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 OP means if it looks as though the chemo /treatment has worked after a year she won't carry on getting the treatment. The assumption is she doesn't need it any more. If the tumour hasn't gone you will carry on getting treatment/ different treatment.

Genuine question, If you're diabetic why didn't you go to your GP at the start to have it prescribed by them instead of buying it? Then you wouldn't be in this situation. You would then have fit the eligibility criteria to control diabetes without the other 4 things that are only a recent thing. I 'only' have diabetes and am prescribed by my GP.

@Angelofmycoins yes of course people could and undoubtedly should do more work therapeutically. If you go back and look at my experience you will see I have funded therapy and WLI because I got fat due to childhood abuse. It has cost me a great deal of money. Therapy for 3 years and WLI for 7 months. Not everyone has that kind of money and the NHS currently doesn't support sufficient therapy to unpick the kind of trauma that comes from abuse.

How do you know that some obesity isn't driven by the same triggers that people have for alcoholism, gambling, drug abuse? I think that there are food addicts in just the same way that there are gambling or alcohol addicts. I am not saying that all obese people are addicts, just for clarity, but some undoubtedly are.

@bumblebee3122 not all T2 diabetics qualify either. A quick online search will show you the criteria that needs to be fulfilled to qualify for an NHS prescription of Ozempic or Mounjaro.

I wouldn’t begrudge an alcoholic a tablet - I’m not sure it should be publicly funded though.

I don’t think anyone is actually begrudging the OP and her WLI, they just think that if she wants it then she is going to have to pay for it privately.

I don’t think it’s crazy to state that the strict guidelines are there for a reason. WLI are a luxury - if people who don’t meet the current guidelines then they can pay privately like many other people with chronic conditions that aren’t publicly funded or campaign for change to the regulations. It’s unfair to slate the doctors who are simply doing their job.

The intense cravings come from:
a) some kind of trauma /emotional issue that needs to be addressed long-term anyway (ie you can’t stay on MJ forever)
b) eating habits. MJ has got the OP to a place where the last meal she ate will positively influence her next meal. As long as she maintains this MJ is not needed.

my issue with the OP was that she was convinced coming off MJ would undo all the achievements. She has to come off it at some point and maintain her eating habits/lifestyle without it. And she needs to recognise that this takes effort.

Even an alcoholic or a heroine addict will need to acknowledge their addiction. The only way to manage this addiction is through willpower. Ask any alcoholic in social situations when alcohol is the default option...

If it’s only £30 per week and it’s that important to you, pay for it yourself - no?

Maybe people could, and maybe it might even work for some. But it really isn’t always that helpful.

I have a healthy BMI but a history of bulimia. I have had counselling, therapy, hypnotherapy, CBT - which I have generally had to pay for privately as NHS provision is shite (some people woukdnt be able to afford to pay for it). I have managed to stop making myself sick but I cannot control the binges. I genuinely have no ability to stop myself when it happens. I am lucky to be sporty which keeps my weight down but honestly I live in a constant state of misery, I enjoy nothing because I am too busy being overwhelmed by the torment of trying to fight down an irresistible urge to eat. I recently had norovirus and it was wonderful because although I felt like death it was preferable to the usual state of misery and deprivation of trying to overcome the food noise, and the self loathing when I give in. And I have had the best therapeutic input money can buy.

If it replaces a hormone then it would be covered by the NHS. As they cover adrenals and thyroid and diabetes.

you take it for diabetes right? If you’re replacing a hormone?

Addictions sadly need willpower. Alcoholics needs willpower. Drug addicts need willpower. They need to want to change from the bottom up. Food addiction is the same. It needs willpower and changes.

Same. I was told I was pre diabetic as a result of weight gain. I stopped eating carbs and my bloods were back in the normal zone within weeks. Not only did it sort my blood sugars out but not eating any form of processed sugar has reduced the general inflammation in my entire body. My joints don’t hurt any more.

I have IBS and so does my friend , if she stays under 15 grams of fat per meal no side effects

Not all willpower is the same tho.

I watched my husband give up smoking, he is very disciplined and dedicated to his job - but he still could not stop overeating.

He has lost 2 stone so far on wli.

@YourLoyalPlumOP yes, the NHS does cover Ozempic and Mounjaro but only in very specific circumstances that precludes most obese people from receiving it via the NHS.

