Addiction to incretin mimetics

[Superfluous]

I got myself addicted to exercise/resistance training before I took a GLP1 - I felt so much better in life weighing 30lbs less while having gained strength and muscle. The GLP1 (started in August) was simply a tool to help me reach my leaning up goals faster. I'm likely to stop using them when I need to go on a bulk (in maybe 10-15lbs time). Unless new studies come out showing long term health damage then I'm likely to keep these drugs in my armory forever, but I'll only take them if they are helping to achieve a goal.

 

[Lullabytreehugger]

I think there is a difference with insulin. They stop using insulin they die.
We stop using incretin mimetics we don't die. At least not immediately.

I stop using it and I go from being a prediabetic into a full blown diabetic. Im taking it to prevent this from happening. Including healthy eating and exercise as well. If I need to be on these drugs for life then so be it. Better than becoming a diabetic.

 

[Doxyisfoxy]

I don't know if it's addiction in the typical sense, but I do think there is something going on that can be discussed. I've mentioned this a few times, but I feel like I've replaced binge eating with shopping for these substances. I've also just taken another max dose zep bound shot multiple days early, because the temptations of christmas and new years food was getting to me, so maybe I am displaying some typical addiction behavior by making excuses to behave like this. I'll be curious to see how I handle all of this once I hit my goal weight, because my initial plan was to slowly cut my usage down and then stop, but I can see that idea slowly changing as that time closes in.

I agree that peptides and peptide research has kind of become its own obsession. Though I look at it more like it filled a void that food addiction left and not a new addiction altogether.

My husband is almost 10 years sober from alcohol. In that time, especially in the beginning, one of the unexpected things that needs to be dealt with is: what do you do with all the free time? Drinking used to take up a significant portion of his time and when he stopped he had all this unfilled time on his hands. I think that is what happened to me and food. I used to spend so much time thinking about what I’m going to eat, when, how much time until I can allow myself to have lunch, there are cookies in the cabinet, don’t eat them, ok so I ate one, how do I adjust my calories for the rest of the day to account for it, is it dinner yet, what are we having, what about after dinner. I was preoccupied ALL the time. So if we’re going to talk about addiction, 100% I was addicted to food. And now with the medication, I have all this free time on my hands to think about… getting more medication. I am constantly scrolling through this forum just to fill my time. I’m hoping that fades and I can just ride off into the sunset, living my mundane life, taking my shots once a week indefinitely, but in a boring way.

 

[CallieKat]

I would say it’s not a true addiction that is akin to alcohol or illicit drugs.

How many drugs do you want to stop for special occasions like vacations or holidays? I know I take a 1-2 week break on purpose for some occasions.

If you are at goal and not diabetic you can certainly stop on purpose and be happy about it.

Not sure it’s so easy to do that with classic addicting substances.

 

[scarywood75]

Addiction might be a big word here, invested would be more accurate.

To me it's no different than anything I've discovered a passion for in my life, it's something new that I find very interesting and like all my past passions it's gonna get boring at some point, or less interesting.

 

[Dee X]

Addiction might be a big word here, invested would be more accurate.

To me it's no different than anything I've discovered a passion for in my life, it's something new that I find very interesting and like all my past passions it's gonna get boring at some point, or less interesting.

If we do use the word addicted though, sure as hell beats being addicted to food and being depressed.

 

[scarywood75]

If we do use the word addicted though, sure as hell beats being addicted to food and being depressed.

 

[mostlydamp]

I think sometimes peptide enthusiasts seem like addicts to me because they behave a lot like poly substance abusers as we called them in the ED. And this type of forum attracts a lot of these type of people who are very "into" sourcing, obtaining, and researching these things. So there seem like tons of people who are almost obsessed with glp1s and other peptides, and will take whatever they can get their hands on regardless of the risk of cancer, injecting micro plastics, etc. There is a lot of high risk behavior which is why I tend not to get on here anymore.

What we don't see on here, on Peppy's, or other forums are the thousands upon thousands of people who use these drugs normally. These people and those in the studies would be foaming at the mouth asking their doctors for more if this was an addiction but that's just not happening. If they stop, they probably get fat again though. It could be dependency but nothing points toward addiction other than the behavior of groups that I noted above.

