Continuing Mounjaro...part 14

[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.
https://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
furthet 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:

Zava medical:
2.5mg £139, 5mg £139, 7.5mg £169, 10mg £189. 12.5mg £204. 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 £149, 5mg £149. 7.5mg £169, 10mg £179, 12.5mg £199

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, 12.5mg £194

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

There are others not listed.

18 - Worried about your supply being cut off when you get to a healthy BMI? Below is some info on some places maintenance plans.

MedExpress: Once at healthy BMI continue on maintenance dose for 6 months and then step down medication and monitor loss
The Family chemist :Would consult you as approached healthy BMI to discuss maintenance under close supervision
Curate: up to 2 years
Cloud: up to 2 years
Boots: Cut off at BMI 23
Asda: Cut off at a healthy BMI
Pharmacy2u: Will supply for maintenance
Bolt:Individual assessment once BMI 22
Zava:Once healthy BMI will stop prescribing this treatment

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

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

12th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5090788-continuing-mounjaro-thread-12?page=1

13th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5096704-continuing-mounjaropart-13?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out in June:

https://www.mumsnet.co
m/talk/weightlosschat/5082791-mounjaro-june-24-starters

Video on how to inject:

Lol seriously? 🤣 Which group? I left one of them

Wonder if UK will be switched to single dose pens at some point!

Bloody hell, that's a new one!

@MelissaLouRocks @QueenOfHiraeth

Thanks for replying. The protein supplements definitely have sweeteners and additives but I wasn't affected by them at all to begin with.

I'm going to try diluting the clear whey even further across the day and see if that helps.

Mounjaro UK or mounjaro community UK I think those are the only ones I'm on (with a fake profile)

That's how it should be, and what happened when I first needed injectable meds, although I understand that may not be feasible with private patients. But some of the things are leaving me speechless, which doesn't happen often!

Aren't they trying to move the US to the multi dose ones to save on manufacturing? That's what I'd heard, but could be untrue.

@fairydust11 I am a slow loser too. I have been on it for 4 weeks (hopefully bonus dose tonight and then on to 5 next week). In that time I have lost 5lbs.

I have eaten between 1250 and 1400 calories. Exercised more. Cut out UPFs completely. Do 16:8. Make sure I have plenty of water. Only occasional alcohol (eg a single glass of prosecco at birthday events). Low carbs apart from occasional small portions of brown rice or sweet potatoes.
However, I've also had minimal side effects and wonder if the D&V some get may be linked to the more spectacular losses.
I have also started to wonder whether too the jab may be more effective for those who suffer from more food noise due to the way their metabolism works.
In my own case, I was at the top end of the healthy BMI range until my late 30s (I'm now 65) and my weight increased by 6 or 7 lbs a year until by my late 40s it settled around 14 and a half stone. My diet is on the whole pretty healthy and I don't binge or have a sweet tooth. I do have too big portions and I do finish everything on my plate. That, plus the over indulgences on social occasions, is the problem.
Several times I have managed to lose a stone or so but at that point my body goes into overdrive screaming that I'm starving. I can't sleep for hunger so crave a sugar boost. Poor concentration impacts on my work. And I get to the 'fuck it' moment. Pretty soon I'm back where I was.
I'm hoping mounjaro will get me through that so I can get down to a healthy weight but accept it will take a very long time for me. But I am terrified what will happen when I come off it.

It would make sense for them to do this. I guess we are the guinea pigs!

I think the multi dose pens have gone ok in the UK generally.

I guess the main difference is that in the US they haven't got the option of splitting doses etc. plus we get a bonus dose

Morning all.

Does anyone have a close friend they have lost and gained weight with over the years? I have a very very close friend who I have done this with. We have both struggled with obesity for 15ish yrs. We have done WW & SW together with varying degrees of success over the years.

Work circs mean we haven’t been able to spend much time together since I started MJ.

Yesterday we spent the day together (which was absolutely lovely) and I realised I’d eaten more yesterday than I usually do in a couple of days. We are not a good combo when one of us wants/needs to lose weight.

I think there was a comfort for us in being the same size.

