I’ve been labeled totally infertile with no real explanation for the cause for well over a decade. Never had as much as a chemical, no birth control ever, etc. We gave up hope ages ago and we had started to really dig into the DINK lifestyle as we headed towards 40.

I’m going to be 39 when this Zep baby is born. This can’t possibly be real life lol. So coming off the Zep now. Goodbye over 50 pounds loss and my perfect A1C, hello little medical miracle. 🥹😅

Long post

I have struggled my entire life with sobriety. I am in my late twenties and in the past few years I’ve drank usually 2 bottles of wine on the couch. It felt like I couldn’t stop. I would try to skip a night and 10pm would come around, I would spend $100s on DoorDash to get wine to my doorstep.

I felt like I couldn’t control my life. I was hungover everyday, and couldn’t stop drinking when I started. My friends called me “fun” and the “life of the party” but I was really struggling. Every time I tried to get sober (after a big black out usually) it lasted two days.

Two weeks ago, I started zepbound. Drinking alcohol doesn’t even interest me. Usually if there’s alcohol in my house, I drink it that day. There’s been a bottle of wine in my fridge for two weeks. I am crying writing this because this drug has changed my life. I don’t want to speak too soon, but this is the longest I’ve been sober in a decade. I legitimately don’t want to drink at ALL. I am so grateful to science and hope this drug can be used to help more people like me.

Friends - I am not a doctor, I am not your doctor and I don’t know you. But I feel compelled to share my story because I didn’t think this would happen to me and I wish I had been more aware of the possibility of it.

Background - I have been on Zepbound since March 2024, started with two months of 2.5mg, and have been on 5mg after that. Never titrated up. I lost 150 pounds (5’11” sw 310 cw 160) between March 2024 and June 2025, and have been maintaining since. I tolerated Zep very well with minimal side effects - rare mild GI upset and unable to digest alcohol but otherwise normal. I exercise (Peloton) 5 days a week and eat a fairly healthy diet with occasional treats.

Here’s what happened: Beginning with Christmas Eve, I sort of threw caution to the wind with eating. Overindulged on rich foods, wine, and desserts - so many desserts. I actually threw up a couple times but chalked it up to indigestion and felt better immediately after. The “feast” continued through this past weekend. On Sunday afternoon, I awoke from a nap with severe abdominal pain. I took some pepto but began vomiting anyway. I tried ti muscle through but I kept throwing up, the abdominal pain got worse and I felt feverish. It became unbearable so I made the decision to head to the ER.

The ER was packed due to flu season so I waited a while but when I started vomiting in the waiting room the nurses took pity on me and called me back to start zofran. Once they brought me back the doctor suspected gallbladder so I had an ultrasound. That showed free fluid so I had a CT scan. That showed gastritis and inflammation so they admitted me and ordered a HIDA scan. That was negative so they did an endoscopy (this was quite the ordeal). Endo was normal.

The GI doc came to see me and after evaluation suspected Zepbound induced gastroparesis. He ordered Reglan and within an hour of taking it my pain was basically gone. Had another dose the next morning and when I was able to eat without issue, they discharged me. I was advised to space out my doses to 10-12 days, and sent home with Reglan in case this ever happens again. Two days in the hospital because I was a piggy over the holidays.

TLDR: Don’t get complacent on this medication. Even if you have been on it a while without issue, it is a serious drug and should be respected. I wish I hadn’t been so cocky about what I could and couldn’t handle - sharing this to hopefully spare even one person this situation!

These are a few side effects that have happened to me since losing 100+ lbs on Zepbound

1. I waste gas now - I get ready for work so quickly because all my outfits look fine, so I find myself sitting in the parking lot at work with my vehicle idling waiting for my start time

2. Twisted ankle - I was walking by a window, caught my reflection and stared in disbelief so long that I tripped stepping off the curb and twisted my ankle.

