February 5, 2025 • 24 mins
Are these the miracle drugs we've all been waiting for? In this episode, we dive into the buzz around semaglutide and tirzepatide—two groundbreaking medications shaking up the weight loss and diabetes management world. Learn how they work, who they’re for, and why celebrities and experts can’t stop talking about them. Whether you're curious about the science, the hype, or the potential side effects, this episode has all the juicy details you need to know. Don’t miss it!
During the Q&A we answer the following question
- Is it safe to use pre-loaded syringes?
If you have any burning questions you would like answered on the podcast, send them to customer-service@steelcity-trt.com, and they might get answered on the Q&A
Check out the smart link below to see what services are offered at Steel City HRT and Weight Loss, as well as discounts, blogs, and links to other social media content.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Probably is fine. I mean, I just like to go on a tangent on that one, but for the most
(00:10):
part I'd say 90% it's probably safe, 10% it might kill you. I'm just kidding.
Welcome to the Hormones Happen podcast, a podcast designed for individuals like you
(00:34):
who are curious about the amazing benefits of hormone replacement therapy. I'm your
host Jeremiah and I'm a nurse practitioner who specializes in HRT. I've seen firsthand
the debilitating effects of hormone deficiency and have personally experienced the benefits
of optimization. My goal is to arm you with information regarding the good, the bad, and
(00:55):
even taboo aspects of HRT while answering your burning questions. Please join me for
today's episode of the Hormones Happen podcast.
(01:19):
Welcome back guys to Hormones Happen. Today we're going to be talking about the very popular
hot topic of GLP-1 agonists, semaglutide and terzepidide. And you're probably thinking,
well, this is a hormone podcast. Why are we talking about these weight loss medications?
Well guys, surprise surprise, these are indeed peptide hormones and they come in a variety
(01:45):
of forms. So semaglutide, also known as brand names Mongero, Ozempic, Rebellis, and Wigovie
is a GLP-1 agonist and it has FDA approval for diabetes, weight loss, and most recently
reducing the risk of major cardiac events. Now terzepidide, also known as ZepBound and
(02:11):
Mongero is a GLP-1 with a GIP agonist and this one has FDA approval for diabetes, weight
loss, and obstructive sleep apnea. Now, before we go much further talking about semaglutide
and terzepidide, I think it's important that we have a little bit of a foundation as far
(02:32):
as what these medications do within the body. So starting with GLP-1, this stands for glucagon
like peptide 1 and is a peptide hormone, like I said earlier, that's produced by the L
cells in the small intestine, the colon, and in some areas of the brain. Now GLP-1, it
(02:53):
does several important metabolic functions inside the body, which includes increasing
insulin production, reducing glucagon release, slowing gastric emptying, reducing appetite,
and promoting satiety or the sensation of fullness. Now some non weight loss related
benefits include improvement in heart failure symptoms and reduced risks of heart attack,
(03:19):
stroke, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, acute pancreatitis, and alcohol use disorder
symptoms. Now once again, most of these are all related to the reduction in insulin resistance
and helping prevent metabolic disease. But as you can see, GLP-1 as a hormone does a
(03:40):
significant benefit to the human body. Now GIP, like what's in terzepidide, is known
as gastric inhibitory polypeptide or glucose dependent insinuotropic polypeptide and is
secreted from the K cells in the duodenum, upper jejunum, and throughout the small intestine.
(04:02):
It's also colloquially known as the obese hormone because higher levels are seen in
clinically obese individuals. GIP has been shown to act on adipose tissue and plays an
important role in lipid metabolism in addition to enhancing fatty acid synthesis, lipoprotein
lipase activity, incorporation of free fatty acids into triglycerides, and decreased gastric
(04:27):
acid secretion, which all contributes to body weight regulation. Now it also helps support
energy storage and overall improved metabolic health. Now GIP has also been shown to have
bone protective properties, primarily inhibiting bone reabsorption, which is essentially the
breakdown of bone tissue, while promoting a small increase in bone tissue formation.
(04:50):
GLP-1 and GIP are combined in terzepidide, which is a very effective medication for weight
loss and overall health, but there are some differences between GLP-1 and GIP. For example,
GLP-1 actively suppresses glucagon secretion, whereas GIP can actually sometimes increase
(05:12):
it. And GLP-1 is considered a primary regulator of appetite suppression, whereas GIP has a
lesser role and effect in appetite suppression. But GIP does have an increased fat burning
effect specifically on brown adipose tissue by influencing the central nervous system,
(05:32):
whereas GLP-1 doesn't. Now that we've gone through the mumbo jumbo scientific stuff regarding
these medications, let's talk about some of the more relevant clinical things about it.
