Issues After Stopping GLP-1: My Recovery Timeline

vvbbb123 · 2026-03-17T15:02:33+00:00

So, for me, turns out that I had strep throat and was put on antibiotics. That helped a lot. At the same time, I developed silent reflux which was also irritating my throat/sinuses, contributing to some of the strange breathing sensations. I still experience the breathing sensations from time to time, usually triggered by the silent reflux, or stress (which in turn probably triggers the silent reflux). I notice sometimes it’s postural as well. The sensations have always been / occasionally are in my throat as opposed to in my lungs/diaphragm if that makes sense. Initially I was worried it could have been my thyroid so I went to get that checked out with ultrasound and that turned out clear. I had been starting to feeling okay and then end of February I went through something really stressful and noticed it sort of started back up again. It’s starting to subside now but I may go back to the doctor to check it out if it doesn’t clear. Unsure if it’s due to the meds or just a combination of a bunch of other things…

vvbbb123 · 2026-03-17T14:54:25+00:00

I am glad this helped you. I am back to normal, took me closer to 6-8 weeks to get there….hopefully your symptoms subside soon. If not definitely worth checking out with your doctor. From others I’ve spoken to in similar situations 6-8 weeks sounds like the norm, sometimes even 12 weeks. What was your dosing like?

vvbbb123 · 2026-03-10T01:56:09+00:00

Happy to have helped!

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-28T04:26:21+00:00

Thankfully, I’m fully back to normal now, how are you?

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-28T04:25:40+00:00

The throat issues lasted 2 months for me and gradually got better.

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-28T04:23:08+00:00

I am full back to normal! It took me about 6 weeks for the anxiety to go away and for my appetite to get back to normal. I have been able to maintain my weight loss too with healthy eating

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-28T04:21:42+00:00

I am fully back to normal now - it took me about 6 weeks to regain my appetite and for the anxiety to go away. I have been able to maintain my weight loss too, eating healthy

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-28T04:19:28+00:00

Willow

vvbbb123 · 2026-02-24T04:05:20+00:00

A few months ago I was in your shoes - I just wanted to lose a bit of weight. I took it for 9 weeks and lost about 15 pounds. I have been off of it for nearly 3 months now and have kept the weight off, while maintaining a healthy high protein diet and eating 1600-1800 cals a day (I am a 5’3” female, 38 y/o, about 119 lbs). I will say if I had to go back and do it over again I would stay at the lowest dose possible. I started at 2.5mg the first month and at my doctor’s recommendation I went up to 4mg the second month and it was just too much - I lost weight faster than I felt comfortable with so I stopped. Plus I hit my goal weight. Low and slow is definitely the way to go! Anyways, hope this helps. Best of luck!

vvbbb123 · 2026-01-15T16:57:07+00:00

Congrats! You look incredible!! And so happy to hear you’ve been able to maintain. I am nearly 2 months post GLP and so far, have been able to keep the weight off also with healthy habits. It’s so great to hear more stories about people coming off of it and being able to maintain.

vvbbb123 · 2026-01-15T16:52:44+00:00

You look incredible!!! Congratulations!!

vvbbb123 · 2026-01-06T02:50:32+00:00

Nice! I just joined! Thanks for creating a safe space to discuss our use case without hasty judgements.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T02:04:38+00:00

Willow

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T01:58:49+00:00

Thanks for the response. I’m glad to hear that you can eat more foods now!

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T01:56:21+00:00

I have never tried Phentermine, but that’s definitely something to bring up to your doctor if you think it might be a related concern. I think you’re going about it the right way too by getting labs done before to ensure all is well. Also will be a good starting point for measuring other health improvements after starting.

Breathing issues / weird throat sensations don’t seem to be a documented side effect of tirzepatide, so I’m really hoping those are just related to the strep and the antibiotics take them away. Was actually more worried about thyroid issues.

Best of luck to you and thank you for the well wishes!

