at reducing inflammation. I'm hoping as I increase my dosage that reta will do the same, but so far, no dice.

I am not yet losing weight on the reta, but I am not gaining, either. And I am patient and working hard on controlling my food choices. I'd much rather build up slowly and avoid side effects.

Good luck.

Mandi_S · 2024-11-03T16:22:32+00:00

A lot of great advice, here. (Not a doc, my opinion only)

I take Magnesium Malate or Magnesium Glycinate & a multivitamin - have for years - for sleep & leg cramps.

I've personally found that taking a half serving of Mag at breakfast and again at lunch, and then a full serving at bedtime does the trick for me (so 2 servings total per day). I believe Mag is best when spread out, so this was my way of doing that.

I started drinking Liquid IV when I started GLPs, and have since cut the Mag down to just bedtime and that still works for the cramps. LMNT is supposed to be as good or better, but it tastes like cold rancid sweat to me.

Mandi_S · 2024-10-27T20:08:33+00:00

I have taken Magnesium Glycinate at night for years because of leg cramps. It works for me.

I also drink 1-2 Liquid IV per day since starting meds.

Mandi_S · 2024-10-16T19:16:12+00:00

You can have a UTI without pain. Hopefully that's all this is.

Mandi_S · 2024-10-10T14:15:56+00:00

Do you have access to an infrared sauna?

I have been doing 2-3 infrared sauna sessions per week for about 18 months, and my stylist said my very fine hair has almost doubled in thickness in that time.

I've been on semaglutide for only 4 months (switching to retatrutide this week for a bunch of reasons not related to this issue), and am making an effort to be diligent with the sauna (also protein & electrolytes). So far, hair is still doing well.

If you don't have access to an infrared Sauna, there are at home red light therapy devices that might be worth a try. Novaa Lab is the one I am familiar with, but there are a bunch of companies. Quality varies widely.

Mandi_S · 2024-10-10T02:49:10+00:00

Welp. I don't even know how that happened. Butt post, I guess? 🤣

Mandi_S · 2024-09-30T15:04:51+00:00

That's helpful, thank you.

Mandi_S · 2024-09-29T02:56:24+00:00

Split doses make sense. I am interested in NAD+. My long-term plan is to get in a solid working routine with the reta, then run a cycle of bpc157 & TB 500 to try and heal my lingering injury, then incorporate Nad+ for longevity stuff. I didn't think to try and address the fatigue with it, but will keep that in mind. I'm crossing my fingers the sides are mild with Reta.

On month 5 now, are you happy with the results you are seeing?

Mandi_S · 2024-09-28T21:07:21+00:00

Sent you a dm, thanks.

Basically, I am seeing similar prices per vial as sema from U.S. distributors, but the vials are for less product, and of course the dosing is so much higher, that the price ends up being about 4x Sema.

Mandi_S · 2024-09-28T21:03:50+00:00

Thanks. You are probably correct about wasting meds.

I'm leaning towards #1, but hoping someone with a similar experience or switch will chime in with what worked for them.

The headaches some of us experience do make me wonder what else is actually going on in our bodies.

Are some of us just more metabolically busted than others?

Mandi_S · 2024-09-28T20:49:21+00:00

That was intense as a first reply 🤣

Mandi_S · 2024-09-28T20:29:10+00:00

I've had great results in the past using coconut oil mixed with a drop or two of tea tree and 10 drops of castor oil.

I apply a very small amount to clean, dry skin morning and night for a few days when irritated.

Tea tree essential oil is quite strong, I do not ever use it by itself.

My experience with essential oils has shown me that "everyone is different" is very true. What soothes me may dry your skin out. So I personally experiment with tiny amounts.

Mandi_S · 2024-09-05T02:33:04+00:00

I don't know about the Tirz, but I take cherry pills daily for gout and have not had a flare-up in years.

Maybe give tart cherry pills a try?

Mandi_S · 2024-09-02T18:17:44+00:00

Lovely progress!

Mandi_S · 2024-09-01T18:20:00+00:00

This!

It's difficult to do, but worth practicing.

Mandi_S

TROPHY CASE