NurseKim_ATL said:

PedsEndoPhilly said: ...mental health should only be used alongside therapy...

Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed. Rapid weight loss, a large deficit and disrupted sleep produce low mood on their own, and separating that from a drug effect is genuinely hard.

PedsEndoPhilly said:

The weight came off and the harder part started, which is not what any of the material I read had prepared me for.

Positive side effects of mental health that surprised me:

1. Clearer skin — inflammation reduction improved my rosacea
2. Better sleep — weight loss resolved mild sleep apnea
3. Improved libido — better body image + improved cardiovascular health
4. Less joint pain — obvious mechanical benefit
5. More energy — metabolic improvements across the board

Not everything about GLP-1 therapy is a struggle. There are genuinely wonderful changes too. ✨

JessicaH_TX said:

I would be careful about how confidently the flatness reports get attributed.

Anxiety increase on mental health: counterintuitive, but losing weight rapidly triggered anxiety for me. Change — even positive change — is stressful. I was anxious about whether I deserved to feel good.

This is more common than people admit. A therapist who specializes in weight management has been invaluable. Don't neglect the mental health side of this journey.

Following on from SleepFixSam — and this may be the naive question:

What would you measure differently if you were starting again?

OP back with an update, since a thread like this is useless without one.

Update: I got the sleep and the intake sorted before deciding it was the drug, and most of the flatness went with them. Not all of it, and I am watching the rest.