Tirzepatide and Bariatric Surgery

[clayd]

I had VSG in June 2019 with a starting weight of 350 lbs. By March of 2020, I was down to 225lbs. Then Covid it. I gained back to the point of January this year I was back up to 341 lbs. I started a prescription diet pill in January and lost about 40 lbs by July. I have been on T since July (first with a compounded pharmacy) and then started Amopute in early October. As of this morning, I am down to 241.8 lbs. This medication has been a life changer for me. It has taught me to eat like a “normal person” much more effectively than the surgery ever did.

on several forums around the internet, i am shocked at how many people started around the july timeframe. many with a compounded pharmacy, now some of those switching to powder. i'm on exactly the same path.

i remember that it hit the news around that time that hims/hers would start offering compounded weight loss and their stock popped, that's when i started researching my options. i wonder if there was something else in june/july that made a bunch of people get on the bandwagon

 

[clevesand]

on several forums around the internet, i am shocked at how many people started around the july timeframe. many with a compounded pharmacy, now some of those switching to powder. i'm on exactly the same path.

i remember that it hit the news around that time that hims/hers would start offering compounded weight loss and their stock popped, that's when i started researching my options. i wonder if there was something else in june/july that made a bunch of people get on the bandwagon

June/July is when the early adopters of compounding first started to show a lot of weight loss and posted all about it on social media and it was a snowball effect.

 

[clayd]

June/July is when the early adopters of compounding first started to show a lot of weight loss and posted all about it on social media and it was a snowball effect.

i'm assuming mostly on tiktok? (i don't have it)

 

[fyrepep]

I had VSG in June 2019 with a starting weight of 350 lbs. By March of 2020, I was down to 225lbs. Then Covid it. I gained back to the point of January this year I was back up to 341 lbs. I started a prescription diet pill in January and lost about 40 lbs by July. I have been on T since July (first with a compounded pharmacy) and then started Amopute in early October. As of this morning, I am down to 241.8 lbs. This medication has been a life changer for me. It has taught me to eat like a “normal person” much more effectively than the surgery ever did.

I hate it for all of us when we have regain. It's so frustrating and discouraging, but I am really enjoying reading about the success everyone has had on tirz. I am grateful and thankful we have an opportunity to utilize it. Congratulations on the loss so far!

I totally understand what you mean about not learning to eat like a normal person, although, I will never experience that due to malabsorption. But it was eating almost nothing to eating everything in sight with me only stopping because if I didn't, I'd vomit. I want to be able to stop when I am no longer hungry and feel "normal".

 

[mduckett99]

on several forums around the internet, i am shocked at how many people started around the july timeframe. many with a compounded pharmacy, now some of those switching to powder. i'm on exactly the same path.

i remember that it hit the news around that time that hims/hers would start offering compounded weight loss and their stock popped, that's when i started researching my options. i wonder if there was something else in june/july that made a bunch of people get on the bandwagon

I didn’t even know that compounding was a thing for this medication until my PCP mentioned it. I have an awesome PCP who said he had other patients doing really well on it. He sent a script directly to Empower Pharmacy in Texas. Less than a week later, I had my meds and started.

 

[lrossetto0722]

Surgery doesn't really do anything for appetite, which is why most people "eat their way around a sleeve" and gain weight eventually. You are physically restricted from eating a lot of food. They say your stomach produces less Ghrelin so you're not as hungry, but I'm not sure if that's real or voodoo science.

I was always able to use the surgery as a great tool and I just didn't keep garbage food in the house. When I started T, I was still only a 31.5 bmi, so I have done well in the last 14 years since surgery. But VSG and Tirz are a one-two punch. You are physically restricted, and you're not hungry anymore. If these meds had been around I would not have had the surgery. So much of life revolves around food. I find myself coming up with excuses to decline lunch and dinner invites because it creates a lot of anxiety and embarrassment for me hoping to not have to explain to people why I cannot hardly eat any food. I would love to be able to really enjoy a nice persian or Italian restaurant again--my favorites.

If anyone is interested, I highly recommend the surgeon in Mexico, Dr Alvarez. It was $7500 back then.

that was my surgeon too! I did great at first when I got my sleeve but I eventually put about 40-60 lbs back on. I feel like since starting Tirz my pouch is back to a pouch ... its kinda weird ... I used to be able to eat a whole sandwhich or a whole slice of pizza and now I can't. also at my lowest with the sleeve I was 123 and now with the tirz I made it to 119.

 

[anniesolion]

Have any of y'all had bariatric surgery, had regain, and followed it up with some tirzepatide?

Typically, post bariatric patients are excluded from the studies, but it sounds like there has been success with tirzepatide usage post-bariatric. But the data is so limited...

🙋VSG club member here. I lost 90 pounds with VSG, stopped losing 40-50 pounds away from where I hoped to get. I had two goal weights, the statistically realistic goal (which I reached) and my dream goal, which I am now aiming for with the help of Tirz.

I was very happy with my VSG results which were average for % of excess weight loss with VSG. I maintained for awhile…then gained 20+ pounds back, getting back to a high of 201 😭

I had been thinking about trying a GLP1 and that was the push I needed. Started taking Tirz 4 months ago and have lost all but a couple pounds of my regain and am feeling hopeful about reaching my dream goal weight. Being on Tirz feels a lot like the first 12-18 months post VSG did, but even more predictable in terms of restriction. My restriction never went away completely, but did lessen and become unpredictable overtime. I had days where I could (and did) EAT and eating “around” my restriction was certainly possible. The VSG helped, but I had a tougher time with “food noise” and cravings still, compared to being on Tirz. On Tirz, my food noise is really low again my restriction is combined with prolong satiety (from slower gastric emptying I’m guessing) that I didn’t fully experience once I healed from VSG surgery and was eating a normal diet.

Overall, for me, I feel like VSG and Tirz are a winning combo. I could see a future where these treatments are offered in combination for some.