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I've been on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for 4 months now. I'm down 13% of my body weight. I realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight l

I've been on tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for 4 months now. I'm down 13% of my body weight. I realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight loss, so I've kicked the habit from daily to occasionally on weekends. I've started walking 2-3 miles a day, 2-3 days a week regularly, in addition to eating less and being more motivated to calorie count. All this to say, this drug has been life changing for me. I spend more time doing things I want to do, depression and anxiety have less of a hold on me now. I feel that this drug has allowed me to be the best version of myself I have been in a long time. The only side effects so far have been positive. I do worry about what I will do once it's time to titrate off the weekly dose and the best I can think of is that the habits I'm forming in the time on the drug I will have the resolve to continue after cessation. I say this because I have battled depression, anxiety and obesity issues my entire life. I've had many failed attempts at getting back to a healthy, productive and non-obese lifestyle. I don't know what is so different about having the drug help me, but I can tell you that it has been different.

yieldcrv 2y ago
Sounds like a kickstart you needed! Aside from the disruption in cravings, the immediate results seem to have motivated you to do more.
- robohydrate 2y ago
  You can't imagine how empowering it is to be able to say "No." to food. I stopped eating dessert except once a week. I can be in the company of other people and surrounded by delicious food and not feel the compulsion to eat until I am nauseous.
  - card_zero 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - yieldcrv 2y ago
    This is interesting as this is my default, and I am pretty lean. I often have to remember to eat or check if I did, and lament that its a chore. I enjoy food and the dining experience, but I would be fine with that being an entertainment option once a week too. I wonder if there is enough research on how gut bacteria influences these things, because if this is what people want maybe I could sell mine.
    - CBarkleyU 2y ago
      This is something that I like to ask friends and acquaintances: Would you rather take a pill that gives you perfect nutrition and nullifies your hunger feeling or a pill that the gives you perfect nutrition and nullifies any other calories you eat. It's pretty much 50/50. Which is weird, as you'd think that eating is only a pleasure when hungry and I'm proposing them a way to get rid of hunger. Even weirder is that I personally would take the second pill and enjoy my gluttonous lifestyle. Regarding this thread: I personally decided for myself that if I can be stubborn towards my wife, friends and mom (and I am a stubborn SOB) I sure as hell can be stubborn towards my own bodily desires. I removed all meals except once per day and pretty much all desserts. Fuck what my body thinks it desires, if it needs it that much it can go fix a meal while I sleep.
      - card_zero 2y ago
        That's some philosophical weirdness right there. I guess we're kind of into the biological aspects of the human condition and don't want to part with them, because they're like a fun, mildly disgusting game. There'd have to be some other entertaining lifestyle that you gain in exchange, and you'd have to be sure you could dig it before you'd agree to the switch.
      - vinkelhake 2y ago
        I want both... Some days, in particular when working hard or focusing on something, food is just fuel and not something I want to spend time on. I'd definitely take that first pill for those days. But I also really like cooking. If I have the time I don't mind spending hours in the kitchen to prepare something. I don't really need that second pill yet, but sometimes you just want to pig out...
vessenes 2y ago
Tirzepatide and Semaglutide are both known to reduce addiction / substance ingestion. I noticed I was just less interested in Alcohol when I started on Wegovy, and didn't realize it's a common effect until much later. I retained most of my disinterest after going off, too, FWIW.
- dyauspitr 2y ago
  Sounds like a miracle drug that helps with all afflictions that come with our modern life/sedentary living.
  - rafaelmn 2y ago
    I'd say it's the opposite - if you don't exercise you end up skinny fat which is metabolically unhealthy as well. It helps with super accessible dopamine hits I guess - which is awesome - but need to combine it with exercise for maximum benefit. I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with a drug for that that's more sideffect free than testosterone/ derivatives. Lean and ripped cocktail
    - jjeaff 2y ago
      Skinny fat is not nearly as metabolically unhealthy as fat fat.
      - rafaelmn 2y ago
        No argument here - just saying it's still not the endgame. Lean/ripped combo - now that's something I'd subscribe to/inject for regularly.
      - queuebert 2y ago
        Fat fat can better survive the coming post-AGI apocalyptic famines.
        wwweston 2y ago
beezlebroxxxxxx 2y ago
Is the official recommendation that you continue to take it for the rest of your life? Or, is there a schedule to "wean" people off of it?
- r00fus 2y ago
  Most weight management programs recommend you wean off - and also recommend other drugs if needed (metformin) to for maintenance. The method of these programs is to use the GLP-1 medications to allow you to change your habits significantly while also reducing your weight. The goal being, you keep the new habits and your reduced metabolic requirements which allows you to keep the lower weight.
  - beezlebroxxxxxx 2y ago
    Interesting. If we think of effectiveness as maintained weight loss and eventually no longer requiring the drug then the next few years and decades will be fascinating to see how effective they are long-term.
    - r00fus 2y ago
      I mean, that's the goal for any weight management plan honestly - to provide the structure for you to make your own change. That GLP-1 meds are so effective will make a huge difference for tons of folks. I think many people are going to use GLP-1s without a structure - and they may find it's not as easy to taper off without making a meaningful diet change.
    - coffeebeqn 2y ago
      Even if you start gaining weight after a year or two I guess you could cycle back on it right ?
  - deleted 2y ago
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- tjohns 2y ago
  Studies have show most people rapidly regain the weight once they stop taking GLP-1 drugs. The dysfunctional biochemical processes that contributed to overeating are still present if you discontinue the drug. Your body has a natural set-point for the weight it wants to be at, and the hunger and food noise comes right back as your body tries to get you back to your old weight. It's possible that after after a long enough time at a healthy weight your body's natural weight set-point will regulate itself back down. But this process take years.
stronglikedan 2y ago
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- deleted 2y ago
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mlsu 2y ago
