Safe Microdosing of GLP-1s

The powerful medications known as GLP-1s have transformed treatment options for conditions ranging from diabetes to obesity, but their side effects can be challenging. What if there was a way to harness their benefits while minimizing the discomfort? That's where the concept of microdosing comes in.

Many patients struggle with the conventional approach to GLP-1 medications, which typically involves steadily increasing doses. For those in maintenance phases or experiencing difficult side effects, microdosing offers a thoughtful alternative. Using fractional dosages—whether it's 2.5mg over four weeks, 0.8-1mg weekly, or other personalized protocols—this "low and slow" strategy helps patients continue treatment without suffering through debilitating nausea, constipation, headaches, or fatigue.

The science behind this approach is fascinating. When doses are too high, your body may actually shut down its own natural GLP-1 production. By scaling back to lower doses, you might reactivate your body's natural pathways, where your brain signals stomach L-cells to release GLP-1 naturally. This biological reset explains why some patients paradoxically experience better results with smaller amounts of medication.

Safety remains paramount with any medication strategy. Microdosing must be done under proper medical supervision with regular bloodwork and consistent monitoring. Not everyone qualifies as a candidate, making personalized assessment essential. When implemented correctly, this approach offers hope for those who need GLP-1 benefits but struggle with conventional protocols. If you've been challenged by GLP-1 side effects or are entering a maintenance phase, ask your healthcare provider whether a microdosing strategy might work for you.

Chapters

• 0:51 GLP-1 Microdosing Overview
• 2:17 Common Dosing Strategies
• 3:58 Benefits and Side Effect Management
• 6:05 The "Low and Slow" Approach
• 6:41 Closing Thoughts and Recommendations

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:27

Hi, how are you? So we're discussing the use safely of maintenance or microdosing on GLP-1s, whether it's a natural booster for yourself or you're going to be taking it because you've already run your maintenance dose or a healthcare provider has decided that might be a smaller dose for you because of other health issues you may have, or that it's beneficial because a small dose is actually effective to reduce your side effects but still have some gain in the medication. And the reason this has to be done safely and under supervision is because you don't want to one underdose or overdose or take something that isn't needed for you if you're not a right candidate. So most clients, patients that do this are usually on maintenance that I have seen or have had some other anti-inflammatory or arthritic issues. So it does have major effects for that, um, it's so, first off, we're talking about GLP ones where, which are glucagon, like peptides, and they are, you know, for initially were for type two diabetes, but now on the markets for obesity, um, for some sleep apnea I think there's now rheumatoid arthritis has been put in there and cardiac assistance. So you know there's a lot of great uses for this medication if it's done properly. But the you know they're high, costs also a lot of side effects. So main reasons to microdose is more so for side effects and for maintenance. And to do that you can dose limit it by what patients may need. Majority of the time it's lower dose, at a 2.5 over a four week period, or they're really at like a 0.8 or one milligram per week instead of a 2.5. Or if they're a little bit more, needing a little bit more than they're, around one milligram to 1.5 milligrams per week. Or they take a five milligram dose every four to five weeks. That's kind of how it's usually done, but everyone is different so it's so personalized. Some patients need a little bit more, some patients need a little bit less and it's also, you know, avoiding the side effects. And it has to be done, you know, with under supervision, so that it's done smartly, because the conventional way is just going and titrating up and what you find is sometimes some patients really do to as we'll discuss further their GI, due to their gut health, due to their genetics, due to other parts, that they may not tolerate these dosages high and they may need smaller amounts. So that's kind of where that comes with microdosing.

Speaker 1: 3:27

Microdosing is is an alternative strategy. It allows fractional dosage. It's not even though it's, since, unconventional, it's still medication. So everything has to be, you know, low and slow. I'm big on that low and slow. So when you do things oops, oh, shoot, I'm sorry. When you do things low and slow, you know you get that kind of outcomes and and it's safer. So I find if you're safer with it, you're doing the right things. Um, so it kind of reduces those adverse effects. It reduces those side effects.

Speaker 1: 4:02

Usually the most common are constipation, nausea, headaches, fatigue. Um, sometimes I'll, you know, have somebody use B12 as an additional use for B12 lozenges for the fatigue. You know a lot of hydration and you know I put in a lot of other parts of this, of what you can do to alleviate the side effects. But you know this is an option that is, you know, helpful for individuals and they're still getting great benefits from the GLP-1 medications. You know it's available for them and they're still needing it. And obviously this has to be done under quality supervision and if it's done properly, I think it can be done, you know, very safely and effectively.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Now, not everybody qualifies in this area.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Not everybody is a good candidate for microdosing, so it really requires an understanding of that person's blood work and them being followed up and a good understanding of how they're doing the kidneys or CBC, cnp, and where you know where they are lying consistently and if they are being consistent so and just doing everything safely. So transitioning to that micro dosing will help those individuals you know improve like a therapeutic response, because sometimes too, I have seen what happens is is you go up higher in dosage and sometimes the patients actually don't get a therapeutic response and they are actually like less, like trick the system and start pulling back the amount. The body starts to reproduce the GLP-1 on its own and it kind of kickstarts that again. So, since it is like we had stated that it's a GLP-1 comes from the actively, from the brain then to signal to the stomach to L cells to be released. That's where you're. You know you're trying to trigger it back on. So the body's kind of doing its job and sometimes when you put it too high, it like turns off the faucet and then it just your body just doesn't realize it can do it on its own. So that's part of the other reason why I'm big on going low and slow and I think it's quite effective If you have any questions, obviously reach out to me.

Speaker 1: 6:17

This is just a short overview of that and why patients have been going to that as an option and keeping it tolerable and keeping it adequate and obviously very safe. Hope you have a good rest of your day and I'll talk with you soon. And, of course, reach out to your healthcare provider for questions or concerns and have a great day. Make sure it's a mindful one.