What the first few weeks are like

You are starting on a low dose that is not expected to do much. That is deliberate, and it is worth understanding, because the first few weeks can otherwise feel like nothing is happening.

These medications are started low and increased slowly for one reason: the side effects are dose-related and the body adapts to them with time. Starting at a dose that works would mean starting at a dose most people could not tolerate.

Appetite changes are often the first thing people notice — meals finishing sooner than they used to, or food simply being less interesting. Weight change tends to lag behind that by a few weeks.

• Nausea is the most common side effect, and it is most likely in the days after a dose increase.
• It usually settles as you stay at a dose, which is why the schedule holds you at each step rather than moving every week.
• Weight loss is not linear. Flat weeks inside a downward trend are normal and are not a sign the medication has stopped working.

Message your care team if a side effect is getting worse rather than better, if it lasts more than a week, or if you are struggling to keep fluids down. Those are the ones where there is something to do, and doing it early is easier than doing it late.

You do not need to wait for a scheduled check-in. The care team reads messages every day.

• GLP-1 receptor agonist labelling, Dosage and Administration: escalation schedules exist to reduce gastrointestinal adverse reactions, which are dose- and titration-related.

• What the first few weeks are like
• How your care actually works here