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I'm just reporting my cached knowledge of people saying they experienced some adverse side effects. Also injections are not fun, even though they are probably a

I'm just reporting my cached knowledge of people saying they experienced some adverse side effects. Also injections are not fun, even though they are probably a lot less annoying than they look.

nwienert 1y ago
In the 10 or so people I know who are on it, nearly all actually seem to enjoy it - reduced addictive tendencies/bad habits, appetite control, and reduced allergies seem to pretty well outweigh the minor side effects.
- wormius 1y ago
  I was a heavy alcoholic, and the ability to quite drinking was... amazing. Now that I'm off, I just remind myself I never want to get back at that dark place, but I'm so very glad it made quitting just... happen. It's wild how easy it was. A little mental control in terms of "no, don't go to the liquor store" but it was habit more than physical addition at that point. This was with Rybelsus. Sober 4.5 years now. It was definitely not an intended side effect but I'm glad I was rx'd when I was. I was not in a good state.
  - nwienert 1y ago
    Crazy to hear all these stories. My wife’s friend was a pack a day smoker for a decade that had transitioned into a heavy vape smoker, normal weight but couldn’t get off vaping despite trying. She tried Tirz to see if it would help and after only about 3 months she quit entirely, now completely smoke free for two months.
- AlphaAndOmega0 1y ago
  I'm on semaglutide for weight loss purposes, while having no other health issues relevant here. I don't think it's made any difference to any addictive tendencies or my bad habits (and with ADHD, those certainly exist). It certainly helps with the appetite of course. This is definitely anecdotal evidence, but it's wise to hold on longer for more data to come in before advocating for it on those grounds alone.
  - nwienert 1y ago
    Too many miraculous stories so far I’ve heard, numerous people close to me quitting lifelong addictions cold turkey within months of starting. I’ve never had an addictive personality but I also found I gave up a couple habits while on it. I wonder if ADHD specifically isn’t as prone to positive effects there.
- wincy 1y ago
  I’m INVESTING more. I’ve paid off like $15,000 in debts this year. I swear it’s because of the Zepbound.
  - b3lvedere 1y ago
    Strange side effect, but maybe because you are happier? :)
    - wincy 1y ago
      I’ve lost 80 pounds before GLP-1s were a thing and didn’t gain this superpower, and the last time I lost weight (about ten years ago) I went from front line desktop support to teaching myself to code and getting a job as a software engineer, so honestly maybe it’s just “not having sleep apnea”, then when I regained the weight it felt like I lost some IQ points. So you may be on to something. Also it seems to generally reduce inflammation. My heartburn I suffered from is completely gone but that’s because I just absolutely stuffed my face, I felt like I could never eat enough food.
ChadNauseam 1y ago
A once-weekly subcutaneous injection is not a big deal for most people I think, outside of those who are very afraid of needles. It's a tiny needle and you don't even feel it. I've given injections to people who are afraid of needles, and they sometimes close their eyes in fear and are begging me to "just get it over with" without even realizing that I'm already done. Anyway, all this to say that outside of needle-phobic people I think the annoyance of the injections is probably not the reason people stop taking GLP-1 agonists.
- cjbgkagh 1y ago
  You don’t feel it most of the time, it’s actually random with the sparse placement of nerves. Maybe 1 in 5 still sting a bit.
- loeg 1y ago
  > It's a tiny needle and you don't even feel it. I'll add that while it isn't a big deal, I definitely feel the needle; sometimes worse than others. (I'm using 8mm 30 gauge needles.)
  - swat535 1y ago
    You have to inject it correctly, it needs to be injected in the fat and with the right angle. If you have very little body fat, your glutes are probably a better place. Source: I take HCG and have to use injection 2x a week. 27G is my favorite.. https://medneedles.ca/products/1ml-27g-x-1-2-sol-care%E2%84%A2-tb-safety-syringe-with-fixed-needle-100-per-box https://medneedles.ca/products/1ml-27g-x-1-2-sol-care%E2%84%...
    - cjbgkagh 1y ago
      It’s mostly random and some people do feel it more than others. It’s a rapidly absorbed peptide suspended in water, it could even be used with a transdermal patch, so it doesn’t matter that much where it gets in or how deep. Best to avoid painful areas though.
    - loeg 1y ago
Spivak 1y ago
Subcutaneous shots with insulin needles are basically painless. You don't even feel a prick, it's just a little pressure and then it slides in. When you get a shot at the doctor it's painful because they're intramuscular.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
toomuchtodo 1y ago
Once daily pills will very likely replace injections in the near future. Eli Lilly will soon release key data on its weight loss pill orforglipron - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43465346 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43465346 - March 2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orforglipron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orforglipron
- tempestn 1y ago
  There's already Rybelsus. It's a bit more of a pain though as it needs to be taken on an empty stomach and you then need to wait 30-60 minutes before eating.
  - toomuchtodo 1y ago
    Looks like the benefit of orforglipron is you can take it whether you’ve eaten or not.
gedy 1y ago
I've taken these and self injected, and it was surprising that I really felt nothing - no pain at all. I suppose because they recommend in stomach, and it's not in muscle, etc.
dooglius 1y ago
There's an auto-injector mechanism, at least with my brand; you don't need to needle yourself
- ahartmetz 1y ago
  Ah, auto-injectors, a curious piece of technology. I've always wondered how it is to actually use one since we had these in everyone's medkit in the German army, loaded with nerve agent antidotes. Just slam it on you leg and inject through the pants were the instructions... Kinda grisly, I guess it's less emotionally charged for a weight loss drug!
  - saratogacx 1y ago
    For drugs like these it isn't that different from a normal injection. The pen has about 4 doses in it so you twist it to set your dose. You attach a needle tip to the pen and give yourself a poke, press an inject button on the top and a spring loaded ratchet system pumps in the dose amount you set (making a wonderful ticking noise as it progresses). Pull out and toss the needle and put it back in the fridge for next week. I do manual injection which involves doing the full prep work. It takes about 3x as long to setup but is still only about a 3-5 minute process in total.
    - ahartmetz 1y ago
      Thanks!
- loeg 1y ago
  These tend to cost more than self-injecting. Maybe your insurance covers it and you don't care.
wincy 1y ago
I had terrible side effects with Ozempic but have had minimal side effects with Zepbound that have disappeared over time. I just wake up on Thursdays and inject it first thing. The auto pen misfired the other day and I called Eli Lilly and they immediately emailed me a voucher for a free 4 pack of the shots. It’s also eliminated my sleep apnea (via the weight loss).

