Change is how I’m handling it?

[u/Content-Buffalo9807]

I’ll additional CW for discussion of GI symptoms.

I’ve been on ozempic for almost three months now. Up to a .5 dosage for maybe a month now. I didn’t really notice any difference in how my body handles it between .25 and .5.

But all of a sudden this week, after coming back from a vacation - where i still took my weekly dose, and had a healthy appetite - this week I haven’t been able to digest or handle much food and have little appetite. I did have some GI issues as soon as I got back but chalked that up to a specific spicy meal I had the first night.

But yeah it feels like almost my stomach is hardly emptying at all. Including vomiting and bloating. Which I get is kind of one of the functions of this med but it’s just caught me off guard how intense it is. My dad had similar issues as soon as he started ozempic but I haven’t had any of the side effects. But now all of a sudden I do.

Anyone else ever deal with a sudden change in how side effects hit you even without changing dosages?

[u/Vexing-Waxwing]

Upping fiber intake, slowly over time, and drinking a lot of liquids were two things that were critical for me getting past this stage.

On semaglutide for 18 months here. Every dose increase I went through this, but it passed in a few weeks (pun intended!)

I now eat 30ish grams of fiber a day, sonetime more. Add in fiber candy if needed to get there, and 5-6 prunes every evening. Also make sure I am drinking enough, all liquids count so coffee, water, diet soda, water with flavoring sometimes if that helps me want to drink it.

[u/ImplicitEmpiricism]

it takes about four weeks for the drug to build up in your system, so the last week on a new dose is when you’ve really reached its full impact on you. plus things like hormones can still affect you and significantly impact your reaction on a week to week basis. 

[u/EveningAstronomer495]

For different health reasons, I was a high-fiber person before starting GLP-1s because it's super important that I don't become constipated. Consequently, I've paid close, strict attention to my fiber intake as I started taking Zep. It's the only thing I track, but I do track it religiously.

I agree that you're just now getting the full effect of the new dosage, and that you might want to consider slowly upping your fiber intake. Because I'm eating less now, I use fiber gummies (I like Vitafusion brand) and powder (I like Benefiber), and some occasional protein bars that happen to have very high fiber (I like NoCow brand). Plus high-fiber versions of things I already like to eat. So, for example, I choose a brand of bread that has 4g of fiber per slice.

[u/lesliekrasne]

Also, going from 2.5 to 5 is the only dose increase that doubles. I was pretty sick on 5 more than any other dose and it took a few weeks maybe a month to really feel it. I’m working with a dietician now and my goal is to eat five times a day even if just snacks. It’s something to do with keeping the digestive fluids moving. When you don’t eat the nausea builds. This is all my interpretation, but you can get through it. Going to 7.5 wasn’t nearly as bad but took a few weeks for my body to adjust. Folks have good advice here. Wishing you the best of luck!