Anyone on Reta experience panic attacks?

[cjdilan]

My first 4 weeks were completely fine. Then during the last 2–2.5 weeks I’ve had two panic-attack–type episodes within a few days after my injection — racing heart, sudden anxiety, heavy “WTF is happening” feeling. The last one hit hard enough that I went to the VA and they had to give me Ativan plus IV fluids before I finally calmed down.

For context: I’ve only had panic attacks like that twice in my entire life before, and both times there were clear outside stressors. This time there wasn’t anything obvious triggering it. I already know how to manage electrolytes and blood sugar and tried that immediately — it didn’t change anything. Bloodwork came back solid and even the staff were surprised.

For those further along on Reta:

• Did ANY panic symptoms show up later instead of at the start?

• If so, did they happen 1–3 days post-shot?

• Did anything actually help besides lowering dose or waiting it out?

Not asking for medical advice — just comparing real experiences.

I proofed this with AI so the wording is clear.

 

[Peptidedudez]

Reta can raise your Heart rate and in some people can exhibit palpitations hence the "panic " symptoms

 

[FilterOrDeath]

What dosage are you on when the panic attacks started happening? I haven't experienced that on reta but I have had them in the distant past. Some things that caused panic attacks in the past for me are; lack of sleep, high caffeine intake, and otc meds like sudafed etc. I realize this might not be any help but I'm throwing it out there just in case.

 

[DjJoshua]

Your panic-like episodes (racing heart, sudden anxiety 1–3 days post-injection) are reported by some on retatrutide, often starting or worsening after the first 4–6 weeks as the drug builds up. Glucagon effect can raise heart rate, triggering anxiety spirals in sensitive people.Common fixes from users:

Lower dose (most effective)

Beta-blockers/clonidine (prescribed, for heart racing)

Breathing/grounding techniques to break the cycle

Avoid caffeine/stimulants

Time injections earlier in day

Many say it improves with tolerance (peaks ~week 24) or by switching.

If you were to switch to tirzepatide, most who switched from Reta report panic/palpitations improved or disappeared . Tirz causes less heart rate increase ( no glucagon component ), and sides are generally milder for CV/anxiety issues while still delivering strong weight loss.

Good luck my friend,

 

[lessthanhalf]

Retatrutide causes the most sympathetic nervous system activation of the commonly used GLP drugs so is more likely to cause this than tirzepatide. 1-3 days post dose corresponds to peak blood levels which is when side effects usually peak. Probably better to go down in dose or swap it to tirzepatide and go very slowly on upping doses. It is good idea to get treatment for panic attacks if they continue as it can train you into being agorophobic surprisingly quickly.

 

[Peptidesearch]

Hypoglycemia can cause those symptoms as well.

----

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) caused by GLP-1 medications can trigger symptoms that mimic or induce panic attacks, such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, and intense anxiety, due to a "fight-or-flight" adrenaline release. While GLP-1s generally do not cause panic attacks directly, rapid blood sugar changes or anxiety over side effects can trigger them.

 

[cjdilan]

What dosage are you on when the panic attacks started happening? I haven't experienced that on reta but I have had them in the distant past. Some things that caused panic attacks in the past for me are; lack of sleep, high caffeine intake, and otc meds like sudafed etc. I realize this might not be any help but I'm throwing it out there just in case.

5mg

 

[DjJoshua]

Hypoglycemia can cause those symptoms as well.

----

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) caused by GLP-1 medications can trigger symptoms that mimic or induce panic attacks, such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, and intense anxiety, due to a "fight-or-flight" adrenaline release. While GLP-1s generally do not cause panic attacks directly, rapid blood sugar changes or anxiety over side effects can trigger them.

Very good point..

 

[PunkN]

Hypoglycemia can cause those symptoms as well.

----

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) caused by GLP-1 medications can trigger symptoms that mimic or induce panic attacks, such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, and intense anxiety, due to a "fight-or-flight" adrenaline release. While GLP-1s generally do not cause panic attacks directly, rapid blood sugar changes or anxiety over side effects can trigger them.

