Looking for your opinions?

[j88xx]

Hello GLP-1 community! 👋

I noticed there’s a lot of valuable insight here, and would like to gather some opinions, advice, and shared experiences regarding a few questions.

1. Timing of Injection: Is it more preferable to inject in the morning or evening? What are the reasons behind this?

2. Fasting Conditions: Should the injection be done on an empty stomach or after eating?

3. Temperature of Injection: When taking the medication out of the fridge, should it be injected cold or is it better to wait about 20 minutes for it to reach room temperature before drawing?

4. Dose Splitting: Is it beneficial to split the dose, or should you stick to a once-weekly injection (same day and time)? What are the reasons behind this?

5. Starting Dosage: Would starting at 0.5mg per week split into two doses for the first two weeks be considered wise before increasing to 1mg?

6. Coordinating with TRT: Can you inject on the same day/ time and place as test?

For context, currently 90kg, 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 37 years old. The main objective is to use the medication as a supportive tool rather than a shortcut. Striving to achieve a body fat percentage below 20%. Despite consistently tracking calories and macros, maintaining a calorie deficit, eating healthily, and working out five times a week, has yet to achieve the desired weight loss of about 8-10kg, making this more of a cutting phase.

Thank you,

J

 

[V6R3W]

My personal, non-expert experience :

1. I do a split dose, 3.5 days apart, so one morning one evening. I am indifferent. I have an easier time scheduling and remembering mornings.

2. I've done both, and I've never noticed a difference.

3. I inject within 3 or 4 minutes. It's been working. 10 or 20 units will hit body temperature almost immediately after injection.

4. I split. It reduces the peaks and valleys of reta concentration in your body. You can prove this to yourself by using a GLP1 calculator or plotter.

5. Starting doses in clinical trials were as high as 4 mg. I would not suggest that because of side effects, but it is not dangerous. I did 1 mg for two weeks, then stepped up to 2mg and went higher based on feel. I feel like one milligram is a good starting dose.

6. No experience, sorry

 

[94brian49]

1. Doesn't really matter, but would be a good idea to pin a day before your off day, so that if something goes wrong you would be able to rest.

2. Doesn't matter, i personally pin after my morning routine.

3. Tried both cold and room temp, it seems doesn't effect much in term of comfort. YMMV i guess.

4. I split dosing, Monday and Thursday because for some reason the appetite suppression effect only last 2-3 days for me, i have tried Cagri, Sema, Tirz and Reta, all are the same. Some people split dosing to minimize side effects.

5. Yeah, always start low and be on the safe side atleast until you understand how your body would react to the medication.

6. Not sure about this one.

Goodluck!
Oh and just some extra info here, i read that different injection site has different absorption rate, Abs seems to be faster than Thigh. I'm not entirely sure if this is just 'broscience' but i do feel it, it could be just placebo idk.

 

[Abrakebabra]

Re starting dosages 0.5mg would be very cautious and also a pain to draw accurately, but ultimately down to individual choice. Certainly start low and only increase if you feel the effects aren’t working.

 

[Bunts]

Hello GLP-1 community! 👋

I noticed there’s a lot of valuable insight here, and would like to gather some opinions, advice, and shared experiences regarding a few questions.

1. Timing of Injection: Is it more preferable to inject in the morning or evening? What are the reasons behind this?

2. Fasting Conditions: Should the injection be done on an empty stomach or after eating?

3. Temperature of Injection: When taking the medication out of the fridge, should it be injected cold or is it better to wait about 20 minutes for it to reach room temperature before drawing?

4. Dose Splitting: Is it beneficial to split the dose, or should you stick to a once-weekly injection (same day and time)? What are the reasons behind this?

5. Starting Dosage: Would starting at 0.5mg per week split into two doses for the first two weeks be considered wise before increasing to 1mg?

6. Coordinating with TRT: Can you inject on the same day/ time and place as test?

For context, currently 90kg, 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 37 years old. The main objective is to use the medication as a supportive tool rather than a shortcut. Striving to achieve a body fat percentage below 20%. Despite consistently tracking calories and macros, maintaining a calorie deficit, eating healthily, and working out five times a week, has yet to achieve the desired weight loss of about 8-10kg, making this more of a cutting phase.

