I’ve been reading about how these GLP-1 drugs change people’s personality and I have been thinking about that a great deal because to some extent my personality has changed. But before we get to that I want to tell you that while taking this medicine has been great, hunting for it has not.
Express Scripts
I was using Express Scripts to fill my prescription but they sent me a notification that they wouldn’t be able to fill my next prescription. After playing phone tree games, I finally got to speak to someone that said there is a national shortage and there wouldn’t be any more prescriptions sent out. This was in early May and my shots were going to run out at the end of May.
Pharmacies
I ended up calling all the pharmacies: Walgreens, CVS, mom & pop shops, etc. No one had any inventory. Finally my wife suggested I start calling the grocery stores so I called Costco, Walmart, Kroger and another grocer. The last grocer I called had a completely integrated system and they were able to tell me where (which store) had the medicine in stock. As soon as the rep told me, I went over and picked up the last box of shots they had. I feel very lucky because I’d hate to disrupt my ongoing weight loss as it’s been going great so far. Unfortunately, the whole thing was very stressful and if you plan on getting on this medication, be aware that you may have ups and downs depending on availability.
Cost
The June batch of shots from the grocery store cost me $30.00 (with insurance) so the price of this medication has now been all over the place.
Personality Changes
First and foremost, Zepbound has helped me lose 17 pounds so far and that alone will induce some type of personality changes. For me, it made me healthier and more active and I ended up hurting my back by overexerting myself.
But a second noticeable ‘personality’ change are my interaction with meals. I now skip breakfast because I’m not hungry for it. Normally, I would take my lunch at 11 or 11:30 am but now I have it at 1:30 p.m. or 2 p.m. sometimes even later. The fallout from this is I am not hungry when other people are hungry so we have a mismatch of lunch time association.
A strange new behavior I have developed is cutting sandwiches into four segments. I also do it with toast as well. After eating sandwiches for 40+ years, I’ve never cut them until now and I don’t know why. I suspect it’s because my stomach wants to know that I don’t plan on eating the whole sandwiches, just small pieces of it.
Your Gut Is Key To Behavior
There is a great documentary on Netflix recently released entitled “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut” that makes a legitimate case that the microbes in your gut alter your personality and your illnesses far more than anything else.
My gut biodome has changed since I started taking Zepbound because I simply don’t eat anywhere near the amount of food I was used to eating on a day to day basis. I am eating more beans on a daily basis along with veggies. I picked up frozen foods from Forks Over Spoons that are mostly vegetables and they are great.
Doctor Recommendation
I went to visit my doctor and he was impressed with the weight loss and asked if I wanted to up the dosage but I didn’t think it was necessary. Evidently, people start to taper off on the weight loss after 3 months but I am doing fine. I did have one week where I gained one pound but that was the week I changed the day I take the shots. I am now taking the shots on a Friday. This past week I gained 2 pounds and I’m not sure what happened but I think it’s mostly water retention. I have been stressed at work and been eating a bit more but not 2 pounds worth! We’ll see how June goes and if weight loss slows, I may need to up the dose from 5 mg to 7.5 mg although the doc said that’s when nausea and vomiting might kick in so let’s hope I don’t need to go there.
Zepbound Other Editions
If you want to read more about my journey here are other related posts.
Zepbound: February Edition (start)
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