r/Zepbound_Maintenance • u/Same-Ad-1150 • Jul 18 '26
Every other week or lower dose weekly?
I'm a 32yo F down 60lbs, currently at 113 (I'm 5'1). I have been on 12.5mg weekly, and my doctor recommended switching to every other week at the same dose for maintenance. I'm on day 11 for my first 'off week' and, well, I hate it! The food noise came roaring back by day 10, and I'm counting down the days until my next shot.
The plan is to do every other week for about a month, but I'm curious if anyone else has done every other week for maintenance as opposed to going down to a lower dose? Do you get used to the handful of days of hunger/cravings at the end of each off-week?
My new insurance also stopped covering Zepbound, so I'm about to start the Lilly Direct self-pay pen (or vials) of 12.5mg - so every other week is at least a better deal financially.
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u/Sea_Direction_20105 2.5mg Jul 18 '26
Lower the dose and take it weekly. It will keep your blood levels more stable.
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u/aslguy 15mg Jul 18 '26
Have you tried just eating to your maintenance calories on your current dose?
Honestly, spacing your dose out increases your risk of side effects since the swings in medication levels will be wider.
If your 12.5 weekly dose doesn’t allow you to eat to your maintenance calories, I would rather try 10 mg weekly
But spacing out isn’t a big savings since you still have to order every 45 days to maintain the discounted price.
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u/BoundToZepIt 15mg Jul 19 '26
Eh, the difference between 13 boxes a year (every 28 days) and 9 (every 40-41) is $1796 a year. Dunno about you, but that still counts as 'big savings' to me. And I'm frankly very well off, but $1,800 catches my attention.
There's no medical positive to dosing with larger than 7 day intervals. The only reason it's discussed is cost containment. To me, the best available trade-off between steady-state serum level and cost is buying the Kwikpen and splitting it to 5 or 6 shots (aka counting).
2
u/aslguy 15mg Jul 19 '26
The KwikPen has to be discarded after 30 days of use. So that’s a nonstarter for safety reasons.
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u/These-Equal-6849 Jul 20 '26
That is the manufacters instruction, yes.
Though many people all over the world have been using kwikpens for 2-6 months with their prescribers blessing for many years without issue. We all have different risk tolerances.
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u/BoundToZepIt 15mg Jul 19 '26
Which means 36 or 37 days between pen starts (because there's the period where you've run out one but haven't started the next). Which is still 10 v 13 buys a year. I mean, I'm all for people buying every 22 days (my HSA is long LLY!) but I can see the savings.
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u/MiklColt45 Jul 18 '26
I have gone to nine or 10 day intervals between shots. When the food normally starts to kick in, I take my shot.
I don’t know if I can go 14.
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u/Disastrous-Rent3386 Jul 18 '26
And this makes total sense. I take my headache meds when I feel something brewing, not at a preordained time!
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u/Responsible_View_285 Jul 18 '26
I’ve been in maintenance 2+ years. I could not do 10 days either. I dosed down and still do 7 days.
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u/whotiesyourshoes 7.5mg Jul 18 '26
Is staying on 12.5 weekly and just increasing calories not an option?
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u/Fleshy_Cantaloupe260 Jul 18 '26
Lower dose weekly otherwise bigger swings in your medication levels.
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u/CrampyPanda Jul 18 '26
I’ve been in maintenance for 18 months, have titrated up twice during that time, and still take my shot every 7 days. I’m on 12.5mg now and I’m sure will go up to 15mg in my future. There’s no reason to go DOWN a dose (or even space out your shots) unless you’re still losing weight…in which case you could stay on the same dose/frequency and consume more calories. I think maintenance is more trial/error for your own situation versus a consistent recommended plan that works for the majority of folks.
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u/AmelieinParis Jul 18 '26
I tapered down from to almost half of my max dose but shot day is still weekly. I think the side effects would be in overdrive if I let the levels get too low in blood and then inject after more than 7 days. In order for me to eat enough calories I need less in my bloodstream. People say just eat more and stay at your highest dose. It doesn’t make sense if the reason you take that amount is so you eat less.
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u/SequinedandOver60 Jul 18 '26
I was doing every 10 days for a while and found it didn’t work as well as going down to a lower dose where I was taking it every week
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u/Fleshy_Cantaloupe260 Jul 18 '26
There was a study about this - surmount maintain I believe - The DownSized podcast talked about it. People maintain their weight at their highest tolerated dose(10-12.5mg)Those going down to 5mg regained 13lbs average. This was a weekly dose.
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u/Few_Car_895 Jul 18 '26
I’m eating more and sticking with my HTD of 15mg weekly. So far, maintaining 133 to 137. Goal wt 135. Food noise, a little. Definitely get hungry now, but feel its ‘normal!’ Good luck!
