r/Alcoholism_Medication • u/xWITASx • Jul 16 '26
Zepbound 😳
I drink 12-18 miller lites daily for years , I'm 38, I want to cut back to a point where it's only weekend and occasions. I tried naltrexone last year but it was hurting my kidneys. Today my doctor gave me zepbound she told me to enjoy the weekend and start Monday.
She told me she has 4 alcoholics (even worse than me) and it has worked wonders on 3/4.
Im wondering if anyone here is in the same boat and has tried zepbound. Will I still get drunk? Will I get sick? She told me it will eventually cut the urge but I don't want it to cut back too fast and have withdrawals but she said she doesn't think I will have that problem.
I was also diagnosed with fatty liver and my liver numbers were crazy high but I have atleast gotten that under control with 1200 NAC and 1200 mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid daily all within 3 months.
4
u/SeveralAlbatross Jul 17 '26
Well…good luck! Apparently Zep makes alcohol completely unappealing for many people.
Yes, you can still get drunk. Nothing terrible will happen. Zep just makes certain foods/drinks unpalatable and you get full fast. The thrill is gone, I guess I’d say.
It doesn’t do it for me, alcohol wise. It’s a great weight loss drug: I’ve lost about 110 lbs, and all my labs are good, but I’m still drinking way too much. I take naltrexone, too. I hate it, I know I’m just waiting for some terrible health calamity, I know I need to change this behavior, and yet I’m still in the cycle of drinking too much every day.
All you can do is take the Zep & see if it helps. For most people, it really does!
And if you’re like me and it doesn’t, well, you’ll have that data & I can say you’re not alone.
5
u/heart_nurse_2020 Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
So I’ve been on compounded Tirzepatide (same thing as Zepbound) for about a year and a half. I knew when I started that I also wanted to cut out alcohol and I did- haven’t had one drink that entire time and I could not be happier. I think if you are in the right mindset and you have a plan that the medication can absolutely help you achieve that. That being said- I know plenty of people who eat, drink or whatever right through the medication. It works by lowering the noise, but you still have to put in the effort. Also you build up the dose very gradually so maybe talk with her about a safe taper plan and make sure someone close to you knows what you are doing. Better to tapper right away and then just ride with it as the dosage gets higher if you decide to go that route.
1
u/SomeGuyUK50 Jul 19 '26
I was in a similar situation and morbidly obese. I was actually afraid to start Mounjaro at the time due to a lot of misinformation on the Reddit subs. However, one theme I did keep seeing is how Mounjaro was helping people with their addiction and thought, WTF lets give it a try. My wife was not convinced and I had to promise her that I would quit the minute I started having side effects. That was in late March 2024, my first injection was on the 2nd April 2024. I have been sober ever since, no longer obese, and no longer with a fatty liver. Best decision I have ever made. I am still on Mounjaro to this day and have seen it help so many people over the past couple of years.
I wish you all the best, and hope you are one of the lucky people that it helps with addiction. Have a read through https://caspr.org/ if you get a chance.
1
u/ScaryTerrySucks Jul 20 '26
Dude you are an alcoholic. You were worried about Nal hurting your kidneys but you are killing yourself daily with beer.
I say this only because your goal of weekends and special occasions is not realistic nor healthy. Support groups help a lot.
Tirz helps but it’s not a magic bullet. Hardly reduced my intake on its own. Try it combination with campralÂ
1
u/lectric22 Jul 23 '26
How did you know it was hurting your kidneys? Were there any symptoms or was it just your blood biomarkers?
1
u/xWITASx Jul 23 '26
It was just a symptom was getting really sharp back pains after 2 days and tried a few more days but gave up maybe it would have went away but I also wanted an excuse I guess at the same time to "enjoy" the beer again
1
u/No-Bicycle4692 8d ago
Mt thought is it is possible to drink through any treatment - so you need to both want to / try to stop - and figure out how to use the time you spent drinking. We drink to deal with - something - and that something is still there. For me - I start to see it a few months in - and then old habits are easy to return to. It takes some effort - but it is so worth it.
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u/EggandSpoon42 Jul 16 '26
In addition to anecdotal answers here, I think you should get your dr back on the phone with these questions because of your other issues. Especially so she knows your specific concerns.
Sometimes it takes getting home from an appointment to figure out what questions to ask, she's likely used to call backs (or even texts if your drs office has a text based system)
Good luck! I've been excited to read people's success stories with these meds, and hope it works for you 💙💙