Howdy and Help!

[TellMeLikeImFive]

Hi everyone, so I just recently found out about tirzepatide from a friend (I don't get out much). She told me about it because: 1) I'm morbidly obese, 2) I'm on more than 1 blood pressure med as well as a statin for high cholesterol, 3) she and several of our coworkers have had great success with it, and 4) I recently got diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. I've been up and down in weight over the last 5 or so years, between 430 and 340, and when I was in the low 200s 15+ years ago, Adderall was the main hero (but not great for the heart). Anyway, I don't have insurance as I have VA medical coverage and it sounds like it's pretty tough to get it through the VA without having type 2 diabetes and a failed metformen regimen, and with the FDA deadline looming I'm hoping to learn how to safely utilize "research peptides", specifically Tirz. I look forward to learning from y'all, and an apology in advance for any dumb questions I may ask. Cheers!

-TMLI5

 

[PopTart]

Welcome and thank you for your service!

Tirzepatide is FDA approved for sleep apnea but I have no idea what your cost per month would be through the VA or the difficulty of finding a prescriber.

FDA Approves First Medication for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Today, the FDA approved the first medication for the treatment of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in adults with obesity.

www.fda.gov

Spend time reading through these forums to learn as much as you can about the grey/black market. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to navigate the murky waters.

 

[indolent]

Hi and welcome!

I'd see if your doctor would advise and prescribe Zepbound (tirzepatide) for weight loss, regardless of insurance approval, taking your overall health picture into account. Specifically any issues with thyroid or pancreas. And ask what a healthy weekly rate of weight loss might be.

Then learn learn learn on GLP-1 Forum, taking and revising notes, for a few weeks before taking the plunge.

My tirz approach (only 5 weeks in), with extreme obesity and 10+ years of OSA/CPAP, is more conservative than the official Zepbound protocol: staying on the recommended starting dose for as long as I'm still losing ~1 pound a week (I log it on a spreadsheet), instead of upping it monthly. Then I'll up it, maybe by the full 2.5mg increments or maybe by less, when I hit a plateau for two weeks in a row.

Once on GLP-1s, be sure to still eat (the sensible meals-based balanced portion-controlled diet that so much of us struggle to adhere to! Maybe a protein-forward version of it) and drink lots water.

Think of quashing of food-noise as a tool, not a magic wand. To that end, your VA insurance might pay for a dietician to guide you from your current starting point, even if it won't pay for your Zepbound. Be honest with her/him about your grey-market tirz, with expected "don't!--bad things could happen with grey-market".