GLP-1 side effects: what to track

Nausea, early satiety, constipation, reflux, and fatigue are among the most commonly reported side effects, especially during dose-escalation weeks.

Tracking severity (0-3), timing relative to your dose, and what you ate that day gives a clinician something to work with beyond 'I felt bad'.

Most of these symptoms cluster in the 24-72 hours after a dose and ease over the following weeks at a stable dose. A symptom diary that captures dose date alongside symptom date makes the pattern obvious; memory alone usually doesn't.

Severe or persistent abdominal pain, vomiting that prevents fluid intake, signs of dehydration, gallbladder symptoms, or unusual mood changes are not patterns to wait out.

Note when symptoms started, your most recent dose date, and any medications or supplements you've added.

Specifically: pain that radiates to the back, fevers, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or persistent vomiting are reasons to get evaluated promptly rather than wait for the next scheduled check-in. Bring your dose history with you.

Aggressive caloric deficits paired with GLP-1 therapy can cost lean mass, not just fat. The scale rewards both losses equally; your future maintenance does not.

Protein intake and resistance training are the standard levers people raise with clinicians to protect lean mass. The specific numbers depend on you — but tracking grams of protein and number of resistance sessions per week gives you something to discuss.

Weight, dose date, appetite score, nausea score, energy score, protein intake, training sessions, and a short notes field is enough to surface real patterns over 8-12 weeks.

You don't need a fancy tracker — a notes app works. Consistency is more valuable than complexity.

If you do nothing else, log the dose date and the day you felt worst that week. Two columns. Eight weeks of that is more useful at an appointment than a perfect tracker abandoned after two.

A one-page summary beats a 60-row spreadsheet. Current dose, weeks at this dose, average weekly weight change over the last month, worst symptom and when, and one question you want answered. That's the visit.