My view about obesity has shifted dramatically since Ozempic came out. Before this, I didn't think about it too much (I am not obese myself). I notice now that there is a LOT of judgement, bias(?), around obesity, that people, obese or not, carry with them [1]. I certainly carried that bias, and the reason I noticed it was because Ozempic is literally an external substance that you take that simply makes obesity go away. So if you believe (like most of us unconsciously do) that obesity is a personal failing or an issue of willpower, an issue of personal merit -- HOW is it possible that a chemical pill, an external chemical process, can SO effectively resolve it? When no amount of hectoring and moralizing and willpower can? My inability to square that circle really changed my thinking about obesity in a fundamental way. Already there is a reaction to Ozempic -- like people thinking that taking Ozempic is a personal failing, or judging celebrities, for taking it, thinking it's the "easy way out" -- I think the origin of that is this very deep unconscious bias that we all have about what obesity actually is fundamentally. My view: It is a health condition, that people do not choose. Not unlike diabetes, celiac, or clinical depression. We should be focused on how to improve the lives of people who suffer with that health condition. We all agree insulin is unequivocally a good thing; that it's not a "personal failure" or "cheating" to take insulin; that it really is simple as, diabetes is a health condition and insulin is used to treat it. Ozempic? Same. Exact. Thing. It's really heartening to hear your experience. Your post really struck me, I felt exactly the same way after getting on a CGM + Insulin Pump for my Type 1 Diabetes. Nobody EVER thought I had a lack of "personal responsibility" or an "issue of willpower" for going low or high on shots of Humilin and NPH. Thank fucking god for Novo Nordisk. --- [1] see: this thread!
- mayukh 2y ago
  Obesity is a side effect of the industrial food production system in advanced economies that is slowly spreading all over the globe. How about alcohol and smoking ? Is that the same as obesity then
  - kps 2y ago
    > Obesity is a side effect of the industrial food production system in advanced economies that is slowly spreading all over the globe. Yes, for the first time in the millions of years of existence of humanity and pre-humanity, we consistently have enough to eat.
cactusplant7374 2y ago
> I realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight loss Because you eat more or is there some other factor?
- itronitron 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - fshbbdssbbgdd 2y ago
    How does the critical reading help you tell ad copy apart from an honest and enthusiastic recommendation? Not a rhetorical question.
    - mbivert 2y ago
      Sure, there may be honest and enthusiastic people. But their input would be essentially that of an ad: a product with 100% gain and 0% loss? That's never been observed, never; there's always a trade-off. A less emotionally grounded, more balanced and nuanced description would be more accurate, honest. But it'd sell way less.
      - fshbbdssbbgdd 2y ago
        I see a lot of the recommendations expressing anxiety about what will happen when they discontinue - which calls into question the validity of the official treatment plan they are under and isn’t normally something you’d bring up in an ad.
        mbivert 2y ago
        Perhaps I must emphasize that my point is subtly different from the parent's: whether those people are genuine or not fundamentally is irrelevant: a miracle drug with essentially no drawbacks is a fairy tale. It's almost certainly a lie. (That's why the parent think they could be ads, unless he's deeply cross-referencing South Park…). The loudness of that lie ITT might also drag people down an unhealthy path: it's irresponsible not to speak up about it.
itronitron 2y ago
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- apwell23 2y ago
  They don't need marketing team writing posts on HN. The drug sells itself and even shortages all over the world.
  - deleted 2y ago
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  - y1n0 2y ago
    It is pretty awesome . I’ve been on tirzepitide for a couple months. I’ve lost about 25lbs which is about 8% of my starting weight. I eat a lot less, but have not spontaneously changed what I eat. 50 years of bad habits take time to change. But I atleast believe change is possible now. I’d pretty much given up. Every time I tried to go on a diet, I’d end up heavier than when I started. Not joking. In 2009 I did have a winning streak on low carb keto, lost like 75lbs. Gained it back and more over the next couple years though. I’ve tried many times to get back into keto / low carb but have not been successful for more than a few weeks. This is the first thing I’ve done for weightloss that has legit results that are personally shocking. I’m very concerned about how to make changes long term. I don’t have a track record of making long term life changes, but I’m going to do my best with this opportunity.
- op00to 2y ago
  The experience in that comment is literally my experience w/ a GLP-1 Agonist! Poop fart dong gobbler. A marketing team wouldn't write that, though, so you can believe me!
  - dullcrisp 2y ago
    A scrappy marketing team though
    - op00to 2y ago
apwell23 2y ago
Have you noticed any effect on gastric emptying. As someone with 'tummy issues' ( ibs/gerd ect) i am apprehensive of messing with my digestive systems.
- rootusrootus 2y ago
  Not the person you were responding to, but yes. Stomach empties much slower, which seems to effectively make it smaller. A normal size (pre-drug) meal will make me uncomfortably full and probably cause reflux. That said, I've noticed in the past, and also now on this drug, that my gastrointestinal issues abate noticeably when I consume less food. Thought I had IBS and then I went on a significant diet and lost 40 pounds in 2020. The IBS resolved, and not after I lost 40 pounds -- it basically stopped altogether a matter of weeks after I changed my diet. That was educational. YMMV. I'm still working out my approach to eating while taking tirzepatide. Old habits die hard, and I'm having to cut my meal size way back. This sucks because my problem with eating too much was about eating too often, or not when hungry, not about binging. So I have to eat pretty small meals now. It will take some adjustment to find the right way to get sufficient nutrition while volume limited, but I think it can be done.
- spondylosaurus 2y ago
  If your IBS is the "stuff moves too fast" variety (so, IBS-D) GLP-1s seem to help a lot since they slow things down. If your problems already stem from things moving too slow... maybe not so much :P
  - deleted 2y ago
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glenstein 2y ago
I think this is such a helpful description of the totality of components working together to spur a positive outcome, which I think, at least in my personal experience, is an under-appreciated aspect of using a drug. I've sometimes heard it said that it's an unhealthy reliance on a drug in place of curbing behavior, but I think it's important to understand it as, among other things, a stimulant to the activation of beneficial behaviors, which can be as critical as the drug itself.
colordrops 2y ago
Did you notice that cannabis consumption interferes with weight loss due to interfering with motivation to stick to your health goals? Or did it interfere with your metabolism in some way?
- asadhaider 2y ago
  I can answer this, I've been on Ozempic in the past and prescribed Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) currently (month 3). I've had a medical cannabis prescription for many years and vaporise up to 3g a day which is quite a bit. It definitely interferes with my cravings for food, as you know the common 'munchies' effect, making me eat when I'm not really hungry or binge snacks. I gave up on Semaglutide (Ozempic) after a few months, but Tirzepatide is working a lot more effectively and has been better. Cannabis also helps a lot with the nausea side effect for me which can be particularly bad the first few days going up a dosage every month. It takes six months to titrate from the starter dose to full strength, if necessary. Also the downside a lot of people don't talk about is that most people need to be on these drugs for life. They also aren't cheap.
