Extremely hacked off by GP. Won’t prescribe Mounjaro

[Hakunatomato]

I have been self funding Mounjaro for the past year, and have a debt on credit card because of it. As a result, my HBa1c has gone from 19 to 5.5. I have lost almost 5 stones, now down to 16 .stones so effectively I have put my diabetes into remission as a result. I can no longer afford it because of the price rises and have asked my GP to start prescribing it. Their response is that because my blood sugar is now nearly normal they won’t do it, despite me having a bmi of 46. When I finish the course I have I now have to watch my good work go in to reverse and watch my health decline. All for the sake of the £30 a week is would cost my GP at wholesale NHS cost. If I put the weight back on again and wait while my blood sugar levels rise and I will have to apply again. I am so pissed off.. The relatively small cost as opposed to what the bills will be when my Diabetes returns doesn’t make sense.

I think the issue is, that being overweight has been blown out of proportion as an illness and the blame is placed with anyone or anything except the overweight person themselves.

Whilst I agree that certain foods and lifestyles (including comfort eating) have a massive impact on weight gain for individuals, it's still down to the individuals to change their attitude towards their health, body and the food they eat.
WLI as a means of a cure is just creating another addiction/ dependency.

Nobody will say it's easy to change a habit of a lifetime, but if one wants to be healthy that's what needs to be done.

Beeing called out isn't pleasant but people who say eat healthy, less and move more are actually bang on target. In the end it's about choices: . 2 apples or a packet of biscuits washed down with surgery tea ...

Anyone seriously interested in loosing weight should also look atr the non UPF threads... it's a game changer.

I have lost 3 stone. I gave up: wheat, refined carbs/sugar, alcohol, anything fatty or high in cholesterol. It took a year. My cholesterol and fatty liver have much improved. My eczema and aches and pains have gone.

I love food and wine. It is possible to do it naturally.

I am sorry for those struggling but if I wouldn’t buy the drug for personal use, I object significantly to paying for it for others, when their health conditions can be resolved by taking some individual responsibility.

How many would dare to say they didn't think a disease should be treated when it was acquired by chance or bad luck. I would prefer that cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disease are ahead in this queue for resources. People can cut back on food, they can't make the same choices in relation to actual disease.

I know of an anorexic who when they sought help from their GP was told they where not thin enough yet and needed to lose more weight.

Madness.

I feel your pain OP

Honestly you sound extremely entitled. I qualify for the MJ on prescription but I fund it myself. Yes this can be considered an extreme luxury but. I don't drink, I don't go out for weekly lunches,nget take aways or get my nails, hair done etc. or Go on trips. I also take medication that affects my eating habits especially at night. What would you have done if it was never an option on NHS? Why is it the NHS fault? which is already extremely struggling with actual medical emergencys and completely underfunded. And before anyone says I've done this, that and the next thing, do it harder. You've lost 5 stone. They only way you will gain that is going back to the same eating habits. That sounds like a YOU problem not a GP problem.

All the people saying energy in, energy out. That there isn't a metabolic reset from dieting are SO far from the science and evidence it's ridiculous. The data for these injections is that they must be continued; for a very limited.. long term effect (well as far as the studies go ...5 years)

I agree, I privately paid for Mounjaro as I had a HbA1c of 80 and my Cholesterol was 9.4, within a month My HbA1c was 37 and my Cholesterol is 3.9. Statins and diet alone didnt do it, I am only 10 stone and 5ft 3 (so slightly overweight) I know my insulin resistance will return and my cholesterol is hereditary so statins alone didnt work. I cant get it from the GP either although they have said they are happy for me to be on it privately. I have a few pens in my fridge which I am spacing out by 10 days rather than a week to try and keep myself healthy as possible for as long as I can but I know once I am off it, even if I get to an even lower weight my blood sugar and cholesterol wont be like they are now.

Do people really still think this way? How embarassing to be spouting off like that when your understanding of the science is so very outdated.

