Using Oral Wegovy for Alcohol use disorder - anyone else doing this?
I've started taking oral Wegovy to see if it could help with my alcohol consumption. I don't qualify based on weight, but I've never had a problem eating (or drinking... ha) enough calories so I figured I could just consciously monitor my calories to make sure I'm getting enough with the hope that the pill could reduce my alcohol cravings.
I've tried so many things to reduce my drinking in the past - both medical and behavioral. I've come to terms with the fact that this will be a lifelong challenge for me. It's like there's something wrong with my brain chemistry - I can't have just one drink, I crave alcohol, and it's my main coping mechanism in life.
I tried to get my doctor to prescribe me a GLP1 based on what I heard from others about how it impacted their drinking. For instance, my mom (who throughout my whole life has been a fairly heavy drinker) started a GLP1 to lose weight and basically stopped drinking without even realizing it. I realized I was incredibly resentful and jealous of her experience - I am fighting tooth and nail every day to not drink. Sometimes I want a drink so badly that I just cry. I'm not full-blown alcoholic but I know I am going down that path, and I don't want to be a daily drinker. And she just started taking a drug and suddenly she made not drinking look so easy.
Anyways - my doctor refused to prescribe it to me. They aren't approved to treat alcohol use disorder. I think he was worried about anorexia or something- but I swear I don't care. If this drug made me gain weight but would stop my drinking, I would take it. I just want to be healthy and to not have to fight this battle every day for the rest of my life.
So me being desperate, I went to Hims/Hers to get the prescription. I intended to just see if it would help at all. I started on the 1.5mg and didn't notice anything. I just started the 4mg this week (took my fourth pill today) and I'm started to feel "effects" for the first time. I can't tell if its psychosomatic or not though so I am interested in the experience that other people are having.
I think I feel fuller but I am still eating a fair bit. My alcohol cravings have maybe decreased but I still want to drink. I managed to avoid drinking Friday night, but I had 3 drinks Saturday and felt like absolute shit when i got home that night. TMI but I had terrible diarrhea, which sometimes happens when I drink too much. Then I tried to not drink Sunday, but had a craving and had one glass of wine. I didn't drink more than that though, which might have been because I already felt so full.
However, the weirdest side effect I am having is that I am SUPER tired. I have a little nausea but mostly I just want to sleep all the time. It's not because I'm eating too few calories (I am tracking to make sure) but it is odd that I am so exhausted just since starting the 4mg pills. I sleep 9 hours a night but at like 10am I feel like I could nap.
Sorry this post is a little all over the place but I guess I am just looking to see if anyone else is having a similar experience to me. I feel like I am going it alone (I mean, I am) and I don't really know what I'm doing.