arijo 2y ago
Cut on carbs and you will have all the benefits without the nasty side effects. Check https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org for details. My own experience with the keto diet - https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of-struggle https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of...
- kerbs 2y ago
  It is not easy on the mind and body as to just cut carbs.
  - arijo 2y ago
    I apologize for the shortcut - I should have given more context, though you can validate my assertion by going to this site: https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org There is heavy research on the usage of the ketogenic diet for the treatment of metabolic and mental illness. I've written about my personal story here - https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of-struggle https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of...
    - arijo 2y ago
      I also recommend taking a look at this Joe Rogan interview to understand at a deep level all the problems with a drug like Ozempic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0lTyhvOeJs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0lTyhvOeJs
      - BadHumans 2y ago
        Quoting Joe Rogan's podcast instead of literature is not going to go over well here.
        arijo 2y ago
        Check the https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org site then - you’ll find plenty of research based evidence on the usage of the ketogenic diet as a metabolic therapy.
comechao 2y ago
I'm not sure if you tried but add a sport, can be table tenis, jiu-jitsu whatever. I did this too after got comfortable with the walks (that I still do).
siva7 2y ago
How do i get this?
pedalpete 2y ago
Have you been recommended an exercise regimen, or taken one up yourself? The one the great things about GLP-1s is that with the weight loss, it's easier to be more active once you've lost some of the weight. The negatives is that the current breed promote a loss in muscle mass as well as fat loss, so it is very important to do your best to maintain if not increase muscle while on them. The next generation of drugs are including 2nd molecule...I'm blanking on the name, and a search isn't bringing it to me...which maintains or potentially increases muscle mass. But curious what your experience with exercise has been. I also didn't know there was a planned reduction in dosage, but the expectation is that you'll be on some type of GLP1 for life, is that not right?
- cthalupa 2y ago
  Cagrilintide (paired with semaglutide) and retatrutide are the next wave, though I'm not aware of any research for either indicating an increase in muscle mass. My understanding of the literature is that there's nothing special about semaglutide or tirzepatide that promote muscle loss - it's just people who lose weight based purely on diet tend to also lose muscle mass. Even bodybuilders lose some muscle mass when cutting. It's up to the individual to increase their protein intake and exercise, the same way they would in any caloric deficit.
  - coffeebeqn 2y ago
    Bodybuilders lose muscle and they do a lot of hypertrophy training and high protein eating to counteract it. Probably the average ozempic taker does neither of those so they end up losing more
    - cthalupa 2y ago
      Sure. You're going to lose some muscle mass no matter what you do. And yeah, if you don't do either of those things, you're going to lose even more. But fat people actually frequently have quite a bit of lean body mass - it takes muscle to carry around all that weight, even if you're sedentary. If I somehow maintained the LBM shown in my DEXA scan at the start of tirzepatide, by the time I got to my goal weight, I'd be looking more jacked than when I was lifting 3 times a week. Obviously, I won't. I'm adding more and more cardio and lifting back in as my weight is dropping and it becomes more maintainable for my joints, etc., and I've been supplementing protein since the start, and I'm sure I'll still lose plenty. But I have the room to lose A LOT and still be in the healthy range of body fat%.
nessguy 2y ago
I'm with you on this, tirzepatide has been life changing for me. I've struggled with my weight my whole life and I can actually imagine a future where I lose enough that I'm no longer ashamed of my weight. I've been on tirzepatide for just over a year now. Before that, I managed to lose 6% of my body weight over the previous year. With tirzepatide, I've lost an additional 17% of my body weight, for a total of 23% over two years. Tirzepatide isn't a magic drug that just makes you lose weight, it simply makes it much easier to avoid overeating. It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep.
- gscott 2y ago
  > It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep. I had this problem as well. Being on tirzepatide I went from 220 to 185 in just six months because my previous insatiable hunger went away. It feels so powerful now choosing when to eat or not.
- riffraff 2y ago
  > It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep. Forgive my ignorance and curiosity, was the feeling of hunger due to drastic reduction in portion size? Could you not eat some low-calories filling food? I ask cause I've been overweight and sometimes obese most of my adult life, but when on a diet I usually feel "unsatisfied" but rarely actually hungry, e.g. I can eat a couple carrots or whatever and hunger goes away, but I would still crave a hamburger. Still, I'm happy for you that you found something that works!
  - nessguy 2y ago
    > was the feeling of hunger due to drastic reduction in portion size? While that was sometimes the case, it wasn't always so. Sometimes the feeling of hunger was almost random, and certainly stronger than it should have been. This was likely caused by insulin resistance. When I got out of bed because I was too hungry to go to sleep I didn't always make great food choices. I'd tend to eat a 200-400 calorie 'snack', which felt like it wiped out any progress. Now that I'm on tirzepatide I still feel hunger and cravings, but I suspect it's more in line with what regular people feel. Even if I haven't eaten much during the evening and am a little hungry at night, it's not the type of hunger that stops me from being able to get to sleep. > Still, I'm happy for you that you found something that works! Thanks! I'm honestly in the category of people that have considered weight loss surgery, but I've seen enough problems from that that I've never really wanted to risk the associated problems. From all the reading I've done it sounds like tirzepatide is almost as effective as weight loss surgery. And people are going to have a hard time convincing me that weight loss surgery is 'safer' than a GLP-1 injection.
myprotegeai 2y ago
In the future, this would be indistinguishable from an ad.
- mahin 2y ago
  Or even now?
  - myprotegeai 2y ago
    I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that it is a real experience, but yes it currently reads like marketing material aimed at the obese, depressed tech worker.
blackqueeriroh 2y ago
