u/MoodyJuni

Disclaimer: I am not trying to fear monger!! I'm just letting yall know my experience and I guess give a very cautionary tale to others who might have a similar history to me!

I started taking semaglutide 3 weeks ago and about a week and a half ago I started realizing I was feeling like I did 3 or 4 years ago aka extremely unstable mentally and hallucinating. It felt like I was completely unmedicated for my psych issues.

I have severe OCD that, when unmedicated, is paired with psychotic symptoms that has put me in a multi month long psychosis before. So it took a very long time (about 5 years) to get me on the perfect med combo to have me stable again.

I (and my doctors) was well aware that GLP-1s slow stomach emptying but due to the nature of my meds, we didn't think there'd be any real issues with any sort of interactions since there's not really any documented studies surrounding the use of psych meds while on a GLP-1.

So I was just convinced that maybe the stress of work was finally getting to me but then the hallucinations started and I had an "oh fuck" realization that maybe it was the semaglutide affecting how I absorb my meds.

Im finally able to talk to someone on my mental health team and we came to the realization that due to the slow stomach emptying, the semaglutide was putting me at a very high risk of mental relapse and possibly psychosis. So I was very heavily advised to avoid GLP-1s and potentially anything else that could affect the way my stomach breaks down meds (such as bariatric surgery).

So since I'm sure that I'm not the only one here on some sort of psych meds and has a long history of severe mental illness, I thought maybe this post could help at least one person. It really fucking sucks not being able to use these weight loss aids but when already dealing with severe mental health issues, I don't see it as worth it to possibly trigger another bought of psychosis.

I just wanted to share my experience! Again, not looking to fear monger, just hopefully this can give some insight about the possible risks that aren't yet well known since GLP-1s are still fairly new. They can be an amazing tool, I lost 20lbs almost immediately while taking it, but I think it's very important to let others know about the possible side affects outside of just the well known GI issues.

Stay safe and listen to your body 💛

I don't currently have insurance so I can't ask my psychiatrist or doctor about this as they don't give answers over the phone, I will be asking as soon as I get paid next week (so I can afford the check up bill). In the meantime, I wanted to ask here.

I'm on .25 semaglutide and at first it was really nice but now I've noticed my psych symptoms getting worse- it could be from work stress but I didn't really notice these symptoms until I started taking semaglutide 3 weeks ago. So I'm suspicious it might be related.

For context: currently diagnosed with OCD. My psychiatrist previously had believed I might've been schizoaffective bipolar type because of hallucinations but realized it might've just been a case of severe OCD causing psychotic symptoms. So I've been on a ton of meds. Most first gen and many second gen psych meds, along with a mood stabilizer (lamotrigine). Currently just on lamotrigine and Fluvoxamine (SSRI for OCD)

Doing a Google search showed it wasn't reported to have interactions but I'm just worried I might be that rare report so I thought I'd ask yall 😅 It's horrible trying to work while hearing my name constantly being whispered behind me

I'm sure I'm just screaming into the void but it just throws off my whole modding schedule when half the section's shelves are beyond overstocked. Then those in charge of the overstock are annoyed and it just puts everyone behind schedule.

I know it's annoying to put something in overstock when there's only one or two items left in the box to stock but just because it passes the bump test, it doesn't mean it fits.

I'm losing my mind over here 😭

When I say hoarding, I don't mean the clinical definition by any means. I mean it as keeping too many of one item for the sake of "I might not be able to afford a replacement in the future so I need 10 back ups."

I was born in poverty, currently am in poverty, probably will eventually die in poverty- and that's fine, I'm used to it. I know how to budget to scrape by... but due to that mentality, I collect a lot of shit.

The biggest culprits are dishes. I knew up in a house of 8 people so dishes got dropped or just randomly broke a lot so it was reasonable to have 20+ plates. Now I live alone (with a cat but she's not exactly in need of a dinner plate, haha) and still have that 20+ plate mentality.

Last night, I decided I needed to get rid of some because I just had no room in my dishes pantry anymore (I have 2 pantries, not as fancy as it sounds when my kitchen is a literal hallway. The second pantry is for food). I got out one of those 10 gallon plastic totes and just wanted to get to work but the overwhelming anxiety of it all put me in a near panic attack at the idea. I managed to finally put about half of my dishes in there but even now I keep looking at the tote that I haven't gotten rid of yet and thinking about how I need to put them back. I have to wait for someone with a car to help me since it's just way too heavy to move it myself (I only had one tote)

I keep reminding myself that I have some disposable money. If need be, I can buy some plates, cups, bowls, etc. at a discount store or thrifting. I don't need 20+ dishes. But it's just hard to separate from that mindset. I'm far from a clinically diagnosable hoarder, but I think I understand/experience that anxiety in moments like these, just definitely not to that extent (thankfully)

So I was wondering if any of you guys experience that too? The fear of not having access to things later so avoiding throwing out duplicates. And if any of you have advice for getting over it.