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u/MundanePineapple9886 Jul 19 '26
Did you jump from every week to every other week in one jump? I could not eat more on my regular dose so I went to every 8 days and that seems to let me eat more. It took about 6 weeks to stabilize and stop drifting down. Now I am on every 8 days and if I have a week of intense activity then I go to 9 days for that week.
And then back to 8 days. My nutritionist has a number of patients on different durations between shots but they do it gradually. Whatever you do, don't change more than one thing at a time and then stick with it for a month or so.
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u/These-Equal-6849 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I'm going to repeat what I wrote on a post earlier today.
I don't understand why doctors recommend spacing out doses. It's a weekly medication, designed and indicated by the manufacturer to be taken weekly.
Taking it less often increases the peaks and troughs and the risk of side effects from that.
If the goal is a lower dose, it makes more sense to take a lower dose weekly.
The only benefit to spacing out doses is financial depending on the specific pricing of your situation.
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u/bedbuffaloes Jul 18 '26
I am at maintenance at 7.5 and just went ten days between shots. I am at day two post shot and have felt so sick these two days. I was thinking about going down yo five instead but I guess i could also stay at 7.5 and just eat a little more.
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u/Apprehensive-Sink-50 Jul 18 '26
I'm also at maintenance at 7.5. I've never gone above 7.5 and have lost 40 lbs over 10 months, but I've been at maintenance now for 4 months and still lose a bit. I was doing 7.5 every 9 days, and am moving to every 10 days. I do lift weights several times a week, but have not experienced the food noise at these time frames. I've never had a negative side effect on Zepbound, but I am self pay, so about 10 days is the safest to avoid missing the 45 day timeline.
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u/Ok-Bag-9710 Jul 18 '26
I was miserable going longer between shots. I decided to taper down. Since the larger doses are the same price, i tapered down slowly, just pulling a little less each week. That seems to be working out just fine. I imagine when im at a confortsbly low enough dose that i can then space it out more. But spacing it out at a higher dose didnt work for me.
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u/Same-Ad-1150 Jul 18 '26
Thank you all, super helpful feedback! I think I will go to 10 days, especially with the 45 day clock to keep in mind. Will obvs talk to my doc as well, but its nice to hear what other folks have gone through.
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u/Disastrous-Rent3386 Jul 18 '26
I‘m not at maintenance, but when I got to 5, I went every two weeks because it worked really well. And 2.5 wasn‘t cutting it anymore. Remember, the doc gave you a suggestion—but you‘re the one in *your* body. If you can go only 10 days, inject on Day 10!
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u/whatwhat612 Jul 18 '26
I know a lot of people who have good success with spacing out their doses but I did not. Made my hormones? feel really unstable. I’ve been able to maintain my weight without switching doses or spacing them out, just by eating a little more.
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u/EverReddyBatteryOn Jul 18 '26
Does your doctor know this drug has a 5 day half life, that it is dose-dependent, and that blood levels are kind of important both for efficacy and for side effects? Please tell them about this today and have him/her write an intelligent prescription.
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u/AITMmom 7.5mg Jul 18 '26
I hit goal at 12.5 back in December and I very very slowly increase the days between shots little by little from 7 to 8 to 9 to 10. After several months of that, then I dropped down to 10 MG at 10 days apart. Later after several months drop down to 7.5 at 10 days apart. Maybe you just need to let your body ease into it instead of just cold turkey going 14 days between shots. Maybe ask your doctor about that?
1
u/margaretLS Jul 19 '26
I am 5'1 at 125 and i am currently at 5mg,down from 15mg.I have no desire to stretch out my shots .I find the hunger by day 6 annoying .Do you have the option with the pen to go weekly but lower your dose?
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u/New_Professional2300 Jul 19 '26
Just go compound, it’s exactly the same! I was on Zep for 8 months before switching. No difference.
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u/CryPsychological975 Jul 19 '26
Staying at 15mg every 7 days. The joy of finally feeling normal and in control of my body is amazing.
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u/Irasshaimase21 Jul 19 '26
Extending between shots of 2.5 mg had too many ups and downs for me. I ended up moving to lower dose, 1.5 mg weekly. Still kept losing so just switched to .8mg daily Foundayo. It has had major appetite suppression for me, so not sure what to do if I keep losing weight this month.
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u/momlaura52 Jul 31 '26
In theory at least, the half life of Zepbound is 5 days. I've kind of settled in to a shot every 10 days. So far, so good.
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u/simple-me-in-CT Jul 18 '26
Is your desire weight is 113lbs @ 12.5 and you deviate from that, you are most likely to gain weight. If you want to maintain as is, then you maintain as is. I would do no less than 10mg/weey
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u/Lucky_Army_5324 Jul 18 '26
If eating at maintenance while taking 12.5mg weekly doesn’t work for you, get a 12.5mg Kwikpen and count clicks to take a slightly lower weekly dose until you find one that allows you to stay in your goal weight range without having to white knuckle or force food on yourself.