I’d like to make a couple of things clear here: 1) “obesity” has no clear clinical definition, nor is it really a disease. [1] 2) there has been no evidence yet that weight is at all a primary determinant of health [2] 3) Weight loss drugs must be taken forever or it’s nearly certain you will gain the weight back [3] There’s a lot of great research these days that shows fatness is not what people think it is, and weight stigma is far more harmful than being fat itself [4]. Also, nobody knows what happens yet if you take these drugs for 30 years, and what we do know is that being fat hasn’t been proven to kill anyone. I'd just say follow the money. [1] https://www.science.org/content/article/obesity-doesn-t-always-mean-ill-health-here-s-what-scientists-are-learning https://www.science.org/content/article/obesity-doesn-t-alwa... [2] https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/why-body-weight-isnt-an-indicator-of-health https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/why-body-weight-isnt... [3] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240521-what-happens-when-you-stop-taking-ozempic https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240521-what-happens-whe... [4] https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5 https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1291...
legacynl 2y ago
> realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight loss, so I've kicked the habit from daily to occasionally on weekends Did you try to reduce your cannabis consumption before using tirzepatide? Because although you say(feel) like the realization made you reduce your intake, I can hardly imagine that you were totally oblivious to the fact that smoking cannabis is unhealthy in the first place. Do you feel like you think less about e.g. cannabis, or do you feel like it's easier to say no to that impulse? Does it seem to mainly influence health choices or are you also less likely to be angry or does it interact work place interactions?
collingreen 2y ago
Congratulations! This is such a great success story. I love your tactic about building healthy habits while you have some support and leaning on those to carry you through the future. Good job!
kelavaster 2y ago
Do a reality check that leas-frequent cannabis consumption with your target activity and intake levels doesn't also lead to weight gain .....
benreesman 2y ago
I’ve had an on and off battle with ad-hoc self medication for anxiety via heavy drinking for like twenty years, by “on and off” I mean that some situations didn’t really trigger it much, and other situations made it life defeating. As close as I’ve come to an effective remediation was living abroad where the food wasn’t actively adversarial: capitalism can do many good things but it drives the quality of food to “edible plus epsilon”. Rich people eat pasture-raised shit for a reason. For me it just deleted that problem. But I’m interested in this class of medication because it’s difficult bordering on impractical to eat well in some regions. People say just cook, well, there’s an infrastructure around that which amounts to a declared bias against those who didn’t settle down young. Much like people who met their partner before partnering became monetized, “easy for you to say”. I hope you have success in your journey either way, and the less meds involved on average probably better, but if it works and has no bad side effects I don’t see why one would stop. Welcome to your new awesome life! Every SV power player I’ve ever met was enhancing themselves via chemicals. It’s not tweeted about (other than when Garry Tan threatens elected officials), but it’s a quiet norm.
gooosle 2y ago
You need to change your attitude if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle. Don't blame your failures and CHOICE to eat junk and not exercise on weed. You know what the healthy choices are, you know when you're not making them. You lack self control.
- skue 2y ago
  I don’t usually say something like this on HN, but you are completely and utterly wrong. The obesity epidemic cannot be reduced to some simple moral failure. Multiple twin concordance studies have shown 70%+ inheritability. Those of us who are fortunate enough to not struggle with obesity do so not because of some skillset that we have, but because our bodies do not maintain the same homeostasis. For those of us old enough to remember what society looked like before the obesity epidemic kicked in, it’s hard to understand how something genetic can suddenly result in a dramatic change over a period of years. Our genetics didn’t change. Our food environment did. Experts disagree on what factors are responsible for this, and any random person had their own pet beliefs. But this flat-earth-like notion of reducing obesity to an issue of basic willpower needs to be recognized for the drivel it is, along the related notion of calories in & calories out while ignoring the overwhelming role that basal metabolic burn plays and how it dynamically responds to changes in diet and exercise. If you want to educate yourself, read Posner’s Burn [1], which is firmly grounded in empirical measurements of doubly labeled water to measure true metabolic consumption. Look up the reporting the NYT on past contestants of The Biggest Loser.[2] [1] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603894/burn-by-herman-pontzer-phd/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603894/burn-by-herm... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.R04.j-Yr.1aaynBB8BPzC&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=cnt https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weig... (gift link) Edit: Added links to sources.
  - gooosle 2y ago
    > The obesity epidemic cannot be reduced to some simple moral failure. You're the only one to bring up morality so far in this comment chain. > Those of us who are fortunate enough to not struggle with obesity do so not because of some skillset that we have, but because our bodies do not maintain the same homeostasis. That's just utter bullshit. Homeostasis is heavily influenced by lifestyle choices. > But this flat-earth-like notion of reducing obesity to an issue of basic willpower needs to be recognized for the drivel it is, No, your incessant need to convince yourself and everyone else that something as straightforward as controlling your calorie intake is in fact a complex and naturally intractable problem that requires drugs and counseling is what's flat-earth-like drivel and utter bullshit. > If you want to educate yourself, read Posner’s Burn [1], which is firmly grounded in empirical measurements of doubly labeled water to measure true metabolic consumption. You're cherry picking terrible studies that happen to fit the preconceived notions you desperately want to believe, because they make you feel better about being undisciplined and weak-willed. Your understanding of nutrition, exercise and health are also clearly very minimal.
renegade-otter 2y ago
I feel high on life when I am off the sauce, eat less, and walk more - without any drugs. Healthy lifestyle is the best medicine, and the biggest problem people have is not even genetic predisposition, it's impulse control. We all want that reward, right away.
mycall 2y ago
Have you looked at Psilocybin for your depression? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818420 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818420
ein0p 2y ago
What annoys me is it’s like $100 in Europe and it’s available in a pill form there (so you could presumably easily reduce the dose and therefore the cost by breaking the pill in half). And no US insurance will cover any of it unless you have diabetes. Put another way, if I can find someone in Europe to prescribe it to me, and pay out of pocket for 90 days worth, I could take a free vacation to Europe every 3-4 months in perpetuity.

