Should I switch from Reta to Zepbound?

[Retarage]

Not the typical question but I’ve been on Reta for 12 weeks now. According to my run star app I’ve lost 28.8 pounds and gained 10.6 lbs lean body mass since my first injection. Down 39.7 lbs body fat mass. My heart rate is my only concern however it has settled to only about 6 bpm above normal. I just titrated to 7mg a week and my only complaint is some hunger issues especially toward the end of the week. Long story long. I finally got approved for Zepbound through my insurance and I’m wondering if i should jump ship and save my Reta for a rainy day.
What’s y’all’s experience/advice? Am I crazy?

Should preface. 5’10” male early 40’s. Starting weight 290 mid feb. Diet and exercise got me down to 266 by my first Reta pen on March 26th. Sitting at 238 now.

 

[RJ760]

I’d ride the Reta until you hit your GW and then if you want, look at alternatives for maintenance. No sense in jumping ship if it’s working so well for you now. I started at 1mg with a SW of 230. 13 weeks in and I’m at 3mg/wk and down 37lbs.

I started this journey with the idea I’d come off this stuff but I like the way it makes me feel and super happy with the results. I may titrate down to a lower maintenance dose but I’m not switching so long as this stuff exists and remains affordable.

 

[lessthanhalf]

If you respond exactly as well as average to 12mg of reta over a year, it should cause 29% weight loss, starting at 290 x 0.7 is 202 gets you to a BMI of 29, from 41, tirz is slightly less effective, so given you do want to lose quite a lot of weight, maybe reta is a better option. Responses to these drugs does vary a lot so no way to tell until you get to a year of it and probably higher doses.

If you are hungry at the end of the week you can always dose every 5 or 6 days instead.

It also might be cheaper to use grey reta than legit tirz depending on what you have to pay for it. Legit tirz obviously does not have mislabelling, contamination or no product scams going for it.

 

[Vriende]

I finally got approved for Zepbound through my insurance and I’m wondering if i should jump ship and save my Reta for a rainy day.

My story may not be pertinent to your situation, but I'm sharing in case it helps anyone with creative ideas.
I got my start piggy-backing off a friend's real Zepbound. It was an easy way for me to try it out. (No possibility of insurance coverage for me).
I knew we would both be going up in doses, so I got into grey right away. It felt easy and natural.
He still gets Zepbound, through insurance; he is on max dose, now supplementing with Reta he gets from me. Nice partnership 🙂

 

[birdwhacker]

I certainly wouldn't. Reta is the better drug if you don't have heart problems. Zepbound causes fatigue compared to reta. Not to mention it'll be way less effective and you don't even get to control your dose.

If you want tirzepetide, just buy tirzepetide lol

You mentioned that you get hungrier near the end of the week. Split your dosage and this won't be an issue. I've been dosing my reta every three days since the beginning, and now after 8 weeks on 2mg every 3 days I just had to lower the dose so I can eat again.

 

[AngieHolmes]

Not the typical question but I’ve been on Reta for 12 weeks now. According to my run star app I’ve lost 28.8 pounds and gained 10.6 lbs lean body mass since my first injection. Down 39.7 lbs body fat mass. My heart rate is my only concern however it has settled to only about 6 bpm above normal. I just titrated to 7mg a week and my only complaint is some hunger issues especially toward the end of the week. Long story long. I finally got approved for Zepbound through my insurance and I’m wondering if i should jump ship and save my Reta for a rainy day.
What’s y’all’s experience/advice? Am I crazy?

Adding tirz to your reta is a combo that's worked for a lot of people who report the tirz tamped down food noise.

 

[Vriende]

I certainly wouldn't. Reta is the better drug if you don't have heart problems. Zepbound causes fatigue compared to reta. Not to mention it'll be way less effective and you don't even get to control your dose.

There are plenty tutorials available to learn how to transfer from autoinjector pen into a sterile vial using a Luer lock syringe. I started brand name at 1.25mg dose and was glad of microdosing.
I still like tirz in the stack for help reducing food noise.
People are different in what works for them.

 

[headward]

If RHR is a concern, switch to Eloralintide, no tirz (Zepbound). Or combine elora with reta, but have to do very little to start. Elora indirectly lowers RHR.

Another thing that works for me is stage 2 cardio or just walking a lot. My RHR is about the same or a bit lower than without reta, but it could be that I'm much leaner now too. But the stage 2 cardio does work imho. And of coarse sleep 8 hours a night, eat less sugary/starchy carbs (not that you do, but when I do, my RHR is higher).

Also, what dose are you on?

 

[MFGamesta]

If you're getting zep for your copay, I'd switch for a month or 2 to see how it does. Save the reta as it will store in the freezer. If the zep sucks, switch back.

 

[lessthanhalf]

If I am remembering correctly the average initial heart rate rise for reta was 6 bpm and 2 for tirz

 

[Retarage]

If RHR is a concern, switch to Eloralintide, no tirz (Zepbound). Or combine elora with reta, but have to do very little to start. Elora indirectly lowers RHR.

Another thing that works for me is stage 2 cardio or just walking a lot. My RHR is about the same or a bit lower than without reta, but it could be that I'm much leaner now too. But the stage 2 cardio does work imho. And of coarse sleep 8 hours a night, eat less sugary/starchy carbs (not that you do, but when I do, my RHR is higher).

Also, what dose are you on?

Thank you. On my second week of 7mg. I know very little about elora so will look into it. I am on pretty low carb and almost zero sugar and workout 3-4 times a week and bike 1-2. Could probably be in zone 2 more often.

 

[Retarage]

If I am remembering correctly the average initial heart rate rise for reta was 6 bpm and 2 for tirz

Yeah I think I read 6-8 or 8-10. My daily resting heart rate might have gone down but my sleep resting heart rate went up.

 

[Retarage]

If you're getting zep for your copay, I'd switch for a month or 2 to see how it does. Save the reta as it will store in the freezer. If the zep sucks, switch back

Adding tirz to your reta is a combo that's worked for a lot of people who report the tirz tamped down food noise.

Yeah I’ve seen a few people do this. Debating on doing 4 or 5 mg Reta and 1-2 mg tirz per week to see how it goes. Have you by chance tried the combo? If so what dosage and how did it go?

 

[Whiynot20026]

I certainly wouldn't. Reta is the better drug if you don't have heart problems. Zepbound causes fatigue compared to reta. Not to mention it'll be way less effective and you don't even get to control your dose.

If you want tirzepetide, just buy tirzepetide lol

You mentioned that you get hungrier near the end of the week. Split your dosage and this won't be an issue. I've been dosing my reta every three days since the beginning, and now after 8 weeks on 2mg every 3 days I just had to lower the dose so I can eat again.

This is where I lose my mind on comments like yours. And not your fault. It’s the lack of information I have on the GLPs. Why would Tirzep fatigue me, and it does. But Reta doesn’t. But maybe I’m about to answer my own question. Reta has the same two aminos as tirzep. But because of the glucagon amino, that jacks the metabolism and the heart rate, that is the killer punch to the Tirzep fatigue?

Bill

 

[Calm Logic]

Why would Tirzep fatigue me, and it does. But Reta doesn’t. But maybe I’m about to answer my own question. Reta has the same two aminos as tirzep. But because of the glucagon amino, that jacks the metabolism and the heart rate, that is the killer punch to the Tirzep fatigue?

Exactly.