Continuing Mounjaro...part 5

[ObsidianTree]

Please note: Mounjaro can only be taken if your BMI is above 30.

Pointers for newbies:

1 - For taking your first dose you need to twist the pen a lot to get to 1! The instructions say prime each time you take a dose, but actually Eli Lilly have confirmed you only need to prime for the first ever use of a pen. (The video posted says every use, but this isn't true!)

2 - When injecting, hold down the button until the number goes back to 0. Once at 0, keep holding down the button and count to 5 with the needle still in so no medication is lost!

3 - 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.

4 - 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.

5 - 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.

6 - 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.

7 - 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

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

9 - 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.

10 - 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.

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

12 - 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.

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

14 - 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.

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 - Abdominal side-effects are much easier to control with smaller meals. For example, having 4 small meals in the day vs 2 big meals can have an improvement in nausea and burps.

17 - 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.

18 - 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
• Bolt pharmacy 2.5mg £125, 5mg £179. Or starter pack with 2.5mg and 5mg pen £319
• Asda £184
• Boots £219
• Chemist4U £179
• Pharmacy2u
• Superdrug

There other other sellers, we don't have them all listed

19 - 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-mounjaropart-3?page=1

4th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5044316-continu
ing-mounjaropart-4?page=1

Good luck everyone!

@MelissaLouRocks I'd also agree that most of us are eating small portions of a restricted diet meaning we aren't getting the range of vitamins, minerals and other bits and also the MJ is making us thirsty meaning we are drinking more and no doubt peeing more. All which has lead to a less than satisfactory amount of the important bits we need. The electrolytes also help when feeling nauseous.
I have 1 tablet a day in my water bottle and have felt great so I will continue. At worst I will just be peeing them out if not needed.

Eating low calories can cause electrolyte imbalances as you are not getting enough minerals from your food and the body has a minimum need for them:

https://www.livestrong.com/article/277473-electrolytes-weight-loss/

Lol. I'll just go order some electrolytes! I might as well have all the suppliments 🤣

😂They can be overdone though, so drinking them all day every day is not a good idea either:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/too-many-electrolytes/

There are guidelines for sports usage (after long workouts, working out in hot weather etc.) but not for lack of them due to dieting so it's tricky to figure out whether actually needed or not!

@NoMoreCoffeePlease @NNSingers
If you are losing well and appetite suppressed on 2.5mg I’d stay on that.
I thought that was going to be me then I did get more hungry so moved up.

I'm not here to argue the toss about electrolytes, because this is mumsnet & not my workspace... but some of these posts are occasionally erring into pseudo medical advice.

With electrolytes, when you supplement, you do not pee out all of what you don't need. I dont' care what google says. These electrolytes can (& do) build up. Added to that that no one taking Mounjaro should be combining it with with VLC (very low calorie, ie, <800cals). The link above - to Livestrong, is discussing VLC & fatalities. This is not Mounjaro use.

Caveat: This is an area that I absolutely do not claim to be an expert on. My recent professional background includes 5yrs working on clinical trials on VLC diets (you will know some of these diets by name - the Daily Mail loves to bang on about them as a the magic cure for diabetes), anthropometry, fibre & gut motility, and calorie restriction. I have co-authored published articles on these topics as well as literature reviews.

(also do bear in mind the Google algorithm changed recently - you will see a lot more info from big sites & less independent evidence on topics. You will also see defunct Reddit threads appearing on searches more. Check the dates on data, you want data no less than 3yrs old ideally if you are interested in current research).

I'm thinking just 1 a day. Just in case I'm lacking some minerals

I completely agree you do not pee everything out, and overuse is not advised. I started only after consulting my doctor as I have many other health conditions, and serious digestive issues. All I will say for myself is I haven't had a migraine since starting, which I used to get minimum x3 weekly, and was sometimes hospitalised for. It's like everything else, build your own knowledge, and if in doubt take medical advice.

I've been on mounjaro since the middle of February but only lost 4lb so far. I'm on my second 5mg pen as can't go up to 7.5 yet, but have no appetite suppression at all. I haven't posted since thread 1 but have been reading the posts and seen how well its working for most so it's spurring me on to continue. I've been on saxenda and rybelsus in the past and neither worked for me until the top dose so I'm assuming I won't feel the effects of mounjaro either til I'm on a higher dose. I am absolutely freezing cold though so i know its trying to do something. I went to gran canaria over Easter and sat on my sunlounger with a blanket some days.

Can I also say here is that all the injectable weight loss products have a short use by date on them once the injection is breached. I would be very careful using past the allotted time period. It's 30 days for Mounjaro. A bit longer for others. They certainly won't last up to the expiry date & I just wouldn't risk it.

