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.

It isn’t always poss to control type 2 with diet & exercise!

News just in. Not everyone is the same as you

There is no reward for working and doing the right thing. Take the piss, and everything is handed to you on a plate.

It's this attitude - that everything would be affordable if we just made sure only the "deserving" got help and support that is damaging this country.

It's everywhere on Mumsnet now - people complaining about how they and their families deserve this or that and it could all be afforded on a low tax base if we just stopped giving money to "scroungers" or the overweight or whoever the current focus of attack is.

Me, I'd like to move towards a more Scandinavian high tax, high welfare society - more universal benefits and much more emphasis on reducing poverty all round.

But there's very little public support for that.

You, yourself are condoning to be unhealthy no one else. I hear what you're saying about having tried lots of other ways to try and lose weight but that's not the GPs fault. I have genuine question, let's say you get down to a size 10-12 and you're no longer eligible for MJ due to your weight and BMI, how are you going to keep the weight off then when you can't get the weight loss injection, you're going to have to eat health and maintain you're weight yourself should you get to that size.

(Not being a dickhead I promise but the phrase is ‘tone deaf’. Just pointing it out!)

I ended up very poorly on WLI so had a gastric sleeve in June. I've already lost 50lbs and wish I'd done it years ago. Maybe worth investigating as an alternative?

Clearly not (!) But it's the fact that there are all these obese people who suddenly find themselves with a panacea and then think it's terrifying that the NHS wouldn't fund it indefinitely to keep the weight off.

They wouldn't need the bloody drugs if they'd not been obese in the first place..!

Thanks! It was a error. My spelling is terrible these days!

You know I agree with you. It makes perfect sense to let you continue on this drug to head off all the potential problems. It will 100% save the NHS money down the road. The NHS waits until people get very sick before they even think about treating them…cataracts, knee ops, heart disease. They need to spend more money keeping us well. They should be delighted you’ve taken responsibility for your health but computer says no. I hope you find a solution.

Have you ever considered Overeaters Anonymous
they can help heal the underlying issue that causes excess eating
medication/ gastric bypass surgery etc does not treat the underlying addiction you would be better to treat the cause rather than papering over the cracks with medication and would work on other issues such as self esteem etc you would be able to see that your experience could help others reaching out is a positive step forwards my daughter has had a gastric bypass surgery which has led to her feeling much better about herself but she has all the symptoms of untreated addiction
restless irritable discontent angry blaming etc etc any addition is a 3 fools w illness
if you treat the cause you will get a long term solution!

We all make mistakes and need reminders!

Contrary to most people on this thread, I agree with you. It seems absolutely bizarre that the rules seem to actively push you back into ill health in order to.l qualify for life saving treatment.

People persist in seeing food addiction as within the gift of the individual to resolve, despite a huge body of evidence to the contrary. It's something us food addicts have to live with for now, because its not an argument we're going to win.

The fact is, unless someone has walked in your shoes, they will never understand why you can't just "eat a bit less, walk a bit more". 🙄

Regards the GP. They are likely not empowered to prescribe this, as you're outside of the standard protocols. And it's true that its not fair to try to bully them into breaking the rules, simply because you want this.

On the other hand, at your BMI you should probably be under the care of the higher Tier weight management services, and I presume they would have more flexibility in these circumstances. Can you ask for a referral?

Sadly there are a lot of people who would benefit from mounjaro but can't afford it yet. My heart goes out to them. I believe within 5 years this should change, either through new technologies or cheaper generic meds.

Why does it seem crazy that people need long term medication to treat a long term problem? People aren't cured of obesity simply by losing weight.

MJ is a tool to help you, it’s not some magic trick that makes you lose weight!!
Even when using MJ you still have to put the work in, after using it for a year surely you’ve set yourself up to know what to do to continue to lose weight without it??

My friend had it prescribed by the NHS for type 2 diabetes and his count has come down to the correct level and he’s been taking off of it, he told the dr he wanted to continue using it because it has helped him lose weight, dr said tough, I gave you it to help with the diabetes not as a weight loss tool, if you want it to lose weight you have to find it yourself!!!

