Continuing Mounjaro...part 6

[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/product/15481/pil#about-medicine

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. https://www.chemist-4-u.com/carepoint-pen-needles-31g-4mm-pack-of-100?gclid=Cj0KCQjwiYOxBhC5ARIsAIvdH51rLZBVFQxuvS7mDJooegtK8BMiyT0PwREMRHhH_1atfQIo8TEbsmkaAkA0EALw_wcB

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:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein
https://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
furthet reading about injection sites and the effects: https://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

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-continuing-mounjaropart-4?page=1

5th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5048290-continuing-mounjaropart-5?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out:

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/weight_loss_chat/5057475-mounjaro-and-wegovy-newbies-april-2024

@MelissaLouRocks wishing you well and hope you get home soon

@Everdecreasingcircumferences where did you get the information that they wouldn't prescribe it to you once your BMI was under 27? If be very interested in any info about this. I thought they'd at least let me get to 25 and no longer overweight.

I'm interested in hearing if anyone knows about maintenance doses. Do uk pharmacies allow us to spread out low doses once we hit goal weight? I have also just asked my pharmacist chemist4u. This should be long journey and I think the longer I'm on it, the better it will be to reset me. It's all a bit vague as I'm hearing about some prescribers stopping at BMI of 27. I will want to use it to maintain, at least initially.

@Femeia and @montysma1 - I had the lowest blood pressure reading I have had in close to 40 years at my check up this week after 3 months on Mounjaro. It was actually 124/78 - even lower than I thought. My doctor was very excited too.

They won't start you on a BMI under 27; to start you need a BMI over 30, or over 27 with a correlating health condition. Once they've been already prescribing, they'll let you in to 25.

That's what I thought @MelissaLouRocks but it wasn't how I read the other post so I wanted to check. Thanks

@MelissaLouRocks - hope you can break out! Cannot imagine how boring it must be. Good luck!

My blood pressure is at the low end of normal anyway and I’ve definitely noticed when it drops in actual low. I need to add some salt into my diet to try and bring it up again 😳

I think someone on Reddit said Boots were willing to prescribe Wegovy until BMI of 23, so hopefully will be similar with this.

What's the evil thread called? Or has it been deleted? I can't find it under weight loss. Just curious really!

It's in chat - I forgot the name of it. It's prob pretty high up

It's called:
All these people taking weight loss appetite suppression drugs

In chat

Just taken my 6th dose. Decided to move up from 2.5mg, I'd hoped to drag that dose out a bit longer (more for cost reasons, if I'm honest!) but I think I've fully adjusted now as it's definitely been wearing off the last few days and I'm only on day 5. I ate a big plate of Chinese last night, fully expecting to feel awful from it but I was fine. A week ago, I'd have not even wanted it, never mind managed to eat that much. Today I've been craving carbs and feeling hungrier but not in an actual hunger way, just thinking about food a lot.

Wasn't ready for 5mg though as I do still have some quite nauseous days, so I've gone for 3.75mg as a halfway point and changed injection site to my thigh as that's meant to have fewer side effects (according to Eli Lilly's own research). Just in case, I've done it today rather than Monday so I've got tomorrow in case it does make me feel a bit ill. Will see how this goes, it gives me leeway to do this for a few weeks and then move to 5mg if it's tolerated well as that is the therapeutic dose after all. But if I find this dose works as well as the first four 2.5mgs then I'll stay on it until it starts wearing off too soon. I'm not keen to increase through the doses too fast as every step up is one less option in the future and I do have 5 more stone to go!

I'm fully aware this isn't following the guidelines and I don't recommend anyone else does it, but I'm quite comfortable with my approach and thou

Weight wise, I'm down 13lbs from my first 5 doses so not bad at all.

Sounds like it is a thread full of incel keyboard warriors. 😂I have been a size 8-10 for a lot of my adult life. I havent changed what i eat or how much i have exercised, but i have gained weight in the last couple of years. I'm not really going to be lectured by these people. They have probably spent much of their life larger than me.

In a while MJ and Wegovy will be more freely available, and hopefully cheaper and more accessible via the NHS. Once that happens i think there will be less judgement. People said all sorts about gastric bands and nobody bats an eye lid now about these procedures.

I don't care about people who think they are the centre of the universe because they happen to have an opinion about something. I care about losing weight and being healthier. They can bitch all they want in their echo chamber. 😀

@Soukmyfalafel 100%!

At least the sinister thread people didn’t come and crash our thread. That used to happen a lot in the early days of Ozempic support threads. People are so sure they are right about weight loss but the research is out there to show how hard it is and here we all are taking responsibility and doing something about it.

I had a lovely day out both running and singing as per my user name and haven’t had time or the inclination to eat much. Although I have come home and had some hula hoops which is not good and goes to show that MJ isn’t a miracle we still have to focus on the healthy food side of things.

We’ve had one or two comments from “outsiders” which have been completely ignored each time 😁

No change in my BP yet (reasonably managed at the moment with meds) but here's hoping. My BP is incredibly variable so I'd soon noticed when it drops as I feel faint quite quickly.

I was able to reduce my BP meds towards the end of my time on saxenda, but had to increase again on wegovy.

And thank you - I'd misinterpreted the bit about bmi of 27.

I've beeb very open about starting MJ with my friends and colleagues. I'm very lucky that they are all so supportive.

First injection yesterday and today I am so thirsty! Very dry mouth.

I'm tracking calories and protein on nutracheck.

It's gonna be a long journey but I'm hopeful and so glad of these threads.

Shit bugger bollocks n things. They're not happy with my bloods, that's me in another night. 🤕

My blood pressure I assume has gone up since starting MJ. Well I have noticed my resting heart rate has gone up 10+ beats per minute. Don't know if this is good or bad! Think it contributes to me not being able to sleep sometimes!

It is a known side effect.

That's crap 😔

Hows the food? I ask as my mind wanders back to October when I was in for an op.. it was bloody awful 😬 I don't suppose you'll have much appetite though!

They let me use the kitchen here, so I've brought in my rechargeable Ninja blender, so I can still have my shakes, and I brought some eggs in I do in the microwave. I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I can have a choice of about 27 different curries and not much else. It's not what you want when you're feeling rough is it. 😷