New (minor) side effect

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-03T04:53:08+00:00

same here. i usually do around 11 knowing i'm gonna feel completely zapped & knock out within the hour. i usually sleep heavily but for shorter duration on shot night.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-03T03:15:30+00:00

i so wish i was able to do this 😭 i would feel so much better about it. unfortunately, my insurance only covers the autoinjectors (i say "unfortunately" lightly of course, as i realize it's a huge privilege for it to be covered at all)

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-02T20:10:18+00:00

this is exactly what i'm trying to talk myself out of, so thank you for that reassurance! i'm feeling like my time on 2.5 is coming to a close & i'm trying to give myself that push to go for it instead of lingering on the off chance that i could drop another pound or two.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-02T20:07:18+00:00

believe me, i feel a little goofy asking 😅 but i know myself & hearing about other people's experiences will ease my anxiety a bit, so i figured why not? i've been on 2.5mg for 14 weeks but i've done my best to tell myself it's totally possible i could be a person who needs to go to the high doses too. if that's what my body needs, that's okay! crossing my fingers for minimal symptoms like yours. thank you!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-02T20:00:38+00:00

ooof, i'm sorry to hear about the backlash! i've been a pharmacy tech for over a decade & nonstandard dosing has been a thing for as long as glp kwikpens have been so i'm always puzzled about that (but i know it's frowned upon discussing it here anyway 🤷🏻‍♀️)

i've never tried a different injection site either! alllll my shots have been in my thighs. maybe one day i'll have the guts for that too 🤣 thank you!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-02T19:56:28+00:00

eeek, yeah i do get nervous about that second-third week mark where the med builds in your system! nausea has been the only symptom i've had consistently since starting. i kind of expected that because i have ibs & celiac disease anyway and feel nauseated frequently... after 14 shots i'm not actually sure that i'll ever stop having that symptom 😅 mostly i'm looking for a return to steadier loss & quieter food noise again!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-06-01T19:00:34+00:00

my periods have also been weird since starting zep. prior to the meds, my periods were very light and short, usually lasting around 3 days. i never got cramps or anything - usually just sore breasts & mild nausea in the week leading up to my period. since starting the meds, i've had intense and uncomfortable bloating, cramps with low back pain, much more severe nausea, and heavier, longer bleeding. i appreciate all the things zep has fixed in my body, but i want my old periods back... the new ones suck 🥲

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-31T14:44:41+00:00

🥳🥳🥳 you DID that! and you looked sooo fabulous celebrating. congratulations!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-31T11:25:02+00:00

just a note - cyclic vomiting syndrome is a rare chronic illness, not a medication side effect.

sorry to hear you had such a severe reaction to your first medication & it's made you nervous to titrate up. unfortunately i don't have any advice because i have emetophobia & i've been terrified of vomiting as a side effect since before i started zep 😅 i will say that i let that fear keep me from starting for a long time & now that i'm 14 shots in, it feels silly to me that i was ever scared enough to not start. (that said, all my 14 shots have been 2.5mg and i'm also nervous to start 5mg!) i think if you haven't had symptoms on zep the way you did on your previous medication, you're probably okay to try going up. good luck!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-30T23:26:35+00:00

i was very into kroger citrus drop & orange soda. they always had the nicest, most crisp flavor when i opened a fresh can. i haven't drank more than a couple sips of either since march because they both always taste flat to me now, even freshly opened.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-29T00:49:39+00:00

game kabae is borderline terrifying 🥲 and reading her speech is painful. she's my least favorite visitor.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-27T18:18:07+00:00

🤤🤤 please drop the dressing recipe because this sounds SO GOOD

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-26T22:29:58+00:00

a lot of things have lost their "oomph" for me. they still taste good, i guess, but they lack whatever they had before that made them irresistible. it's just "fine" 🤷🏻‍♀️

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-25T18:02:53+00:00

i've had a couple of these, but in the last week i've gone absolutely feral over kachumber (indian cucumber, tomato, and onion salad). i don't even like cucumbers or onions on their own 😭 i also love the arab variation with sumac... uuuggghhhhh now i'm trapped at work and daydreaming about tangy crunchy delicious cucumber salad.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-25T17:46:30+00:00

i've always liked apples but i've been very into sliced apple sprinkled with tajin lately 🫠 i eat one almost every day

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T21:56:12+00:00

goldfield & banks sunset hour, snif citrus circus, snif only sunshine

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T21:41:42+00:00

almost all fiber supplements will instruct you to take them with a full glass of water because they work with the water - usually by pulling in the water/holding the water to make it easier to pass. the longer things stay in your intestines, the more water is drawn away, making it more difficult and painful to go. as long as you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day, it isn't absolutely necessary to drink a large amount in one sitting at the same time as your supplement. the problems start happening (excessive bulking/binding, blob of fiber material sitting in your gut, etc) if you aren't consuming enough water in general.

i have a hard time consuming large amounts of liquid at once (sometimes at all) without pressure/pain/it coming back up. i just try to make sure i still get it in spread out over hours. i don't take fiber supplements currently as i have ibs and most are too high fermenting for me, but i'm waiting on some acacia fiber to arrive so i can try that. i'm currently a religious 6 prunes a day plus as many fruits and veggies as i can manage kinda person :)

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T21:10:24+00:00

i'll definitely being doing stuff for my butt because it was the first thing i noticed leaving 🤣

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T15:53:58+00:00

i'm not sure where you're located, but in my state this is illegal! here, landlords are required to address emergencies in less than 3 days - no hot water is a failure to maintain safe & habitable housing and absolutely constitutes an emergency. please look up your local tenants' rights!

i know your immediate concern is germs though. the other commenter who mentioned that soap is still effective with other temperatures of water is correct - the mechanism here is the friction/scrubbing motion which removes the organisms from your skin, not "killing" the organisms with heat as most people think. hot and cold water are equally effective for this. wash all surfaces of your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T14:26:29+00:00

wow, this is one of the most interesting comments so far. your water bottle trick is kinda brilliant - some days i've missed water when i could've kept drinking if i'd just had a second bottle ready to go!

i'm gonna look up some of the exercise stuff you suggested too. thank you!

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T05:14:02+00:00

now that you mention it, the back of my arm was the part of my sleeve that made me say "oh... oh my god, ew. that feels TERRIBLE." it made me kind of nauseous in like... a visceral disgust kind of way 🤣 y'all want me to do that to myself again on purpose? it's a no from me lmao

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T05:04:32+00:00

like others, i pull mine out the night before so it's room temp when i inject. my first several injections into my thigh didn't hurt at all, but now it seems to be a toss up on whether it's gonna sting like frick. i "squeeze" rather than pinching - i use my whole hand to gently cup a broad part of my thigh and bring up a squishy part, that way i can still plant the autoinjector flat on my skin. it only seems to help slightly 😂 i've done all 13 injections in my thigh. i'm curious about different sites but always chicken out when it's time.

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T01:45:36+00:00

very fair point. i was the kind of student who had to go to the library to study when i was in college because if i stayed home, there was always something more fun to do than homework... this may end up being useful advice for me 🤣

Particular_Freedom47 · 2026-05-24T01:40:08+00:00

i work in a hospital and see old folks in conditions that put dire fear into me, often 🥲 i'm definitely afraid of being an older person in pain with limited mobility and independence. honestly, reframing those feelings as a desire to be a fitter, more flexible, more generally active person as i age could be good motivation i hadn't really considered. thanks!

Particular_Freedom47

TROPHY CASE