yieldcrv 2y ago

Sounds like a kickstart you needed! Aside from the disruption in cravings, the immediate results seem to have motivated you to do more.

robohydrate 2y ago
You can't imagine how empowering it is to be able to say "No." to food. I stopped eating dessert except once a week. I can be in the company of other people and surrounded by delicious food and not feel the compulsion to eat until I am nauseous.
- card_zero 2y ago
  [flagged]
- yieldcrv 2y ago
  This is interesting as this is my default, and I am pretty lean. I often have to remember to eat or check if I did, and lament that its a chore. I enjoy food and the dining experience, but I would be fine with that being an entertainment option once a week too. I wonder if there is enough research on how gut bacteria influences these things, because if this is what people want maybe I could sell mine.
  - CBarkleyU 2y ago
    This is something that I like to ask friends and acquaintances: Would you rather take a pill that gives you perfect nutrition and nullifies your hunger feeling or a pill that the gives you perfect nutrition and nullifies any other calories you eat. It's pretty much 50/50. Which is weird, as you'd think that eating is only a pleasure when hungry and I'm proposing them a way to get rid of hunger. Even weirder is that I personally would take the second pill and enjoy my gluttonous lifestyle. Regarding this thread: I personally decided for myself that if I can be stubborn towards my wife, friends and mom (and I am a stubborn SOB) I sure as hell can be stubborn towards my own bodily desires. I removed all meals except once per day and pretty much all desserts. Fuck what my body thinks it desires, if it needs it that much it can go fix a meal while I sleep.
    - card_zero 2y ago
      That's some philosophical weirdness right there. I guess we're kind of into the biological aspects of the human condition and don't want to part with them, because they're like a fun, mildly disgusting game. There'd have to be some other entertaining lifestyle that you gain in exchange, and you'd have to be sure you could dig it before you'd agree to the switch.
    - vinkelhake 2y ago
      I want both... Some days, in particular when working hard or focusing on something, food is just fuel and not something I want to spend time on. I'd definitely take that first pill for those days. But I also really like cooking. If I have the time I don't mind spending hours in the kitchen to prepare something. I don't really need that second pill yet, but sometimes you just want to pig out...

vessenes 2y ago

Tirzepatide and Semaglutide are both known to reduce addiction / substance ingestion. I noticed I was just less interested in Alcohol when I started on Wegovy, and didn't realize it's a common effect until much later. I retained most of my disinterest after going off, too, FWIW.

dyauspitr 2y ago
Sounds like a miracle drug that helps with all afflictions that come with our modern life/sedentary living.
- rafaelmn 2y ago
  I'd say it's the opposite - if you don't exercise you end up skinny fat which is metabolically unhealthy as well. It helps with super accessible dopamine hits I guess - which is awesome - but need to combine it with exercise for maximum benefit. I wouldn't be surprised if they come up with a drug for that that's more sideffect free than testosterone/ derivatives. Lean and ripped cocktail
  - jjeaff 2y ago
    Skinny fat is not nearly as metabolically unhealthy as fat fat.
    - rafaelmn 2y ago
      No argument here - just saying it's still not the endgame. Lean/ripped combo - now that's something I'd subscribe to/inject for regularly.
    - queuebert 2y ago
      Fat fat can better survive the coming post-AGI apocalyptic famines.
      - wwweston 2y ago

beezlebroxxxxxx 2y ago

Is the official recommendation that you continue to take it for the rest of your life? Or, is there a schedule to "wean" people off of it?

r00fus 2y ago
Most weight management programs recommend you wean off - and also recommend other drugs if needed (metformin) to for maintenance. The method of these programs is to use the GLP-1 medications to allow you to change your habits significantly while also reducing your weight. The goal being, you keep the new habits and your reduced metabolic requirements which allows you to keep the lower weight.
- beezlebroxxxxxx 2y ago
  Interesting. If we think of effectiveness as maintained weight loss and eventually no longer requiring the drug then the next few years and decades will be fascinating to see how effective they are long-term.
  - r00fus 2y ago
    I mean, that's the goal for any weight management plan honestly - to provide the structure for you to make your own change. That GLP-1 meds are so effective will make a huge difference for tons of folks. I think many people are going to use GLP-1s without a structure - and they may find it's not as easy to taper off without making a meaningful diet change.
  - coffeebeqn 2y ago
    Even if you start gaining weight after a year or two I guess you could cycle back on it right ?
- deleted 2y ago
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tjohns 2y ago
Studies have show most people rapidly regain the weight once they stop taking GLP-1 drugs. The dysfunctional biochemical processes that contributed to overeating are still present if you discontinue the drug. Your body has a natural set-point for the weight it wants to be at, and the hunger and food noise comes right back as your body tries to get you back to your old weight. It's possible that after after a long enough time at a healthy weight your body's natural weight set-point will regulate itself back down. But this process take years.