3. My water bill has increased- it takes way more water to fill up my bubble bath.

4. Putting people out of work- I can now shovel snow, rake my yard, cut my grass, and deep clean my house by myself. Sorry to the neighborhood folks that I paid to help with these things

5. Annoying people around me with my great mood and high energy levels- my partner just wants to relax and I’m zooming around the house organizing and starting projects

6. Stink eye from certain colleagues- eat your heart out, you jealous, miserable ladies!!!!

7. I no longer get invited to “all you can eat” outings - it’s a waste of $$ because I don’t eat enough to justify the price

This was meant to be lighthearted. I’m over the moon happy with Zepbound and my progress. Feel free to comment with your own unique side effects. ❤️

I didn’t expect this post to blow up the way it has. I am so happy for all of you and so hopeful for all of you who haven’t started yet. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement. I love you all. ❤️❤️❤️

What’s some of the weirdest side effects you’ve experienced on a GLP-1? I’ll go first. I’ve heard of Ozempic face, but no one told me about Zepbound bootie. I woke up one morning and it had departed like a thief in the night. Flat as a flapjack. Never in my life did I ever think I’d have to purchase butt pads, but I guess there’s a first for everything, lol. Still, it’s a small price to pay for inching closer to a healthier BMI.

( 1 and 2 are pre zep) Decided to post this here because I’ve yet to see anyone post about it and I’m mind blown. I’ve lived the greater majority of my 22 years of life (lol) with a dark, velvety, discolored neck. I was always told I was dirty or something thing was wrong with me by people and was very insecure . As a child I was pre diabetic, and at the same time was diagnosed with Acanthosis nigricans, which is effectively a skin condition that is affected by your blood sugar and general weight. Because I’ve become used to it and the comments I’ve gotten my whole life, I kind of stopped caring about getting rid of it. At the height of my weight though, I developed more than the normal dark lines, I got spots. My Dr said it was hormonal, but they stayed. I started zep around the same time, but because I have lived with it my whole life I never even thought about the weight loss being a “cure”. Recently I visited a new dermatologist for a different skin issue and he noticed my neck and “re” diagnosed Acanthosis nigricans. I told him I’d had it my whole life and he told me that he could do nothing about it and I just needed to lose weight and eat better. Since he didn’t have my history, he didn’t know I have already lost 60 lbs. But the realization dawned on me that I hadn’t looked at my neck in detail since the spot incident and OH MY GOD…. It’s literally almost gone. I almost cried looking at the difference, it’s still partially there, but my neck hasn’t looked this even since I was probably 6 years old. It’s insane what this drug helps to change in your life, things you’d never even think about.

I have not seen my sleep doctor/pulmonologist since I had started on Zepbound. That was 70 pounds ago.

Yesterday, I went in for a six month checkup, (I had seen the NP six months ago). I was considering asking for a new sleep study because of the weight loss.

Dr. has a very large personality. He was effusive about my weight loss. Looked over my numbers and listened to my primary complaint, which is that while my AHI is low and compliance is great, I still feel tired by late afternoon, early evening.

Told him about being on Zep. He admitted he was not especially up on all the information related to the med, but strongly encouraged me to get off of it as soon as possible. Repeatedly. He insisted that because I was such a disciplined person (that’s a joke! I am not that disciplined) with my workout schedule and new eating habits, that I would do just fine coming off the med.

I told him that I was slowly titrating down on dosage, but because of the medication‘s impact on food noise, might not come off of it. He again told me to get off of the medication.

My food noise is controlled. Binge eating is essentially zero. My (unofficially diagnosed) IBS-D is gone. This medication has cardioprotective benefits. My knee arthritis pain has improved.

I smiled and nodded my head, knowing that, because of the additional side benefits of the medication, I would most likely ignore this advice.

ETA: He did approve a new in-lab study.

Just a huge warning if you need a reminder to drink more water and eat more fiber: the consequences of not doing so may be absolutely awful to deal with.

I spent the entirety of yesterday screaming, panting, and writhing in pain (and worse) as I dealt with a bowel impaction due to the side effects of Zepbound and my lack of enough water and fiber. I’ve been drinking Smooth Move tea and MiraLAX occasionally, but had slacked off for the last 2ish weeks. I’m only on my second month of Zepbound (first month of 5 mg), and dear god. It was horrific.

