Taking retatrutide to quit alcohol and other drugs

Pretty much the same thing happened to me. Once I reached my goal and dropped to two milligrams a week the urge to drink returned, though not in any extreme way, just more than the total indifference I felt at the higher dose. Naltrexone might be worth looking into instead since it reduces the dopamine reward from drinking and can lower the pull to keep going.

This is my biggest worry. I know I can keep up a healthy lifestyle once the weight is gone, but I am scared of losing the anxiety-reducing effect that comes with this medication.

I never noticed any drop in the desire to drink while using it. I do not have a problem with alcohol but I do like having a glass of wine now and then, so for me it was actually good that it did not take that away.

I was a weekend binge drinker and had already been sober for six weeks when I began using this. Now after three months I have zero urges at all. I should reach my weight target in about a month and my eating is under control, but if the alcohol cravings return I will try to find a low dose that still works for that.

I am also on a maintenance dose, though at six and eight milligrams, and I am still slowly losing the subcutaneous belly fat even after coming down from ten milligrams. I never lost my taste for beer but at the higher dose I could only manage two before feeling full. Now I can drink a couple more on occasion, yet it is still far less than before I started in January and it has not affected my weight, which I appreciate.

One of the main reasons I started this was to cut back on drinking. For over twenty years I have been drinking more than I wanted in a functional way, which also caused weight ups and downs. Almost right away it reduced my interest in alcohol and I expect that effect to keep getting stronger as the dose increases. Like the original poster I am wondering whether people who get this benefit will need to stay on a maintenance dose.

If a low dose ends up quieting the cravings for you, I can see it serving as a temporary tool while you work on your relationship with substances. It would not be the permanent solution, just a period of breathing room. Reduced cravings can give space to do the deeper work around self-acceptance, values, and what purpose those substances were filling.

I'm thinking about beginning therapy to address how I've been overusing alcohol and other substances. It's not anything extreme or that would raise eyebrows, but it's stuff I'd rather leave behind now. Appreciate all the thoughtful posts from everyone.

I reached my third target a few months back and switched into maintenance. Alcohol used to be a real problem for me, but I've basically quit for more than a year thanks to this. That's the real win here. I've tried a couple beers once in a while, yet even that feels like too much and the next day makes me question why I bothered. Hoping my current level keeps the urges away completely, and I'd stay on it long term if that's what it takes just for that benefit.

Having seen how alcohol has hurt so many connections in my own life, I'm really glad so many here are getting such strong results from these meds in making big shifts. It genuinely moves me that they can support so many toward staying sober. It makes me emotional thinking about how much good this can do. Keep going strong, and I hope everyone succeeds with this tough goal. You're worth the effort.

Nice work on the changes. Similar here with tirze where I haven't wanted a drink and the urge itself has faded too. If the cost stays reasonable, locking in that lower maintenance level to handle those cravings seems like a clear win worth aiming for.

Pretty much what I've been doing by splitting between those two levels. Staying at the higher one would mean dropping weight too fast. The mirror shows the belly fat is still coming off slowly while the scale holds steady. I'm starting to see some shape coming through in my arms and midsection. My legs were never an issue and I skip checking the back view.

I didn't have much to drop but the way this cuts alcohol cravings came as a total surprise. Went from drinking often to just a beer or two weekly. There was a stretch where the three of us would finish a big case daily and it was hard to break because we kept enabling each other. The first couple days on this flipped everything and the urges vanished. The health upside from that change feels bigger than the thirty pounds. Now I get both. When I reach my target and test lower levels, one goal will be keeping those cravings down.

Interesting angle on it acting like something that eases anxiety. Now that you mention it, that could be accurate. Might need to rethink how long I continue.