stronglikedan 2y ago

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mlsu 2y ago

My view about obesity has shifted dramatically since Ozempic came out. Before this, I didn't think about it too much (I am not obese myself). I notice now that there is a LOT of judgement, bias(?), around obesity, that people, obese or not, carry with them [1]. I certainly carried that bias, and the reason I noticed it was because Ozempic is literally an external substance that you take that simply makes obesity go away. So if you believe (like most of us unconsciously do) that obesity is a personal failing or an issue of willpower, an issue of personal merit -- HOW is it possible that a chemical pill, an external chemical process, can SO effectively resolve it? When no amount of hectoring and moralizing and willpower can? My inability to square that circle really changed my thinking about obesity in a fundamental way. Already there is a reaction to Ozempic -- like people thinking that taking Ozempic is a personal failing, or judging celebrities, for taking it, thinking it's the "easy way out" -- I think the origin of that is this very deep unconscious bias that we all have about what obesity actually is fundamentally. My view: It is a health condition, that people do not choose. Not unlike diabetes, celiac, or clinical depression. We should be focused on how to improve the lives of people who suffer with that health condition. We all agree insulin is unequivocally a good thing; that it's not a "personal failure" or "cheating" to take insulin; that it really is simple as, diabetes is a health condition and insulin is used to treat it. Ozempic? Same. Exact. Thing. It's really heartening to hear your experience. Your post really struck me, I felt exactly the same way after getting on a CGM + Insulin Pump for my Type 1 Diabetes. Nobody EVER thought I had a lack of "personal responsibility" or an "issue of willpower" for going low or high on shots of Humilin and NPH. Thank fucking god for Novo Nordisk. --- [1] see: this thread!

mayukh 2y ago
Obesity is a side effect of the industrial food production system in advanced economies that is slowly spreading all over the globe. How about alcohol and smoking ? Is that the same as obesity then
- kps 2y ago
  > Obesity is a side effect of the industrial food production system in advanced economies that is slowly spreading all over the globe. Yes, for the first time in the millions of years of existence of humanity and pre-humanity, we consistently have enough to eat.

cactusplant7374 2y ago

> I realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight loss Because you eat more or is there some other factor?

itronitron 2y ago
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- fshbbdssbbgdd 2y ago
  How does the critical reading help you tell ad copy apart from an honest and enthusiastic recommendation? Not a rhetorical question.
  - mbivert 2y ago
    Sure, there may be honest and enthusiastic people. But their input would be essentially that of an ad: a product with 100% gain and 0% loss? That's never been observed, never; there's always a trade-off. A less emotionally grounded, more balanced and nuanced description would be more accurate, honest. But it'd sell way less.
    - fshbbdssbbgdd 2y ago
      I see a lot of the recommendations expressing anxiety about what will happen when they discontinue - which calls into question the validity of the official treatment plan they are under and isn’t normally something you’d bring up in an ad.
      - mbivert 2y ago
        Perhaps I must emphasize that my point is subtly different from the parent's: whether those people are genuine or not fundamentally is irrelevant: a miracle drug with essentially no drawbacks is a fairy tale. It's almost certainly a lie. (That's why the parent think they could be ads, unless he's deeply cross-referencing South Park…). The loudness of that lie ITT might also drag people down an unhealthy path: it's irresponsible not to speak up about it.

itronitron 2y ago

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apwell23 2y ago
They don't need marketing team writing posts on HN. The drug sells itself and even shortages all over the world.
- deleted 2y ago
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- y1n0 2y ago
  It is pretty awesome . I’ve been on tirzepitide for a couple months. I’ve lost about 25lbs which is about 8% of my starting weight. I eat a lot less, but have not spontaneously changed what I eat. 50 years of bad habits take time to change. But I atleast believe change is possible now. I’d pretty much given up. Every time I tried to go on a diet, I’d end up heavier than when I started. Not joking. In 2009 I did have a winning streak on low carb keto, lost like 75lbs. Gained it back and more over the next couple years though. I’ve tried many times to get back into keto / low carb but have not been successful for more than a few weeks. This is the first thing I’ve done for weightloss that has legit results that are personally shocking. I’m very concerned about how to make changes long term. I don’t have a track record of making long term life changes, but I’m going to do my best with this opportunity.
op00to 2y ago
The experience in that comment is literally my experience w/ a GLP-1 Agonist! Poop fart dong gobbler. A marketing team wouldn't write that, though, so you can believe me!
- dullcrisp 2y ago
  A scrappy marketing team though
  - op00to 2y ago

apwell23 2y ago

Have you noticed any effect on gastric emptying. As someone with 'tummy issues' ( ibs/gerd ect) i am apprehensive of messing with my digestive systems.

rootusrootus 2y ago
Not the person you were responding to, but yes. Stomach empties much slower, which seems to effectively make it smaller. A normal size (pre-drug) meal will make me uncomfortably full and probably cause reflux. That said, I've noticed in the past, and also now on this drug, that my gastrointestinal issues abate noticeably when I consume less food. Thought I had IBS and then I went on a significant diet and lost 40 pounds in 2020. The IBS resolved, and not after I lost 40 pounds -- it basically stopped altogether a matter of weeks after I changed my diet. That was educational. YMMV. I'm still working out my approach to eating while taking tirzepatide. Old habits die hard, and I'm having to cut my meal size way back. This sucks because my problem with eating too much was about eating too often, or not when hungry, not about binging. So I have to eat pretty small meals now. It will take some adjustment to find the right way to get sufficient nutrition while volume limited, but I think it can be done.
spondylosaurus 2y ago
If your IBS is the "stuff moves too fast" variety (so, IBS-D) GLP-1s seem to help a lot since they slow things down. If your problems already stem from things moving too slow... maybe not so much :P
- deleted 2y ago
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glenstein 2y ago

I think this is such a helpful description of the totality of components working together to spur a positive outcome, which I think, at least in my personal experience, is an under-appreciated aspect of using a drug. I've sometimes heard it said that it's an unhealthy reliance on a drug in place of curbing behavior, but I think it's important to understand it as, among other things, a stimulant to the activation of beneficial behaviors, which can be as critical as the drug itself.

colordrops 2y ago

Did you notice that cannabis consumption interferes with weight loss due to interfering with motivation to stick to your health goals? Or did it interfere with your metabolism in some way?

asadhaider 2y ago
I can answer this, I've been on Ozempic in the past and prescribed Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) currently (month 3). I've had a medical cannabis prescription for many years and vaporise up to 3g a day which is quite a bit. It definitely interferes with my cravings for food, as you know the common 'munchies' effect, making me eat when I'm not really hungry or binge snacks. I gave up on Semaglutide (Ozempic) after a few months, but Tirzepatide is working a lot more effectively and has been better. Cannabis also helps a lot with the nausea side effect for me which can be particularly bad the first few days going up a dosage every month. It takes six months to titrate from the starter dose to full strength, if necessary. Also the downside a lot of people don't talk about is that most people need to be on these drugs for life. They also aren't cheap.