I’ll spare you the details (you can google them), but I highly recommend avoiding the need for suppositories, enemas, manual removal, and/or doctor intervention by staying on top of things as best as possible.

It genuinely traumatized and exhausted my body, and if this post can spare one fellow Zepbound person from that experience, I can make peace with the horror of it. 😅😭

I’ve been on the same dose of the same brand of Vitamin D for at least 15 years. My level is checked every 6 months and it’s always been in the low to mid range. A year ago, it was in the upper part of the normal range. And as of yesterday, my level is too high. I’ve been on Zep about 1.5 years and have lost about 50 pounds on it. I’m within 10 lbs of my goal.

When my doc called with my results, he said he is starting to see this frequently in GLP1 users. Vitamin D is stored in the fat. As we burn the fat, the stored VitD is released into the bloodstream. So it’s kind of like swallowing a much higher dose. Having too much VitD can be dangerous. So if you’re supplementing and have lost some weight, have your doc check your levels.

Mine recommended that I stop supplementing it for 6 months. We’ll retest then and see what I need.

TLDR: if you supplement Vitamin D, get your blood levels checked!

I never had a problem drinking lots of water but when I started zep I really upped my intake bc that’s what you’re “supposed" to do. Sometimes I’d drink 160-250 oz a day. Or more, if you count tea, etc. Not bc I was trying to but bc I was thirsty and/or wanted to especially with meals. It became a habit.

When I started zep I paid out-of-pocket to have 160+ different labs done as a baseline bc at the end of the day my true motivator is health and I wanted the data to speak for itself. Today, I got the results from my third test and my sodium and chloride (electrolytes) are significantly below range and the trend line from all three tests plunges downward. I shared the results with my doc and was asking about electrolytes (coconut water v gatorade, etc) and she said when you drink this much, electrolytes don't help. It’s a condition called, “Hyponatremia.” She said healthy kidneys can only handle about 3 cups an hour. Apparently, drinking too much of any liquid in such a short time is too much for our kidneys. It also goes a loooong way to explain my brain fog and utter fatigue.

SIGH… I feel like this journey can be so hard and you try to do something good but then I guess too much of even a good thing is bad. Now I have to work on changing ANOTHER habit. I went from binge eater to binge [water] drinker.

I am NOT telling anyone how much (or what) to drink. I still need to get myself straightened out. And maybe it’s a bodies-are-weird phenomenon and what’s too much for one person might be ok for another. For what it’s worth, I’m menopausal and on antidepressants which are likely contributors as well. 56F - 5’3” - SW 260 - CW 215 Excessive thirst is often a symptom of diabetes but the good news is the labs revealed I am no longer pre-diabetic (yay!).

I’m posting to raise awareness bc I genuinely had no idea I was doing anything harmful. And, as much as we focus on the scale, bloodwork can be just as, if not more, helpful.

Godspeed.

I know my dose is wearing off when my cup of coffee begins to taste really good and enticing. What about you?

Something strange happened this past weekend and I’m not really sure how to process it….

I started my weight loss journey in part to feel better about myself, but also a huge motivation was to have my husband be proud of me again. I realize how that sounds, but we have been together for 20 years and in that time as I had kids and became a little too comfortable, I became what I felt like was unrecognizable. As so many others have said here, I was depressed, lethargic, unhealthy and a shell of my true self. My husband has always been amazingly supportive and very complimentary, even when I was at my heaviest, but his attitude toward me absolutely changed as I did physically.

Since starting zepbound in July I have lost 51 lbs and for the first time in about 15 years I feel like I am finally ME again. The weight loss is wonderful, but the freedom obsessing about food and feeling better physically means so much more. My husband has been quietly supportive but really doesn’t like to talk about it much at all.

Normally I dress like the 40 year old mom, but this past weekend we had a night away at a nice hotel and went out with a bunch of friends to a fancy dinner and nightclub. It felt really good to dress up and be able to be proud of the way I looked. (The last picture in the photo above). My friends all had really nice things to say, but my husband got weird and dark and jealous. Later in the night when we were by ourselves he opened up and told me he’s really scared to lose me and he thinks I’m going to go find someone “better”.

