Until now, the only proven method of reducing appetite was taking stimulants, with ephedrine combined with caffeine probably being the most popular, which isn’t the best solution long-term.
We’ve reached great times and finally have effective agents that allow weight loss without effort thanks to hunger-reducing peptides such as GLP-1 (Semaglutide, Ozempic), GLP-2 (Tirzepatide), GLP-3 (Retatrutide), or GLP-1 with added Amylin CagriSema (Cagrilintide + Semaglutide). There are more, but these are the most popular and readily available.
Besides reducing appetite, users of these peptides lose interest in food, so they not only feel full longer but also snack much less frequently. Reduced interest in alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or pornography has also been observed.
Drugs or peptides?
Peptides are proteins that our body produces in response to certain situations. They’ve been sold online for about 20 years. Because they occur naturally in our body, they can’t be patented and sold as drugs at 5-10x the price.
Their modifications can be patented. Drug-producing corporations were lucky that appetite-reducing peptides like GLP-1 work very briefly, so extending their action to about 7 days allowed them to be patented and sold for huge money.
That’s why when I hear people shouting on forums/groups that you can’t take this without medical supervision, that these are diabetes medications, that they’re not for weight loss, that they have terrible side effects, etc., it’s ridiculous. If, like other peptides, they didn’t require modification, everyone would have been taking them for a long time.
There are also many comments like ‘you’re cheating,’ etc. There’s no medal for suffering while losing weight, but being obese carries the risk of many serious diseases. The easier weight loss is, the better, in my humble opinion.
If someone doesn’t ride a horse to work but drives a car, are they cheating too?
Każdy odpowiada za siebie, to są narzędzia, możesz stosować, nie musisz, ale wmawianie komuś że robi coś złego i ma się wstydzić bo chce wreszcie poprawić swoje zdrowie jest podłe.
Używasz auta, telefonu, komputera itd.. to się niczym nie różni.
Czy są ludzie, którzy sobie zaszkodzą biorąc w nieodpowiedzialny sposób? Są, tak samo jak są ludzie, którzy mają wypadki. Tak działa świat. Pewnie nawet był ktoś kto umarł od energy drinków.
Uważam że świata nie należy dostosowywać do debili. Zakładam że zanim coś się weźmie to należy spędzić sporo czasu edukując się na ten temat i monitorując to co trzeba monitorować biorąc daną rzecz jak krew, ciśnienie, puls w spoczynku, jakość snu, zdrowie organów itd. Side effects of GLP-1
I won’t distinguish further in the text between peptides as GLP-1, 2, 3, etc. They all have similar effects and side effects, so I’ll just write GLP-1 from now on.
These peptides are not without side effects, but most of them (or their severity) come from using doses that are too high, not monitoring hydration, and lack of dietary improvement.
1. Mild but very common (usually avoidable)
GLP-1 peptides slow digestion, food stays in the stomach longer, which often causes:
- Nausea and heartburn: Usually avoidable by eating slower (to feel fullness in time) and limiting fatty, fried, heavy foods. Obese people often feel fullness later than lean people and often eat so fast they can stuff a lot of food in before their brain gets the message that it’s enough. Taking Ozempic, etc., they still eat the same way, only now if you devour a pizza or burger in seconds, the feeling of overeating will be much stronger and more bothersome than before.
- Constipation: Often results from dehydration. These drugs/peptides not only reduce appetite but also thirst, so you must monitor fluid intake; magnesium can also help with constipation. Personally, I take 200mg of magnesium with each meal or add about 200-300mg of magnesium powder to each water bottle (always, not just on GLP-1).
- Diarrhea: Usually improving your diet eliminates this side effect.
- Fatigue/weakness: Usually results from using too high a dose, excessive food (calorie) restriction, and simply not providing enough energy for normal functioning -> Reduce the dose.
Hydration: lack of energy may be caused by dehydration. At least 3-4L of water + electrolytes daily.
Helpful can also be, for example, MOTS-C (1mg daily is enough, no need to take 5-10mg 3x a week as many people recommend) or SLU-PP-332 (250-750 mcg daily), which increase energy levels.
Tips: Start with a low dose. Unfortunately, buying these peptides in drug form, which is supposedly better than peptides from the internet, you don’t have the ability to precisely adjust the dose. They’re sold in pens where the smallest dose is often too high; adjustment is only upward and the jumps are large. Peptides from the internet are sold as powder in a vial, to which you add bacteriostatic water and draw with a syringe whatever dose you want, so you can start with half of what drug manufacturers suggest.
Monitor hydration. How much? If you don’t exercise or weigh little, probably about 3L daily is enough.
Currently weighing just under 80kg, I drink about 4L (including tea/coffee) daily on non-training days (more in summer). On training days, about 2-3L more. I add salt, potassium, and magnesium to water.
Eat easily digestible food, lean meat, rice, moderate amounts of fruits and vegetables (fiber is very healthy, also helps with constipation but additionally slows digestion and increases satiety, which is normally a great way to reduce appetite but in this case may cause excessive calorie restriction). You need to adjust the amount of vegetables for yourself through trial and error.
Fats also slow digestion, but it’s good to have at least a minimal amount of healthy fats in your diet.
Ultimately, everyone reacts differently. There are people who, taking GLP-1, stick to a low-carb diet based mainly on protein and fat and feel fine.
For health, it’s definitely worth providing 20-30g of healthy fats from olive oil and omega-3.
You need to arrange your diet through trial and error, but eating just anything can definitely intensify side effects. Additionally, if you eat the same as before, like pizza, burgers, sweets, etc., just less, it will end up with too little protein in your diet and loss of muscle mass as well as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, so it’s all the more worthwhile to improve what we eat when taking GLP-1.
