Continuing Mounjaro...part 9

[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. Also below you can plot the effect of your doses.
glp1plotter.com/

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

Also there is a 5th dose in each pen. To extract it you can either try a hard twist or use an insulin needle.
medbasic.co.uk/bd-micro-fine-30g-1ml-syringes-needles

10 - Protein is important as eating less protein can cause muscle wastage and hair loss. Try to have at least 100g a day.

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
furthet 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 2.5mg and 5mg. £149.99. 7.5mg £169. Use code STARTNOW. Ask for other codes if that doesn't work.
The Family Chemist 2.5mg and 5mg -£149. 7.5mg £169.
Simple online pharmacy - £159 2.5mg £179 5mg
Bolt pharmacy 2.5mg £125, 5mg £179. 7.5mg £189
Asda 2.5mg and 5mg £184. 7.5mg £189
Boots £219 +
Chemist4U £179 +
Superdrugs

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:

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

2nd thread:

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

3rd thread:

www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5037623-continuing-mounjaropart-3?page=1

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

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

6th thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5057916-continuing-mounjaropart-6?page=1

7th thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5062935-continuing-mounjaropart-7?page=1

8th thread:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5068850-continuing-mounjaropart-8?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out:

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

Official weekly weigh in for me too and lucky to see a new low on the scales. It teased me Monday then jumped back up over a pound yesterday, but it's gone again!

SW 110.8kg
CW after 8 full weeks 101.5kg
Lost 9.3kg in total which is 20.5lbs and an average of 2.5lbs per week.
BMI down from 35 to 32.1

@dmott I STS on my period weeks as well, it's annoying I know. @MrsBurtMacklin it definitely has an impact for most of us
@BlackFriYay congratulations on leaving obesity behind
@the
Size 14 must feel great, congratulations. Are you throwing away all the 16s and 18s?
@MrsLeavemealone that's brilliant, I think you've hit my goal weight! 11 something is fab, whatever the number after it.

@Thebaldprimadonna sorry it messed up your tag!

I am, although it's hard with things that I love, but I am giving them to a brilliant local charity, so that eases the pain 😁

Ladies, has anyone travelled through airport securuty with their pen yet, and can offer tips / reassurance? It's not for a month or two but just want to get my head in the game as to what I'll need to do! Thanks

My mum is a diabetic and she flies with her insulin all the time. You're allowed to fly with medicine. Just keep it in your hand luggage as it is well under 100ml. And keep the needles sealed (as you would normally) you should be fine. Quite a lot of medicine is taken by injection so airports are used to it. Maybe take the box with your name on it for peace of mind.

@WoolyMammoth55 Hubby has insulin and just pops it all in a bag and takes it out through security. He's never been stopped once. Thankfully his overnight pen is the same design as our Mounjaro pen so I'm popping mine with his bits and keeping the box flat too so it has my details on just in case.

We've bought a cheap insulin cool bag off of eBay for a fiver and it has some gel packs to keep it cool.

Hi everyone 👋🏼 just starting week 4 and I’m 11.7lb down! I’ve also managed to get my ‘bonus dose’ and started 5mg today. Where do we dispose of the pens please? Can they just go into normal household waste?

This talk of being open about taking MJ. I haven't been open. Only my closest friend knows and she is taking it too. I've not been open as a fear perception. The media has made it sound like a quick fix, a cheat or that we're taking medication away from people who need it and I just don't have the energy to deal with all of that. Since I started nearly 3 weeks ago I've worked really bloody hard at my diet (as I usually do), it is me doing all the hard work. This jab doesn't magically burn the fat for me! MJ is giving me a huge boost though with the appetite suppression so my diet is currently more successful than other attempts. I wish the media would report that! /rant over

I've told pretty much everyone I work with, but I work in healthcare so many colleagues already know about the drugs or are more open to the idea. I'm actually not the only one at work on it, either.
My husband knows but not the DCs. Nextdoor neighbour and one of my sisters (if she hasn't told the other one!). If anyone asks, I answer honestly. It's not a quick fix, no, but it's a serious helping hand and I don't want people to feel bad that I'm managing to do something they can't.

I am happy to answer questions and it's been helpful at work as I've been asked to help a colleague start a patient on it!

I'm telling nobody. I'm a self-sabotager and any slight doubt put into my mind will mess with my positivity.

I am into the BMI 25s!
5lb to go!

@RagzRebooted you're soooo close to being under 100!!!! That will be an exciting day. Hope it happens this week for you.

I've not had the best two weeks. Too much life stress and unexpected period (I'm peri) meant I've eaten more crap than usual. Took the 4th dose of 5mg on Monday and although I have another 5mg in the fridge, I'm now wondering if I should have ordered a 7.5.

At least I'm now 10st 12 so hopefully saying goodbye to the 11s! I still need to lose over a stone as I'm a short arse 😂.
started at 12st in January (lost 7lbs before mj) so trying to be positive!

