Continuing Mounjaro...part 15

[ObsidianTree]

Please note: Mounjaro will only be be prescribed initially if your BMI is above 30. If you have additional health conditions you can get the medication with a BMI 27. (Prediabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart problems)

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 - Some people find that they don't need to go up a pen dose each month if the current pen dosage is working well for them. If you are unsure when to go up, speak to your prescriber.

8 - The move up from 2.5mg to 5mg can be quite a shock to the system. Some people chose to take 3.75mg dosage for a few weeks to ease the transition.

9 - If you are having bad side effects after titrating up or you are struggling to eat your calories each day, your dose may be too high so should consider lowering your dose. Speak to your prescriber if unsure.

10 - 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

11 - Once you take your first dose you can choose to keep your pen in the fridge or somewhere else. It's up to you.

12 - 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

13 - Protein is important as eating less protein can cause muscle wastage and hair loss.
Some natural sources of protein:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321522#high-protein-foods

14 - 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.

15 - Drink lots of water. Water helps with the weight loss. Drink at least 2ltrs a day. Preferably 3ltrs.

16 - 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.

17 - 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

18 - 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.

19 - 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.

20 - Some of the places you can order from are:
MedExpress:
2.5mg and 5mg. £149.99. 7.5mg £169.99, 10mg £189.99. 12.5mg £209.99. 15mg £209.99 Coupon codes no longer working!
The Family Chemist:
2.5mg and 5mg £149. 7.5mg £169, 10mg £169, 12.5mg £194, 15mg £199
Zava medical:
2.5mg £139, 5mg £139, 7.5mg £169, 10mg £189. 12.5mg £204. 15mg £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, 15mg £199
Asda:
2.5mg and 5mg £179. 7.5mg £189, 10mg £189, 12.5mg £204 15mg £204
There are others not listed.

21- You will still be prescribed Mounjaro when your BMI falls below 30. However, it may be harder to move suppliers once you BMI is below 30 if you wanted to move.

22 - Worried about your supply being cut off when you get to a healthy BMI? Below is some info on some places maintenance plans.
The Family chemist :Would consult you as approached healthy BMI to discuss maintenance under close supervision(if you started with family chemist)
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 and does offer maintenance
Zava:Once healthy BMI will stop prescribing this treatment
Med Express: BMI 25 and cut off.

23 - 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
14th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5102149-continuing-mounjaropart-14?page=1

Thread for newbies just starting out in July:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5101435-mounjaro-july-2024

Video on how to inject:

That’s sounds like a good plan @CiderJabs and would suit my kinda of schedule do let’s us know how you get on. I’m hoping that I can hit my target weight by. Sept/Oct and start to build back up my running again. I did four winters in a row half marathon training previously but gained so much weight thanks to menopause in last 3yrs I’m struggling to run 5k non stop. Even if I get back to a comfy 10k I’d be happy. I’m crap at sticking to strength training though I just get no buzz out of it even though I know I have to do it especially in my 50s

Good luck @CiderJabs We will all be cheering you on!

Has anyone here had a mammogram after weight loss? I have to have them annually as high risk and I'm worried that I will be called back if there is a big weight change.

@MelissaLouRocks that's fantastic - you must be thrilled and a definite case study for the other clear benefits of MJ aside from weight loss!

@Summerheels I'm not a big fan of weights either. Find them boring! I've started doing body pump 2/3 times a week and also a core / abs class. I also can't run to save my life so I do cardio classes like body combat. I am feeling a change in my body shape and my scales also say my muscle mass is going up. So I'm hoping this means it's working!

I take back what i said previously about alcohol... was celebrating on sat and yesterday was horrendous. I actually vomited several times which i don't usually, even with a lot more!

So I am off wine now altogether!

That’s just amazing @MelissaLouRocks

Does anyone need a ZAVA code for 15% off their next dose? I have one that still hasn’t been used; REFP6RVR

@MelissaLouRocks Best NSV I've ever seen, well done! Have you thought about providing feedback here: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

Thank you for that, do you know if they accept positive feedback as well as negative?

No idea - just "side effects" so I imagine they will want to know everything.

