AIBU to seek a consensus on who is a socially acceptable recipitent of Mounjaro?

[Periperi2025]

So it seems that much of mumsnet and society judge users of WLI extremely harshly seeing them as fat and lazy people who should just eat less, move more and use more willpower. But apparently not all of us, some of us after divulging enough medical history as 'okay'..."not you just the other fatties!!"

So, are people with diagnosed endocrine and metabolic conditions, acceptable?

What about people with undiagnosed endocrine and metabolic disorders, it's taken me over a decade to get to the point i am now, which is under endcrinology with a confirmed 'problem' and a working diagnosis but nothing more, my story is sadly far from unusual. You don't know who they are, they don't know who they are (although they may have astrong inkling), quite the conundrum!!

What about people with diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, who once were also just fat people without type 2 diabetes (mostly)?

What about people who are just fat now but statistically likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the future, like the current Type 2 diabetes patients were 10 years ago?

What about the people with severely disordered eating? As a society and a health service we deem it justifible and, hopefully preferrable to treat Anorexia Nervosa, including as inpatients at great expense (£500+ per day in the NHS), compared to treating an obese eating disordered patient with Mounjaro at a cost of approx £9 per day to the NHS for the highest dose. Presuambly in a civilised society we think that both groups of patients deserve a chance at a better quality life and improved life expextancy, and we dont think that Anorexics should just eat more and move less?!

So my AIBU is?
Are all of the above groups socially acceptable recipitents of Mounjaro?

YABU - no there are not all acceptable the gluttunous, lazy, weak willed cheats.

YANBU - of course they are all socially acceptable recipitents given that they meet the prescribing criteria for Mounjaro which has been accessed for Risk vs Benefit via peer reviewed research.

Well given the number of knock on conditions that the injections can treat or prevent, I would think they represent a net financial gain for the NHS, leaving money free to treat all the "worthy" people with socially acceptable conditions.

But it shouldn’t be what you fancy, that’s the whole point of accountability. It’s about having restraint, delayed gratification, putting health before cravings.

Your kids are not going to have WLI so they’ll fancy the chocolate, as is natural to want sweet things. It’s just not natural to eat whatever you fancy all the time.

People on WLI aren’t making good choices, they’re just experiencing the benefits of a medication. Once you don’t take it anymore, your habits will return as you’re still eating what you fancy.

Yes you are wrong.

But it’s not the general public deciding this is it? It’s the NHS and they have decided no. It’s not because you aren’t ‘worthy’.

This an emotional narrative that you are clinging onto and it’s feeding some kind of victim behaviour that’s bordering on hysterical. Why do you care what strangers think about you or your decisions? Online strangers who can’t change government policy, it’s mumsnet. If you want policy change, go to the policy makers? Join a campaign? Speak to your MP? Sign a petition?

People just agreeing with the NHS criteria aren’t trying to harm you or put you down, they just agree there is a line to draw somewhere. You don’t have to agree with the NHS/gov decision but also people can agree with decisions about how public money is spent. If the NHS reverse the decision tomorrow and give out GLP1’s then I will put my faith in the science and finances that they know they can afford to offer it, and that science says it’s a good idea.

This is a lot of handwringing to all the wrong people. This debate probably wont change anyone’s mind who does judge you because anyone like that is a judgmental twat! why would you want or care what judgmental twats think?

@Rainbowcat99 I am really not sure what this post was trying to achieve but it reads that without taking GLP1 you were unable to buy fruit for your kids and would have bought them crisps and chocolate.

Because they aren’t the same. Trust me Anorexic people are treated very harshly.

I agree

I have no skin in this game - always been a healthy weight etc. but I couldn’t give a fuck really. If a GP has prescribed it then it’s none of my business. I broadly think it’s better than having to have invasive surgery (gastric bands) or having chronic disease that’s due to obesity being treated on the NHS. Seems like a no brainer to me.

I make a point of not discussing my body with other people. I’d probably nod and say “thanks” and try my best to swiftly move the conversation on. I’m also careful not to comment on other people’s bodies - I think telling someone they’ve lost weight is often loaded with judgment anyway, I hate the insinuation that they look “better” now.