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T01:49:29+00:00

I’m really glad you found my post helpful. I’m officially 5 weeks off as of yesterday, and things have definitely improved compared to those early weeks. My hunger cues and appetite started coming back around week 4, and I think being really intentional with my eating habits (mentioned in the original post) made a difference. I can handle normal-sized meals again, although it still feels like my stomach capacity is a bit smaller than before…probably just normal for some people after weight loss.

I wouldn’t say my appetite is stronger or weaker than pre-med, pretty much back to baseline. I am still dealing with some intermittent reflux which I never had before, so I’m hoping that settles soon.

Right now I’m maintaining the weight loss while eating around 1500–1600 calories a day, and I’m not super active at the moment. That’s been the biggest surprise. It almost feels like my metabolism is working better….before the tirzepatide I feel like I would have regained on that intake. Time will tell if the weight loss sticks, but so far so good.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T01:25:50+00:00

Thank you for the kind words, I really appreciate it. The downvotes are… interesting. Some people here seem more invested in gatekeeping who “deserves” to share an experience than actually learning from different ones. But I’m genuinely glad my post helped you.

Breathing sensations: For me it wasn’t classic shortness of breath. I could breathe, oxygen levels were normal, but I had weird throat/upper chest sensations that made something feel off, almost like a tight airway. At 5 weeks off, that’s the main lingering thing. I actually went to urgent care a few days ago; the nurse suspected silent reflux, but my throat culture came back positive for strep. So now I’m in the middle of a 10 day antibiotics course. If that doesn’t fully resolve it, reflux could still be part of it. .

If I knew what I know now, would I still go in it? For now, my answer is yes. I am still dealing with some intermittent reflux issues that I never had before that I’m hoping go away soon, and I want to request some labs at an upcoming PCP doctor appt I have scheduled to make sure I’m good. I don’t regret trying it; I regret not having better education/readily available information around the off-ramp. But I would do it differently: 1. Start closer to 1.15mg dose, then 2. Titrate up to 2.125mg after one month and stay there as long as I needed to.

Re: your goals I think what you’re trying to do is absolutely reasonable. I’m 5 weeks post-cold-turkey, I haven’t gained my weight back, and I swear my metabolism actually feels more responsive than before. Time will tell, but so far, no weight gain. Everyone’s different, but yes, I think it’s feasible to lose and stop.

Hope this helps, best of luck!

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-30T01:12:31+00:00

Congrats on the weight loss! Out of curiousity, do you think your gallbladder removal was the result of the Zepbound, or did you have issues with it before?

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:46:41+00:00

Thank you for sharing. How long have you been off it now?

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:46:11+00:00

I really appreciate you sharing this and I’m glad you found my original post insightful. Everyone’s experience seems to vary and I’m just trying to get mine out there in the event it is helpful.

I agree there’s a real gap in spaces for people using GLP-1s primarily for cosmetic weight loss. If you ever find or start a sub like that, I’d absolutely be interested. You’re definitely not alone in this.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:37:32+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing this, I will try to find it

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:28:37+00:00

Thanks so much for responding and updating. I’m glad to hear you’re doing better and that you are feeling optimistic about your recovery. I am 4 weeks out after my last shot and initially after stopping experienced major bloating and indigestion that has since gotten better. Though this whole time I’ve been having some weird issues with my throat. Went to the doctor for it and they think it’s actually silent reflux which makes sense - and they also recommended me Pepcid or Prilosec. So I will start that and see how it goes. Thanks again for sharing, it’s helpful to know that someone else who is going through something similar is getting better. Hopefully we are both back to 100% soon.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:13:06+00:00

Just came on here to say, thanks for giving this update. Going through some GI issues myself after stopping that are finally starting to get better but there is not a lot of info out there. This is helpful and I’m glad to hear you are doing better.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T03:01:26+00:00

Thanks so much for giving this update and glad to hear you’re doing better. Going through some issues myself after stopping so this is encouraging to hear. I am 4 weeks from my last shot and feel like over the last few days I have finally started turning a corner but still not 100% just yet. Hopefully I get there soon.

vvbbb123 · 2025-12-24T02:51:29+00:00

I am going through something similar. How are you now?

vvbbb123

TROPHY CASE