So let's start with how is this given. So one thing we need to realize is these medications
were developed, tested, and researched in clinically obese individuals who had type
(05:55):
2 diabetes. Remember, these are ultimately medications used for diabetes, founded to
significant wonders with weight loss, and now we use them a lot for weight loss. But
the dosing is still the same. The FDA hasn't changed the dosing protocols between diabetes
and weight loss. So typically with both of these medications, you will take it once a
(06:19):
week and you will increase it every month. So for the first month, you'll be at a low
dose. The second month, you'll increase, increase, increase, and there are maximum doses on this.
Now does that work for everyone? No. In fact, I hardly see it work for anyone. And the issue
with this type of dosing protocol is with someone who is metabolically healthy or doesn't
(06:45):
necessarily have insulin resistance. I guess the question is, what is our GLP one level?
What is our GAP level? Is it low? Is it high? Is it normal? Are we just augmenting it? It's
really difficult to say. You know, there may be a way to test it. I have never seen anyone
test for it. But the issue comes about when you start developing what are called side
(07:09):
effects, right? I don't like that term because it's just an effect. You have positive effects,
which is weight loss. You have negative effects, which would be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
even all the way you've heard people probably say gastric paralysis, thyroid cancers, pancreatitis,
right? These are all some fear mongering type issues that we'll talk about a little bit
(07:33):
later. But for the most part, what we're really trying to do is find a dosage and a dosing
frequency that's going to get you the results of what I like to call quieting food noise.
Those temptations for unhealthy foods decreases. You're feeling good, but you're not nauseous.
You're able to function throughout the day. You're still eating. You're still drinking
(07:58):
water. You're still going to the gym. You have plenty of energy. You're sleeping great.
So really with the traditional once a week injections increasing every month, I've had
a lot of patients come to me with absolutely traumatic stories of the nausea and the vomiting
diarrhea. And you know, unfortunately, it's very common that you'll go to a clinic and
(08:23):
they'll say, well, we're going to go ahead and give you an anti-medic like Zofran just
because you can't expect to have some nausea or get some over the counter Tylenol. You
can expect to have headaches. You know, the reality is why would I take a medication that's
going to make me feel like crap? I'm paying good money for this medication to make me
(08:44):
feel better. And some people are just more sensitive to it. And that's, that's a fact.
And sometimes I've seen this firsthand. Some individuals just don't tolerate semiglutide
and they do fine with trisepatide. It's really hard to say everyone's different. Everyone's
metabolism is different, their body chemistry, but I don't agree with we throw everyone into
(09:05):
the cookie cut dosing protocol of once a week, increasing the dosage every month. What I
like to do is I like to go ahead and do what's called micro dosing. And what this is, is
this is basically taking this medication more frequently at smaller dosages. Now with semiglutide,
for instance, it has a half life of seven days. And so what that means is a half life
(09:30):
of a medication is the amount of time it takes for half the medication to get out of your
system. Trisepatide is roughly five days. So if you're taking this once a week before
your next injection, half the medications out of your system. And oftentimes if someone
takes it on a Monday, they have more cravings for unsavory foods over the weekend as the
(09:53):
medication starts to wear off. By doing injections twice a week, we're now overlapping the half
lives of the medication and we're getting a better, more stable effect. But realize
these are lower dosages, okay? Because at the end of the day, you know, I don't know,
and we don't know what can happen when you go above these maximum dosages. Probably nothing,
(10:17):
to be completely honest with you. But once again, it's unknown, I wouldn't advocate
for someone to do that. But for a majority of my patients, I have them on very, very
low doses twice a week. They've been there for very long periods of time, myself included,
and they do phenomenal. It augments your life. It augments your healthy lifestyle. Now that
(10:39):
takes me into the next segment of what do we need to do outside of just using the medication?
And the most important thing that we can do is identifying areas of our life that have
led us to this point. At what point did we decide I am unhappy with my current physique,
my current weight, my current situation? It didn't happen overnight. This has been a slow
(11:02):
progressive thing. So we need to identify those, whether it be I'm not active throughout
the day, I'm eating everything that comes from a can, a box or a bag, artificial preservatives
in the foods, we need to identify these. And this is a good time to start changing it.
Because when you're on this medication, you're going to have much better self control. You're
(11:26):
just not going to have that food noise, that voice in the back of your head that says,
I'm craving some sugar, I'm craving some fat. And it's great. It's a huge help. But at the
end of the day, we also need to say, well, what can I substitute that for? Because I
still need to eat a minimum amount of calories. And I also need to do weight bearing activities.