Tomorrow is my second dose and so far I'm down 13lbs. I started at 361lbs on April 28th and I'm now 347.9lbs. I'm sure it's just water weight but it feels good knowing I'm lighter than I've been in awhile :)

My provider started me on the lowest dose for the first week (0.1 of semaglutide) just to make sure it didn't affect my preexisting GI issues too bad by easing into it. Tomorrow I'll be upping my dose since my body's handling it well so far

My goal is to be at around 180-200lbs. Maybe lower but I'll just have to see how I feel when I get there, haha. So I've got at least 148lbs left to lose to get to that point.

I'm just curious how quick you all lose the weight? The general vibes of some posts I've seen seem to be between 1 and 3 years, and I'm more than fine with that timeline. Just keeping the weight off is the goal so I'm not in too big of a rush.

Edit: Wow! It's interesting to hear how different others experiences are!

To clarify, I wasn't asking in hopes of comparing my own journey and getting in my head about "okay so these users lost it in x amount of time, therefore that's how fast I should lose it!" It was just genuine curiosity. I'm just going to be happy for every pound lost, whether it's several in one week or half a pound, it's still putting my weight as less than it currently is so I'll be very content with that :)

I'm able to get groceries in a couple days so the more strict calorie counting starts then, right now it's just eat what I've got and it's not exactly the best options, haha. Lots of Maruchan ramen and Hamburger Helper, things I stock up on every time I shop so I know I've got cheap, easy meals to rely on when waiting for payday.

My issue with food has always been dopamine eating, just eating things that causes my brain to make the happy chemicals. I'm only 2 days in on the lowest dose of semaglutide (0.1) and out of habit I ordered a pizza since it's my weekend off work and it's been my tradition for so long... I didn't get nauseous or anything with overeating. I didn't feel full or anything. It just felt really unsatisfying and even though I'd usually knock out a pizza and breadsticks in one sitting no trouble at all, I didn't even get halfway through before deciding it just wasn't fulfilling anymore. I just woke up after getting a few hours sleep, usually would be looking forward to finishing whatever leftovers I have... I'm not at all. I'm honestly a little sad about it 😅 Like yes this is what the GLP-1 is supposed to help with but I didn't expect it to just immediately shut down any sense of joy I got from food. Helps a lot with food noise which is amazing, but holy fuck- no enjoyment? At all? From food??

I don't eat before or at work (tummy troubles, I don't eat before I go out anywhere so I'm not sick the entire time- had this issue my whole life from IBS) so I'd always be looking forward to finally eating when I get home. But now I'm not really sure what to do?

I don't struggle with BED or any other clinically unhealthy relationship with food, it was just as simple as "this food is good, I'm gonna eat more because it's good" and it's crazy to me how obvious that is to me now because it really was just that. So I guess my addiction was more to the dopamine than the food itself.

I guess it's time to find a new source of dopamine, haha. Probably wasn't good to have it come from that one source anyway 😅

I know it's like *the* most common symptom but oh my god, I feel like I swallowed a mouthful of sand. I was half convinced I'd gotten strep throat from just how dry my throat is. I know the solution is more water but it just feels like it's never enough 😅 I'm only on day 2 and thankfully this is the only side effect so far and my hunger is basically gone. I didn't feel the need to clear my plate at supper so if cotton mouth is the worst of it, I'll take it but I was severely underprepared for it, haha.

I'll definitely be getting some electrolytes to add to my water tomorrow. What're your guys' favorite brands?

I'm very nervous! Starting at the lowest dose to hopefully minimize potential side effects and will be going up gradually. I've got almost 200lbs to lose (goal is to be somewhere around 200 to 180lbs, I'll just have to see how I feel when I get there) so I'm really hoping this can help me get close or to my goal!

Those of you on semaglutide, how long did it take to notice results? Either scale, in photos/the mirror, or non-scale victories.

And those with IBS who take it, how did it affect your symptoms? I take several meds for mine so I'm hoping that helps but just wanted to hear your experiences as well!