GLP-1

Nobody likes feeling or being sick, but unfortunately, new medicines can sometimes cause nausea and vomiting. However, there are various things that you can do to try and reduce the sensation of feeling nauseous:

1. Ginger: Many people use ginger tea, cordials, or even ginger beer to make their sickness disappear. You should be able to get these in most supermarkets.

2. Portion Control: If you find that you feel sick on the medication after eating, then you may in fact be eating too much. One of the best things you can do in this situation is to eat smaller meals and eat only as frequently as the medication allows.

3. Avoid long periods of fasting: This can result in rebound hunger. This should make sure that your stomach is never too full, but also that you shouldn’t feel hungry between meals. Try eating 3-5 small meals spread out throughout your day.

4. Are you a caffeine lover? Try avoiding too much coffee, energy drinks, and even chocolate!

5. Earlier Meals: You should also make sure not to eat too close to bedtime. Remember your food is siting in your stomach for a long period of time, so breakfast is most likely still there- if you overfill and eat a heavy dinner this could cause your stomach to be upset.

6. Avoid being active after eating a meal: Try to let yourself digest your food before doing anything strenuous, as this can also contribute to nausea and an upset stomach.

7. Over the counter medications: If you find that no home remedies help with your sickness, there are various medications available over the counter, such as Pepto Bismol or Buccastem.

If you feel you need further treatment, your prescriber will make sure that you receive something that’s safe for you to take. It is important to try and stay hydrated while experiencing vomiting. Gatorlyte (the Gatorade version of Pedialyte) can help you replenish some of the nutrients you may have lost while vomiting. Or just simply doubling your water intake if you can manage more fluid.

Acid reflux and heartburn are often felt in the chest, or the back of the throat, and can feel like a burning sensation. Although these conditions are different, the terms are often used interchangeably because they share similar symptoms and can often be treated in the same way. While on GLP-1's, the initial slow-down of your gastric system when you're first using the medication causes this more common side effect. Here are some home remedies to try:

1. Apple Cider Vinegar: QUICK RELIEF! 1-2 tablespoons of liquid apple cider vinegar mixed with ¼ cup of water. This helps to decrease the acidity of your stomach contents. There are also the gummy versions which may be easier to ingest.

2. Eat a ripe banana.

3. Chew sugar-free gum.

4. Keep a Food Journal: avoid trigger foods: spicy, fried, fatty foods. Also avoid caffeine and chocolate!

5. Resist the urge to overeat or eat quickly: Eating smaller portions or grazing throughout the day instead of having set mealtimes. This will help to reduce the amount of food in your stomach, so it doesn’t have to produce as much acid to digest it.

6. Avoid late meals, snacking before bed and eating before exercising.

7. Adjust your sleep position: A lot of people who suffer from it regularly find that their symptoms are often worse at night when lying down. This is because your stomach acid is more likely to flow into the esophagus than if you’re upright. One way of relieving heartburn is to sleep in a reclined position rather than lying down flat. This helps to keep any excess acid as far into your stomach as possible and should hopefully reduce any irritation in your chest or throat.

8. Epsom salt or lavender bath.

If you still find that you struggle with heartburn, you may also take over the counter medications. Zantac 360 is a long-acting, H2 blocker, for prevention of heartburn. It is best to take medication 2-3 days prior to injection so it can fully coat the stomach. For breakthrough heartburn, Tums and Pepto Bismol (fast acting relief) have also been proven to help.

Constipation can often cause pain and discomfort in your abdomen. Because GLP-1's slows down the digestive process, it means that food stays in your gut for longer, so your body absorbs more water from your stool. This can mean that it becomes hard, dry, and difficult to pass, causing constipation. There are a range of things you can do to help constipation such as:

1. Probiotics and Digestive Enzymes: We have these supplements available for you and it is important to be faithful in taking them daily.

2. Eating more insoluble fiber: Can be found in almost all fruit and vegetables.

3. Increase your water intake: It will help make your stools softer and easier to pass.

4. Movement: Exercise helps encourage the movement of contents through your GI tract.

5. Laxatives: Senna, Docusate Sodium, or any over the counter medication from the convenience store.

6. Caffeine: As long as this is not a trigger for other indigestion for you- this can help get you moving again.

7. Husk Powder: This can be found in drug stores or on Amazon and is very helpful when taken regularly.

If none of these methods work contact us for a more aggressive solution.

We have started to notice that some patients are experiencing diarrhea on the day of injection, which we understand can be inconvenient. There are also some things to try at home:

1. Over-the-counter anti-diarrheal: Imodium, to help decrease the symptoms.

2. Bland or Binding Foods: Bananas, White Rice, Toast, Oats to name a few.

It is important to try and stay hydrated while experiencing diarrhea. Gatorlyte (the Gatorade version of Pedialyte) can help you replenish some of the nutrients you may have lost while having loose bowel movements. Or just simply doubling your water intake.

It is not uncommon when starting a new medication that you find your sleep habits have changed. You may find yourself feeling more fatigued, or even having a difficult time falling asleep at night.

Some of the symptoms of fatigue can be overcome by simply engaging yourself in regular physical activity. It is easy to make excuses to avoid physical activity as you develop fatigue, but it is critical to restart your parasympathetic nervous system.

If you find yourself fatigued or run-down, try the following:

1. Exercise: Engaging in physical activity can reset your parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" one) which may be in overdrive.

2. Hydration: Increase water intake and avoid drinking carbonated beverages and fizzy drinks.

3. Eat a Snack: Fatigue can also develop because of calorie deficit. Try to consume a small high calorie snack.

4. Vitamin D Deficiency: Try adding an additional supplement to your daily intake. Spending time outdoors is also a great provider of natural Vitamin D, the sun.

If you find yourself having a hard time falling or staying asleep these could help:

1. Melatonin: Try taking an over-the-counter sleep aid.

2. Avoid Caffeine and alcohol: Decrease your coffee, energy drinks, alcohol, and chocolate intake.

3. Bedtime Routine: Keeping the same routine at bedtime tells our bodies it's time for bed. Things like turning off your screens (no TV or Phones at bedtime), reading a book, taking a relaxing bath, using Lavender, etc. are all things that will help your body prepare for a restful night.

4. Using white noise or a fan: This can help with any outside distractions that may be waking you up.

We all experience stress in life, but it is important to manage it with healthy habits. Stress releases cortisol in our bodies which in return can block weight loss. It is also important to take time for yourself and decrease stress in your life. Step aside and do something you enjoy and find relaxing. If you are experiencing any plateaus or minimal weight loss period, it's time to take a look at your hormones and the stress in your life. Any big life change (a move, divorce, having a child, menopause, etc) can be a major weight loss blocker. Even little changes can make a huge impact. These are things outside of our control, so we need you to take a good look at what's going on, so we can help you to manage your way through a plateau.