Thanks, I will do that, 😊

Hope you are back to normal today @Flapearedknave.

Your hangover yesterday has reminded me about my own Mounjaro side effects. I do not tolerate alcohol well especially if my stomach is pretty empty overnight with just wine sloshing around. I noticed many years ago that the morning after a big night when cleaning my teeth at best I would gag and at worst sometimes vomit. Well since I started taking Mounjaro I often gag in the morning when cleaning my teeth. It's worse the first few days after a jab and then eases a bit till it's time to take the next jab.

So I can well believe that it makes hangovers a lot worse. I don't drink much anyway now but I am extra wary of alcohol now I am on the flab jabs.

I've had the same several times. Just put a bit of sudocrem on it and try not to scratch it. It will calm down after a few days.

I've found a small white or rose wine with loads of soda easier to drink at parties. I used be a big drinker but also find I just don't fancy it after one and even then it's only occasionally now.

Congratulations, that is fantastic news 🎉🎉🎉

@wickerpram hopefully your friends will let you enjoy the celebration drinking exactly what you want but to help you can say you are dieting so avoiding wine and beer and sticking to gin.

If you drink gin you may be able to ensure that every second drink is mixer only and alcohol free. Drink the alcoholic ones more slowly. Can you say you were also out the night before and are already feeling delicate so drinking slower? Chuck the alcoholic ones in a plant if the party is outside. People might not even notice if you are fluttering around talking to people and always have a glass of something in your hand.

week 6 here 2nd week on 5mg I am down 1 stone but the bests news ever is I nolonger need to inject insulin my diabetic nurse was so pleased, she did warn me it might not stay like that but I am taking all the wins I can get

sw 16st 2lb
cw 15st 2lb
dont have a goal at present just wanting to see how it goes

this is amazing. What a great NSV...I hope it lasts for you but how inspiring to think of all the health benefits weight loss brings.

@MelissaLouRocks wow...I can't imagine how great you must be feeling and what a wonder drug MJ has been for you.

Massive congratulations to our @MelissaLouRocks - that's absolutely incredible. I'm proud of you, which sounds a bit bonkers because we've never met, but I really am 🙂

Yours is the type of story the media should be printing, not scaremongering about the small minority who misuse the meds and get ill.

If you're comfortable with it, definitely share your story. It's inspirational.

My latest Zava code if anyone needs. I’ve just had a 7.5mg for £147.

Use my code and you’ll get 15% off your first order at ZAVA: REFSGZS6
www.zavamed.com/uk/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=refer_a_friend
Maximum discount value: £30

On another note. I just saw an insta add for Cloud Pharmacy with a starting price of £138. Anyone used them?

Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me, which sounds a bit bonkers too, but due to disability have very few people in real life.

Now to start on the antidepressants!!

@MelissaLouRocks MHRA will def want to know all side effects. We should all contact them in fact. There could be some great new clinical trials off the back of this drug.

regarding alcohol - I now drink a tall glass full of ice and tonic water with a generous splash of angostura bitters. Tastes EXACTLY like a G&T and I don’t get any side effects. Highly recommend!!

@MelissaLouRocks - that is such great news - congratulations. I can only imagine what a great step forward that feels like. Here's cheering you on with the antidepressants, when you are ready!

@intothedark - Congratulations! That is such a big health win. I am waiting for my next set of blood tests later this month to see what progress I have made on my blood sugar levels. My MJ has been prescribed (in the US) by my doctor to help with my Type 2 diabetes, and the weight loss is a real bonus and a great contribution to my health. When I went for my 3-month check up, the blood tests results showed that my A1C had come down significantly, to just over normal levels.

In my own NSV for this past weekend, I went shopping with my Mom and selected trousers in two sizes to try on, as I do not really know what size I am - and the bigger size was just far too loose. I bought a pair of US size 12 jeans in the sale (I think that is a 16 in the UK) which fit great. No more saggy bottom effect which my DH was complaining about in my old jeans. I need to give them away. Also a nice black skirt for work. I am trying to only buy a few items, as I am still about 20lbs from a goal that would put me a healthy weight - although I have decided not to set a goal for myself and just see how I do.