GLP-1 TV · Patient story · views checked Oct 2026
I Moved Up to 5mg on Tirzepatide… I Wasn’t Ready for THIS 😳 (Week 5 Update)
Patient story
Our summary
In this week 5 update, Heather says she has moved up to 5 mg of compounded tirzepatide, which she gets from LEMD. She explains that this is her third time on a GLP-1, after name brand Zepbound and then compounded semaglutide. She says people start on lower loading doses such as 2.5 mg and move up month by month, and that she had no negative side effects on 2.5 mg and used that month to rebuild habits like focusing on protein and eating smaller portions.
One person's experience, in their words. Not medical advice.
Where semaglutide costs least today
The three cheapest partner programs for semaglutide, all in per month, checked weekly.
What else the video covers
After one week on 5 mg, she says she notices strong appetite suppression and low interest in food, to the point that she has to force herself to eat. She reports going from 180.0 at the start of this round last month to 175.6 the day before filming, and describes herself as a slow loser at about 1 lb a week, or 1 and a half if lucky. She says one downside was eating a larger meal than intended, which left her bloated and uncomfortably full until bedtime. She also says her face feels less puffy, which she links in part to daily manual lymphatic drainage.
Heather offers tips for anyone moving up to 5 mg: avoid heavy meals right before or after the shot, drink more fluids and consider electrolytes, plan light meals around injection day, and allow a slow day afterward if possible. She adds that not feeling any difference is also normal. She talks about the value of a good provider, says LEMD labels each month's bottle with the number of units to inject and includes supplies, and points to another video of hers on three things to check before changing a dose: ongoing weight loss, no food noise, and no side effects.
Our summary of what is said, in our words. Doses, results and prices are the speaker’s, not advice.
Takeaways
The main points, in the order they come up. Tap a time to play from there.
- 0:00 Heather says this is her first week at 5 mg of compounded tirzepatide from LEMD, her third time on a GLP-1 after Zepbound and compounded semaglutide.
- 1:01 She says the 5 mg dose brought strong appetite suppression and low interest in food, and she has been forcing herself to eat.
- 1:33 She reports a weight of 180.0 at the start of this round and 175.6 the day before filming, and says she loses about 1 lb a week.
- 2:05 She describes eating a larger meal than intended and feeling bloated and uncomfortably full until bedtime.
- 3:06 She shares tips for moving up to 5 mg, including avoiding heavy meals around the shot, hydrating, and planning a slow day after injecting.
- 4:39 She says to consider three things before changing dose: whether you are still losing weight, have food noise, or have side effects.
Key moments
From the creator's own chapters. Tap one to play from there.
What the video says
As stated in the video, not checked by us. Doses and results are the speaker’s, not advice.
- Medication
- tirzepatide
- Doses mentioned
- 5 mg
- Point in the journey
- Week 5
- Who is speaking
- Patient
Questions this video answers
What does 5 mg of tirzepatide feel like compared to 2.5 mg?
Heather says 2.5 mg caused no negative side effects for her, while 5 mg brought strong appetite suppression and low interest in food. She says she had to force herself to eat during her first week at the higher dose.
How much weight did she lose in about a month on compounded tirzepatide?
Heather says she went from 180.0 at the start of this round last month to 175.6 the day before filming. She describes herself as a slow loser at about 1 lb a week, or 1 and a half if she is lucky.
What tips does she give for moving up to 5 mg of tirzepatide?
She suggests not eating a heavy meal right before or after the shot, drinking more fluids than you think you need, and adding electrolytes if needed. She also recommends light meals around injection day and a slow day afterward if possible.
What three things does she say to check before changing a GLP-1 dose?
Heather says to pay attention to whether you are still losing weight, whether you have food noise, and whether you have side effects. She says she covers this in more depth at the end of another video.
Videos on the same question
The closest videos in the library by what is said in them, not by title.
GLP-1 Update - 7.5MG IS MY MAGIC DOSE!!! WEIGHTLOSS JOURNEY; ZEPBOUND/TIRZEPATIDEKeisha, who runs the channel Keeping Up with Keisha, gives an update on moving up to 7.5 mg of tirzepatide (Zepbound).
GLP-1 Weight Loss: Getting the Dose Right for YouThe creator, who says she is not a doctor, describes how she adjusted her dose of compounded tirzepatide while losing weight.
Week 1 on Compounded Tirzepatide: Side Effects, Appetite & Real ResultsIn this week 1 update, Heather says she started compounded tirzepatide at 180 lb and weighed 179.2 lb on the morning she recorded the video.
3 Months on Tirzepatide: My Honest Results, Side Effects & Biggest Surprises!In this video, Appalonia of The Appolonia Project reviews her first three months on tirzepatide, combined with diet and exercise.
GLP-1s: Safe Dosing, Nutrition & Impact on Longevity | Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D.In this clip from a Peter Attia MD video featuring Rhonda Patrick, Ph.D., the physician describes how his practice now approaches tirzepatide.
GLP-1 Newbies: Tips You Need to KnowIn this video, Megan, who runs the channel small things daily, shares nine tips she says she wishes she had known before starting a GLP-1 medication.
About Heather's Health Journey
Patient story, 9.4K subscribers. 8 of their videos are in GLP-1 TV, 290K views between them, mostly on Compounded tirzepatide.
- How I Prep the Day Before My GLP-1 Shot to Avoid Side Effects (Nausea, Fatigue, GI Issues)
- Compounded Tirzepatide Injection Routine in 2026 | GLP-1 Prep, Timing & Tips
- Week 1 on Compounded Tirzepatide: Side Effects, Appetite & Real Results
Read next
Our guides closest to what this video covers, with prices checked weekly.
- The best GLP-1 for weight loss, ranked by the evidence and then by the bill
By weight lost, the order is settled: tirzepatide (Zepbound) first at 20.2% in the only head-to-head, then semaglutide 7.2 mg (Wegovy HD) at 18.7%, then semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) at 13.7% to 15.6%, then the pills. By what you pay, the order nearly inverts: compounded semaglutide from $69 a month, the Wegovy tablet from $149, Wegovy pen $349, Zepbound $299 to $699 by dose. The best one is where those two lists meet for your budget and your plan.
- Stopping a GLP-1: what the withdrawal trials found, and what a maintenance dose actually is
Two trials have measured what happens when you stop. On semaglutide, people who lost 17.3% over 68 weeks regained two-thirds of it in the year after stopping, ending 5.6% below where they started. On tirzepatide, people who lost 20.9% in 36 weeks regained 14% over the next year on placebo while those who continued lost a further 5.5%. Both labels are explicit that these drugs are for maintaining weight reduction long term, which is a different claim from finishing a course. A maintenance dose is simply the dose you stay on; the labels do not define a lower one to step down to at goal.
- Zepbound dosage chart: every tirzepatide dose, the escalation rule, what each rung lost in the trial, and what it costs
Zepbound has six doses, 2.5 to 15 mg, taken once a week. The label's rule is four weeks at 2.5 mg, then 2.5 mg steps with at least four weeks on each, to a maintenance dose of 5, 10 or 15 mg. In SURMOUNT-1 those three doses lost 15.0, 19.5 and 20.9 percent of body weight over 72 weeks. Direct from Lilly each rung has a price, $299 at 2.5 mg rising to $699 at 10 mg and above, so the chart below carries the dose, the rule, the trial result and the bill in one place, plus the vial and KwikPen concentrations for anyone measuring in units.
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