I'm just reporting my cached knowledge of people saying they experienced some adverse side effects. Also injections are not fun, even though they are probably a lot less annoying than they look.

nwienert 1y ago

In the 10 or so people I know who are on it, nearly all actually seem to enjoy it - reduced addictive tendencies/bad habits, appetite control, and reduced allergies seem to pretty well outweigh the minor side effects.

wormius 1y ago
I was a heavy alcoholic, and the ability to quite drinking was... amazing. Now that I'm off, I just remind myself I never want to get back at that dark place, but I'm so very glad it made quitting just... happen. It's wild how easy it was. A little mental control in terms of "no, don't go to the liquor store" but it was habit more than physical addition at that point. This was with Rybelsus. Sober 4.5 years now. It was definitely not an intended side effect but I'm glad I was rx'd when I was. I was not in a good state.
- nwienert 1y ago
  Crazy to hear all these stories. My wife’s friend was a pack a day smoker for a decade that had transitioned into a heavy vape smoker, normal weight but couldn’t get off vaping despite trying. She tried Tirz to see if it would help and after only about 3 months she quit entirely, now completely smoke free for two months.
AlphaAndOmega0 1y ago
I'm on semaglutide for weight loss purposes, while having no other health issues relevant here. I don't think it's made any difference to any addictive tendencies or my bad habits (and with ADHD, those certainly exist). It certainly helps with the appetite of course. This is definitely anecdotal evidence, but it's wise to hold on longer for more data to come in before advocating for it on those grounds alone.
- nwienert 1y ago
  Too many miraculous stories so far I’ve heard, numerous people close to me quitting lifelong addictions cold turkey within months of starting. I’ve never had an addictive personality but I also found I gave up a couple habits while on it. I wonder if ADHD specifically isn’t as prone to positive effects there.
wincy 1y ago
I’m INVESTING more. I’ve paid off like $15,000 in debts this year. I swear it’s because of the Zepbound.
- b3lvedere 1y ago
  Strange side effect, but maybe because you are happier? :)
  - wincy 1y ago
    I’ve lost 80 pounds before GLP-1s were a thing and didn’t gain this superpower, and the last time I lost weight (about ten years ago) I went from front line desktop support to teaching myself to code and getting a job as a software engineer, so honestly maybe it’s just “not having sleep apnea”, then when I regained the weight it felt like I lost some IQ points. So you may be on to something. Also it seems to generally reduce inflammation. My heartburn I suffered from is completely gone but that’s because I just absolutely stuffed my face, I felt like I could never eat enough food.

