'Genuinely unbearable' side effect of 'Godzilla' weight loss drug Reta revealed by first users
A powerful new weight-loss injection nicknamed the 'Godzilla shot' is helping users shed huge amounts of weight, but a growing number say it has come at a unusual cost.
The drug, retatrutide, is still awaiting approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), yet it has already built a reputation for producing some of the most dramatic weight-loss results ever recorded in a clinical trial, according to the Daily Mail.
That reputation has driven demand so high that people have turned to buying unregulated versions online, despite warnings from health officials that counterfeit products could be dangerous.
Now, some of those users say the drug has left them feeling emotionally numb.
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On TikTok, people have described themselves as turning into 'emotionless robots' after starting the injections, while on Reddit, others have written that they feel unable to experience 'joy or happiness' at all.
One Redditor who was using the drug wrote: "This is the most depressed I’ve been in my life. Not like I’m just sad all the time.
"But nothing brings me enjoyment. Music isn’t good anymore. None of my hobbies bring me enjoyment. And I find myself just laying in bed staring at nothing.”
What is retatrutide and why is it called the Godzilla shot?
Retatrutide works differently to earlier weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro.
While those medications act on one or two gut hormone receptors, retatrutide targets three, suppressing appetite while also appearing to increase the amount of energy the body burns.
In trials, users have lost between 24 and 28 percent of their body weight, compared to roughly 15 to 17 percent on semaglutide and 20 to 22 percent on tirzepatide, per the report.
Among those who tried it was 26-year-old beautician Tian Molnar, from Australia, who used the drug on and off for three months at a dose of 20mg every five days.
She told the outlet that while her body changed, so did her state of mind. "Over time, I noticed significant changes in my mood and motivation," she said, adding that she felt 'unusually tired, flat and extremely unmotivated', and went through periods of sadness that she described as her 'rock bottom.'
Can weight loss drugs cause depression or anhedonia?
The condition being described by users is known as anhedonia, a reduced ability to feel pleasure. It isn't currently listed as an official side effect of retatrutide, and there's no confirmed evidence the drug directly causes it.
But researchers are looking into whether it's linked to how these medications affect dopamine, the brain chemical tied to motivation and reward.
Dr Mary Sco, a physician specializing in nutrition, explained the theory.
"GLP-1s blunt the amount of dopamine that's being released in the brain when we eat," she said, suggesting that if the drug reduces the pleasure people get from food, it could plausibly dull their enjoyment of other things too.
Some evidence points to the effect being dose-related, with one report describing three women on a high dose of tirzepatide who developed emotional flatness that improved once they lowered or paused treatment.
Not everyone views the change negatively.
One Reddit user said the emotional blunting had actually helped him cut back on partying and drinking, calling it a net positive for his lifestyle.
Eli Lilly, which makes retatrutide, is running Phase 3 trials and is expected to file for FDA approval in early 2027.
What are the side effects of retatrutide?
Known side effects of the drug are pretty similar to that of other weight loss medications. Mainly, they affect our digestive system.
"As with other medicines in the incretin-based drug class, retatrutide is associated with a range of side effects, the majority of which relate to the gastrointestinal system," Bolt Pharmacy explains.
According to its Phase 2 trial data, the most commonly reported adverse effects included:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Decreased appetite
UNILAD has contacted Eli Lilly for comment.
Topics: Weight loss, Mental Health
Thomas Bamford