Sound information. I have read that Reta can cause pretty significant dehydration. That can also add to the palpitations and anxiety feelings. I drink an Ultima electrolyte packet in my water daily.

Also Tirz is definitely something to look at if you are worried about further panic attacks.

 

[beefsteak]

Yapping ahead - Surprised there’s a recent thread on this.

Last night my heart rate went up to 189 out of nowhere. I was lying on my bed doomscrolling then suddenly felt a little anxious. Something didn’t feel right so I checked my Apple Watch and noticed my resting heart rate was at 100 doing absolutely nothing. (My rhr while on Reta is 70-85, 65 sleeping)

I remembered breathing techniques can lower the heart rate back to the baseline so I took a few deep breathes but it felt like I was suffocating. Then within the next 10 minutes it climbed to 110, 120, 140, 150, and then 189. My left hand started feeling numb and I felt dizzy. There was also a sense of impending doom, the classic symptoms of a heart attack.

Went to the er where the hr remained a steady 120 throughout the night. Doctors did a bunch of blood work and imaging but couldn’t find anything. I did not tell them I was taking experimental Chinese msg. Discharged and slept on it but it’s still currently around 100bpm resting.

For context this was SSA r30 purple top. Currently at 9.5mg. Titrated 0.5mg every 4 weeks only if I felt the suppression was weakening. Was previously taking 7mg tirz. Been 1.5 years since I started my glp1 journey so it’s been half tirz/reta.

After this incident I’m going back to tirz for a peace of mind. Ultimately Reta felt a little weak to me and the weight wasn’t coming off like it did on Tirz. If this was a panic attack it’s definitely the first one I’ve experienced in my adult life. Funny thing is I’m an emergency incident commander and even during emergencies my heart rate only goes up to 140 max. I was emotionally calm for the most part and it was my body that was screaming something was extremely wrong.

 

[cjdilan]

Yapping ahead - Surprised there’s a recent thread on this.

Last night my heart rate went up to 189 out of nowhere. I was lying on my bed doomscrolling then suddenly felt a little anxious. Something didn’t feel right so I checked my Apple Watch and noticed my resting heart rate was at 100 doing absolutely nothing. (My rhr while on Reta is 70-85, 65 sleeping)

I remembered breathing techniques can lower the heart rate back to the baseline so I took a few deep breathes but it felt like I was suffocating. Then within the next 10 minutes it climbed to 110, 120, 140, 150, and then 189. My left hand started feeling numb and I felt dizzy. There was also a sense of impending doom, the classic symptoms of a heart attack.

Went to the er where the hr remained a steady 120 throughout the night. Doctors did a bunch of blood work and imaging but couldn’t find anything. I did not tell them I was taking experimental Chinese msg. Discharged and slept on it but it’s still currently around 100bpm resting.

For context this was SSA r30 purple top. Currently at 9.5mg. Titrated 0.5mg every 4 weeks only if I felt the suppression was weakening. Was previously taking 7mg tirz. Been 1.5 years since I started my glp1 journey so it’s been half tirz/reta.

After this incident I’m going back to tirz for a peace of mind. Ultimately Reta felt a little weak to me and the weight wasn’t coming off like it did on Tirz. If this was a panic attack it’s definitely the first one I’ve experienced in my adult life. Funny thing is I’m an emergency incident commander and even during emergencies my heart rate only goes up to 140 max. I was emotionally calm for the most part and it was my body that was screaming something was extremely wrong.

View attachment 16370

The feeling sucks... now the VA psychologist/ MH nurses won't stop calling me. They think I had a episode since they couldn't find anything.

 

[BNLFL]

5mg

I'm curious, you mentioned the first 4 weeks were fine. What did you start at, and what is the tiration up to 5mg?

 

[MrBMG]

Never caused panic like attacks, but while running it my rhr went up big time! I would have the occasional palpitation out of no where as well. Now 2 weeks off and it’s calmed back down.

The hypo episodes were no joke at times! Always made sure to carry a big bag of trail mix with me for when I could feel it coming on!