ChadNauseam 1y ago

A once-weekly subcutaneous injection is not a big deal for most people I think, outside of those who are very afraid of needles. It's a tiny needle and you don't even feel it. I've given injections to people who are afraid of needles, and they sometimes close their eyes in fear and are begging me to "just get it over with" without even realizing that I'm already done. Anyway, all this to say that outside of needle-phobic people I think the annoyance of the injections is probably not the reason people stop taking GLP-1 agonists.

cjbgkagh 1y ago
You don’t feel it most of the time, it’s actually random with the sparse placement of nerves. Maybe 1 in 5 still sting a bit.
loeg 1y ago
> It's a tiny needle and you don't even feel it. I'll add that while it isn't a big deal, I definitely feel the needle; sometimes worse than others. (I'm using 8mm 30 gauge needles.)
- swat535 1y ago
  You have to inject it correctly, it needs to be injected in the fat and with the right angle. If you have very little body fat, your glutes are probably a better place. Source: I take HCG and have to use injection 2x a week. 27G is my favorite.. https://medneedles.ca/products/1ml-27g-x-1-2-sol-care%E2%84%A2-tb-safety-syringe-with-fixed-needle-100-per-box https://medneedles.ca/products/1ml-27g-x-1-2-sol-care%E2%84%...
  - cjbgkagh 1y ago
    It’s mostly random and some people do feel it more than others. It’s a rapidly absorbed peptide suspended in water, it could even be used with a transdermal patch, so it doesn’t matter that much where it gets in or how deep. Best to avoid painful areas though.
  - loeg 1y ago

Spivak 1y ago

Subcutaneous shots with insulin needles are basically painless. You don't even feel a prick, it's just a little pressure and then it slides in. When you get a shot at the doctor it's painful because they're intramuscular.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

toomuchtodo 1y ago

Once daily pills will very likely replace injections in the near future. Eli Lilly will soon release key data on its weight loss pill orforglipron - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43465346 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43465346 - March 2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orforglipron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orforglipron

tempestn 1y ago
There's already Rybelsus. It's a bit more of a pain though as it needs to be taken on an empty stomach and you then need to wait 30-60 minutes before eating.
- toomuchtodo 1y ago
  Looks like the benefit of orforglipron is you can take it whether you’ve eaten or not.

gedy 1y ago

I've taken these and self injected, and it was surprising that I really felt nothing - no pain at all. I suppose because they recommend in stomach, and it's not in muscle, etc.

dooglius 1y ago

There's an auto-injector mechanism, at least with my brand; you don't need to needle yourself

ahartmetz 1y ago
Ah, auto-injectors, a curious piece of technology. I've always wondered how it is to actually use one since we had these in everyone's medkit in the German army, loaded with nerve agent antidotes. Just slam it on you leg and inject through the pants were the instructions... Kinda grisly, I guess it's less emotionally charged for a weight loss drug!
- saratogacx 1y ago
  For drugs like these it isn't that different from a normal injection. The pen has about 4 doses in it so you twist it to set your dose. You attach a needle tip to the pen and give yourself a poke, press an inject button on the top and a spring loaded ratchet system pumps in the dose amount you set (making a wonderful ticking noise as it progresses). Pull out and toss the needle and put it back in the fridge for next week. I do manual injection which involves doing the full prep work. It takes about 3x as long to setup but is still only about a 3-5 minute process in total.
  - ahartmetz 1y ago
    Thanks!
loeg 1y ago
These tend to cost more than self-injecting. Maybe your insurance covers it and you don't care.

wincy 1y ago

I had terrible side effects with Ozempic but have had minimal side effects with Zepbound that have disappeared over time. I just wake up on Thursdays and inject it first thing. The auto pen misfired the other day and I called Eli Lilly and they immediately emailed me a voucher for a free 4 pack of the shots. It’s also eliminated my sleep apnea (via the weight loss).