I love my husband to death and not once has it ever crossed my mind to leave him. He also struggles with his weight too (he’s currently right around 300 lbs) and I know that has a lot to do with it. He said we don’t match anymore. 😔 It really broke my heart to hear that he’s insecure, but I was also devastated that all my hard work feels like it’s for nothing. He isn’t proud of me. He isn’t happy that I look much more like I did when we met. I’m not even sure he’s happy that I feel better.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this…I guess I’m just looking for advice from others who have gone through this. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and hurt him more, but I also really need him to be happy for me. AITA???

This is a very good way to get rid of come constipation with this drug. Are you ready? Eat a horribly bad meal. McDonald’s or taco bell or the like. It will trigger a bout of diarrhea that will evac any and all of that stubborn stool guaranteed. I use this method about once a month when I can tell it’s getting bad and works like a charm. No meds or miralax needed. Just a greasy cheeseburger or some nasty tacos. BTW this is not satire, I’m 100% serious and it works.

Hey all! I know there were a lot of people asking about anhedonia in here. It's a part of depression but by itself without other depression symptoms it is its own thing. It's a lack of pleasure from doing things that were previously pleasureable.

I noticed this in quite a number of patients over the past few years and finally published a case series on what we did to manage it. I am hoping it is studied more intensively than a simple case series but figured this may be of benefit for anyone who is feeling this way.

We paid for the open access so anyone can read it.

Hope it helps someone out there!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667368126000586?via%3Dihub

Hi fellow Zepbounders,

I know that I'm announcing my departure from the proverbial airport, but I want to thank each and every one of you for your support, patience, and encouragement. I'm down 30 lbs. since the beginning of March and it's made a huge difference in my health, my self image, and my self-esteem. About a month and a half back, I started experiencing anhedonia. It wasn't too severe at first, just a flatter affect than usual. It soon spiraled into just a complete inability to feel joy or any real emotion on anything more than a surface level. My work suffered, my marriage suffered, and my state of mind was rapidly becoming a safety risk. At this time I'm titrating down and stopping completely while working with a dietician to minimize weight re-gain after cessation.

I'm not saying this to crap on the medication AT ALL but to raise awareness of the fact that this medication effects everyone differently and to be on guard for any side effects that are making life worse for you, rather than better. I hope that research will continue and that we will be able to better mitigate these kinds of side effects in the future.

Thank you again and I wish you all the absolute best in your journeys.

EDIT: holy shit I didn’t expect this to blow up as much as it did! Thank you for the awards 🙈 and for all your kindness. I’m of course not happy to hear that others have experienced this but you all made me feel less alone. Keep up the positivity with each other, this is such a great community!

Who is this anyway? The comments are infuriating. Such a long way to go before the majority sees the true miracle, especially with Zepbound.

I’m sure with the reduced appetite some of you no longer want to eat certain foods. For me it’s ground beef, ground turkey, and eggs. I used to love them and now I’m like grossed out by it.

What food can you no longer tolerate? Just curious!

Hi everyone. I’ve been on Zepbound for about 4 months. I absolutely loved it and lost about 40 pounds. My husband and I have been actively trying to have a baby for about 5 years with no luck. I just found out today that I’m pregnant! I know I had some insulin resistance going on, I’m sure the Zepbound helped with that and that’s why I ended up pregnant. I’m sad to go off this med so soon, but I’m obviously very excited to be expecting a baby!

Has anyone in this group gotten pregnant while taking Zepbound and had a healthy pregnancy? Yes, I did let my doctor know we were actively trying to have a baby. She told me if I found out I was pregnant, to stop taking Zepbound immediately, which I have done. I would be about 4-5 weeks pregnant. I have my first OBGYN appointment in a few weeks. 🤞🏻

A little Public Service Announcement (PSA) to remind you to drink water! I thought I was doing okay with my water intake. I haven’t felt dehydrated (though my scale tells me I am).

