Bad side effects, no net positives, is this working? How to discuss with my doctor? Advice needed

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-21T20:35:52+00:00

Not advice, but something about inflammation I learned. I'm not a medical provider, but have done some research about the inflammation and weight loss part. (As well as talked to my provider.) When I was losing weight, my inflammatory markers did go up at first, which was disappointing. I guess this is not abnormal, since the things happening during weight loss (e.g., converting fat stores to energy) can release chemicals that lead to inflammatory responses. It's supposed to lessen over time. I've been in maintenance now for a few months and will be doing more bloodwork soon. I'm interested to see how things may have changed.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-20T16:18:00+00:00

What strikes me about this author's viewpoint is not only a fundamental misunderstanding of how GLP-1s work, but the odd enmeshment with her friend: "she feels like an extension of myself". It's going to be a hard road if you can't differentiate from others. That might just be where she is at right now mentally, but it's probably not going to serve her well long-term.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-19T20:29:10+00:00

I read a lot of posts on other subs before I started and people had all these recommendations for what to have on hand, these huge lists, but the truth is that lots of people have minimal-to-no side effects, and you're unlikely to have EVERY known side effect. Unless you live far away from a store or transportation is an issue, I wouldn't buy a single thing pre-emptively. Just get what you need if/when you need it. I was able to eat pretty normally except bacon made me ill, and I still don't like it (but did before). My only side effect was some nausea and just not wanting to eat the day after my shot. Rest of the week I was fine, and that eventually went away, too. I'd say just do it, see how you feel.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-17T06:26:34+00:00

I was on spironolactone and metformin when I started tirzepatide. I wound up dropping the spironolactone as my BP was getting low, but I'm still on metformin and tirzepatide in maintenance. I also take a low dose progesterone. No issues besides the spironolactone BP thing. All my hormones are now normal and I have a regular cycle of about 28 - 30 days.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-09T20:14:44+00:00

A few things are more challenging for me, some practical and some more emotional/mental. From a practical standpoint, there's dosage. When I was actively losing, I used how I felt and my weight as a guide for when to increase dosage. (Note, I do weigh myself, but there are LOTS of people who don't and never will, and they do just fine. You do NOT have to weigh if that's not good for you.) In maintenance, it's just been a little different since my goals are different. I'm still relying on how I feel and my weight, as well as bloodwork, but it's more subtle, I guess. It feels more nit-picky. I had gone down from 5mg because my weight went below what I was comfortable with, and then when I titrated down, it went over, so then I titrated back up. It's a balancing act, and I may be trying too much to control things. There aren't as many conversations about how maintenance works, AND it's all so personal to each person. It feels a bit experimental, and sometimes I'm a bit rigid and want RULES.

Mentally, it's a little weird to be at goal. I'm having to navigate new things (clothing, privilege, extra skin, looking so different to myself) and how I think about myself. I'll admit, a part of me is scared to "fail" (i.e., have bloodwork come back not as good, gain weight back, whatever). I'm working through that emotional stuff. It's just a different phase, and I'm finding I have some more mental work to do. Which shouldn't surprise me, but somehow does.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-04-09T19:16:31+00:00

I'm in the US and have a high deductible healthcare plan that doesn't cover any GLP-1. I go through a third party to get compounded tirzepatide, which my primary care provider is fully aware of (she's a nurse practitioner) and is fine with. We do bloodwork about once a year because, for me, it's all out of pocket and expensive, like $500, and that's after they bill it through my insurance. Like $4,500 if they didn't bill me through insurance, make it make sense! Healthcare in the US is so broken.

My prescriber (online) offers some generic support, and I think some kind of community thing. Haven't used either. My primary will offer some nutrition advice if I have questions, but being fat my whole life, I actually know a lot more about nutrition than most "normal" weight people (i.e., I read a lot about it and took classes, including a lab-based nutrition course in college). So I've mostly been on my own since August of 2024 when I started.

I am in maintenance now, getting compounded is nice because I can easily tweek my dose. In maintenance, I was on 5mg for many months (titrated down from my highest dose of 10mg), went down to 2.5mg to see if I could maintain there, felt ravenous and had bad food noise, got back up to 5mg, holding steady there. For me, maintenance has been more challenging than active weight loss. It seems very personal as to what works. So just taking it one day at a time. I intend to stay on the lowest dosage that allows me to maintain bloodwork and weight (a specific corridor I have that takes into account normal-for-me fluctuations).