(11:50):
This is absolutely paramount. A misconception a lot of people will say is, well, semi-glutite
and terseptide cause you to lose your muscle, your muscle mass. And they're not wrong. But
the medication isn't what's causing it. It's the sudden decrease in weight from a calorie
restriction. If you did this without the medication, and you just stopped eating, or you drastically
(12:14):
reduced your amount of calories for a prolonged period of time, and you're losing a significant
amount of weight, there will be muscle loss. Now, the issue is that when we use this medication,
it cuts down the food noise, we still don't work out, we're not doing weight bearing activity,
we're not consuming protein, we're losing fat, we're losing muscle, we're ultimately
(12:37):
losing weight. But then for some reason, whether it be financial, personal choice, we stop
the medication. And now that food noise starts creeping up again. But we don't know how to
make these smart, or I don't want to call it smart, I want to say alternative food selections.
We're not going to the gym while we gain weight back. But now we have less muscle mass to
(13:02):
support our frame. And we've created a very unstable, a very metabolically unstable environment.
And this happens more than you would think. So it's really important to hone in on what
can I adapt to what can I change in my lifestyle to help promote this long term without this
(13:24):
medication. Now, you know, you probably could be on these medications for the rest of your
life. I of course, we don't have data to support that claim. But I've been on it for a very
long period of time. And I know people that have been on it for years, and they're doing
fantastic. But once again, this is still the Wild West and things change. Now, a lot of
people will come to me and say, I have concerns regarding thyroid cancer, or I'm afraid that
(13:49):
my intestines are going to become paralyzed. And so really, what these come from is, as
far as the thyroid cancer, when they had done studies in rats, there were rats that developed
a medullary thyroid cancer, but rats just notoriously get these weird cancers. It's
hard to say why. Can we really extrapolate that information from the studies in animals
(14:12):
and say this is going to happen to humans? I don't think so. And I don't know anyone
that has developed a thyroid cancer from the medication. I do know that there are some
people who say that if you have a family history of thyroid cancer, you shouldn't be on these
medications. But I guess the argument to that is, we already secrete this guys, this is
(14:33):
a hormone your body is making, as I'm talking to you. So if it really had such a negative
effect on us, we probably would have noticed it. But it's hard to say. Now, as far as the
gastroparesis, right, this is a condition that we oftentimes see in diabetics, the intestines
will stop doing what's called peristalsis, where they move basically material through
(14:58):
the through the body, they kind of have this rhythmic motion. And when it stops, we call
this, well, diabetic gastroparesis, but gastroparesis is just when that movement stops, things kind
of get backed up and it can cause bowel obstructions and a lot of other horrible issues. But once
again, I have never actually seen someone develop this issue. Now, could it theoretically
(15:21):
happen? Sure. Is it probably related to dosage? I'm sure it plays a role. And it probably
also plays a role in the population that we're doing this in. Now you have to realize a lot
of these negative outcomes were seen in studies testing the medication on metabolically unstable
diabetics. So of course, we're going to have negative effects from the underlying pathology
(15:48):
that we're treating. But it's really easy to blame it on the medication. So once again,
these are all, you know, calculated risks, things that you need to talk to your provider
with. But I have really come to realize that these medications are incredibly safe. The
safety profile on these medications is amazing. It's so beneficial for helping to reduce insulin
(16:10):
resistance and metabolic disease. And especially with the micro dosing lower doses, I find
it as a win win. What really blows my mind with semi glutine trisipatide is the amount
of people that refer to them as cheating. People will say these medications are cheating.
(16:30):
You're not putting in the hard work, you're not putting in the effort, you're taking a
shot to do all the hard work. And I find it comical because at the end of the day, how
can we be cheating at life? If there's a medication that's going to help us be healthier, to help
reduce insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, why would we shame someone for wanting to
(16:53):
take that? I do believe, like I had said just recently, that it's important that you build
the foundations underneath it. But if I if there was a pill, and someone said this pill
takes away all your problems in life, I would take it in a heartbeat, I would not care what
other people think. As far as the cheating aspect goes, I don't agree with that whatsoever
(17:16):
to each their own. I think that if this is going to help you make a better positive choice
on your life, to be able to live a longer life, a healthier life, spend time with your
family, your children, be a better husband, wife, son, daughter, whatever it may be, if
it's going to augment you personally, optimize you, it doesn't matter what other people think.
(17:40):
So if someone has told you that these medications are cheating, and that's a reason why you've
been hesitant to ever explore them, I would say screw them. I would say screw them. Do
what is best for you. Because at the end of the day, no one cares about you more than
you. All right, so to finish off this segment, I just want to talk a little bit about some
(18:02):
of the results that I've seen in patients and I've seen in myself with these medications.