There should be some sort of criteria test other than those already in place. Like some sort of proof that lifestyle changes have been attempted…

Would be massively difficult but it would at least reassure the most of the posters above that the prescription is medically necessary and isn’t because the person is lazy and unmotivated.

I’m so fed up with this absolute nonsense about bloody willpower.

For many of us, the drug replaces the missing hormones that normal healthy people have in their bodies and that’s why they are slim and don’t become obese. I was naturally slim until I hit peri-menopause.

If you have a broken leg, should you stop walking until it heals?

Would you tell a person taking medication for depression that all they need to do is get a grip? 😡

That's an amazing change in your blood results. I had one of the NHS health checks a couple of months into mounjaro and had similar levels after.

I wonder if wegovy would produce the same benefits or not. It might be an option for me, although I am currently going to take 5mg from a 15 mg pen to make it last longer, to save.

For everyone saying....
but, anorexia.

Yes its also an ED.

BUT, appetite stimulants already exist. People with anorexic could take them. But they dont want to.

Overeating 'may' be and ED for some, but it is not the same as anorexic

I looked at Wegovy but the 2 things that put me off, are the gastric side effects reported (apparently the GIP in MJ helps reduce these) and the other thing is Wegovy isnt normally allowed for maintenance so I doubt they would like me have a low dose to keep my sugar and cholesterol in check.

If you do go on Wegovy I would be interested to hear how you get on.

How about taking some responsibility for yourself and your own poor health? You’ll only “pile” it back on if you don’t eat healthy / exercise. The reversal of your symptoms has be done - keep going to keep it that way. It’s not your GP’s responsibility and “£30 per week” is A LOT of money when it’s given to multiple people hence they need a cut off point!

I suppose another difference in the 2 ED is, people who binge or overeat tend to be unhappy being overweight, whereas anorexics dont want to gain weight, so would not be inclined to take something that increases there appetite.

Orlistat is extremely helpful , I have used both

that being an alcoholic means fighting it everyday, not just take a pill to make it go away.

And would you begrudge an alcoholic a tablet if it would take away the urge? Anyone with any empathy surely would

It isn’t the GPs fault. There are prescribing guidelines which you don’t meet. The NHS would be overwhelmed if they prescribed to everyone in your shoes (or mine). I am also on mounjaro.

A few things to think about.

1. Could you switch to wegovy?
2. Could you maintain your current weight by eating maintenance calories? You will be eating in a calorie deficit currently so if you have been eating 500 cals a day less than your maintenance cals to loose say 1lb a week you should be able to maintain by eating those extra 500.
3. if you do 2, but only eat an extra 250 cals you should still loose just slower.
4. Could you buy a lower cheaper dose to help you titrate off the MJ or to help you loose albeit at a slower rate?

These are all things I will be looking at when my MJ runs out as I am on 12.5 and won’t be able to afford to continue. I did manage to get some pens after the announcement though so I am ok for a bit. I feel for you. It is worrying. I would never have been able to stay on it though for life so hoping I can come off gradually and maintain. I didn’t gain the weight overnight it took years so hoping it won’t go straight back on either.

I have heard about this one, but I have had IBS in the past (before I took MJ) and I think the side effects would be pretty awful, although it would be a deterrent to eat anything fatty.

FGS no one is saying eating more healthily and exercising more is a bad idea. Do you think obese people haven’t thought of that? For some
people, they simply aren’t able to do it. Not because they’re greedy or lazy or “lack willpower”, but because the addiction is overwhelming

Take responsibility and diet and exercise or pay privately you have done well to lose the weight that you have now run with it or hit weight watchers.

There are loads of differences.

(Don't even get me started on the broken leg analogy!)

Anorexia has deep seated and complex pyschological roots.

Overeating probably does too, but nobody speaks about all the counselling they have done to go towards working through these. Only that they've 'tried every diet and nothing works'.

To my post above, could people do more work theraputically?

Disulfiram?

Is that the tablet that makes you vomit if you drink alcohol?

Basically yes

Acamprosate is perhaps more akin to WLI.

But, obesity isn't the same as alcoholism anyway.