It’s interesting that you say that. So there are tiers which I have heard/read. Do you know what tier 1 is, because I am sure I saw this on my medical records, when I had to request them for something.

Yes they are. They are cured of their obesity, but they may not be cured of their cravings/difficulties around food.

I’m sorry OP, but you need to continue with your eating patterns that MJ helped you achieve. Contrary to popular belief, maintaining a healthy weight is hard work and a lot of us feel hungry to stay slim. Even those of us who people assume “have it easy” because we are not overweight. MJ has maybe given you an idea of how little many people eat to stay at a slim weight.

The drug itself might not be expensive but the cost to the NHS is enormous given the number of people having it prescribed. It should not be inevitable for you to become unhealthy.

You seem to be under a misconception about costs: £120 per month IS expensive
it could, for example, fund over 120 people to take a statin. The sad truth is the NHS is not a bottomless pit. People also have to be responsible for their choices in life. You have done well and I get it is hard, but I think what has riles people here is the tone of your original post abdicates all responsibility and places blame on others.

Try and look at it positively, you have done well and woth right choices you can continue to do so.

What about the cost to the NHS of all the obesity and diabetes related conditions, @Skodacool?

Well this shows just how uneducated you are. These are not choices, they are gut hormone imbalances - a medical condition - that makes it exponentially harder to lose weight. You wouldn’t tell someone with a malfunctioning thyroid to eat less and exercise more to lose weight to cure them. You’d give them the drugs that solve that problem.
Lots of people just love to be judgemental because they see being fat as a moral failing. Well done on being that person 👏👏👏

It's rotten luck BUT the GP probably has a list as long as his arm of patients who need it more than you.

It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's the likely reality.

At least there's a chance of getting it in your area. It's a blanket no for all in mine.

It might make it harder to lose weight, nobody is denying that, but it doesn't mean you have to eat unhealthy stuff.

If the problem is raging hunger and food noise, then fill your boots. But nobody HAS to eat unhealthy food. You choose what you buy, you choose how to shop, you choose what you eat when ordering out.

It seems many people are only hungry for the stuff that is going to make them gain weight.

OP herself has said

"ood 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"

" I am staggered that a medical professional is condoning me becoming unhealthy again just so I can be prescribed the medication."

Which is quite frankly, rubbish. Being unhealthy, IS a choice. Being overweight, might not be. But the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

By your logic the NHS should prescribe vapes to tobacco addicts.

But the NHS spends a fortune on the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, joint issues, back pain, eyesight deterioration etc - a great deal of which is caused by obesity. Long term chronic conditions that could be avoided or greatly reduced with the use of WLI. Some people may want to stay on them long-term but plenty won't. The side effects are very significant for some people and even if they are not very significant, they are often enough of a PITA to put people off sticking with them indefinitely.

I used to be married to a rugby player and he was frequently injured. Every single week at least one member of the club would end up in A&E! No one raised any red flags or suggested that they stopped playing rugby. I have lots of friends whose DC play football and they seem to be endlessly back and forth to the GP, physios or consultants about Achilles strains, muscle tears, meniscus tears and other knee injuries etc. All treated on the NHS with no one saying they should take more personal responsibility.

There are plenty of women who have had breast implant complications that require long term treatment that the NHS funds. Where are all the people castigating them for having boob jobs in the first place. Nowadays, there are so many people having dodgy surgical procedures or even non surgical cosmetic procedures abroad that go wrong and the NHS picks up the pieces often long term.

As we age, we become a giant collection of chronic long-term health issues - all of which the NHS treats. It is just madness to suggest that the NHS is only there for acute medical issues.

@Skodacool this is taken from the Department of Health: "Updated 2 February 2024*
Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer.
Over one in four (26%) adults and 23.4% of children aged 10-11 years in England are living with obesity, placing huge pressure on the health and care system."

It seems like a no brainer to me to look at better ways of managing this issue and I doubt that even if every obese person in the country took WLI it would come to £6.5 billion a year.