Gardening on GLP-1 — my results so far

sarah_TO said:

Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background…

Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights. Since starting GLP-1 therapy, I have zero interest in alcohol. Haven't had a drink in 10 months.

The "food noise" reduction seems to extend to other reward-seeking behaviors, including alcohol. My liver enzymes have improved, my sleep is better, and I've saved roughly $184/month on alcohol. Triple win.

Following on from anna.melb_AU — and this may be the naive question:

How long did you give it before you decided it was working?

Dr.PathRoch said:

Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights.

Rebound hunger after missed dose of food noise: I missed my injection by 3 days due to a shipping delay and the hunger came ROARING back. Like a switch flipped. It was eye-opening to feel the difference.

This experience actually reinforced my understanding of what the medication does — it's not just "suppressing appetite," it's normalizing dysregulated hunger signaling. When the drug wears off, you feel the full force of what it was managing.

Dr.PathRoch said:

Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights.

Dr.PathRoch said:

...regarding food noise mechanism of action...

To build on this — the mechanism is more complex than "it makes you less hungry." GLP-1 agonists:

1. Activate hypothalamic satiety centers (appetite reduction)
2. Delay gastric emptying (prolonged fullness)
3. Potentiate glucose-dependent insulin secretion
4. Suppress glucagon secretion
5. Modulate reward pathway dopaminergic signaling
6. Reduce hepatic lipogenesis
7. Have direct cardiovascular protective effects

It's a multi-target drug with systemic metabolic effects. Understanding the mechanism helps us predict and manage side effects.

rachel_ABQ said:

Rebound hunger after missed dose of food noise: I missed my injection by 3 days due to a shipping delay and the hunger came ROARING back.

The GLP-1 and alcohol use disorder connection, relevant to food noise: observational data from Scandinavian registries shows reduced alcohol-related hospitalizations in GLP-1 agonist users[1].

The mechanism is plausible: GLP-1R is expressed in the mesolimbic reward pathway (VTA, nucleus accumbens). Agonism at these receptors may reduce the reinforcing properties of alcohol, similar to the reduction in "food noise."

RCTs for GLP-1 agonists in AUD are now underway. If positive, this would be a paradigm-shifting repurposing of existing medications.