THE 40+ PROTOCOL
THE ONES I QUIT
Almost everything in this space is "here's what to take." This issue is the opposite. Two things I ran and won't run again, and one of them objectively works. I stopped anyway.
Because the most useful question in all of this isn't "what works." It's "what's worth it, for you." Those are not the same question, and learning the difference is most of the game.
LET'S GET INTO IT →
The first quit
RETATRUTIDE: IT WORKED, I QUIT ANYWAY
The triple agonist, the next generation past Ozempic and Mounjaro, still investigational. Phase 3 reported average weight loss around 28% at the top dose over 48 weeks. The strongest numbers in the class. 🟡 Moderate evidence, and climbing.
My wife and I ran it together. And I'll give it this: it works, the weight comes off exactly like the trials say. But I didn't like how I felt the entire time. My body felt overridden, not supported, like the appetite signal got switched off at the mains instead of gently turned down. We both stopped. Neither of us would run it again.
A compound can work and still be the wrong fit for your body →
The second quit
MELANOTAN II: THE ONE I REGRET
The "tanning peptide," never approved for human use. It works, I turned dark, no question. But the nausea was a sit-with-you kind of sick, and it can darken existing moles and trigger new ones, with case reports of melanoma. 🟠 Early evidence on the effects, real flags on the safety.
Easy call. I won't run it again →
How I decide
THE TEST I USE TO QUIT
Feel is data, not just the metric. When the main effect is the thing I care about least and the side effect is the one I can't ignore, that's a quit. "It works" is the start of the question, not the end. This space only ever posts wins, but the yeses here are only worth something if the no's are just as honest.
Next issue: the peptide ruling that lands July 23-24. What's happening, what most people get wrong, and what it means whether or not you touch this stuff. The calm version, before the noise.
New free tool: enter your latest bloodwork and see where each number actually sits, normal vs optimal. labs.the40protocol.com
My protocol, my body, my doctors. Not a template. The 40+ Protocol is educational content, not medical advice.