I would argue that the NHS would save itself a shit ton of money treating the side effects of obesity if they made WLI more available, but that is probably a debate for another thread.

Also everything needs will power. Getting up in the morning, going to work, raising children. Treating addiction generally needs more than just will power, but of course will power is a factor, it is for every action in life!

How much effort does it it take for you to maintain diet and exercise? If you've never been overweight the effort you're exerting is not the same as someone who is or has been obese.

I barely drink, it takes absolutely no willpower at all, I'm not fussed about alcohol and if I want a drink I can do it in moderation easily. I'm not using more willpower than an alcoholic I'm using less.

That's you with food, if your food intake is manageable it's not because your willpower is stronger it's more likely because the cravings are not as I tense

Just my comment and the only one .
You will get no sympathy or empathy on this website ..no matter what is wrong .

Some have no idea and long term on this has more than weightloss benefits.‼️

I have many illnesses and overweight ..not massively as i have been funding my own Mounjaro out of my pension.

When i cant afford it i will switch to Wegovy.

These meds are also good for heart conditions and are now being tested for Crohns , IBS, Ulcerative colitis and many other health problems.

I have ulcerative colitis ..this medication has cleared it up ‼️
I have a heart condition , hoping this is helping there too.
I dont ache as much ( Fibromyalgia ) and many other issues .
People on here dont care about anyone but themselves as i have found out .

I cant even get a doctor as i am “ out of area “ for one ‼️

It’s not the same no. I’ve volunteered at the Homeless for over 28 years now who are entrenched in addictions.

It has to start and finish with the person who is struggling because nobody from the outside can do it

That’s why all addictions are so difficult, but it must come from within

Exactly it needs a person who is dealing with it to start it to continue it and to finish it.

No one else can help we can advise, but we cannot change who you are or who the people who are addicted are that has to come from within

Narcan is publically funded. Does that mean that many posters here think it should stop being publically funded? If an addict needs it, they should just pay to have it?

Or is there hypocrisy at play?

Wrong ..it is not covered on the NHS .
Amongst my many other problems on the post i did a minute ago.
I have hormone problems due to a pituary tumour …i wouldnt be accepted with all my other issues and overweight .
I am consistently hot , my hormones are all over the pace .
I was hoping i wouldnt get a side effect some have of being cold ‼️
I am older , no family , no support , no partner ( my choice )
I am not sad, lonely or anything else .but i want to be healthier .
I have stuck to 1000- 1100 calories a day for the last 3 months .
I dont drink, smoke, eat out or have takeaways …i couldnt afford it on this anyway .

agree @YourLoyalPlumOP so when someone like OP has recognised her issues, as already done a whole lot of work herself and is asking for help, it is really extraordinary to read the ignorant, dismissive and contemptuous responses on this thread.

It is also hugely disappointing that the NHS has chosen to make it impossible at this point in time for her to receive the help too. I agree that there is a wider debate to be had on what the NHS spends its money on, but I would argue if you are ok with the NHS helping with your contraception, your netball injury, your carelessness with the kitchen knife injury or help with addictions, your cosmetic procedure gone wrong, then it is hard to argue that it shouldn't also be supporting the treatment of obesity with medications that are as evidentially efficacious as semaglutide and tirzepatide etc

Supposed to say i was hoping i would get the side effects of being cold ..not i wasnt.
I would love to feel cool , even my head gets very hot sometimes, i even had a hairdresser remark on it !

You have to meet the criteria set by NHS England. It cannot be prescribed otherwise. The people who are in between really are the ones to suffer, and I empathise with you for having been so proactive. However, please don’t blame your GP for not issuing a medication that is not available on their formulary for the conditions you have. Would you benefit from it? Yes. Can you have it via an NHS GP? Not currently, No.

I’m sorry but your attitude will be why you go back to being unhealthy.

You’ve given your health a real boost by doing what you have done by taking the drug which is great but it will be you choosing to give up and reverting back to old habits before even finishing the last dose by your attitude. You’ve already said as much.

I understand that there are guidelines due to the cost. But I have to say it is being done in an incredibly short sighted manner. If people in OP's position are being refused, the future healthcare costs will more than wipe out any savings, not to mention the impact on quality of life and reduction in future tax revenues whilst people are sick and unable to work. I can't see the logic.