If you are not personally on the GLP train, chances are you know someone who is. According to a 2025 KFF Health Tracking Poll, roughly 1 in 8 American adults now say they are currently taking a GLP 1 medication, and nearly 1 in 5 say they have taken one at some point. GLP medications have definitely changed the conversation about weight, appetite, and long-term health.
I get it. These medications have done something most weight loss approaches never could. They put a stop to the food noise, reduce your appetite, and make you feel fuller longer, all of which contributes to weight loss. And we are not talking about 5 pounds. We are talking about way beyond 10% of total body weight. Incredible results in very short periods of time compared to what, in years past, a typical weight loss plan could produce.
But there is another part of the GLP 1 story. And while people are talking about it, they aren’t really looking for solutions. I am referring to side effects. Not just the way the medications make people feel, but also the biological impact on their bodies.
Side effects are common enough with GLP medications that they should not be treated like some rare exception. Zepbound is Eli Lilly’s branded tirzepatide medication, one of the best known drugs in this category. In the Zepbound clinical trial data the following side effects were reported:
~ nausea was reported by 25% to 29%
~ vomiting by 8% to 13%
~ diarrhea by 19% to 23%
~ constipation by 11% to 17%
~ abdominal pain by 9% to 10%
~ indigestion by 9% to 10%
~ fatigue by 5% to 7%
~ hair loss by 4% to 5%
~ reflux by 4% to 5%
Injection site reactions, belching, gas, fatigue, hair loss, and reflux are also part of the reported side effect conversation. Some users also talk about headaches and dizziness, but the strongest Zepbound trial data points back to the same central issue: digestion, intake, comfort, and daily vitality. (https://zepbound.lilly.com/hcp/clinical-data-weight). And similar data has been collected and reported for GLP medications across the board.
This doesn’t mean the medications are bad. For a lot of people, in fact, most, I would venture to say, they can be a powerful tool whose side effects are worth it. But the side effects are common enough, and in many cases severe enough, to deserve a serious conversation about how they should be addressed.
GLPs Change More Than Appetite
One of the reasons GLP medications work is because they slow the movement of food through the stomach. Food stays there longer, which helps you feel full and often makes it easier to eat less, which in turn triggers weight loss. A good result, I think most would agree.
But the way GLPs work also creates a different internal environment. When digestion slows, some people feel nauseated. Some feel backed up. Some feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating very little. Some find that foods or drinks they used to tolerate suddenly do not feel the same.
At the same time, appetite drops. Meals get smaller, protein intake can fall, and so can fiber, micronutrients, and hydration. Here’s how that translates biologically: the body has fewer building blocks, less muscle protection from protein, less regularity and motility from fiber, less support for energy, and less hydration. On top of that, there is less intake variety feeding the microbiome, and less overall nourishment during a time when the body is already adapting to big changes.
Weight Loss Can’t Be the Whole Goal
So a person may be losing weight, but is also very likely getting less of what it needs to feel strong, steady, and well nourished. That’s why some people on GLPs describe a very specific kind of fatigue. Not the ordinary kind of tired. More like their body is running on low power.
Feeling well in your body overall should always be the primary goal. Dropping clothing sizes is great, but doesn’t really matter if you are too tired and physically too depleted to really enjoy life in your new body.
The Usual Fixes May Not be Fixing
When side effects show up, most people do what they have always done. They reach for antacids, pain relievers, laxatives, electrolyte powders, protein bars and shakes. They supplement with multivitamins, capsules, and gummies that might help them get through the day. Granted, some of those remedies may have a place. But for a body that is already digesting more slowly, the usual supplement routine can start to feel like one more thing to manage.
And when your appetite is already low, swallowing anything extra is not exactly appealing. The body does not need more noise. It needs gentle, consistent support that makes sense for the season it is in.
What Support Should Look Like
If someone is eating less, digesting more slowly, and trying to preserve strength and vitality, support should be simple. It should be easy to take, gentle on the stomach, and it should support the gut environment. It should help the body make better use of the nourishment it is getting, but shouldn’t pretend to replace food, protein, movement, hydration, or medical guidance. Oh. And it should never promise that a supplement can do what a medication, a meal plan, or a clinician is responsible for.
Does this sound like an infomercial yet? Well, if it does, that’s probably because I am leading into the launch of Original Companion, the most recent addition to the Original Age health line up.
Original Companion
Original Companion was created for people on the GLP-assisted journey. It was created to give people support for the more unpleasant aspects of that journey. We understand why people are eating less. But we also understand that the way GLPs work affects the gut, the microbiome, and digestion in a much different way than traditional weight loss plans.
Original Companion is a fermented liquid botanical and probiotic formula made with herbs traditionally used to support digestion, comfort, and whole body nourishment. Because it is a liquid, it is simple to take. Because it is fermented, the botanicals are transformed through a traditional process that helps create a living, active formula with probiotics and postbiotic compounds.
And, because it is botanical, it brings together plants selected for a season when appetite, digestion, and daily nourishment may be changing. Ginger. Peppermint. Chamomile. Marshmallow root. Slippery elm bark. Alfalfa leaf. Spirulina. Turmeric.
This product isn’t a quick fix, or a treatment, or a replacement for protein, fiber, hydration, or medical care. We created it to provide support within the body while appetite, digestion, and intake are changing, and hopefully guard against what might otherwise produce damaging effects.
This Is Not About Fighting the Medication
Support for the journey is really key to understanding this product and our goal. Original Companion was not created to work against the GLP journey. It was created as a companion to support the body through the parts of the journey that often get overlooked, like the digestive discomfort before breakfast, the sluggishness, the fatigue that makes the day feel heavier, the hair in the shower drain, and the worry about losing strength.
The goal for any person on a weight loss plan should never be to shrink at any cost. It needs to include becoming healthier overall. We want to see people feel clear, capable, and comfortable in their own skin.
GLP medications may help change the number on the scale. But your daily habits still determine so much about how you feel along the way. That is where Original Companion fits.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always talk with your licensed healthcare provider about medication side effects, nutrition, digestive symptoms, or changes in your health. Original Companion is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