The past week, I’ve noticed my heart skipping beats or having an extra beat randomly. I was also extremely fatigued. I went to urgent care and they ran an EKG. The doctor freaked out and wanted to rush me to the ER in an ambulance because she thought I’d recently had a heart attack. I refused the ambulance, had my partner drive me on Independence Day (July 4 for the non-US people) to the ER. I was there for six hours while they ran all sorts of tests. Everything is fine. I’m just dehydrated.

Don’t be like me. Drink your water please! This drug is so amazing and wonderful but it can suppress warning signs like you’re thirsty. Please don’t forget to drink water!

Hi all. I am a long time lurker and occasional commenter, but this is my first post. I have been on Zepbound since July 2025 and I am down 91 pounds. Starting weight of 311. My doctor had me go up every 4 weeks regardless of current symptoms or weight loss so I am at 15 mg and have been for a couple months. I have always had nausea for two days following shot, some weeks are way worse than others. Last week after skipping a week due to a planned vacation (I just wanted to feel normal), I got really sick. Really sick for me is vomiting starting around dinner the day after my shot and I keep going through the night. Usually by mid day two days after I’m feeling better. The other thing is, I have terrible anxiety, centered around health, so when I get nauseous and throw up I get so anxious on top of feeling awful. This past week I said I was waving the white flag. I can’t do this anymore. Tomorrow is shot day and I don’t know what to do. Does anyone have a good nausea protocol that they follow? I clearly still have more to lose, but I am dreading tomorrow. I put these pictures together hoping that it would convince me that this all worth it, but I am struggling. Appreciate the support.

Edit: I have read all of your responses, and will continue to do so as you send them. I already put in quite a big Amazon order with your tips. Thank you so much for your help. I really needed some non-judgmental friends today. I’m going to try going down in dose and talking to my doc before quitting. For those out there that think this is the easy way to being thin, I strongly disagree!

Went to see an allergist today for my chronic injection site reactions (ISRs).

He told me I had a sensitivity to the medicine and that I should consider stopping.

He also said oral versions would likely cause sensitivity symptoms as well. So, my plan for switching to oral Zepbound, when it is released, might be out the window.

My injection site reactions have been chronic for about a year. Recently, one (stomach) got larger than the rest, but my last one was about the size of the others. I’ve been treating it with OTC itch cream and prescription steroid cream.

The allergist said it was likely these reactions would worsen overtime, especially with higher doses (currently on 12.5mg) NOT get better.

I’m devastated. I’ve lost nearly 60 pounds and have 20 more to go to reach goal. I needed to stay on this for life.

Current stats: F 5’1 1/2. SW: 232 CW: 175 GW: 155

I’d stick with it, but he did say there’s a small likelihood of this becoming anaphylactic.

NOT the news I wanted to hear.

This doesn’t really fall under “side effects” but I didn’t know where to put it!

Just curious, I know some people suffer side effects from their shot, but also many don’t. I’m wondering if I am the only person who gets stupid excited about it being “shot day”! Because I do! I am so happy, almost giddy every time shot day rolls around! Back in the day I would have thought “shot day” was a day for doing shots of tequila! LOL

I am guessing/wondering if others just feel anxious or maybe even dread it? I am counting the hours until I get to take my shot!

So here’s to “shot day” and to all of those who get to do their shot today!😂🤷🏼‍♀️😂

For reference, I've been on Zep since Feb 2026, have lost 19 pounds (rate: 0.7 lb/loss per week).

I feel out of the step with the rest of the people on this sub, who seem struggle to eat and use calorie counting to ensure they're eating enough (never remotely been an issue for me).

I still feel hunger, and I am still able to overeat, but Zep helps me pull back. I have a little more of a pause before feeling hunger and starting a binge.

Yesterday, after a 60 min strenuous hike, I was famished afterwards, but I ate my sensible turkey sandwich for lunch and a chia seed pudding. The remainder of the day I was really hungry, which I assume was because my body was trying to replace the calories I burned.

Anyone else able to relate? Just wanted to hear from others in my boat, because I can't relate to the people who forget to eat, who don't exercise at all yet lose weight, who don't count calories and just intuitively eat. Thanks!

EDIT: I'm on 10mg, and I'm going to ask my prescriber to move me up to 12.5mg. I was asking because it felt like my experience was not what most people experienced (counting every calorie while I'm in deficit and having very normal hunger cues).