I have taken the plunge and ordered the 10 mg pen today. I have been losing better on 7.5 mg, but still under 2lb a week. My logic is that the weight loss may slow down again and I would regret another month on 7.5 whereas if I have the 10 mg and find the side effects kick in or something then I can always count clicks and have a bit less. The pens are the same price with Bolt so the 10 mg is better value. I have been dithering a bit with this decision as I don’t want to have a higher dose than necessary - I want the pen in the fridge in good time, but it does mean making a decision after just two weeks on the new dose which doesn’t seem very long.

@Tedzer my pen jammed - the needle was cross threaded somehow. I changed the needle and it was fine. Fingers crossed yours will sort itself out

I got my stone today! Next goal - 3lb until I’m just “overweight”

@thehousewiththesagegreensofa that made me laugh as that was also me. Reality has been far slower.

@MrsLeavemealone and @Thebaldprimadonna amazing results. Must be so motivating getting a result week after week.

Looking forward to the day when I no longer have any tummy fat for the needle!!

I’m on week three of 2.5 and am 8lb down so far! I’ve found I’m struggling to eat first thing though - can anyone recommend a good protein shake to start the day with? I can usually drink more easily than eat so it could be a good breakfast solution for me. Bonus points if Holland&Barrett sell it as I’ll be right by one on Friday!

I ordered some extra pen needles from Chemist4u yesterday, due for delivery today.
The order has been cancelled today, with no information on why.
I am a bit cross - my next jab is due tomorrow, and the needles included have left me with bruises for the last 2 jabs, so wanted to try a different needle.
Has anyone else had this issue?

Really well done to all the losers, I'm really jealous, mine is sooo slow, despite only 2 meals and small portions, no snacking. But is moving in the right direction, hopefully will continue and get there in the end. Just might be on this longer than planned! I'd move up in dose but side effects were a bit much a couple of days after injecting the last couple of weeks. Might instead do a day earlier each week until used to this dose (3.75mg) as it's worn off early this week.

@CiderJabs

I feel you on the unexpected periods! For about the last 18months I'll have the occasional 15-17 day cycle.

At first I couldn't predict when it would happen but I can now. I was supposed to be ovulating over the weekend, started to get ovulation pain but then it stopped (normally get it fairly badly for a couple of days) and I now can be pretty sure that what will happen is my next period will start as normal (even though didn't ovulate), I'll then ovulate on day 2 of that period and have another period 2 weeks later.

I had noticed that MJ seemed to have regulated mine briefly, they had gone from a 24-26 day cycle back to a 27-29 day one but obviously not this month. It's a bummer as it would have lined up nicely with holidays I've booked if it had stayed as it was.

Last year I had 2 holidays within a 7 week stretch so was going to have a period somewhere in one of them and also might have got caught out with the random really short cycles too so ended up going on the pill for a couple of months so I could take it straight through until a couple of weeks before the second holiday so I could control when it was, as had a horrible experience being on while away the previous year, heaviest one ever, lots of pain and soaked the hotel sheets, never happened to me before.

The pill makes me quite nauseous but it was the lesser of 2 evils and I've 2 holidays booked again this year so might have to do the same! Just wondering how I'll get on with nausea both from the pill and from MJ but maybe I'll have stopped getting nausea by then.

Finished off my first 4 weeks with a surprise whoosh overnight of -2lbs (when I thought I’d only lost 0.5lbs this week!) meaning I’ve lost a total of 10lbs over the 4 weeks. Very happy with the rate of 1-2lbs a week and hoping it continues as not much faster than that due to the risk of muscle loss/loose skin with faster losses.

I tried to use the bonus 2.5mg dose from my pen but found it was less than 0.6ml! Clearly I’ve been very enthusiastic with my priming! Decided to move up to 5mg for the next one but am cautious due to people’s experiences on here of the side effects so have gone for a 3.75mg dose from it this morning and will see how I get on 🤞🏻

@pinktransit

Yes, the ones MedExpress sent gave me some not so nice bruises but these ones don't and they do next day delivery
:
https://www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/shop/products/glucorx-carepoint-pen-needles-32g-4mm-0150489

@CiderJabs thanks, I reckon at least another week as I'm losing less than 1.5kg a week, but I am hoping to hit <100kg by the end of the month. It's so close!
You've done really well, it will go slower now you're closer to a healthy weight. A bad week or two from hormones isn't going to ruin it all.

Ahhh congrats. Great news about the HbA1c. So important and brilliant to have a normal one now!!

My BP has absolutely plummeted. I think I will be off my meds one day. Not yet, but maybe one day. I’m 8kg+ down and it’s made a difference.

For those asking about pens in airports - no one in security cares. Literally they see thousands of them a day.

I’m going on holiday in 10 days and my pens and weighing scales are coming with me. No WAY am I self sabotaging months of work and time and money for 7 days. Not a chance.

Oh I ordered on Monday. I’ll see if they come. I need some extra as I’m going to gradually move up to 5 with my new pen which starts next week.

My needles have literally just arrived