COA_Karl said:Phantom hunger vs real hunger on food noise: learning to distinguish between the two has been a revelation.
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.
robert_kc said:The food noise came back three weeks after I reduced my dose, well before the weight moved, which tells me something about which effect tracks what.
Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 2 glasses of wine most nights. Since starting GLP-1 therapy, I have zero interest in alcohol. Haven't had a drink in 9 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 $231/month on alcohol. Triple win.
Dr.SleepRoch 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.
Neuroscience perspective on food noise:
GLP-1 receptors are expressed throughout the CNS, with high density in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, area postrema, and — critically — the mesolimbic reward pathway[1].
This is directly relevant to food noise because the central effects of GLP-1 agonists extend far beyond simple appetite suppression. The reduction in "food noise" that patients describe is likely mediated by modulation of dopaminergic signaling in the VTA and nucleus accumbens.
The emerging data on reduced addictive behaviors (alcohol, gambling) further supports this mechanism. food noise should be understood in this broader neurobiological context.
[1] Merchenthaler I, et al. J Comp Neurol. 1999;403(2):261-280.
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Shop Reference StandardsA narrower follow-up, since the general answer is now clear:
Did your prescriber agree with that reading, and if not what was their objection?
hans_munich said:Neuroscience perspective on food noise: GLP-1 receptors are expressed throughout the CNS, with high density in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus, area…
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.
[1] Wang W, et al. Nat Med. 2024;30:574-584.