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From tr to rt journey

14 replies8 peopleSep 8, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

What happens when switching from tirzepatide to retatrutide after successful weight loss, and is the switch worth it?

Users report that retatrutide can maintain progress after tirzepatide but often requires slower titration and may reduce food noise less effectively while allowing more normal eating. Some add small amounts of tirzepatide back for joint benefits or plan to switch back for maintenance. Sleep disruption appears common early on but improves over months for most.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether to start with retatrutide or save it for later after maximizing tirzepatide first; also how quickly to titrate retatrutide versus staying at each dose 3-4 weeks.

Still open

Long-term preference between the two peptides for maintenance and whether heart-rate or sleep changes persist.

Nothing here is advice.

14 replies · 8 people
AmberBeacon75archiveopening postSep 8

Been on tirzepatide for roughly six months and very pleased overall. Dropped 20 kg with only 1.7 kg of that being muscle. Started mainly for a knee issue after being advised to shed weight, though the mirror helped too. Training intensely six days a week on a tight calorie intake with 150 g protein, plenty of vegetables, and zero food noise made everything click. Reached 11 % body fat by August. Tirzepatide costs a lot where I live so after returning from vacation I began retatrutide. Week one at 0.5 mg did almost nothing and food noise returned but I managed it. Week two at 1 mg brought some reduction in noise with no obvious sides. Week three at 1.5 mg has lowered noise further yet I can still eat normally. Plan is to reach 2.5 mg by week five then hold there for about eight weeks. Scale weight is similar to post-holiday levels but the mirror shows improvement.

ClearLantern70archiveSep 8

I would push to 2 mg and hold there for three or four weeks or longer provided the food noise stays manageable. 2.5 mg is probably fine but unnecessary since full titration already takes about a month.

SlowAlder89archiveSep 8

Retatrutide needs four to five weeks to reach full saturation so raising the dose after only one week leaves you unsure whether the current level is working yet. Better to remain at each dose for at least three or four weeks before moving up.

GreyAlder96archiveSep 8

Not sure why switch to retatrutide if tirzepatide worked well. Since the switch involved grey-market sourcing, tirzepatide must still have been obtainable.

CopperHarbour89archiveSep 8

Any new compound takes time to settle in. Same question as the previous poster though: why move away from tirzepatide after such strong results? The old rule still applies: if it is not broken, do not fix it.

PlainThistle11archiveSep 8
↳ replying to @GreyAlder96

I am trying to decide the same thing. Part of me wants to start with tirzepatide and see how far it goes, saving retatrutide for later when needed. The extra benefits of retatrutide are tempting though, which is why I have not placed an order yet. Still in analysis-paralysis mode but it gives more time to read up.

PatientMeadow16archiveSep 8

I made the same switch about three or four months ago. Retatrutide feels fully active now and I occasionally add a little tirzepatide back for joint inflammation. If starting retatrutide again after tirzepatide I would begin at 2 mg instead of 0.5 mg and stay longer at each step. I lost a couple months of scale progress. The main goal was the liver and visceral-fat reduction shown in trials. Looking back I probably should have stayed on tirzepatide until it stopped working. Retatrutide is mostly fine so far and body recomp is visible, though that may just be from the weight loss itself. Tirzepatide controlled food noise strongly; retatrutide does not, yet total food volume is still limited. Everyone responds differently.

CopperHarbour89archiveSep 8
↳ replying to @PatientMeadow16

I did the same thing, adding 2 mg retatrutide on top of long-term tirzepatide once results slowed and I preferred not to raise the tirzepatide dose further. The 2 mg addition has paired well with the existing tirzepatide.

GreyAlder96archiveSep 8
↳ replying to @PlainThistle11

Ultimately your choice. Retatrutide is getting a lot of attention right now. I will just note that several retatrutide users appear to be moving back to tirzepatide for maintenance, myself included. The higher resting heart rate and lower heart-rate variability do not seem ideal for long-term use.

AmberBeacon75archiveSep 8

Did not plan to share this but here is what happened. Tirzepatide worked well except for the cost, so after reading about retatrutide and similar compounds I decided to try grey-market options. I contacted several sellers and chose one that offered delivery with payment on arrival. I ordered tirzepatide first because I wanted to avoid changing compounds despite the reading on retatrutide. A week later I also ordered retatrutide. The tirzepatide arrived two weeks later right before a trip. After running out of branded product I reconstituted and tried it, first with a small amount then a full 5 mg dose. Nothing happened, like injecting water. The retatrutide arrived right after the trip so I had no choice but to start it. This week another order arrived through a friend who knows the process well.

PlainThistle11archiveSep 8
↳ replying to @GreyAlder96

That is an interesting idea. One protocol I am considering is using retatrutide for 24-30 weeks to reach goal weight then switching to tirzepatide for maintenance, hoping to get the best of both.

AmberBeacon75archiveSep 11

Quick update: the scale finally moved down a bit this week on 1.5 mg. Training stayed hard, food noise is low enough to manage, and I can follow the diet without forcing food the way I had to on tirzepatide. Reaching protein targets feels easier. The downside is noticeably worse sleep even though resting heart rate has not changed on my tracker. Work stress is high so it is hard to blame the compound alone. Cannot tell any other difference yet.

SteadySparrow75archiveSep 11
↳ replying to @PlainThistle11

Switching can work but I would transition gradually rather than stop one and start the other. If ending at 8-10 mg retatrutide I would begin with 2.5 mg tirzepatide a few days after a retatrutide dose, drop retatrutide by a couple of milligrams, then repeat the adjustment every two to four weeks until tirzepatide is at the desired maintenance level. Just my approach though.

PatientMeadow16archiveSep 11
↳ replying to @AmberBeacon75

Sleep stayed disrupted for roughly two months, sometimes only four and a half to five hours a night with sudden wide-awake awakenings. It has improved slowly and now averages six to nearly seven hours, though still less than before retatrutide and I still wake up alert.

PlainThistle11archiveSep 11
↳ replying to @SteadySparrow75

Thanks for the suggestion. I still plan to begin with retatrutide and move to tirzepatide later for maintenance, so we will see how it goes.

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