I know what you mean. I don't understand how people are so uninformed.
I watched at least four different instruction videos about how to inject, read hours of posts and then when it came time to do my injection I read all of the instructions and watched a video again. I am by no means intellectually challenged but I like to know that I'm doing things right especially when it's so important to do it correctly.

@Lastchancefatty Absolutely agree.
And I, for one, can't afford to be cocking up when it's so damned expensive!

@Lastchancefatty Absolutely! There is so much easy to find good and useful information out there (hell... Even reading the leaflet that comes with the pen would solve a lot of the problems people seem to have on the Facebook groups!)

@AgathaMystery I do! I have the opposite, we’re both on MJ supporting each other. We definitely know how to indulge but also when we’re both dieting can be enormously supportive.

I get shocked and annoyed in equal measure by the chat on the Facebook groups. I’m just so glad we have this one!

@Fromthesidelines thanks for your response. It’s good to hear I’m not the only one with slow loss, if you know what I mean!

Yes I’m doing 14:10 and hoping to build up to 16:8. I’m drinking plenty of water and have planned to stop alcohol for the next 5 weeks (until I go on holiday). I too only have slight nausea so yes, maybe that correlates with the stronger side effects & larger losses.

I’m in my mid 40s and like you was a top end healthy bmi until my late 30s when my health deteriorated and my consultant put me on steroids for my condition (which made me so hungry & overeat loads) then my thyroid started playing up and the medication I was put on for that made me rapidly gain weight (even though I was off the steroids and eating normally at this point) which in order to counteract that weight gain I’ve had to be really mindful over everything I eat in order to not gain more.

I guess I was hopeful that this would help with mindfulness and to not think about food (which it has done this week) in order to gain a 3-4lb weekly loss, but yes like you I think it’s going to take me a long time too, which is a shame as it’s expensive and I was hoping to lose a bit quicker but hey ho, it’s better than not doing it.

Good luck, it sounds like you’re doing well on it as at least you are losing and 5lb a month is good, if I lose the same I’ll get to my target in about 10 months time 🤞

At least the two people who injected the primer dose can still use their pens. Hopefully they'll follow instructions now. As for the people who injected all four doses, that's another matter entirely 😳

@fairydust11 sounds like we are on a similar trajectory. Let's hope we are bith on here next April celebrating reaching our target!

@Fromthesidelines absolutely yes, that would be amazing! 🤞☺️

I debated leaving the Facebook groups but sometimes they have OK info and I like to read people's experiences. It does amaze me though and makes you understand why people have to be almost nannyed with things.
I had a bubble lamp years ago when I was a teen and it had plastic fish in it. There was a sign on the side telling you not to put real fish in. You wouldn't think it even needed saying 😂

I just came on here to talk about the Facebook group and see plenty of discussion already.
It amazes me how they're willing to inject themselves and don't educate themselves on it all before doing so.
So many shocking questions. People injecting the whole 4 doses in one etc.
The one I've just seen is asking if anyone has stayed on 2.5 for more than one week!
It's scary to have a glimpse into what some are doing.
I for one would welcome better regulation and would happily go along for weigh ins etc.

@Snozzlemaid My concern is who will do the weigh in? If they put it to GP surgery I will have a massive pain in my arse because mine are truly hopeless and it's wildly inconvenient. In fact for me where I work, it's impossible to go to my gp outside of my work and commute time. Also putting strain on the NHS to weigh us where they're already at breaking point.
If it's done by a business, that adds extra cost which I feel would penalise us who take it responsibly for the sake of the the ones who abuse it and the (sorry) complete numpties!

It's a difficult one. I'm wondering if the pharmacy you're ordering from could do quick video appointments and watch us get on the scales perhaps.....surely that would at least weed out the ones who are slim but wanting to take it still.

It's very scary but I'm hoping all these numpties are the one's who schew the negative statistics and, actually, those of us who follow the instructions and reduce what we eat are even more likely to be successful, especially in maintenance. I saw one this morning who was moaning about the jab causing S&V last night but had had a bucket full of beer and huge takeaway.