Should I be worried about my heart rate going up?

amsterdam_pete said:

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most: Baseline hsCRP: 6.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk) Month 6 hsCRP:…

Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. The "earlier than weight loss explains" argument is weaker than this thread makes it sound. Blood pressure and inflammatory markers move fast and are downstream of early weight loss, so the mechanism is not as cleanly separable as the summaries imply.

nick_newbie said:

Prescribed on cardiovascular grounds rather than for weight, and almost everything written for patients assumes the opposite.

Metabolic syndrome resolution on cardiovascular risk: I went from meeting 4 of 5 diagnostic criteria to meeting ZERO after 12 months of treatment.

The 5 criteria (and my journey):

1. Waist circumference: 51" → 37" ✅ Resolved
2. Triglycerides: 235 → 115 ✅ Resolved
3. HDL: 35 → 57 ✅ Resolved
4. Blood pressure: 145/97 → 118/72 ✅ Resolved
5. Fasting glucose: 115 → 87 ✅ Resolved

Metabolic syndrome reversal is, in my view, the most medically significant outcome of GLP-1 therapy.

HPLC_Greg said:

The "earlier than weight loss explains" argument is weaker than this thread makes it sound.

NNT calculation for cardiovascular risk clinical endpoints: NNT = 1/ARR (absolute risk reduction).

From SELECT trial: MACE at 39 months — 6.5% semaglutide vs 8.0% placebo. ARR = 1.5%. NNT = 67 over 3.3 years.

Compare to established therapies:

These NNTs are clinically meaningful and comparable to accepted cardiovascular interventions.

A narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:

Did your prescriber agree with that reading, and if not what was their objection?

SarahChen_PharmD said:

NNT calculation for cardiovascular risk clinical endpoints: NNT = 1/ARR (absolute risk reduction).

I'm 48 years old and want to share my perspective on cardiovascular risk as an older member of this community.

My doctor was initially hesitant because of my age, but the SELECT trial included patients up to 72 and showed consistent benefit across age groups. We started at the lowest dose with closer monitoring.

10 months later: down 57 lbs, off metoprolol, A1C from 7.4% to 5.4%. My cardiologist is thrilled. cardiovascular risk is absolutely relevant for older adults — don't let anyone tell you otherwise.