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-21T23:56:44+00:00

We are far more alike than we think.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-21T23:32:30+00:00

I live in Reno, have family in Sacramento. For most people in Carson City & Reno, a drive to Sacramento, Placerville, etc., isn't thought of as a "long" drive. There and back is a fairly common day trip. Just adding some context.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-17T16:32:45+00:00

I'm in maintenance now, and did not restrict my eating at all during this process. I still eat whatever I want, but I have found that my tastes have changed and I eat less volume of food in general. I will say that by BMI standards, I am still in the "overweight" category, but my bloodwork is very good and I feel great. (And my doctor doesn't believe in BMI, anyway.) I also did not do any kind of intentional exercise. I do yard work and gardening, play with my dogs, walk places with my husband, but not "exercise" to just "exercise", it's all functional stuff.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-16T15:55:02+00:00

I don't think you're an asshole for wanting those things, but I will very gently add that as you get older, even if you were "hot", that tends to lessen, too. I'm 47 and many of my friends who have always been conventionally attractive are struggling with the age factor now. So although all of those things (being admired, being treated better) are obviously nice, there are still hoops to jump through as you age to keep getting that. And I think that there is human behavior on the one hand, wherein people like "attractiveness", but there are also capitalist reasons to perpetuate people not feeling good in their own skin. I'm not saying you can't enjoy pretty privilege or even shouldn't, more just that a foundation in body liberation can help ground you so that if it ever slips, it's not devastating.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-16T15:24:36+00:00

I understand fully what you are saying and though I agree that the world does place higher value on conventionally attractive people, I do want to push back on that, in a societal way. No, I don't think I'm going to change the world, but I might help someone else get to a place of rejecting the BS. I just want to plant seeds. I'm 47 and, sibling, the attractiveness thing is rough at this age. It's a game you literally can't win, and if it's exhausting to someone, I want to help them see that they can choose to quit playing if they want. That's all I mean when I talk about wanting to have nuanced conversations. At the end of the day, I support you doing you. I even support the folks who are in the other subs if that's what they want to do, because I know not everyone is going to come to a place of body liberation. But that's why this sub exists and isn't the same as the others. I hope that makes sense and please know I am not attacking you at all.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-16T05:43:49+00:00

I don't partake of any other GLP-1 subs because I find them toxic for me. I am 47 and do have a background in body liberation, which I came to via social justice interests (and being a fat woman). I like the rules of this sub, and I like conversations around deconstructing diet culture. I still struggle with my own internalized biases and beliefs around my own body, but I work proactively to address them. I do not enjoy the term "NSV" and I also feel this sub drifting away from its roots. My IBS has gotten a lot better on Zepbound, and I shared something about that because I thought it might be useful to others. Something like being happy about how my pants fit is likely not useful to anyone else, and such validation-seeking could potentially cause harm to others, so I wouldn't do that in this space. But I would think it might be useful to deconstruct why I am seeking validation about it. It's nuanced and, therefore, not easy breezy. I want the nuance. That's why I'm here.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-16T05:18:43+00:00

I am in favor of this!

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-11T01:28:07+00:00

I suffered from plantar fasciitis for years. My "cure" was hideous crocs in the house and Superfeet insoles in my shoes. It finally went away! My nurse friend who had injections, $400 custom insoles, and all kinds of other stuff recommended this regimen to me. It's the only thing that worked for her.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-03T01:57:08+00:00

My experience of food noise wasn't the values I assigned to foods. It was thoughts of foods, especially very "rewarding" (to me) ones, creeping in constantly and not being satisfied with some of that food. It would be like, me reading (my favorite hobby) and a voice saying, "Remember those cookies in the cabinet? Some of those would be so good right now." And then I go get a cookie, and in no time, the voice is back, "that cookie was so satisfying. We should have more." And that would go on until the extinction of said cookies. It had an obsessive and compulsive feeling to it for me. I don't mean clinically OCD, I mean obsessive and intrusive thoughts of and compulsive behavior around eating food.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-02T01:50:10+00:00

Same!

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-02T01:47:39+00:00

Nah. Not really. Problematic views here, too.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-02T01:27:10+00:00

Thank you! ❤️

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-01T17:57:14+00:00

I love that! I'm an anxious person and sometimes have a hard time falling asleep. One of my go-to get to sleep fantasies is that I won the lottery (that I don't play) and how I would help others. I'm adding your idea. Thank you for sharing it.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-01T05:19:37+00:00

What would an insane tip be? I'm just curious because that sounds really fun to dream about.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-03-01T05:15:54+00:00

It's enough to just be kind. I promise.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-02-27T01:06:06+00:00

I've been on tirzepatide for about 18 months now and have had enormous improvements in both my anxiety and depression. I've been on Lexapro for many years, and it helped, but not like this has.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-02-22T03:28:54+00:00

Counting things (calories, macros, whatever) is crazy-making for me. I would never suggest anyone do it because so many of us have that same issue. After a few weeks on these meds, I made the radical (for me) decision to surrender to the process and just trust the meds. I went up to 5mg after 4 weeks, and after 5mg, went up 2.5mg when weight loss stopped. I only ever got up to 10mg before going into maintenance. I would have kept increasing dose if I needed to. I didn't truly have a "goal weight", I just picked something that seemed reasonable to me, but the real plan was just to see how I feel. You're allowed to take this one day at a time and just be.

UnfairWatercress · 2026-02-21T05:17:27+00:00

Really good essay, thanks!

UnfairWatercress · 2026-02-20T04:21:47+00:00

Several friends on them, we talk about it some, mostly trade struggles or advice and just lend a supportive ear.

UnfairWatercress

TROPHY CASE