In a recent podcast conversation featuring peptide company owner Mike Metzger and Nathan Brooks from Optimize HRT, retatrutide emerged as one of the most highly regarded compounds currently available. The two positioned this next-generation GLP treatment at the very top of their informal tier list.
“Reta [Retatrutide] top tier on that one,” Metzger stated definitively. “I mean, something that reduces inflammation, it reduces fat. I mean, your insulin sensitivity is better. It reduces bad cravings.”
He elaborated on the breadth of benefits, noting that many users report unexpected effects beyond weight loss. “You know, a lot of people that have cravings for drinking, for example, they report that being on Reta, they all of a sudden no longer crave al**hol, things like that.”
The safety profile at reasonable dosages are particularly impressive. Metzger referenced clinical trials, explaining, “Something that hits all of those things with a relatively safe profile as long as you’re not going up to absurd doses on it. Up until I think it was 12 milligrams, you didn’t really see people dropping out of the research studies due to side effects at lower doses.”
He noted that the biohacking community typically starts at just 1 milligram, well below clinical trial starting points of 5 milligrams.
When comparing retatrutide to tirzepatide, the previous generation GLP treatment, both acknowledged individual variation in response.
“I will say though, there is a difference in what people experience with tirzepatide and retatrutide,” host Nyle Nayga noted. “Like some people will experience like a greater and increase in heart rate with reta.”
Metzger confirmed this observation, attributing it to the mechanism of action. “Which is the glucagon burning the fat on that. So almost everyone’s going to experience an increase in resting heart rate as a result of that. It just is dependent on how much you’re seeing your resting heart rate increase.” This represented a key distinction from tirzepatide, which lacks the glucagon component.
The conversation also addressed appetite suppression differences between the two treatments. Some users find tirzepatide provides stronger appetite suppression, while others prefer retatrutide’s profile.
“If you’re on retatrutide and you’re trying to reach a certain level of like appetite suppression, you’ll find like your gut motility may slow more,” Nayga explained, drawing from personal experience and coaching feedback.
For bodybuilding applications specifically, timing became a critical consideration. “No one should be utilizing any of the GLPS in the last week or two weeks of a contest prep,” Metzger advised. The concern centered on gastric slowing and its impact on carbohydrate loading strategies essential for stage appearance.
Comparing retatrutide to tirzepatide for non-competitive users, Metzger acknowledged situational factors. “It’s all personal preference I think on that side of things. So for certain use cases, especially for, you know, someone that’s just looking for fat loss, they’re not looking to compete, that glucagon addition and the increase in resting heart rate probably isn’t worth it, right? Like your heart only has so many beats. You don’t necessarily want to increase it if you don’t have to.”
Despite this caveat, both speakers maintained that retatrutide represents the most advanced option in the GLP category. Metzger summarized the position: “It’s really situational and personal dependent choosing between tirzepatide and retatrutide as an example.”