Thank you,

J

Hello!

Circa 6 months on Reta and im also using it as a 'assistant' for cutting down BF. So hopefully im somewhat well placed to answer some of your questions 🙂

1. I found absolutely no benefit to pinning early vs late. All the same to me. Some pin just before they go to bed to 'mitigate any sides'. Whilst I get that, id rather be awake should the absolute worst happen, say an allergic reaction, than be asleep. Having pinned multiple times now, ive pinned in the morning, around lunch and just before bed. No differences to me!

2. Nope, either are fine. Again, ive done it before food and after food. No difference. Its also worth saying that, for me personally, I didn't feel any effects until the following day (Circa 24hrs). Not that the 'effects' were massively prevalent anyway, other than Week 1's 'Ooh, I feel energized' feeling.

3. For 99% of my pins, I let it 'warm up' outside of the fridge before pinning. Reta doesnt tend to cause me any problems. That said, letting it come up to ambient temp makes almost no difference to my day, so I just do that. Note: When I say 'leave it out', I mean the pin once ive drawn my dose, not the vial.

4. Nope. Single dose per week is just fine. I am yet to come across any evidential proof that its actually worth splitting dose and, quite honestly, ive never felt the need. I currently pin on day 6 as I have found the effects to be wearing off by then. But its no biggie, day 6 or day 7 is just fine.

5. Its not for me to tell you what dose to start at. Ill gladly explain my dosing though. I started at 0.5mg per week. Not split. It would appear that I am pretty sensitive to GLP's (Reta being my first and only GLP) as I felt the effects from that really low dose. I continued to feel the effects on 0.5mg for a good couple of weeks before making the decision to go up to 1mg. My maximum dose, after months, has been 4mg - interestingly this is the starting dose for some of the clinical trials. I look at dosing like this: Its not a race. If you feel the effects on a lower dose, stick with it. Why titrate up when you dont need to. You are only using more product, and therefore money, and also risking side effects.

6. Sorry, I cant advise on TRT as I dont use it. Please, from one person to another, do plenty of research on TRT and the downsides. All I can say is mixing anything with a GLP, including reta, is not advised at all. Reta doesnt play well with others in the same vial/shot.

The above is just my experience and should be taken as such 🙂

As for your sustained cut, I am also in that boat. I cut 'au-natural' for a few months before hopping onto Reta to assist me. It really is 'cheat codes' for cutting as it makes it SO easy. However, that also comes with its own downsides. You have to be careful you dont go into too much of a deficit, for reasons im sure you're aware of. I cut a little too hard and it raised my SHBG levels a lot - I got some pretty hard fatigue and im now having to go back up to maintenance to counter this!

I wish you all the best!

 

[Dos-Dox]

1) Timing - Doesn’t matter for most people. I think it’s good to be consistent, so pick one that fits your routine better.

2) Fasting - I don’t think it matters, but everyone’s different. See how it affects you and if you have nausea, try it the other way (fasted or unfasted) next time. I usually do am and happen to be fasted but that’s more about it fitting my morning routine.

3) Temperature - Don’t think it matters. I’ve done fresh out of the fridge and at room temp and don’t notice any impacts either way.

4) Splitting doses seems to be like the debate about which way the toilet paper goes on the holder. People are very passionate for both sides. I think there are valid arguments to be made for either approach. I don’t split, but I also don’t base my dosage on appetite suppression as reta isn’t particularly strong in that regard. One argument I’ve seen to not split it to not hit those receptors frequently. Some will say the trials were only dosed weekly because that was more convenient for when the clinic hours were. Some like to split doses to manage sides and have the more consistent concentration in their system. My rec is to start with weekly, particularly while you’re at a low dosage mainly because it’s just more convenient and it’s one less pin a week. If you get to higher doses and feel the need to split, try it and see how it works for you.

5) 0.5 mg is a good starting dose. I did 0.25 mg the first week just to assess tolerability, then 0.5 mg for weeks. Some titrate quickly, but my approach has been low and slow and trying to be at the lowest effective dose. Either way, keep in mind the half life of approximately 6 days and use a GLP plotter to calculate and track your serum levels so you can visualize that it takes 4-5 weeks at a dose to feel the steady-state effects of that dose.

