Continuing Mounjaro... Thread 12

[ObsidianTree]

Please note: Mounjaro will only be be prescribed initially if your BMI is above 30 until you get to a healthy BMI of 23 to BMI 25

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 that 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, vomiting, headaches, aches, are side effects. There may 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

Also there is a 5th dose in each pen. To extract it you can either try a hard twist or use an insulin needle.
https://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.

Some natural sources of protein:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein

https://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), psylum husks(fibre for constipation), electrolytes.

12 - Drink lots 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 - 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: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/316618

15 - 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.

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 - Some of the places you can order from are:

MedExpress:
2.5mg and 5mg. £149.99. 7.5mg £169, 10mg £189. Coupon codes no longer working!

The Family Chemist:
2.5mg and 5mg £149. 7.5mg £169, 10mg £169

Zava medical:
2.5mg £139, 5mg £139, 7.5mg £169, 10mg £189. Zava offer refer a friend discount of 15% off. Ask for a code on here.

Simple online pharmacy:
£149 2.5mg, £149 5mg, £169 7.5mg £189 10mg

Bolt pharmacy:
2.5mg £125, 5mg £179. 7.5mg £189, 10mg £189

Asda:
2.5mg and 5mg £179. 7.5mg £189, 10mg £189

There are others not listed.

18 - 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

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

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

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

9th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5074054-continuing-mounjaropart-9?page=1

10th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5080755-continuing-mounjaro-thread-10?page=1

11th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5085436-continuing-mounjaro-thread-11?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out in June:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight_loss_chat/5082791-mounjaro-june-24-starters

Video on how to inject:

The dress sounds lovely - love Oliver Bonas - would love to see it and then might have to take a trip to town myself tomorrow!

Hope you feel better soon x

Actually cannot believe the picture online. It looks absolutely awful. Like a shapeless sack. I don’t know why they haven’t put it on a model. The cut is incredible.

In reality it is fitted on the bust, nicely nipped in at the waist and with weird open sleeves that I will close up slightly. I will possibly dare to model it when it arrives.

it’s just so rare to find a dress that fits with you have boobs over an E cup but are also quite short.

https://www.oliverbonas.com/fashion/golden-metallic-midi-dress-362124

Edited To say I found a pic with a human.

Once you open and use a pen, must the whole lot be used in 30 days or can it be used longer than that i.e. for another week or two?

Still not a great pic.

Up to you! Only you can decide if that risk is an acceptable option for you. You’ll find differing opinions on here.

I've read that it's 30 days cumulative of being out of the fridge, and that they can stay in the fridge indefinitely until the use by date.

@AgathaMystery love it! And what a bargain too! I'll def be taking a trip to OB This week 😀

Looks lovely @AgathaMystery 😊 Do model it for us when it arrives 😊

I read on Facebook from someone that works in pharmaceuticals that the 30 day date is probably what it was tested up but doesn't mean it won't last longer. So maybe they can't guarantee how effective the drug would be after 30 days because they haven't tested it after 30 days.

@summerlovingvibes I'm the same. Get 2-3 days of nausea - if I take it early in the day it seems to come on quicker. If I take it at tea time, it's the next day before I feel side effects.
I find constantly sipping water helps a lot. And small, protein-y meals. Mint tea, ginger tea, salt and vinegar crackers, lemons help as well if it's really bad.
Let's hope our bodies adjust better before going up the next dose

Sorry but £5 off?
Is that the best they can do?!
They're losing customers to better deals with other companies!

How do you all stock up on pens of doses higher than 2.5? My current provider is going to cut me off since I'm at a 'healthy' bmi now though I still have lots of fat around my organs and would like to keep taking 5 or 7.5 for the foreseeable future. If I went to a different provider would I not need to start at 2.5 again? I'm on 7.5

Thanks all I will probably use the extra dose for another week at my current dose and see how it goes, don't want to waste it!

NSV for me: I had brunch with some friends yesterday and managed to put on a dress I haven’t been able to zip up at all for the last 6 months! It felt amazing!

But what felt even more amazing was that I made smart choices with the menu, ordered the healthier options, ate half of it and decided not to drink. And I did all that without feeling resentful for doing it or like I was depriving myself. I enjoyed the food, and I absolutely loved feeling so reasonable and cool-headed around food! when I got home I decided to have some soup for dinner, and overall for the day I was within my calorie deficit! I know I wouldn’t have been able to do this without MJ.