It definitely disrupted my sleep, as now I’m able to get a solid 6 hours straight. All in all it was worth it, no pain no gain.. honestly can’t wait to run it again in a cut!

 

[Calm Logic]

Hypoglycemia can cause those symptoms as well.

----

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) caused by GLP-1 medications can trigger symptoms that mimic or induce panic attacks, such as rapid heartbeat, trembling, sweating, and intense anxiety, due to a "fight-or-flight" adrenaline release. While GLP-1s generally do not cause panic attacks directly, rapid blood sugar changes or anxiety over side effects can trigger them.

With reta and other GLPs, pseudohypoglycemia (relative hypoglycemia) would be more likely than hypoglycemia. In other words, milder symptoms which resemble low blood sugar, caused by something other than hypoglycemia:

Feature Pseudohypoglycemia True Hypoglycemia Glucose Reading Normal: Usually > 70 mg/dL (often 80–95 mg/dL). Low: Usually

 

[cjdilan]

I'm curious, you mentioned the first 4 weeks were fine. What did you start at, and what is the tiration up to 5mg?

Started at one. Ramped up one MG a week.

 

[cjdilan]

With reta and other GLPs, pseudohypoglycemia (relative hypoglycemia) would be more likely than hypoglycemia. In other words, milder symptoms which resemble low blood sugar, caused by something other than hypoglycemia:

For the heart, I like taking taurine and CoQ10, in addition to hydrating with electrolytes.

I literally follow that all that to the T. These Docs cant figure it out. They want me to go to audiology to check my ears....FML

 

[professorpeppy]

Yep. Heart rate rising. Its awful when I am at work (office job) I have to step out lol. I went to the ER due to this as my resting BPM was 140/160...

Keeps me down to earth knowing that its just the peps and not my brain, my heart rate spiking tricks me to panic for obvious reasons. May be happening to you too.

 

[Rezn8]

My first 4 weeks were completely fine. Then during the last 2–2.5 weeks I’ve had two panic-attack–type episodes within a few days after my injection — racing heart, sudden anxiety, heavy “WTF is happening” feeling. The last one hit hard enough that I went to the VA and they had to give me Ativan plus IV fluids before I finally calmed down.

For context: I’ve only had panic attacks like that twice in my entire life before, and both times there were clear outside stressors. This time there wasn’t anything obvious triggering it. I already know how to manage electrolytes and blood sugar and tried that immediately — it didn’t change anything. Bloodwork came back solid and even the staff were surprised.

For those further along on Reta:

• Did ANY panic symptoms show up later instead of at the start?

• If so, did they happen 1–3 days post-shot?

• Did anything actually help besides lowering dose or waiting it out?

Not asking for medical advice — just comparing real experiences.

I proofed this with AI so the wording is clear.

Someone was talking about how reta gave them a panic attack on reddit the other day.

But that's the first I'd heard of it.

It's possible that was you sharing the same story on reddit, or it may be a new side effect that is just emerging and you're one of the first cases

 

[guster]

I experienced this while using Mounjaro. They were not full-blown panic attacks, but more the feeling of one building up. Most of the time it was me triggering it myself. For example, during a meeting I would think, please do not let me have a panic attack right now, and that thought alone would set it off.

About 90 percent of the time I struggle to calm myself down. In the worst case, I step outside for a breather to reset. I just started reta this week, so wish me luck.

 

[Rezn8]

I experienced this while using Mounjaro. They were not full-blown panic attacks, but more the feeling of one building up. Most of the time it was me triggering it myself. For example, during a meeting I would think, please do not let me have a panic attack right now, and that thought alone would set it off.

About 90 percent of the time I struggle to calm myself down. In the worst case, I step outside for a breather to reset. I just started reta this week, so wish me

I'm no expert on it, and haven't tried it myself, but I have read great things about people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks benefiting from Selank. From what I have read, it's been a game changer for people who suffer from various symptoms of anxiety.

It might be worth doing some homework on it. Maybe it could help with those panic attacks.