No comments on TRT. Best wishes on your journey!

 

[MsGizmo]

1. Timing of Injection: Is it more preferable to inject in the morning or evening? What are the reasons behind this?

2. Fasting Conditions: Should the injection be done on an empty stomach or after eating?

I'll answer these together.
Since the newest GLP1 drugs are designed to remain in your system for a week, it doesn't matter what time of day or what your fasting condition happens to be. The drugs are going to be working constantly.

3. Temperature of Injection: When taking the medication out of the fridge, should it be injected cold or is it better to wait about 20 minutes for it to reach room temperature before drawing?

Whatever you are comfortable with. I don't mind it right out of the fridge, but a cold injection might bother someone else.

4. Dose Splitting: Is it beneficial to split the dose, or should you stick to a once-weekly injection (same day and time)? What are the reasons behind this?

This is another personal preference thing. Taking a single dose once a week will give you a higher peak and split doses will give you a lower but more steady amount working in your bloodstream.

5. Starting Dosage: Would starting at 0.5mg per week split into two doses for the first two weeks be considered wise before increasing to 1mg?

0.5mg of what? Don't increase faster than the established dosage schedule. Slower if you have a bothersome side effect. Make sure you are having regular bowel movements.

6. Coordinating with TRT: Can you inject on the same day/ time and place as test?

I have no experience on this.

For context, currently 90kg, 6ft tall, fairly muscular, and 37 years old. The main objective is to use the medication as a supportive tool rather than a shortcut. Striving to achieve a body fat percentage below 20%. Despite consistently tracking calories and macros, maintaining a calorie deficit, eating healthily, and working out five times a week, has yet to achieve the desired weight loss of about 8-10kg, making this more of a cutting phase.

 

[woundcarping]

6. Coordinating with TRT: Can you inject on the same day/ time and place as test?

I don't see it making a difference on the timing. Yesterday morning I had 3 injections, .5mg BPC, 2mg Reta, 40mg Test, no big deal.

I wouldn't take two sub q shots in the same place at the same time. Perhaps I misunderstand, but that seems like an asinine question.

 

[j88xx]

I don't see it making a difference on the timing. Yesterday morning I had 3 injections, .5mg BPC, 2mg Reta, 40mg Test, no big deal.

I wouldn't take two sub q shots in the same place at the same time. Perhaps I misunderstand, but that seems like an asinine question.

Sorry for not explaining it properly; I meant the same injection site as long as you stick to the rotation process. So for instance, pin test C left of the abdomen and pin reta right of the abdomen, generally around the same time, then alternate for the next pin and so on. Is that all good?

 

[janedoe]

My experience and understanding of my reading only. Others may differ.

1. GLP: Thursdays, in evening. This affords me the weekend to relieve any symptoms I've noticed from my shots over the last year and a half. Mostly gastro that was a delayed reaction w/in 48 hours. When I stacked with Cagri, I did that on Friday nights. Both pinned, 1x weekly

2. Unintentionally, empty stomach. Pinned before dinner time bc I pin in the evening.

3. Right out of the fridge during prep of my
sterilized pinning area.

4. With what I've read, for me, the splitting of Doses is not fully beneficial from my view, unless reduction of sides was the goal. I just let the pep do its thing and modified behaviors in conjunction.

5. I don't see benefits in splitting or over loading receptors with 2 GLPs, but starting low appears like inoculation, which doesn't appear to be a negative with peps.

6. No interest or experience for opinions

 

[woundcarping]

Sorry for not explaining it properly; I meant the same injection site as long as you stick to the rotation process. So for instance, pin test C left of the abdomen and pin reta right of the abdomen, generally around the same time, then alternate for the next pin and so on. Is that all good?

Typically I try to vary my injection sites by at least an inch, preferably 2”. Miss hair follicles, scars, stretch marks, or other potentially “different” areas.

I try to put same time injections in different areas so if I have an ISR it’s potentially easier to track. My methodology is weak with that as I’ve not had an ISR.

I split dose, and have written a fair bit about the math behind it and my position on it on here.

Dosing is hard to make a personalized recommendation.

The other points don’t matter.