So I've got several patients on both semiglutide and terzepatide. And I can say with full confidence
that with the microdosing protocol, I have not seen any of the adverse effects that they
have had in the past. I've had lots of patients come to me who had been on traditional dosing,
(18:27):
and they had gone to the near top end of the maximum doses that we know of. And they were
miserable. They were losing weight, but they were always throwing up. They were missing
work. They were having to reschedule appointments because the just insane nausea and vomiting,
constipation, diarrhea, headaches. And the reality is, you know, can we really be surprised
(18:51):
when we're jumping dosage so high, you're essentially doubling it every month to get
to the maximum dosage. I wouldn't advocate that for hormone replacement therapy for like
testosterone, estradiol, progesterone. I definitely wouldn't advocate it for hormone replacement
therapy with, you know, GLP ones or GIPs. When I get these patients that have been essentially
(19:13):
traumatized from it in the past on these microdosing protocols, they feel great. They're surprised.
They're surprised that such a low dose is alleviating that food noise that they still
had at higher doses. It really does a huge benefit by basically overlapping those half
lives. I've had patients lose anywhere from five pounds to 30 pounds. Now realize a lot
(19:40):
of these patients are already metabolically healthy and at a fairly lean weight. I don't
believe you should have to be morbidly obese to me on these medications. I'm not morbidly
obese and I've been on them for about six, seven months. I've been on both semiglutite
and terzepatide. I'm still hitting the gym as hard as I can because I'm trying to build
muscle. I feel like I'm losing body fat, but I'm still gaining weight. I'm still building
(20:03):
muscle and a lot of that's also with the testosterone as well. But, you know, regardless, I think
this is a medication that anyone can use. I think it is so beneficial because at the
end of the day, we're really combating things we have no control over. Like I said, the
environment that we're in is so inflammatory that we're really just trying to get back
(20:24):
to a decent baseline here. But at the end of the day, like I said, I've seen great results
from both medications, semiglutite and terzepatide. I can tell you firsthand from being on both
of them that I do feel a, I guess I would call it a fat burning effect on the terzepatide.
I have seen more body composition changes on the terzepatide as I have the semiglutite.
(20:48):
Not to say that I won't try the semiglutite again, but I have noticed the terzepatide
for me personally has been more effective. We interrupt this program to bring you an
important announcement.
Look guys, the harsh reality is that aging naturally is no longer possible. We're bombarded
(21:09):
with endocrine disruptors every day without even knowing it. Seeking treatment usually
leads to the prescription of unnecessary medications and unwanted reassurance that what we're experiencing
is normal, but it's not. At SteelCity HRT and Weight Loss, we not only ask questions,
but listen to answers and believe that treatment cannot be a cookie cutter protocol. If you're
(21:35):
curious about the amazing benefits of hormone replacement therapy or have been turned away
by our traditional Western medical society, don't hesitate to call 719-669-4223 now to
schedule labs and discuss treatment options.
(21:59):
Alright guys, welcome back to the Q&A. I try to keep these podcasts under 20 minutes, so
I'm going to actually just do one question because we're running out of time. So this
question comes from someone in Kansas actually, and she asks, is it safe to be taking medication
(22:22):
from preloaded syringes? I love this question because to be honest with you, I get on a
huge tangent about this. The answer is probably, but the more realistic answer and the one
that just kind of screams in the back of my head is hell no. There's many reasons why
I say it's not safe. Well, one, unless you actually see them drop the medication, do
(22:47):
you know what you're actually getting? And I'm not necessarily saying there's going to
be melintent or you're going to be getting a harmful medication, but if you're paying
good money for a medication, you want to be damn sure you're getting that medication.
But two, we have to realize that in that little syringe, there's a rubber stopper at the bottom.
And I've seen this firsthand with some testosterone that I had drawn up and had out for a couple
(23:11):
weeks. The medication changes color. The color of the medication in the syringe has changed
in about, I think it was two weeks in contact with that rubber stopper. So that lets me
know that rubber stopper is probably absorbing into the medication. Now, granted, you know,
semiglutide and terzepatide, I haven't done that with those medications, but I can only
(23:35):
imagine that, you know, microdosing ourself with rubber is probably not a great idea. So I just say,
no, I say err on the side of caution. If you're going to pay for a medication, get all the
medication, get the whole vial, get the needles, draw it up yourself and inject it. That way
you have no doubts in your mind. You're getting what you paid for and it's safe, but it probably
(23:58):
is fine. I mean, I just like to go on a tangent on that one, but for the most part, I'd say
90%, it's probably safe. 10% it might kill you. I'm just kidding.