Congratulations @MounjanoConvert that's a great loss. Keep plodding on is definitely good advice.

I'm also more than halfway through 7.5mg. But at the weekend (despite injecting on Friday) I've been ravenous. But not so much hungry, more of an intense craving.

I'd almost certainly have binged if I'd had the right food in the house...luckily there's nothing here these days other than heathy food. It was the oddest feeling. Then I realised this used to be a regular thing in the before days.

It was surprising as I'd been eating well over the weekend, it's not come from a place of depravation.

The Mounjaro definitely acted as a shield but it was a wake up call that I need to really figure out how to manage these urges for the future.

@3wDavid those are excellent NSVs.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with your comment about not feeling resentful.

Often on diets you feel like you're missing out but MJ gives you a much clearer head. It feels like finally having an insight into how 'normal' people react around food.

But the thing is, how does one control these urges??
I get them too, before I started MJ.
They have stopped on MJ.
And when I stop taking MJ I know they'll be back.
So what will we all do?
Because those urges are intense. Mine are really, really powerful.
I liken mine to the same feeling an alcoholic gets or a drug addict. I get those same compulsive, overwhelming, forceful feelings only mine are to make me eat rather than to drink alcohol or take drugs.
It's like being let out of prison being on MJ.....I'm free.
So what am I, and others, going to do when MJ stops and those cravings to overeat return?
Why is MJ allowed lifelong for diabetes but it's capped for obesity? They're both diseases.

@3wDavid Congrats on the NSV! I totally agree about the effects of Mounjaro on our choices. I still indulge to some extent, but it's so much easier to minimise the effects and turn down the extras which pile on the calories!

I know it does seem so unfair. Allowing us to taste what feeling normal is like and then taking it away!

I read a post somewhere yesterday, someone said that there would be an announcement about Mounjaro in the coming days.

Just did a quick search and maybe it's something to do with this.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-04/britain-poised-to-offer-eli-lilly-s-weight-loss-drug-to-patients?embedded-checkout=true

Basically saying that the UK may favour MJ over Wegovy for weight loss and it does say :

"Unlike the blockbuster Wegovy, patients on Mounjaro won’t need to be part of a specialist weight-management service to receive the drug, the regulator said. There is also unlikely to be a cap on how long a patient can take Mounjaro whereas Wegovy use on the NHS is capped at two years, it added."

This would be amazing news! So hopefully it means we can take it as long as we want!

Also if it is going to be more easily available on the NHS, it's a bit of a shame as most of us will miss out. My BMI starting was about 37 and is under 30 now so I would no longer qualify.

As we've known for a while that we would be cut off at BMI 25, some have been ordering extra pens while their BMI was above 25 so they can come off the drugs and their own pace once they pharmacy cuts them off.

@Marigolds24 you're absolutely right.

I know I'm over simplifying this but people who have struggled with alcohol/drugs tend to avoid those substances for life after they get clean. The problem with food is that you still have to eat.

There's a huge amount to unpack to understand why overeating happens and how to deal with it, and it's going to be unique to each person. Plus hundreds of internal and external factors.

...and then you read the damn headlines about how weight loss drugs are 'cheating' or a 'quick fix'....and I want to scream as we're all battling with so much. Not least the weight loss itself. Nobody on these threads is taking this lightly or sees it as a quick fix, we're all grappling with so much.

There needs to be a support system in place for the maintenance phase that's for sure. Both drug focussed and psychologically speaking.

I'm hoping that I can use the headspace MJ is giving me to take a step back and try and understand myself better.

@ObsidianTree that's really interesting, there's some hope then! Thanks for sharing that.

Morning all,
Weigh in day for me and another 2lbs off...although I'm half expecting a bounce back as I had diarrhoea yesterday evening after eating a chocolate brownie...lesson learned...I felt awful!

Good luck to all the other weigh-ins today and I hope everyone has a good week 😀

Just checking in to say I've stayed the same this week. My reaction to increasing to 3.75 was violent and I felt as if I scarcely left the bathroom for 36 hours, losing 2lbs in the process. Given that that was a false reading, I was expecting to bounce back up. Since then, I've been away for the weekend, eating at Michelin starred restaurants both nights, so never expected to lose this week.
Of course, this doesn't do my already not great stats any good - 8 weeks in; 8lbs down.
I will be back later with post-weekend away musings.