I have yo-yo’ed through my adult life so a couple of stone on and off is just normal for me anyway.

Not hysterical and not emotional or a victim thanks.

Who cares?

I take Mounjaro. I couldn’t care less what anyone else thinks about it.

I think if you are like me weight has been an issue forever. It really is a mental health disease in my view. By the time we get to using WLI after a lifetime of slimming clubs etc we are beyond desperate and we are dying slowly. I have munjaro free on the NHS and have 5 co morbilities that meet the criteria allowing my GP to perscribe. I want to live. For the last 20 years I have felt so sick my health has deteriorated to such an extent you would not believe. I worked all my life until I was unsafe to do so and I would not wish that on anyone. I am for the first time in forever feeling hopeful. The time I have been on munjaro has been the first time I feel at peace. I dont care who thinks what. I am just so blessed I can begin my journey and I am incredibly greatful to be given this chance.

It's a bit of a double edged sword though unless the systems and tools are adopted by the person on it. I don't think it should be prescribed indefinitely to me the point surely should be to get to a manageable weight and in that time have changed eating habits so that its not required.

I had to argue with a GP at my surgery to keep my prescription of my epipen for a non food anaphylaxis. So although I don't take issue with those being prescribed it I don't believe it should be indefinitely and should be for a max 2 year period which should be enough time to retrain body, mind and eating habits.

No, you’re wrong. Anorexics get judged very harshly by many as they can “just eat more”. Believe me. But with anorexia they’ll say it to your face more “you just need to eat more pies love”, as if lack of access food was the root of the problem. I’ve been obese (BMI 33) too for reference so I’ve experienced both sides of the coin. Never had anyone say to my face “just eat less” when I was overweight.

In reality anyone who judges a very overweight or very underweight person for getting treatment is a jerk. Their opinion should be ignored.

But surely your tax money goes on many other drugs that people stay on forever. Blood pressure medication or statins, antidepressants, basically for the majority of drugs there's some people who will be them forever. In many cases it prevents their condition getting worse and then costing the NHS more money in long-run, which WLI do. I thought OP in the 1st post was referring more to how currently the NHS criteria is very tight compared to private and other countries - so many people who can't afford, can't get it from the NHS.

Those people also pay tax to the NHS, for other people's medication and also for them to hopefully have it for a while or for their whole life. Many people do pay for their medication though, as in England prescriptions aren't free for most people.

In general OP, most people with obesity we know has lots of genetic components now, also the cost of living and deprivation links to poor eating (which can be for people who are overweight and who aren't as well). Many people complain about obesity costing the NHS so much money, whilst they drink many time as week, and use a vape like an inhaler for asthma. Also most of the time obesity etc is an eating disorder or at least disordered eating on its own. Unfortunately in the UK, anorexia is treated the way many PP have said, however it doesn't mean we can only advocate for better ED treatment (for EDs which are about eating less - which fat people can have and still be fat) and then not advocate for the treatments about obesity (often an ED as well just not one that is socially acceptable/pushed my capitalist ideals of beauty). Atypical anorexia and other EDs should be diagnosed more without the arbitrary BMI measurements as the only access for treatment.

But again we can have sympathy for more than one aspect, and can be mad towards NHS policies and funding towards MH and other things which are government's fault over various years. Otherwise it's just acting like there's only one place we can help and so nobody supports each other. You can say no the money should go to EDs and not obesity as they cause it themselves - if that was true, then you'll find someone else saying well so do people with EDs around getting smaller, I've seen people say it for SH (that as they do it to themselves the NHS shouldn't pay a penny for it), then someone will say it for anyone with any addiction etc. All you get my picking on groups of people and supporting them not getting the treatment they need, is others later doing the same to you and the government's (across a long time) literally benefit from everyone picking and blaming each other and ignoring them.

Surely if a person is on prescription medication that’s a matter between them and their doctor? I’m not a doctor so I’m not qualified to have much of an opinion on other people’s health beyond sending friends get well soon cards.