Is what I’m feeling normal?
Summary: Patients respond differently to GLP-1 medications. Especially during the first 3 months of therapy, patients may experience variations in effectiveness and rates of side effects. If you are concerned about your response to medication at any time, a provider can evaluate and advise you on recommendations that may help support your journey. For information and suggestions on managing side effects, see Week 1 content: “Limiting Side Effects.”
GLP-1 Medications require dose titration:
GLP-1 medications require dose titration to avoid side effects. It’s important to follow guidelines on titration as side effects can increase drastically in frequency and severity when done too quickly (see week 1 content for more information on common side effects). Everyone responds a little differently to GLP-1 medications, however it is important to follow your dosing instructions to limit side effects and improve the response of your body to the medication as your dose is increased over the course of your weight loss journey.
You can find the directions provided by your medical provider on dosing instructions on your medical bottle here:
Standard dosing titration can be found on the brochure provided with your supplies or can be seen below. It is important to understand which program you are on as the concentration of medication and therefore the volume you need to inject differs depending on which program you select and the vial of medication sent.
The initial first 3 months of therapy vary in effectiveness and side effect rate for patients. Approximately 80% of patients feel effects of the medication at the 0.25mg dosing, with 95% responding to 0.50mg and almost all patients begin feeling effects of the medication at the 1.0mg dose. Side effects, on the other hand, tend to be most pronounced in the first few weeks of therapy and generally improve over time as your body gets used to the medication.
Some patients have a slower response to lower doses of GLP-1 medications. If this happens to you, we recommend you meet with a provider who can assess your progress as well as discuss other factors that impact weight loss in the early stages of your journey. Your provider may offer guidelines for nutrition, physical activity as well as other aspects of weight loss like high quality sleep and stress mitigation. If you have any questions regarding low response to lower dose of medication, we recommend you schedule a video visit with a provider to fully evaluate and make recommendations to help keep you on the right track the health and wellness.
In addition, if you have any side effects or questions, you can call the clinical support team. They can connect you with an Ivim provider to ensure you receive the care you need while on therapy. For emergencies, you may dial 911 or visit your nearest emergency department for acute care needs.
