Continuing Mounjaro...part 4

[ObsidianTree]

Welcome to thread 4!

Pointers for newbies:
1 - For taking your first dose you need to twist the pen a lot to get to 1!

2 - Your first dose may not have an immediate effect. For some people the effects build slowly. It could take 3 or 4 days to notice anything, it could take a few weeks. Some people don't feel the meds working until they get to 5mg. See titration chart which shows how the medication builds up in your system.

3 - 2.5mg isn't a therapeutic dose, meaning you aren’t meant to lose on 2.5mg. You need to start on 2.5mg to get your body used to the drug and gradually introduce it into your system and get used to any side effects.

4 - Not everyone loses a lot in the first few weeks. Don't feel discouraged if you don't lose a lot initially. Again, you might need a higher dose to start losing. Also, inches can be lost without anything showing on the scales. Start your journey by taking measurements and check them as you go along.

5 - If you do lose a lot in the first few weeks, please don't assume you will continue losing at this rate. The first few weeks it is usually water weight that is lost, after than a good weight loss is about 2lbs a week. Some weeks you might not lose anything, but this is ok too…again, taking measurements might show inches lost instead.

6 - Constipation, coldness, nausea, diarrhea, headaches, aches, are side effects. There may be be other side effects also. Read info here :
www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.14201.pdf

7 - Once you take your first dose you can choose to keep your pen in the fridge or somewhere else. It's up to you.

8 - Don't reuse any needles as this could risk infection. If you damage a needle or one isn't working, you can buy a pack of about 100 spares. Ask for suggestions of sites /types to buy.

9 - Protein is important as eating less protein can cause muscle wastage and hair loss. Try to have at least 100g a day. There are protein supplements you can take. Myprotein have a good range. Ask for a referral code if you want to buy some.

10 - Some natural sources of protein:
www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321522#high-protein-foods

11 - You can use supplements, some that people use are magnesium(for sleep and constipation), protein(to reduce muscle wastage), collagen (skin elasticity), aloe vera(for constipation), electrolytes.

12 - Drink lota of water. Water helps with the weight loss. Drink at least 2ltrs a day. Preferably 3ltrs.

13 - Don't be afraid to feel hungry. It is entirely normal and healthy to feel hungry. Just eat something. Treat it as an opportunity to start good habits around hunger. Eat a nice balanced snack or a meal if it's a meal time. It's ok.

14 - Some of the places you can order from are:
MedExpress £149.99 - Sometimes there are codes that can be used for a discount. Ask for a code on here or do a Google search to try and find one.
Voy - £114.99 for first month then £229 after. Need a referral code (ask on here for one if needed)
The Family Chemist -£149
Simple online pharmacy - £159 2.5mg £179 for 5mg
Asda £184
Boots £219

15 - Does it makes any difference where you inject? yes it does! Drugs get absorbed at different rates depending on injection site

In order of fastest absorption, it goes:
• Tummy
• Arms
• Thighs
further reading about injection sites and the effects: www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316618

16 - You can track your calories / protein on apps such as My fitnessPal, Carb Manager or Nutracheck. Nutracheck is quite useful and easy to find foods /build recipes.

17 - If you want to switch suppliers, make sure you have pics of your Mounjaro box with your name and dose. This will come in useful when other suppliers ask for evidence.

1st thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5007744-mourjano-starting-soon?page=1

2nd thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5028495-continuing-murnjaropart-2?page=1

3rd thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5037623-continuing-mounjarop
art-3?page=1

Good luck all :)

I was on Ozempic and Wegovy for around 18 months and had plateaued (I don’t lose very fast on it anyway but had lost about 10kg).

I decided to come off it at the end of December to see if I could maintain and also check side effects such as lack of motivation and anxiety. I was off it for two months and don’t think my motivation nor anxiety improved but I gained weight really quickly (around 7kg 😳). I then started Mounjaro and stopped gaining even on the 2.5mg dose. I have started losing better now I am up to 5 mg dose and have lost about 3.5kg so far in around 6 weeks. Interestingly I think it has improved my mental health compared to Wegovy and also compared to during my two month break but it could be coincidence.

