Key takeaways
- These medicines usually start at a low dose and step up. The first doses are not the full dose.
- With weekly dosing, the amount in the body builds over several weeks before it levels out.
- The label, and your prescriber, give the schedule. This article gives no figures.
- Reko records your doses and how you feel, so you can see change as it happens.
Why it is not instant
Most of these medicines are started low and raised in steps. This gives the body time to adjust. It also means the first weeks are not at the dose that may eventually be used. The step schedule is set by the label and your prescriber: [verify against current label: dosage and administration, with the titration table; add DailyMed URL].
Why it builds up
A drug that leaves the body slowly, taken once a week, accumulates before it settles into a steady pattern. The time this takes depends on its half-life: [verify against current label: clinical pharmacology, half-life]. Reko draws an estimated level from your doses and the compound's published half-lives, so you can see the shape. It is an estimate, not a blood test.
When effects show up
Effects on appetite, on weight and on blood sugar do not all arrive together. Label and trial data describe when they were measured in studies: [verify against current label: clinical studies section, timepoints and results]. Individual results differ widely. Do not compare your week three with someone else's.
What can change the timing
- The dose and where you are in the step schedule.
- Missed or late doses.
- Other medicines and health conditions.
- Food, sleep, activity and hydration.
Your prescriber is the right person to ask whether your progress is as expected.
What to record while you wait
- Every dose, with the date and site.
- Weight, on the same terms each time.
- Side effects, beside the dose they followed. How.
- Protein, water and food against your own targets.
When you see your care team, a few weeks of notes tell a better story than memory does.
Questions
Should I raise my dose if I see no change?
That is a decision for your prescriber. Reko never suggests a dose.
Is the level curve a measurement?
No. It is an estimate from your logged doses and published half-lives.
- [Prescribing information for your medication: DailyMed URL]
- [EU product information if relevant: EMA URL]