Echocardiographic changes on GLP-1 — November 2025

Following on from CarlaRPh_TPA — and this may be the naive question:

Was that from a primary source or from a summary of one?

lisa_labSD said:

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 3 weeks.

Positive "side effect" of cardiovascular risk: my blood pressure dropped so much that I'm now off lisinopril entirely! My cardiologist is thrilled.

If you're on BP meds and losing weight on a GLP-1, monitor your BP at home regularly. Hypotension symptoms (dizziness, lightheadedness when standing) mean your BP meds may need reduction. Don't wait for your next scheduled appointment — call your doctor.

lisa_labSD said:

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 3 weeks.

Lp(a) and cardiovascular risk: a nuance that matters. Unlike most lipid markers, Lp(a) is 90%+ genetically determined and doesn't really change with weight loss or GLP-1 therapy.

My Lp(a) has remained at 59 nmol/L across all time points. If yours is elevated (>50 nmol/L), you need additional risk mitigation strategies regardless of your GLP-1 response. Don't assume your medication is covering all cardiovascular risk factors.

lisa_labSD said:

Dizziness and cardiovascular risk: I was lightheaded for the first 3 weeks.

Thank you for spelling out the reasoning rather than just the conclusion.

claudia_zurich said:

Lp(a) and cardiovascular risk: a nuance that matters.

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most:

Baseline hsCRP: 9.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk)
Month 6 hsCRP: 1.5 mg/L (moderate risk)
Month 12 hsCRP: 0.8 mg/L (low risk)

This level of inflammatory marker reduction is comparable to what you'd see with statin therapy. Combined with the weight loss, my 10-year ASCVD risk score dropped from 16% to 4%. My cardiologist is genuinely impressed.