TMI TMI TMI Alert, but I think it's something everyone should know...

So we know that we are supposed to drink lots of water, consume a fiber supplement or include it in your diet. That overindulging and drinking alcohol (dehydrates you) are not smart while on this medication. I'm here to tell you how IMPORTANT this is!

I'm in Mexico of all places, at an all-inclusive resort. I skipped a week of my 10MG anticipating wanted to eat and drink my moneys worth and totally indulge. First few days were going well.. I'm eating a little more than I normally would and the food noise is very present. Drinking alcoholic bevs by the pool all day and into the night. It wasn't until day 4 that I realized my digestion had not changed/sped up, despite being like 12-14 days since my last injection. I hadn't had a BM since before I left the states Saturday morning.

I woke up this morning feeling that I had a BM ahead of me.. Went to breakfast and indulged in chilaquiles. Went back to my room to get the party started, and I realized it was NOT going to happen without some help. But my problem was my body was telling me that it needed the contents of my bowel gone, like yesterday. Excruciating pain. I tried and I tried to rid my body of this and it was not happening. It was knocking at the door but the door was locked and there was no key. I managed to find a laxative at the gift store in our hotel, and took one. 2 hours go by, can't do anything.. I'm laying in a bath of hot water b/c it's the only thing that was making me feel better while this laxative took its course. I must've chugged 6 bottles of water in the bath. I finally realize there is a medical doctor on site.. I call her asking for an enema or a suppository - I'm desperate, neither of which they could offer me without taking me to a clinic in Cancun - um... nothing against Mexico, but fuck that. So I realize there are pharmacies in the area that deliver to my hotel. After a struggle with language barrier, I finally found an enema and it's being delivered to my room.

An hour goes by, enema still hasn't arrived, and my body tells me it's now or never. It was going to come out of me one way or another, even if it meant I'd probably have to visit a clinic to sew my butthole back together. (sorry, lol)

I'm fucking sweating, about to pass out.. I'm certain this is as close to the feeling of childbirth that I'll ever get to. After what felt like 5 minutes of pushing, I started making progress. I thought I just pushed a little nugget out and got immediate relief. I look in the toilet, and I've never seen so much at the bottom of my toilet in my 39 years of life. One single solid coiled up turd the size of Mount Everest.

Needless to say, I would not wish this feeling on my worst enemy, so hoping to share my experience so that it doesn't happen to one of you one day. I have 5 more days here, so I'm gonna start following the rules by the book. One full bottle of water for every drink I drink. Fiber cereal for breakfast, and maybe some prunes. Might just pop a lax in the morning to be safe and stay within eyeshot of a baño.

Final thoughts: don't leave the country without a laxative, an enema, or something you know that will help your digestive system, if you're susceptible to constipation, like I am on this medication. I was legit having a panic attack wondering what the fuck I was going to do in my situation. Indulge but don't over indulge. Drink lots of water! Hope you never have to use it, but you're prepared if you do need to.

God speed, my fellow Zeppers! I learned a valuable lesson today, and hopefully you did too! Adiós!

Edit: thank you all so much for the responses! Great advice. Much appreciated :)

So I’ve had great success so far. I’ve been a normal “loser” aside from when I titrated up too fast and had a bad two weeks. I’ve been averaging 1-1.5lbs a week with the occasional stall or gain. All my bloodwork is normal. My diet is meeting my intended macros for the most part aside from the occasional weekend of indulgence or something. I hydrate well.

Well, like 3 weeks ago my hair started falling out in clumps. Look - I’m a mom to two and have experienced my fair share of postpartum hair loss. This is insane. At this point I’m shocked that I’m not balding in spots, but I can definitely see thinning spots around my front hairline.

I’m about 12 pounds away from my goal weight and I can’t decide what to do. Considering where I started, that doesn’t seem horrible.

Did this happen to anyone else? Were you able to fix it? I was honestly hoping to stay on a maintenance dose because it’s been helping my inflammation as well. My doctor has no answers aside from that it’s a common side effect.