 

[AndyPanda]

I think sometimes peptide enthusiasts seem like addicts to me because they behave a lot like poly substance abusers as we called them in the ED. And this type of forum attracts a lot of these type of people who are very "into" sourcing, obtaining, and researching these things. So there seem like tons of people who are almost obsessed with glp1s and other peptides, and will take whatever they can get their hands on regardless of the risk of cancer, injecting micro plastics, etc. There is a lot of high risk behavior which is why I tend not to get on here anymore.

What we don't see on here, on Peppy's, or other forums are the thousands upon thousands of people who use these drugs normally. These people and those in the studies would be foaming at the mouth asking their doctors for more if this was an addiction but that's just not happening. If they stop, they probably get fat again though. It could be dependency but nothing points toward addiction other than the behavior of groups that I noted above.

Many of the true addicts I have encountered were given a prescription by a physician or other “qualified” professional and lost control. Or, they started out with something harmful and illicit that people minimize, like marijuana and the gates open.

There is a difference between an addict and someone who displays traits of an addictive personality. What I generally observe on here is people trying to improve their health. The GLPs give them faith in peptides, and they see the benefits so they want to try others.

People are being far too judgmental.

 

[clayd]

Anecdotally I caught myself thinking this week I'm going to be sad when I get to maintenance and have to manage living with a more normal appetite again. Not because of weight gain, but because I really seem to enjoy the feeling of appetite suppression and general disinterest in food. I wouldn't say it's approaching addiction but I really do kinda like how this stuff makes me feel

 

[chmuse]

Anecdotally I caught myself thinking this week I'm going to be sad when I get to maintenance and have to manage living with a more normal appetite again. Not because of weight gain, but because I really seem to enjoy the feeling of appetite suppression and general disinterest in food. I wouldn't say it's approaching addiction but I really do kinda like how this stuff makes me feel

My grocery bill is going to go up again Right now I'm basically just paying for my partner to eat and me to snack. I kind of like spending half as much on food.

 

[AllGlory2God]

I think some of us get addicted to trying different peptides. I don’t think it’s a bad thing if protocols are followed and for certain ones cycles as well.

 

[hexagonal]

Many of the true addicts I have encountered were given a prescription by a physician or other “qualified” professional and lost control. Or, they started out with something harmful and elicit that people minimize, like marijuana and the gates open.

There is a difference between an addict and someone who displays traits of an addictive personality. What I generally observe on here is people trying to improve their health. The GLPs give them faith in peptides, and they see the benefits so they want to try others.

People are being far too judgmental.

I think you mean illicit.

Anyway, the idea that marijuana is some sort of gateway drug has been debated by science for decades and is largely (though not entirely) discredited, and the majority of users of harder drugs used nicotine and alcohol before they used marijuana. There isn't full scientific consensus, but the majority believe that it's a wide variety of risk factors that ultimately lead people to use and abuse harder drugs, and that marijuana is not causative - just an earlier step in the process.

I always knew I was open to trying most anything that wasn't absurdly dangerous at least once, and I was even more interested in things like shrooms and LSD than pot before I started smoking the devil's lettuce. Pot came first just because it was more readily available.

 

[AndyPanda]

I think you mean illicit.

Anyway, the idea that marijuana is some sort of gateway drug has been debated by science for decades and is largely (though not entirely) discredited, and the majority of users of harder drugs used nicotine and alcohol before they used marijuana. There isn't full scientific consensus, but the majority believe that it's a wide variety of risk factors that ultimately lead people to use and abuse harder drugs, and that marijuana is not causative - just an earlier step in the process.

I always knew I was open to trying most anything that wasn't absurdly dangerous at least once, and I was even more interested in things like shrooms and LSD than pot before I started smoking the devil's lettuce. Pot came first just because it was more readily available.

I corrected “illicit.” You just made my point by stating that “Pot came first.” My response was elicited.

 

[hexagonal]

I corrected “illicit.” You just made my point by stating that “Pot came first.” My response was elicited.

Except I was quite clear that even if pot simply did not exist, I would have done these other drugs. I was interested in them before I ever got into pot - it was just harder for me to get them at the time.

I also drank alcohol and had smoked cigarettes beforehand, both of which are psychoactive drugs. If there was any gateway drug for me, it was one of those. But it'd also be silly for me to say either of them were a gateway drug - I wanted to try the strong hallucinogenics before I had any psychoactive substance besides caffeine.

If you think just doing it first makes it a gateway drug even if it isn't causative, I'm not sure what actual useful information is communicated by calling it such.

