To wonder how people afford weight loss injections?!

[Karmacharm]

So many people I know are doing Mounjaro or Ozempic. I’ve looked at the price online and even with the discount it’s still hugely expensive in this cost of living crisis.
I would love to do it but there’s no way I can afford it long term.

Do you know how it has gone for her so far? Has she seen any results and how long did it take?

All drugs have possible side effects!

I’m on it. I’ve lost over 5 stone so far and have less than 1 to go. I can’t really afford it, but my health was bad because of my obesity. So I have prioritised myself. Haven’t had a takeout in 6 months (kids get McDonald’s treats, I don’t), haven’t had a takeout, haven’t touched a drop of alcohol. It’s costing more than it saves in food costs, but it’s worth it for me to be healthy for my kids. I’m hoping to start weaning off over the next few months and can’t wait for the spare money I’ll have!

Side effects are not inevitable and in nearly all cases are mild and manageable.

It took my 7 months to hit my goal and I spent £1035 in total. It was affordable for me.

This resonates with me. Before I stopped working, I spent a few thousand on getting my top teeth fixed. I had the front two broken when they were just coming in. (A delightful child from the same block threw a stone at me.)

The dentist was all set to replace the crowns. The x-ray showed that one of the roots was being absorbed into my jaw...better to have a planned extraction than to have it fall out.

Most of my top teeth were held together with composite - I'd tripped and bashed my mouth on a car door when I was in my late 30s. (Not drunk - pronation, lax tendons and patella alta. I'm prone to falls.) I saw a specialist, and we agreed on one implant, two crowns and several veneers. Also had the bottom teeth whitened. (The colour had been affected by antibiotics for measles when I was a child.)

I was 55 when the work started; 56 when it finished. I'm very glad that I had it done, particularly at that time. If I'd already been retired I don't think I'd have had the confidence to spend that amount of money.

Re: being overweight.

I've discovered that I have oestrogen driven hyperplasia. Part of it will have been caused by my HRT. (I'm now on a continuous combined tablet - I was on the sequential variety.) However, I asked my gynae about my weight and she confirmed that excess fat is known to increase oestrogen dominance - another reason for me to keep losing weight. Currently 5ft9 and have made it down to 14st10. I need to get down to about 12 stone, so I'm not at the halfway line yet. (Started at 16st 4.)

As I've explained previously, I'm not risking the injections because I have gastric issues, so hoping that the muscle that I'm building will help me to keep off the weight. Being honest, I'm concerned that I'll be left with slack skin at my age, but it's better than developing endometrial cancer. If I do finish up with a hysterectomy, my GP has pointed out that I'm now fit enough to recover from that well.

I've not had any negative side effects - nearly 2 months in.

The main side effect /advantage is it stops food noise. Not everyone experiences food noise but many obese people do. Even when I am eating super healthy I have constant food noise. It's a huge source of stress but it's so constant you are kind of unaware of it. It's really difficult to explain. One of the main reason I stopped trying to lose weight was any form of diet amplified food noise dramatically. To an insane level so food/weight loss etc dominates your brain all the time.

It's awful and I've had it for over 40 years.

On Mounjaro this food noise stops almost instantly. I'd stay on it forever for that alone.

That is a big reason why it is so easy to chose healthy foods in small portions. It's not just appetite suppression.

I am so much more relaxed. Less anxious.

I've been a nail biter all my life. On MJ I've stopped biting my nails without trying.

As for going to the gym I look forward to going every day since I started MJ. that is totally a change in my brain.

It's a very important drug for so many people and it's not going anywhere.

This is the podcast I listened to accidentally that got me interested as something I would try:

open.spotify.com/episode/66nGbjub7Xbbr8Zw0DaNY8?si=LpmRtQPERvu9PM9CLUu3xg

I need to lose 3-4 stone but my tablets I take for my medical conditions put me off adding one more thing that could add more side effects or not. I managed to lose 2 stone, but put it all back on due to comfort eating due to stress from a bereavement. I need to drink water not diet coke, and not revert to my chocolate fix. I do try to batch cook more though. I might try getting the heathy meals delivered so that days I don't feel up to cooking I can just pop one in the microwave. It would stop me snacking thinking of going cooking but ending up eating chocolate instead.