I want to thank everyone for listening to today's episode of the Hormones Happen podcast
and hope that you were able to find some value in the information that was provided today.
(24:21):
If you have any questions that you would like to have discussed on the podcast, please send
them to the email listed below or message us on the StillCity HRT and Weight Loss Facebook
page. Remember, you are not alone in the war on hormones. Stay optimized.
Probably is fine. I mean, I just like to go on a tangent on that one, but for the most
(00:10):
part I'd say 90% it's probably safe, 10% it might kill you. I'm just kidding.
Welcome to the Hormones Happen podcast, a podcast designed for individuals like you
(00:34):
who are curious about the amazing benefits of hormone replacement therapy. I'm your
host Jeremiah and I'm a nurse practitioner who specializes in HRT. I've seen firsthand
the debilitating effects of hormone deficiency and have personally experienced the benefits
of optimization. My goal is to arm you with information regarding the good, the bad, and
(00:55):
even taboo aspects of HRT while answering your burning questions. Please join me for
today's episode of the Hormones Happen podcast.
(01:19):
Welcome back guys to Hormones Happen. Today we're going to be talking about the very popular
hot topic of GLP-1 agonists, semaglutide and terzepidide. And you're probably thinking,
well, this is a hormone podcast. Why are we talking about these weight loss medications?
Well guys, surprise surprise, these are indeed peptide hormones and they come in a variety
(01:45):
of forms. So semaglutide, also known as brand names Mongero, Ozempic, Rebellis, and Wigovie
is a GLP-1 agonist and it has FDA approval for diabetes, weight loss, and most recently
reducing the risk of major cardiac events. Now terzepidide, also known as ZepBound and
(02:11):
Mongero is a GLP-1 with a GIP agonist and this one has FDA approval for diabetes, weight
loss, and obstructive sleep apnea. Now, before we go much further talking about semaglutide
and terzepidide, I think it's important that we have a little bit of a foundation as far
(02:32):
as what these medications do within the body. So starting with GLP-1, this stands for glucagon
like peptide 1 and is a peptide hormone, like I said earlier, that's produced by the L
cells in the small intestine, the colon, and in some areas of the brain. Now GLP-1, it
(02:53):
does several important metabolic functions inside the body, which includes increasing
insulin production, reducing glucagon release, slowing gastric emptying, reducing appetite,
and promoting satiety or the sensation of fullness. Now some non weight loss related
benefits include improvement in heart failure symptoms and reduced risks of heart attack,
(03:19):
stroke, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, acute pancreatitis, and alcohol use disorder
symptoms. Now once again, most of these are all related to the reduction in insulin resistance
and helping prevent metabolic disease. But as you can see, GLP-1 as a hormone does a
(03:40):
significant benefit to the human body. Now GIP, like what's in terzepidide, is known
as gastric inhibitory polypeptide or glucose dependent insinuotropic polypeptide and is
secreted from the K cells in the duodenum, upper jejunum, and throughout the small intestine.
(04:02):
It's also colloquially known as the obese hormone because higher levels are seen in
clinically obese individuals. GIP has been shown to act on adipose tissue and plays an
important role in lipid metabolism in addition to enhancing fatty acid synthesis, lipoprotein
lipase activity, incorporation of free fatty acids into triglycerides, and decreased gastric
(04:27):
acid secretion, which all contributes to body weight regulation. Now it also helps support
energy storage and overall improved metabolic health. Now GIP has also been shown to have
bone protective properties, primarily inhibiting bone reabsorption, which is essentially the
breakdown of bone tissue, while promoting a small increase in bone tissue formation.
(04:50):
GLP-1 and GIP are combined in terzepidide, which is a very effective medication for weight
loss and overall health, but there are some differences between GLP-1 and GIP. For example,
GLP-1 actively suppresses glucagon secretion, whereas GIP can actually sometimes increase
(05:12):
it. And GLP-1 is considered a primary regulator of appetite suppression, whereas GIP has a
lesser role and effect in appetite suppression. But GIP does have an increased fat burning
effect specifically on brown adipose tissue by influencing the central nervous system,
(05:32):
whereas GLP-1 doesn't. Now that we've gone through the mumbo jumbo scientific stuff regarding
these medications, let's talk about some of the more relevant clinical things about it.
So let's start with how is this given. So one thing we need to realize is these medications
were developed, tested, and researched in clinically obese individuals who had type
(05:55):
2 diabetes. Remember, these are ultimately medications used for diabetes, founded to
significant wonders with weight loss, and now we use them a lot for weight loss. But
the dosing is still the same. The FDA hasn't changed the dosing protocols between diabetes
and weight loss. So typically with both of these medications, you will take it once a
(06:19):
week and you will increase it every month. So for the first month, you'll be at a low
dose. The second month, you'll increase, increase, increase, and there are maximum doses on this.