I can’t tell you that it is better for weight loss as I haven’t been on it long enough. I think the side effects are not as bad so far. I haven’t been sick on this and I was occasionally on Wegovy. But one thing I would advise is to wait until the higher doses are available. I had the same issues early on with Ozempic as I didn’t lose much until I got onto 1mg but it wasn’t available when I first was able to move up to that so it was a bit of a slow start. I think I will also need to go up with Mounjaro as I am not losing consistently really yet but may be stuck with 5mg for another pen by the sounds of things as 7.5mg isn’t yet available and it is uncertain when it will be.

Just downloaded this...far better than the tracking I've been doing in my period tracker app. Thanks!
I've set my own goal for end July which puts me at a BMI of 27 so will be great to see how realistic it is as time goes on.

I used Happy Scale and weigh daily. I like the graphs I can get from it with the average line.

I have ordered my 2nd 5mg pen so will be starting that in a few weeks. I've seen some people on Facebook talking about using the extra doses in the 2 5mg pens to make 4 doses of 7.5mg. I am contemplating it. Will see how I feel at the end of week 4 of my first 5mg pen

Any advice on evening or morning injecting? I could go first pen this evening or tomorrow morning.

I am a bit anxious as I am inclined to get heartburn if I eat late at night anyway, so not looking forward to that worsening.

@FlappyFish I have 10+ years of historic weight data on My Fitness Pal showing the graph line trending upwards. But the difference with Monitor my Weight is that if you set a target weight by a specified date it will tell you if you are on track to get there by that date. Eg 25% of the time to get to the target has passed and you have lost 30% of the weight already. I don't think My Fitness pal shows that anywhere?

I am still using my Fitness Pal to keep my weight data but am also using Monitor my Weight to help keep me on track to lose 20lbs by mid May when I will see some family.

Why not just do it now? I took mine within an hour of it arriving.

It's not as scary as it feels. Good luck.

I want to start on Monday.
Might be silly but it's what I want to do.

@VoyOySaveloy I chose to do mine in the evening thinking that I could sleep through the side effects and start fresh the next morning.
I haven't really had any side effects apart from slight nausea and headache in the beginning and I'm 10lbs down at the end of week 3 so it's worth it for me.
Good luck 😊

@RunningAndSinging thanks, I like that graph. At the moment I weigh daily and input it into my Fitbit app, which gives me an average for the week. Prevents any angst about a certain result on a weigh in day and takes into account the normal fluctuations. I like the visual aspect of the graph though.

I've just ordered my first pen.
My BMI is only just over 30 but it has creeped up as I've gained a stone over the past year since starting HRT. And I'd gained a stone in the two years before that. I first hit the 30 mark in the run up to Christmas, was about to order Ozempic in the New Year only for the side effects to put me off. I decided to concentrate on healthy eating & exercise and, over the last three months, have lost 2lbs and yo-yo'd another 2. I have PCOS so weight loss has always been a challenge but that plus perimenopause seems to have made it impossible.
Ideally I'd like to get to a BMI of 24 but I haven't been that since my 20s. I sat at 25/25.5 for years and would be happy to get back to that.
I was a similar weight to this after DC2 was born and I remember how liberating it was to lose the weight and that it turned into a virtuous cycle as it was so much easier to run and generally exercise.

Good morning everyone, I wondered if anyone has just stuck with Voy? I know it's more expensive but I just wondered whether if I stick with them I will be sent the increased doses as and when and not have to shop around trying to find them?

Well done everyone on your weight losses and very encouraging posts. I took my first 2.5mg on Tuesday night and I genuinely feel like a different person, I have an appetite but don't want to snack or eat anything bad, I have so much more energy, my face and ankles are less puffy, my aching knee seems to have gone! I had quite instant effects when I started a keto diet a couple of years ago and felt amazing and lost weight quickly and managed to keep it off until an unsettling year last year when all my bad habits came back! Interested to know if anyone on here has had a good response to the keto diet and is feeling similar on MJ?