 

[Windingroads06]

Has anyone here reached their weight goal and disconnected use of incretin mimetics, while still having inexpensive access to them and no negative health issues impacting this decision?

I did not yet meet my goal weight when I lost acces to my glp1 of choice. I initially lost 40#. Even with IInsurance after the coupon, glp1 was prohibitively expensive. I went off at 182#. I watched in horror as my weight began to rise. Part of that is I did not adhere to my diet and I did not exercise as I should have.

At that point, (Goodness! It's been 2 years!!!) I began researching gray market. I have not dropped weight as I did with branded. Though, I think that is a product of 1. Attempting lower doses because $$ and 2. Concern (even with testing) about product safety, 3. Hormone disruption (surgical menopause). I am a healthcare professional, so my research was as complete as I have ever done, even better than the research I did in college.

The research into glp1s has lead me down a bunch of rabbit holes. I have learned much from this forum, GoodKitty's and a ton from other sites, and even the vendors themselves. I am grateful for the words of caution, the jokes, the flame outs that Tracey is famous for, and the camaraderie on a journey I did not feel safe navigating with my IRL family.

Am I an addict?... Idk. I do know that I want to weigh 170# again. And I know I want to be able to maintain that weight when I get there. If I'm an addict, I'll figure it out eventually.

 

[AndyPanda]

Except I was quite clear that even if pot simply did not exist, I would have done these other drugs. I was interested in them before I ever got into pot - it was just harder for me to get them at the time.

I also drank alcohol and had smoked cigarettes beforehand, both of which are psychoactive drugs. If there was any gateway drug for me, it was one of those. But it'd also be silly for me to say either of them were a gateway drug - I wanted to try the strong hallucinogenics before I had any psychoactive substance besides caffeine.

If you think just doing it first makes it a gateway drug even if it isn't causative, I'm not sure what actual useful information is communicated by calling it such.

I see. You have an addictive personality and you are attempting to justify your actions.

 

[MarisWinter]

Addiction is much more than just being dependent on a substance. Otherwise, as in the mad max world, we are all addicted to water.

DSM-5’s 11 Criteria for Addiction​

According to DSM-5, a substance use disorder (SUD) involves patterns of symptoms caused by using a substance that an individual continues taking despite its negative effects. Based on decades of research, DSM-5 points out 11 criteria that can arise from substance misuse. These criteria fall under four basic categories — impaired control, physical dependence, social problems and risky use:

1. Using more of a substance than intended or using it for longer than you’re meant to.
2. Trying to cut down or stop using the substance but being unable to.
3. Experiencing intense cravings or urges to use the substance.
4. Needing more of the substance to get the desired effect — also called tolerance.
5. Developing withdrawal symptoms when not using the substance.
6. Spending more time getting and using drugs and recovering from substance use.
7. Neglecting responsibilities at home, work or school because of substance use.
8. Continuing to use even when it causes relationship problems.
9. Giving up important or desirable social and recreational activities due to substance use.
10. Using substances in risky settings that put you in danger.
11. Continuing to use despite the substance causing problems to your physical and mental health.

*It is important to note that people can experience tolerance and withdrawal in the context of taking prescription drugs to treat a medical or mental health condition. This does not necessarily mean that they have a substance use disorder, however.

Thank you.

 

[Glp1judd]

This whole initial post just reminds me of how miserable and fucked up so many humans are.

People are seeing benefits they have tried to get for decades thanks to these drugs and some asshole needs to throw shade by implying “addiction”.

No better than the countless assholes implying “cheating”.

Sorry for swearing but can’t we just be happy and enjoy all the benefits without seriously entertaining these miserable joy killing navel gazers and their “opinions” and devils advocacy?

 

[chmuse]

This whole initial post just reminds me of how miserable and fucked up so many humans are.

People are seeing benefits they have tried to get for decades thanks to these drugs and some asshole needs to throw shade by implying “addiction”.

No better than the countless assholes implying “cheating”.

Sorry for swearing but can’t we just be happy and enjoy all the benefits without seriously entertaining these miserable joy killing navel gazers and their “opinions” and devils advocacy?

Comparing it to insulin truly is the most apt anyway. Everyone knows (or should know) before starting that if you stop, you're going to gain it back. It's a lifetime medication even for obesity.

Are you addicted to a medication that's hard to get your hands on but necessary, so you stockpile the version that lasts for years just in case? I'd think if insulin was this annoying to get people would stockpile it the same way.