Number of meals: usually 3-4 is a good option, then portions aren’t too large, which also translates to fewer side effects. Intermittent fasting or one large meal a day can cause discomfort; while taking GLP-1, it’s better to spread eating throughout the day rather than eating a lot at once or in a small time window. But as I said, this is an individual matter.
Personally, taking Retatrutide, I ate 3 times a day about 20-25g of protein from food + 25g of protein in a shake, 10g of fat, the rest carbohydrates and a moderate amount of vegetables. Eating this way, I had zero side effects.
2. Bothersome (requiring attention), but partially avoidable
- Vomiting: Usually occurs only with a dose that’s definitely too high or a very poor diet. Remember there’s no universal dose, there are general recommendations, but many people are very sensitive, so a good dose is one that’s effective for you. If 1/4 of what others need is enough for you, be happy, you’ll spend less money. Additionally, don’t increase the dose until the effect weakens. Just because the leaflet says you need to increase it because they want you to buy more doesn’t mean you have to do it. Some people will need to increase doses faster, some slower.
- Injection site reactions: Redness, itching, or a lump. Usually harmless.
- Elevated heart rate (Tachycardia): For me, Semaglutide increases pulse by about 10 beats per minute, Retatrutide by about 20. It goes away after discontinuation but requires monitoring.
- Hair thinning: This isn’t a direct effect of the drug but a reaction to rapid weight loss. Reduce the dose/increase calories.
Tip: Establish, or better yet, start your diet before you start taking weight loss peptides, then use a dose that helps you maintain the required calorie level without feeling hungry. Most people have zero control over their diet, they just take as much as possible and starve themselves. Effective weight loss, where we lose the most fat and the least muscle mass, occurs when we lose about 0.5% to max 1% of body weight per week. Plus at least 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight and strength training. Losing weight faster, you’ll lose much more muscle mass. Starvation on a low-quality diet can also end in vitamin/mineral deficiencies or even osteoporosis.
Stick to the lowest effective dose. If you’re losing weight at a reasonable pace on a given dose, increasing it won’t bring anything good.
3. Serious (requiring medical consultation)
Rare but documented risks.
Like most GLP-1 side effects, these also usually result from too high a dose -> too rapid weight loss and a low-quality diet.
- Severe dehydration: Lack of thirst and/or vomiting; can burden the kidneys.
- Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar): Rare in people without diabetes unless you completely forget to eat.
- Gallstones: Rapid weight loss increases the risk of gallbladder problems.
- Mood changes: Some report anhedonia (inability to feel pleasure).
4. Very dangerous (Rare)
- Acute pancreatitis: Severe, persistent abdominal pain radiating to the back. This is an emergency.
- Kidney damage: Usually from dehydration.
- Thyroid C-cell tumors: (observed so far only in rats) but let’s give a warning for people with a family history of medullary thyroid cancer.
What weight loss peptides are currently available on the market?
1. GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1)
Available as a drug under the name Ozempic, on peptide sites usually sold as GLP-1, Semaglutide, Sema.
- slows gastric emptying (making you feel full longer) and sends signals to the brain to reduce hunger
- unmodified, it would need to be injected at least every hour
- Starting dose: 0.25mg/week – for many people this is a dose that gives significant side effects, it’s worth starting lower.
- Drug price: about 400 PLN per 1mg without reimbursement and about 120 PLN with partial reimbursement.
- Peptide price: about 30-50 PLN per 1mg, sold in 5-10mg packages
2. GIP (Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide)
Available in combination with GLP-1 (GLP-1 + GIP), sold as a drug under the name Mounjaro, as a peptide under the name GLP-2, GLP+GIP, GLP-1+GIP, Tirz, Tirzepatide.
- main task is to stimulate insulin secretion
- believed to help with fat metabolism
- may alleviate nausea often accompanying GLP-1 drugs
- works within minutes of injection
- Starting dose GLP-1 + GIP: 2.5mg/week – supposedly much milder than Ozempic but still worth starting with a lower dose
- Drug price GLP-1 + GIP: about 850 PLN for 10mg
- Peptide price: about 600-800 PLN for 10mg
3. Glucagon
Available in combination with GLP-1 and GIP (GLP-1 + GIP + Glucagon) under the name Retatrutide. So far not yet available as a drug, only on peptide sites as GLP-3, Reta, R3ta.
- signals the liver to release stored energy
- speeds up metabolism
- defattens the liver
- works within minutes of injection
- Starting dose of GLP-1 + GIP + Glucagon combination: 2mg/week – personally I started with this dose – it was very strong for me, enough initially for about 8-9 days. Next time I’ll start with 1.5mg. I had no side effects, it just suppressed appetite very strongly, more than I’d like at the beginning of a diet.
- Peptide price: about 400 PLN for 10mg
- This is currently number one in effectiveness because it not only reduces appetite but also speeds up metabolism.
4. Amylin (Cagrilintide)
Used as an addition, usually to GLP-1/Semaglutide. Because it works slightly differently than GLP-1, the combination allows achieving equally good effects with a lower dose of GLP-1, so side effects are smaller and effectiveness is high.
Not yet available as a drug, will be sold as CagriSema. As a peptide available under various names, e.g., GLP-1 Plus, +C, etc.
- stabilizes blood sugar levels
- inhibits glucagon secretion after eating and delays gastric emptying
- strong effect on the satiety center in the brain, leading to a significant reduction in food intake. Unlike GLP-1, amylin induces satiety through a slightly different neuronal mechanism
- Starting dose: 0.5mg (0.25mg GLP-1 + 0.25mg Cagri) – worth starting with half this dose to avoid strong side effects. Personally, I used it as an addition to Reta in the final phase of my diet.
- Peptide price: about 350 PLN for 10mg
Write in the comments what side effects you had, if any, what diet worked best for you while using GLP-1, etc.
Cheers
