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

@CoolRanch read on another forum that you can buy the needles from Boots and most chemists?

Thank you so much god your kind reply. But after a panicked look around I picked up a handbag I haven’t used in ages that was sitting next to where I was keeping the other stuff. It was totally empty…except for the needles and wipes! I guess last week I thought that was a “safe” place to put them?? I vaguely remembered this after I found them but I had no memory of it while I was panicking and thinking I’d thrown them out 😩. (At least I found them!) Injection number two done!

I weighed myself today too and I’m five lbs down in the first week, and yesterday was my birthday and we got Tex-Mex food and cake last night, so I was pleasantly surprised!

@FlappyFish

I feel you on the short cycles, mine were 24/25 days and then every three months a 15 day cycle, just feels like you never get a real break from being hormonal! Pre-menstrual, then menstrual, then I get really bad ovulation pains, then sore boobs for a week before next one.

MJ seemed to put it back to normal at first (27 day cycle, then a 30 day one) but suspect after the one coming this week I'm going to get another 15 day one as didn't ovulate properly (wasn't painful enough this month so know it didn't follow through😂), we'll see!

@Everdecreasingcircumferences

I sleep terribly, often only 4/5 hours and often need to nap during day. Trying to get a new business started and just can't focus. Started some years ago but got worse with perimenopause. At the moment keep having nightmares and waking up with heart pounding at 4/5 am and can't get back to sleep.

@BusyMummy001

10% of Northern Europeans have one copy of the gene so really not unusual and wouldn't be concerned about passing that on:
https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/clinical-genetics-service/information-for-healthcare-professionals/care-of-genetic-conditions-in-primary-care/hereditary-haemochromatosis/

If your children's ferritin is fine there's no reason to worry and you could always tell them to get their children's ferritin tested in future.

The issue is that they only test for two genes and yet know there are others involved, hence I have not been diagnosed with haemochromatosis as only have one copy so should not have iron overload to any real extent, and yet have very alarming transferrin saturation levels, the same as someone with haemochromatosis would have.

The specialist I saw told me that he has whole families with only one copy so should be fine but have bad iron overload and they really need to research and find the other genes involved. The only other issue in my blood tests was low lymphocytes and was told by first doctor that that was nothing to do with the iron overload.

My instincts said different as everything else in my tests was perfect, so I did some research and the second specialist I saw was actually really grateful for a study I found that said people with one copy of the gene for haemochromatosis but yet have bad iron overload often have low lymphocytes and it seems to be a marker for another gene they haven't found yet and said he's going to test all his patients with only one gene copy and iron overload for low lymphocytes!

The haemochromatosis talk is interesting as we have patients with it where I work, so I did a short course on it recently. I think there are a lot of people undiagnosed.

@RagzRebooted

You're probably right, my iron overload was found accidentally by having a full blood panel done for a different reason. I then had a series of 4 or 5 done by GP to check it wasn't just a one-off due to time of the month or something and they said that they would do the gene test if it kept being high.

It was consistently very high went back for another appointment but with a different doctor at the practice who tried to say that despite the test results that were consistently out of normal range, there was no need to do the gene test as it's very rare, until I pointed out that I'm Irish so it's a one in 80 chance of having both genes.

She quickly googled that and then reluctantly sent me for the gene test. Does sometimes seem as if you have to be more educated on a subject than your (or some) GPs not to get fobbed off, not the first time that's been the case for me.

Anyway, apologies for all the off-topicness, yet again😂, back to Mounjaro!

Thank you so much for this. My kids have been curious (older one prob a little an anxious as she’s 19 and ASD!) I might arrange to be privately tested after all as my ferritin level suddenly shot up to 200 a few weeks ago (normally I have low iron!).

I’ve just got into the routine with my two that whenever they have blood tests for other stuff (quite common for mine 😢) to ask for levels to be checked as ‘normal’ - for my DH it was part of a cancer scare screening, so on balance he was relieved it was the haemochromotosis!

@FlappyFish we will get in trouble with the boss if this thread is left before it reaches 1000 😅

Come on @everyone let's do this right!!!

Ha. I thought it was just me that gets itchy if a thread isn't properly filled up @CiderJabs .

I thought you could only keep the pen for 30 days once open?

@DownWithThisKindOfThing that's what it says on the leaflet. Some people have used it for longer and there seems to be an indication that they are not as effective after 30 days.
I've not tried it as I'm a bit of a stickler for rules.

@KeepingUndercover ha. Glad I'm not alone in my thread OCD 😂

Hey everyone, in Sri Lanka and so far the weather has been nice. Rain here in there but short burst. Still very warm and nice to swim etc 😊

Been enjoying lots of seafood. Have noticed I'm pretty satisfied with meat/fish and salad and not that interested in the carbs. Been eating what I fancy but happy with just a taste of bits without piling my plate. So hopefully no massive gain when I'm back! Although have been enjoying some drinks also!

Hope everyone is good 😊

Sorry can't untag you@Flapearedknave

Thanks for the new thread @FlappyFish 😊

So the link is on this page:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5080755-continuing-mounjaro-thread-10

Sounds lovely @ObsidianTree, I'm glad the weather is holding out for you.

@ObsidianTree hello boss :)

Glad you're having a good time. I felt the same on my AI holiday. I did drink a bit and ate more than I do at home but I didn't feel like I missed out.
It's funny how we all normally say things like "I've already paid for all inclusive and want to get my money's worth" but the truth is that we can - and should - enjoy other aspects of a holiday without the need to consume 5000 cals a day!

Thank you for this! I have just ordered, they have 57% off for the next 45 mins! Got some colagen capsules too.

I have lost the extra i put on in italy already, so assuming it was water weight!

Congrats everyone on your losses!

Have a great time on holiday @ObsidianTree

Yes very true. I was worried about not being able to eat much, but actually I am taking smaller portions and only trying a few things rather than piling my plate with everything. So enjoying small amounts and feeling satisfied and not feeling like I am missing anything.

I bet you're enjoying what you have more as well, rather than feeling stuffed.

Let's finish this one then?

Keep the boss happy :)

😍

New thread: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5080755-continuing-mounjaro-thread-10

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