arijo 2y ago

Cut on carbs and you will have all the benefits without the nasty side effects. Check https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org for details. My own experience with the keto diet - https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of-struggle https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of...

kerbs 2y ago
It is not easy on the mind and body as to just cut carbs.
- arijo 2y ago
  I apologize for the shortcut - I should have given more context, though you can validate my assertion by going to this site: https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org There is heavy research on the usage of the ketogenic diet for the treatment of metabolic and mental illness. I've written about my personal story here - https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of-struggle https://www.feelingbuggy.com/p/finding-hope-after-decades-of...
  - arijo 2y ago
    I also recommend taking a look at this Joe Rogan interview to understand at a deep level all the problems with a drug like Ozempic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0lTyhvOeJs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0lTyhvOeJs
    - BadHumans 2y ago
      Quoting Joe Rogan's podcast instead of literature is not going to go over well here.
      - arijo 2y ago
        Check the https://metabolicmind.org https://metabolicmind.org site then - you’ll find plenty of research based evidence on the usage of the ketogenic diet as a metabolic therapy.

comechao 2y ago

I'm not sure if you tried but add a sport, can be table tenis, jiu-jitsu whatever. I did this too after got comfortable with the walks (that I still do).

siva7 2y ago

How do i get this?

pedalpete 2y ago

Have you been recommended an exercise regimen, or taken one up yourself? The one the great things about GLP-1s is that with the weight loss, it's easier to be more active once you've lost some of the weight. The negatives is that the current breed promote a loss in muscle mass as well as fat loss, so it is very important to do your best to maintain if not increase muscle while on them. The next generation of drugs are including 2nd molecule...I'm blanking on the name, and a search isn't bringing it to me...which maintains or potentially increases muscle mass. But curious what your experience with exercise has been. I also didn't know there was a planned reduction in dosage, but the expectation is that you'll be on some type of GLP1 for life, is that not right?

cthalupa 2y ago
Cagrilintide (paired with semaglutide) and retatrutide are the next wave, though I'm not aware of any research for either indicating an increase in muscle mass. My understanding of the literature is that there's nothing special about semaglutide or tirzepatide that promote muscle loss - it's just people who lose weight based purely on diet tend to also lose muscle mass. Even bodybuilders lose some muscle mass when cutting. It's up to the individual to increase their protein intake and exercise, the same way they would in any caloric deficit.
- coffeebeqn 2y ago
  Bodybuilders lose muscle and they do a lot of hypertrophy training and high protein eating to counteract it. Probably the average ozempic taker does neither of those so they end up losing more
  - cthalupa 2y ago
    Sure. You're going to lose some muscle mass no matter what you do. And yeah, if you don't do either of those things, you're going to lose even more. But fat people actually frequently have quite a bit of lean body mass - it takes muscle to carry around all that weight, even if you're sedentary. If I somehow maintained the LBM shown in my DEXA scan at the start of tirzepatide, by the time I got to my goal weight, I'd be looking more jacked than when I was lifting 3 times a week. Obviously, I won't. I'm adding more and more cardio and lifting back in as my weight is dropping and it becomes more maintainable for my joints, etc., and I've been supplementing protein since the start, and I'm sure I'll still lose plenty. But I have the room to lose A LOT and still be in the healthy range of body fat%.

nessguy 2y ago

I'm with you on this, tirzepatide has been life changing for me. I've struggled with my weight my whole life and I can actually imagine a future where I lose enough that I'm no longer ashamed of my weight. I've been on tirzepatide for just over a year now. Before that, I managed to lose 6% of my body weight over the previous year. With tirzepatide, I've lost an additional 17% of my body weight, for a total of 23% over two years. Tirzepatide isn't a magic drug that just makes you lose weight, it simply makes it much easier to avoid overeating. It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep.

gscott 2y ago
> It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep. I had this problem as well. Being on tirzepatide I went from 220 to 185 in just six months because my previous insatiable hunger went away. It feels so powerful now choosing when to eat or not.
riffraff 2y ago
> It makes the difference between being so hungry that I can't fall asleep and having the ability to just go to sleep. Forgive my ignorance and curiosity, was the feeling of hunger due to drastic reduction in portion size? Could you not eat some low-calories filling food? I ask cause I've been overweight and sometimes obese most of my adult life, but when on a diet I usually feel "unsatisfied" but rarely actually hungry, e.g. I can eat a couple carrots or whatever and hunger goes away, but I would still crave a hamburger. Still, I'm happy for you that you found something that works!
- nessguy 2y ago
  > was the feeling of hunger due to drastic reduction in portion size? While that was sometimes the case, it wasn't always so. Sometimes the feeling of hunger was almost random, and certainly stronger than it should have been. This was likely caused by insulin resistance. When I got out of bed because I was too hungry to go to sleep I didn't always make great food choices. I'd tend to eat a 200-400 calorie 'snack', which felt like it wiped out any progress. Now that I'm on tirzepatide I still feel hunger and cravings, but I suspect it's more in line with what regular people feel. Even if I haven't eaten much during the evening and am a little hungry at night, it's not the type of hunger that stops me from being able to get to sleep. > Still, I'm happy for you that you found something that works! Thanks! I'm honestly in the category of people that have considered weight loss surgery, but I've seen enough problems from that that I've never really wanted to risk the associated problems. From all the reading I've done it sounds like tirzepatide is almost as effective as weight loss surgery. And people are going to have a hard time convincing me that weight loss surgery is 'safer' than a GLP-1 injection.

myprotegeai 2y ago

In the future, this would be indistinguishable from an ad.

mahin 2y ago
Or even now?
- myprotegeai 2y ago
  I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that it is a real experience, but yes it currently reads like marketing material aimed at the obese, depressed tech worker.

