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:

P.s does anyone know if this injection site reaction is normal? You can’t see very well but it’s slightly raised

@thisbetheverse I use the clear collagen from my protein. It's the best one I've tried. You can get it unflavoured or peach / vimto flavour which works as a protein drink.
I have a code that gives you £10 off your first order if you want to try it. Don't want to spam the thread with codes unnecessarily 🫢

Ooo yes please @CiderJabs 😊

Yay well done @CiderJabs!

@thisbetheverse I got the same reaction throughout my 5mg pen and my first 7.5mg pen for some reason. It's stopped doing it now!

I bought ancient and brave marine collagen which was recommended to me by melissaLouRocks. It's fabulous, can't notice it in my squash at all. I also have bovine collagen from nutrition geeks that is tasteless but gives my drink a thicker texture which I'm not as keen on.

@thisbetheverse

www.myprotein.com/referrals.list?applyCode=CAROLINA-R5WY

😘

@WannabeHealthier I have a VeryFitPro. Cost about £30, no subscription needed, you just download an app. It is relatively basic, but I use it to check steps daily & monitor heart rate. It does some other stuff. Need to charge about 2x a week. I have had it 3 yrs, still works fine
@TheCyanMaker I have tweaked my diet, tracking it more carefully, keeping protein up, little refined sugar, tracking calories 1000-1200 a day.

So far ( I started in April) I have lost 20lbs, first goal is 12.5lbs more.
Today’s WI, I am now within 11stone mark! (But just) I am on second dose of 5mg, I stayed on 2.5 quite awhile. Loss is slow but steady, 5 dose is working well, side effects minimal. All good.

Thread in AIBU we all need to post on!

Thank you to all for smart watch recommendations- I’ll look at them later once kids back from activities:-)

Mine has gone up a fair amount since MJ. It was unusually low before (runs in family) but was averaging 57 on Fitbit when i started 4 months ago and now 73. The trend is pretty clear on the Fitbit. I don’t really know if it helps that it was low to start with, I have reassured myself that rising heart rate is a trend with MJ but I’m keeping an eye. Like you say, I think it probably is worth checking when it gets high

The bovine collagen from Hunter and Gather is tasteless, and I find not so thick in drinks.

Use the code COLLAGEN25 for 25% off.

Thanks @MelissaLouRocks

I bought this watch as my beautiful (and expensive Garmin finally stopped working).

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0BMF9PP3J?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

I love it. It's been a great watch. I charge it every couple of weeks.

I have a couple of days' posts to catch up on, but a quick question in the meantime:

I have the MyProtein flavourless collagen protein powder and had my first serving today. It tastes so foul! What can I do to make it at least remotely palatable? Can it be mixed into coffee or other drinks?

Struggling so much with body aches... has anyone else experienced this?? My legs in particular. Feel like I've walked a marathon!
I think it's definitively the MJ . Only on third week so hoping it settles.
Please share any tips as struggling today

I need to order a 12.5mg and wondering whether to switch for a discount. At BMI 27 so Zava rejected me. Does VOY take you if you are below BMI 30?

Or should I try and anchor myself with a supplier who will help me get to BMI 23 and then maintain? That's another 10kg so a few months to go yet

@thisbetheverse I have a couple of recs.

1. Dose & Co protein collagen powder (it’s delish!)
2. Dose & Co collagen creamer (there’s dairy and non-dairy version and perfect for coffee)
3. Vida Glow collagen (slightly fruity, when dissolved in water tastes like a flavoured water but very faint fruity taste)

I prefer to stick to a known supplier. Not the cheapest but ask fewer questions when you’re no longer technically obese. More valuable in the long run to keep the supply steady.

You are literally describing me, no appetite suppression either and I am also on second dose of 7.5. I am really hoping that will change when I go up to 10, fingers crossed

Yes, I get this in my legs, particularly noticeable 2 days after jab, feels like lactic acid build up but don't know if that's what it actually is. Unfortunately, I don't know the solution, it's persisted into 8th week but I just sort of expect it now and take it easy that day. It does ease a bit if I try to walk it off.

Well done on this wreks losses everyone. Another 2.8lbs for me bringing total loss on first pen to 11lbs.

I'm worried to move up to 5mg so wanted to try 3.75mg. Used my bonus dose and a 1ml insulin syringe. God it was awful, wouldn't inject properly. I should've stopped and thrown it away but I tried again but had to use so much force to inject it I had marks on my fingers and I'm bruised too. Hasn't anyone has this? I got the syringes linked to on the earlier thread.

If I want to count clicks on my 5mg pen to get 3.75 will the pen stop working after 4 doses still? I'm not ready for 5mg but can't face the insulin needle again.

@AgathaMystery Yes, If I see 11.02 again, I shall scream.

It's not even that I'm close to a goal weight, bmi is 27.

I think 7.5 just does not do anything, so I did 8.5 yesterday and then did an extra 5 clicks in mischief. I want to get through this 7.5 pen and get onto 10mg.

Bloody hell that thread! Such abhorrent views and ignorance displayed on there

I’ve not read it, but I can guess that they’re saying we’re all just lazy, stupid, and looking for a quick fix, and we’ll pile it all back on as soon as we stop taking the medication?

How did you know?! 😂

Apparently all we need is cookery lessons

They’re nothing if not predictable! I’m actually a really good cook 😁