Now does that work for everyone? No. In fact, I hardly see it work for anyone. And the issue
with this type of dosing protocol is with someone who is metabolically healthy or doesn't
(06:45):
necessarily have insulin resistance. I guess the question is, what is our GLP one level?
What is our GAP level? Is it low? Is it high? Is it normal? Are we just augmenting it? It's
really difficult to say. You know, there may be a way to test it. I have never seen anyone
test for it. But the issue comes about when you start developing what are called side
(07:09):
effects, right? I don't like that term because it's just an effect. You have positive effects,
which is weight loss. You have negative effects, which would be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
even all the way you've heard people probably say gastric paralysis, thyroid cancers, pancreatitis,
right? These are all some fear mongering type issues that we'll talk about a little bit
(07:33):
later. But for the most part, what we're really trying to do is find a dosage and a dosing
frequency that's going to get you the results of what I like to call quieting food noise.
Those temptations for unhealthy foods decreases. You're feeling good, but you're not nauseous.
You're able to function throughout the day. You're still eating. You're still drinking
(07:58):
water. You're still going to the gym. You have plenty of energy. You're sleeping great.
So really with the traditional once a week injections increasing every month, I've had
a lot of patients come to me with absolutely traumatic stories of the nausea and the vomiting
diarrhea. And you know, unfortunately, it's very common that you'll go to a clinic and
(08:23):
they'll say, well, we're going to go ahead and give you an anti-medic like Zofran just
because you can't expect to have some nausea or get some over the counter Tylenol. You
can expect to have headaches. You know, the reality is why would I take a medication that's
going to make me feel like crap? I'm paying good money for this medication to make me
(08:44):
feel better. And some people are just more sensitive to it. And that's, that's a fact.
And sometimes I've seen this firsthand. Some individuals just don't tolerate semiglutide
and they do fine with trisepatide. It's really hard to say everyone's different. Everyone's
metabolism is different, their body chemistry, but I don't agree with we throw everyone into
(09:05):
the cookie cut dosing protocol of once a week, increasing the dosage every month. What I
like to do is I like to go ahead and do what's called micro dosing. And what this is, is
this is basically taking this medication more frequently at smaller dosages. Now with semiglutide,
for instance, it has a half life of seven days. And so what that means is a half life
(09:30):
of a medication is the amount of time it takes for half the medication to get out of your
system. Trisepatide is roughly five days. So if you're taking this once a week before
your next injection, half the medications out of your system. And oftentimes if someone
takes it on a Monday, they have more cravings for unsavory foods over the weekend as the
(09:53):
medication starts to wear off. By doing injections twice a week, we're now overlapping the half
lives of the medication and we're getting a better, more stable effect. But realize
these are lower dosages, okay? Because at the end of the day, you know, I don't know,
and we don't know what can happen when you go above these maximum dosages. Probably nothing,
(10:17):
to be completely honest with you. But once again, it's unknown, I wouldn't advocate
for someone to do that. But for a majority of my patients, I have them on very, very
low doses twice a week. They've been there for very long periods of time, myself included,
and they do phenomenal. It augments your life. It augments your healthy lifestyle. Now that
(10:39):
takes me into the next segment of what do we need to do outside of just using the medication?
And the most important thing that we can do is identifying areas of our life that have
led us to this point. At what point did we decide I am unhappy with my current physique,
my current weight, my current situation? It didn't happen overnight. This has been a slow
(11:02):
progressive thing. So we need to identify those, whether it be I'm not active throughout
the day, I'm eating everything that comes from a can, a box or a bag, artificial preservatives
in the foods, we need to identify these. And this is a good time to start changing it.
Because when you're on this medication, you're going to have much better self control. You're
(11:26):
just not going to have that food noise, that voice in the back of your head that says,
I'm craving some sugar, I'm craving some fat. And it's great. It's a huge help. But at the
end of the day, we also need to say, well, what can I substitute that for? Because I
still need to eat a minimum amount of calories. And I also need to do weight bearing activities.