@NNsingers My current plan is to stick with Voy as there's no price increase as dosage increases, there's elements of a support structure and clinical oversight.

Yes, same for me I think! Overall I'm sure it will work out similar in price! Thanks

@thehousewiththesagegreensofa perimenopause is a bitch isn't it? I've been on HRT for about 18 months and although it has helped with symptoms like brain fog and mood swings, I now crave sugar like I've never done before. And that happens even if I don't get a period.

Mj is helping on that front as I don't fancy sugar and when I do eat something sweet, it makes me feel queasy after a small amount.

I'm still on 2.5- next Tuesday will be my 6th dose. Ended up this way because of holiday and not wanting to bring a brand new pen with me but I'm ready to go up to 5. I'm glad I've no scales here as I must have put on 7lb just from built up 💩!

@NNSingers yes I lost 50lb on Keto about 7 years ago, I responded really well to it. However, at the moment it's much harder to fit into my lifestyle as I'm having to feed kids when I get in from work and cooking 2 dinners is more than I can keep up consistently at the moment. DH works away and we're planning a big move in the summer so a lot of things taking up headspace and I just don't have room in my life for constant food prep and decision making. I was quite obsessed with food while doing keto.l, but had more time to cook and meal plan.
Also, unless you do keto for life it doesn't help with maintenance. It's very restrictive.

On MJ, I can just eat smaller portions and have pretty much what everyone else is eating which is a lot easier and probably more sensible long term. I just make sure I'm getting enough protein and some veg.

I'm not sure on exact pricing but the list price for the doses is around £25 higher for 7.5mg and 10mg and another £15 more for 12.5mg and 15mg. I was checking the price that comes up when you prescribe it (it's not on our formulary but it does show up) and the low doses are £92, mid are £107 and higher £122 I think. So expect about £60 added on top for prescribing and supplying costs and that will give you an idea of what to expect.

Pharmacy2U is showing that the 7.5mg will come into stock w/c 22nd April. I will be on my last jab at 5mg at that point so if I can preorder for it to arrive that week I'll be ok, otherwise I'll have to order another 5mg. I'm going to wait another week or so till I decide, and keep my fingers crossed

I was just over 30 bmi when I started. I’m 50 and peri menopause. Gained a lot last year and found it impossible to shift despite cc/working with a pt for months.
I’m still having to work at it, logging everything on nutracheck but it’s like a switch has flipped in my body and it’s finally working. I’m 9lb down in 3.5 weeks, bmi 28.

I’m 47 and post-menopausal. I’ve found it impossible to lose weight no matter what I try. I’m two days into MJ and I’m not sure about this either. Yes I have lost 1lb so far but my skin is so sensitive and isn’t coping very well with anything touching it which made sleeping last night very difficult. I’ve taken an antihistamine hoping it will help. I woke up with vomit in my mouth this morning. I flit between being cold and sweaty. I have moments where I just want this stuff out of my body but know I’ve just got to ride it out. I’m not sure I want to carry on with this if this is how I’m going to feel 😒

@guestusername is it your first jab? When did you take it? I felt pretty awful for the first few days- vomited, barely slept, was exhausted, freezing cold, nauseous, and had a headache. I was very hesitant to take the 2nd dose. However, side effects have been very mild since then. I hope you feel better soon.

@guestusername sorry just re-read and you said 2 days in, presumably first jab then. It should get better soon

@EsotericMnemonic thank you. I guess I’m just tired and feeling sorry for myself but your kind words give me hope!

I am same age as you and have 6 stone to lose. This is my last hope.

I took first Jab on Wednesday evening and only today have started to feel better. The nausea was making me want to quit, reminded me of how I felt when I was pregnant.

I hope you start ro feel better soon I really do.
I found water helped the nausea.

That's really encouraging @CiderJabs & @Investinmyself. I've also had a PT for a year and I think she is surprised at how I can lift much more but just haven't changed weight or size (so it's not as if fat is turning into muscle).
The idea of even being half a stone down in a month or so is extraordinary. It would mean I could wear the emergency clothes I bought for last summer!