blackqueeriroh 2y ago

I’d like to make a couple of things clear here: 1) “obesity” has no clear clinical definition, nor is it really a disease. [1] 2) there has been no evidence yet that weight is at all a primary determinant of health [2] 3) Weight loss drugs must be taken forever or it’s nearly certain you will gain the weight back [3] There’s a lot of great research these days that shows fatness is not what people think it is, and weight stigma is far more harmful than being fat itself [4]. Also, nobody knows what happens yet if you take these drugs for 30 years, and what we do know is that being fat hasn’t been proven to kill anyone. I'd just say follow the money. [1] https://www.science.org/content/article/obesity-doesn-t-always-mean-ill-health-here-s-what-scientists-are-learning https://www.science.org/content/article/obesity-doesn-t-alwa... [2] https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/why-body-weight-isnt-an-indicator-of-health https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/why-body-weight-isnt... [3] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240521-what-happens-when-you-stop-taking-ozempic https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240521-what-happens-whe... [4] https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-018-1116-5 https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1291...

legacynl 2y ago

> realized that frequent cannabis consumption interferes with the weight loss, so I've kicked the habit from daily to occasionally on weekends Did you try to reduce your cannabis consumption before using tirzepatide? Because although you say(feel) like the realization made you reduce your intake, I can hardly imagine that you were totally oblivious to the fact that smoking cannabis is unhealthy in the first place. Do you feel like you think less about e.g. cannabis, or do you feel like it's easier to say no to that impulse? Does it seem to mainly influence health choices or are you also less likely to be angry or does it interact work place interactions?

collingreen 2y ago

Congratulations! This is such a great success story. I love your tactic about building healthy habits while you have some support and leaning on those to carry you through the future. Good job!

kelavaster 2y ago

Do a reality check that leas-frequent cannabis consumption with your target activity and intake levels doesn't also lead to weight gain .....

benreesman 2y ago

I’ve had an on and off battle with ad-hoc self medication for anxiety via heavy drinking for like twenty years, by “on and off” I mean that some situations didn’t really trigger it much, and other situations made it life defeating. As close as I’ve come to an effective remediation was living abroad where the food wasn’t actively adversarial: capitalism can do many good things but it drives the quality of food to “edible plus epsilon”. Rich people eat pasture-raised shit for a reason. For me it just deleted that problem. But I’m interested in this class of medication because it’s difficult bordering on impractical to eat well in some regions. People say just cook, well, there’s an infrastructure around that which amounts to a declared bias against those who didn’t settle down young. Much like people who met their partner before partnering became monetized, “easy for you to say”. I hope you have success in your journey either way, and the less meds involved on average probably better, but if it works and has no bad side effects I don’t see why one would stop. Welcome to your new awesome life! Every SV power player I’ve ever met was enhancing themselves via chemicals. It’s not tweeted about (other than when Garry Tan threatens elected officials), but it’s a quiet norm.

gooosle 2y ago

You need to change your attitude if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle. Don't blame your failures and CHOICE to eat junk and not exercise on weed. You know what the healthy choices are, you know when you're not making them. You lack self control.

skue 2y ago
I don’t usually say something like this on HN, but you are completely and utterly wrong. The obesity epidemic cannot be reduced to some simple moral failure. Multiple twin concordance studies have shown 70%+ inheritability. Those of us who are fortunate enough to not struggle with obesity do so not because of some skillset that we have, but because our bodies do not maintain the same homeostasis. For those of us old enough to remember what society looked like before the obesity epidemic kicked in, it’s hard to understand how something genetic can suddenly result in a dramatic change over a period of years. Our genetics didn’t change. Our food environment did. Experts disagree on what factors are responsible for this, and any random person had their own pet beliefs. But this flat-earth-like notion of reducing obesity to an issue of basic willpower needs to be recognized for the drivel it is, along the related notion of calories in & calories out while ignoring the overwhelming role that basal metabolic burn plays and how it dynamically responds to changes in diet and exercise. If you want to educate yourself, read Posner’s Burn [1], which is firmly grounded in empirical measurements of doubly labeled water to measure true metabolic consumption. Look up the reporting the NYT on past contestants of The Biggest Loser.[2] [1] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603894/burn-by-herman-pontzer-phd/ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/603894/burn-by-herm... [2] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?unlocked_article_code=1.R04.j-Yr.1aaynBB8BPzC&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&tgrp=cnt https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weig... (gift link) Edit: Added links to sources.
- gooosle 2y ago
  > The obesity epidemic cannot be reduced to some simple moral failure. You're the only one to bring up morality so far in this comment chain. > Those of us who are fortunate enough to not struggle with obesity do so not because of some skillset that we have, but because our bodies do not maintain the same homeostasis. That's just utter bullshit. Homeostasis is heavily influenced by lifestyle choices. > But this flat-earth-like notion of reducing obesity to an issue of basic willpower needs to be recognized for the drivel it is, No, your incessant need to convince yourself and everyone else that something as straightforward as controlling your calorie intake is in fact a complex and naturally intractable problem that requires drugs and counseling is what's flat-earth-like drivel and utter bullshit. > If you want to educate yourself, read Posner’s Burn [1], which is firmly grounded in empirical measurements of doubly labeled water to measure true metabolic consumption. You're cherry picking terrible studies that happen to fit the preconceived notions you desperately want to believe, because they make you feel better about being undisciplined and weak-willed. Your understanding of nutrition, exercise and health are also clearly very minimal.

renegade-otter 2y ago

I feel high on life when I am off the sauce, eat less, and walk more - without any drugs. Healthy lifestyle is the best medicine, and the biggest problem people have is not even genetic predisposition, it's impulse control. We all want that reward, right away.

mycall 2y ago

Have you looked at Psilocybin for your depression? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818420 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41818420

ein0p 2y ago

What annoys me is it’s like $100 in Europe and it’s available in a pill form there (so you could presumably easily reduce the dose and therefore the cost by breaking the pill in half). And no US insurance will cover any of it unless you have diabetes. Put another way, if I can find someone in Europe to prescribe it to me, and pay out of pocket for 90 days worth, I could take a free vacation to Europe every 3-4 months in perpetuity.