(11:50):
This is absolutely paramount. A misconception a lot of people will say is, well, semi-glutite
and terseptide cause you to lose your muscle, your muscle mass. And they're not wrong. But
the medication isn't what's causing it. It's the sudden decrease in weight from a calorie
restriction. If you did this without the medication, and you just stopped eating, or you drastically
(12:14):
reduced your amount of calories for a prolonged period of time, and you're losing a significant
amount of weight, there will be muscle loss. Now, the issue is that when we use this medication,
it cuts down the food noise, we still don't work out, we're not doing weight bearing activity,
we're not consuming protein, we're losing fat, we're losing muscle, we're ultimately
(12:37):
losing weight. But then for some reason, whether it be financial, personal choice, we stop
the medication. And now that food noise starts creeping up again. But we don't know how to
make these smart, or I don't want to call it smart, I want to say alternative food selections.
We're not going to the gym while we gain weight back. But now we have less muscle mass to
(13:02):
support our frame. And we've created a very unstable, a very metabolically unstable environment.
And this happens more than you would think. So it's really important to hone in on what
can I adapt to what can I change in my lifestyle to help promote this long term without this
(13:24):
medication. Now, you know, you probably could be on these medications for the rest of your
life. I of course, we don't have data to support that claim. But I've been on it for a very
long period of time. And I know people that have been on it for years, and they're doing
fantastic. But once again, this is still the Wild West and things change. Now, a lot of
people will come to me and say, I have concerns regarding thyroid cancer, or I'm afraid that
(13:49):
my intestines are going to become paralyzed. And so really, what these come from is, as
far as the thyroid cancer, when they had done studies in rats, there were rats that developed
a medullary thyroid cancer, but rats just notoriously get these weird cancers. It's
hard to say why. Can we really extrapolate that information from the studies in animals
(14:12):
and say this is going to happen to humans? I don't think so. And I don't know anyone
that has developed a thyroid cancer from the medication. I do know that there are some
people who say that if you have a family history of thyroid cancer, you shouldn't be on these
medications. But I guess the argument to that is, we already secrete this guys, this is
(14:33):
a hormone your body is making, as I'm talking to you. So if it really had such a negative
effect on us, we probably would have noticed it. But it's hard to say. Now, as far as the
gastroparesis, right, this is a condition that we oftentimes see in diabetics, the intestines
will stop doing what's called peristalsis, where they move basically material through
(14:58):
the through the body, they kind of have this rhythmic motion. And when it stops, we call
this, well, diabetic gastroparesis, but gastroparesis is just when that movement stops, things kind
of get backed up and it can cause bowel obstructions and a lot of other horrible issues. But once
again, I have never actually seen someone develop this issue. Now, could it theoretically
(15:21):
happen? Sure. Is it probably related to dosage? I'm sure it plays a role. And it probably
also plays a role in the population that we're doing this in. Now you have to realize a lot
of these negative outcomes were seen in studies testing the medication on metabolically unstable
diabetics. So of course, we're going to have negative effects from the underlying pathology
(15:48):
that we're treating. But it's really easy to blame it on the medication. So once again,
these are all, you know, calculated risks, things that you need to talk to your provider
with. But I have really come to realize that these medications are incredibly safe. The
safety profile on these medications is amazing. It's so beneficial for helping to reduce insulin
(16:10):
resistance and metabolic disease. And especially with the micro dosing lower doses, I find
it as a win win. What really blows my mind with semi glutine trisipatide is the amount
of people that refer to them as cheating. People will say these medications are cheating.
(16:30):
You're not putting in the hard work, you're not putting in the effort, you're taking a
shot to do all the hard work. And I find it comical because at the end of the day, how
can we be cheating at life? If there's a medication that's going to help us be healthier, to help
reduce insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, why would we shame someone for wanting to
(16:53):
take that? I do believe, like I had said just recently, that it's important that you build
the foundations underneath it. But if I if there was a pill, and someone said this pill
takes away all your problems in life, I would take it in a heartbeat, I would not care what
other people think. As far as the cheating aspect goes, I don't agree with that whatsoever
(17:16):
to each their own. I think that if this is going to help you make a better positive choice
on your life, to be able to live a longer life, a healthier life, spend time with your
family, your children, be a better husband, wife, son, daughter, whatever it may be, if
it's going to augment you personally, optimize you, it doesn't matter what other people think.
(17:40):
So if someone has told you that these medications are cheating, and that's a reason why you've
been hesitant to ever explore them, I would say screw them. I would say screw them. Do
what is best for you. Because at the end of the day, no one cares about you more than
you. All right, so to finish off this segment, I just want to talk a little bit about some
(18:02):
of the results that I've seen in patients and I've seen in myself with these medications.