I am on a low-ish income but also have low outgoings so can luckily afford to be on this. As for why I do it, because I'm 40 and every other effort I've made (and there have been a lot of them) has failed.

I am also time poor due to working patterns and family life etc so even if I thought I could force myself, I just do not have the time to commit to the gym or classes (I walk a fair bit but that's the only time I have). I've only been on mounjaro for a few weeks but it's genuinely changed my life already. I have a lot of weight to lose but I actually have hope that I'll get to a healthy place with it.

So knowing what I know now, I would prioritise this over literally any luxury in my life if I did have to make financial sacrifices to continue it.

As others have said the reduction in food and alcohol has more than covered the cost of it.

It's cheaper than the food / takeaways / alcoholic drinks and snacks I was buying.I also used birthday money and I plan to use the Orlistat tablets after 3 months of injections

How do you cope with injecting yourselves? I’m not sure I could manage that.

Some PPs have mentioned side-effects - are these toilet-related side effects?

It’s really easy. It’s a tiny needle, as it’s only a sub cutaneous injection. You just put it in and push the plunger 🤷🏻‍♀️.

@CluelessAboutBiology i hate needles, I line it up where it needs to go, look away while its going in to the skin, and then look back to push the plunger. Its a tiny needle and most weeks I don’t even feel it

The needles are really tiny and you can't even feel them. I was very nervous week one but then spent overnight (I inject late on a Friday) worrying I hadn't done it properly because I didn't feel it! That was until the suppression kicked in!

nope i found i wasnt as thirsty as i used to be and had a lot of headaches i put down to dehydration, i had to remember to drink even if i didnt need to

Congrats, that’s a great weight loss. Can I ask how long it took to lose - and if you don’t mind, roughly what age you are please?

I’m not doing the injections but I do need to lose about another 5-6 stone and I worry about loose skin. If you lose weight quickly I’ve heard that loose skin is more of a problem - have you found this to be the case?

I have struggled with my weight all my adult life and have done all sorts of diets with varying degrees of success. I have always regained the weight plus more and any attempt to lose weight means I an constantly thinking about food.

I am now in my mid 40’s with a BMI of 38, pre-diabetic, with high cholesterol and on medication for hypertension. I have asked my GP for the injections but have been told that they are only available through specialist weight management services and that unfortunately in our area these are for those who have weight conditions such as diabetes.

We cannot easily afford to buy them but both my parents have cardiac issues. DF had a heart attack and heart surgery at my age and his parents and siblings all died fairly young of strokes and cardiac issues, and none were overweight. I’m seriously considering doing overtime to afford the injections.

I’m overweight myself but I’m using water to help suppress my appetite much healthier and less dangerous than using an injection that is meant for diabetics.

Ah, I bet all the obese people in the world wish they’d thought of just drinking water!
And it’s not just ‘meant for diabetics’. It’s also licensed to treat obesity.

please tell me how dangerously lowing your blood sugar when your not diabetic, hair loss, gallstones and pancreatitis is worth losing weight for do you know what low blood sugar can do to someone that doesn’t need it lowing in the first place. Actually no what is certain is the risks to all the diabetics that need that injection but can’t get hold of it because people who don’t need it are using it for weight loss. My mum has waited months to start on this injection because no one could get hold it and it’s the same for a lot of diabetics who actually need that injection you know so that they can live.

There is no shortage of Mounjaro.

Thank you! I’ve been on it for 6 months so far and I’m mid 30s and have been overweight my entire life. So far I haven’t noticed any lose skin, although I still have more to lose so it might happen? I’ve still got a tummy (and arse!) but legs, chest, boobs, neck and face are visibly thinner. Fingers crossed the skin won’t be too saggy when the fat has gone!

@TeaAndTattoos As a pp said, there is no shortage of Mounjaro.
You're most likely talking about semaglutide such as Ozempic.
MJ is a different drug. So don't try to roll out the same old argument that we're causing diabetics to miss out on their meds.
I've had no hair loss and have no gallbladder, so no likelihood of gallstones.
As I said before, the danger of illness or death from being obese is far more worrying for me than a few possible side effects that I have not experienced at all.