I dunno if it's the mounjaro but I am HORMONAL! My periods due tomorrow and I've cried twice today which is unusual for me.

Ozempic is 6 weeks apparently.
So it's probably ok to go over by a week or so but no longer. Also check the pen whether there's any cloudiness or particles in it.

I’m still in my PJs as my delivery of my 1st pen was due today and I didn’t want to miss the door 🤣 the poor dogs not been out either

i have to do the school run in a bit - it’s from bolt says that Royal Mail won’t deliver without a signature. Will it be ok overnight if I miss it and it’s goes back to the depo?

I believe you can redirect to your local post office to collect.

I've been eagerly awaiting my first delivery of Mounjaro but have had an absolute disaster with Royal Mail - meant to be delivered on Saturday but it's Tuesday and I still haven't got my hands on it!! I tried to arrange for it to be collected from my local post office and delivery office and it seems to be bouncing from one to the other with no ability to collect it 🙄

Keen to get started ASAP - although currently not my heaviest weight ever (I lost about a stone last year trying the MySimba tablets but had to stop due to side effects/plateau and had no progress since) I'm just so fed up of feeling crap and hiding away in photos/at events.

I received my Bolt delivery today. I knew I was going to be out and had nominated a neighbour to sign for me on the Royal Mail tracking service. In the end I think the postman must have signed on my behalf which I don't think he was really supposed to do, but I have my pens so I don't mind!

First jab tonight.

Same - I feel.... sad? I never really feel sad. And i've been menopausal since I was 39, so it can't be that...

Thanks this is very interesting.

I tried the Fast 800 and loved it at first because I didn’t feel hungry. I got into Tim Spector’s content too - even invested early in Zoe… and then the Glucose Goddess.

I have to admit I think it’s all quite concerning now. I don’t think it’s healthy for non diabetics to follow these ways of eating. My hair fell out and I got migraines.

The recent controversy from Glucose Goddess proves to me she’s a bit of Charlatan!

I’m much happier and feeling healthier eating a range of foods but smaller portions … I’m actually eating carbs, like a bagel or a sandwich shock horror!

I think there’s a lot of research people are pointing to that is not conclusive. There is so much we don’t know.

I do trust Susan Jebb and her colleagues research into low calorie diets though. Rapid weight loss can be very effective for some people. But I still think I’d rather eat 1400 calories per day and lose weight more slowly- MJ makes this possible for me.

Week 4 finished and I'm now 18 lbs down. I've been congratulated by my family but I haven't actually done anything, I just don't feel the need to continually eat now. It's absolutely life changing. I'm going to extract a week 5 dose from my 2.5 then get 5mg ordered. Has anyone ordered 5mg then started doing half doses? I'm only thinking this way because if it makes me feel sick I think I'd have to give up. I stopped taking Methotrexate because I couldn't cope with feeling nauseous all the time. Hopefully it won't happen, but my back up plan is half doses if it does happen to me.

Typically they attempted delivery while I was on the school run 🙄 will it be ok not being ok the fridge overnight?

Why do you think you will feel sick @Gruttenberg ? I’m on 5mg and haven’t felt sick. Try not to think about it and you will probably be fine- I’m going to try and stick at 5mg if I can. Your weight loss in 4 weeks is very high, you must be pleased

Definitely noticed 2.5 effect reducing by week 5 so I made the right call Increasing to 5mg. I’m really careful to make sure I eat at least 1400 calories and plenty of protein

Fast 800 etc is excellent for loosing visceral fat & rebooting the liver/pancreas. It is suitable for a very specific group of people with the correct metabolic compromises. It is the rapidity of the weight loss that is so important. This is not a diet for people like me, the casually, metabolically well obese.

I too am in the lower cal mounjaro group.

Perhaps Doctors will start prescribing weight loss programmes actually tailored to individuals, rather than one size fits all @AgathaMystery - I’m sure this will be a big growth area for healthcare- with MJ featuring. How exciting for you to be involved in this latest research. The impact on our national health and economy will be immense. Important work - bravo 👏

God - imagine - personalised preventative healthcare - it's the dream!

Alas I am no longer involved - when you do a clinical trial - a series of them, and the trials are successful, get published & adopted by NICE et al... you become (literally) redundant. Our team was disbanded last summer. All that knowledge, gone. Literally the only time i use it now is on these threads 😂

A few silly questions… I have ordered from Boots, now on week 1.
Do I need to complete a full questionnaire for reordering? What happens when you get to a BMI <30? Will they still prescribe MJ? What happens if you change supplier after a number of weeks/months of treatment and you are now under 30?
thanks!