So I've got several patients on both semiglutide and terzepatide. And I can say with full confidence
that with the microdosing protocol, I have not seen any of the adverse effects that they
have had in the past. I've had lots of patients come to me who had been on traditional dosing,
(18:27):
and they had gone to the near top end of the maximum doses that we know of. And they were
miserable. They were losing weight, but they were always throwing up. They were missing
work. They were having to reschedule appointments because the just insane nausea and vomiting,
constipation, diarrhea, headaches. And the reality is, you know, can we really be surprised
(18:51):
when we're jumping dosage so high, you're essentially doubling it every month to get
to the maximum dosage. I wouldn't advocate that for hormone replacement therapy for like
testosterone, estradiol, progesterone. I definitely wouldn't advocate it for hormone replacement
therapy with, you know, GLP ones or GIPs. When I get these patients that have been essentially
(19:13):
traumatized from it in the past on these microdosing protocols, they feel great. They're surprised.
They're surprised that such a low dose is alleviating that food noise that they still
had at higher doses. It really does a huge benefit by basically overlapping those half
lives. I've had patients lose anywhere from five pounds to 30 pounds. Now realize a lot
(19:40):
of these patients are already metabolically healthy and at a fairly lean weight. I don't
believe you should have to be morbidly obese to me on these medications. I'm not morbidly
obese and I've been on them for about six, seven months. I've been on both semiglutite
and terzepatide. I'm still hitting the gym as hard as I can because I'm trying to build
muscle. I feel like I'm losing body fat, but I'm still gaining weight. I'm still building
(20:03):
muscle and a lot of that's also with the testosterone as well. But, you know, regardless, I think
this is a medication that anyone can use. I think it is so beneficial because at the
end of the day, we're really combating things we have no control over. Like I said, the
environment that we're in is so inflammatory that we're really just trying to get back
(20:24):
to a decent baseline here. But at the end of the day, like I said, I've seen great results
from both medications, semiglutite and terzepatide. I can tell you firsthand from being on both
of them that I do feel a, I guess I would call it a fat burning effect on the terzepatide.
I have seen more body composition changes on the terzepatide as I have the semiglutite.
(20:48):
Not to say that I won't try the semiglutite again, but I have noticed the terzepatide
for me personally has been more effective. We interrupt this program to bring you an
important announcement.
Look guys, the harsh reality is that aging naturally is no longer possible. We're bombarded
(21:09):
with endocrine disruptors every day without even knowing it. Seeking treatment usually
leads to the prescription of unnecessary medications and unwanted reassurance that what we're experiencing
is normal, but it's not. At SteelCity HRT and Weight Loss, we not only ask questions,
but listen to answers and believe that treatment cannot be a cookie cutter protocol. If you're
(21:35):
curious about the amazing benefits of hormone replacement therapy or have been turned away
by our traditional Western medical society, don't hesitate to call 719-669-4223 now to
schedule labs and discuss treatment options.
(21:59):
Alright guys, welcome back to the Q&A. I try to keep these podcasts under 20 minutes, so
I'm going to actually just do one question because we're running out of time. So this
question comes from someone in Kansas actually, and she asks, is it safe to be taking medication
(22:22):
from preloaded syringes? I love this question because to be honest with you, I get on a
huge tangent about this. The answer is probably, but the more realistic answer and the one
that just kind of screams in the back of my head is hell no. There's many reasons why
I say it's not safe. Well, one, unless you actually see them drop the medication, do
(22:47):
you know what you're actually getting? And I'm not necessarily saying there's going to
be melintent or you're going to be getting a harmful medication, but if you're paying
good money for a medication, you want to be damn sure you're getting that medication.
But two, we have to realize that in that little syringe, there's a rubber stopper at the bottom.
And I've seen this firsthand with some testosterone that I had drawn up and had out for a couple
(23:11):
weeks. The medication changes color. The color of the medication in the syringe has changed
in about, I think it was two weeks in contact with that rubber stopper. So that lets me
know that rubber stopper is probably absorbing into the medication. Now, granted, you know,
semiglutide and terzepatide, I haven't done that with those medications, but I can only
(23:35):
imagine that, you know, microdosing ourself with rubber is probably not a great idea. So I just say,
no, I say err on the side of caution. If you're going to pay for a medication, get all the
medication, get the whole vial, get the needles, draw it up yourself and inject it. That way
you have no doubts in your mind. You're getting what you paid for and it's safe, but it probably
(23:58):
is fine. I mean, I just like to go on a tangent on that one, but for the most part, I'd say
90%, it's probably safe. 10% it might kill you. I'm just kidding.
I want to thank everyone for listening to today's episode of the Hormones Happen podcast
and hope that you were able to find some value in the information that was provided today.
(24:21):
If you have any questions that you would like to have discussed on the podcast, please send
them to the email listed below or message us on the StillCity HRT and Weight Loss Facebook
page. Remember, you are not alone in the war on hormones. Stay optimized.
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