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:

@Lastchancefatty the chocolate mousse sounds yummy, thank you

@ChazsBrilliantAttitude of course, houmous and tofu (not together though!) Thank you

Off to update shopping list……

I'm in the Derbyshire Dales, Med Express always been here within 24 hours of posting, both ice packs still mostly frozen.

I also signed up with Bolt last week. They only use one ice pack, but again that was mostly frozen, pen cool and received within 24 hours.

I haven't been on here in ages as life got busy and fell behind on thread 13! By the time I'd caught up thread 14 was already finished and now on 15. I decided to give up on catching up. I've been stuck in the stall of all stalls, really need to up dosage and still trying to do so very slowly due to gastro side effects (which I was always prone to). Hopefully get there, if not it's going to get too pricey to continue but for now have not given up.

Anyway, I came on to post a link to a very interesting podcast from Zoe. It's an interview with a doctor who has studied obesity for years and it explains why a normal weight person doesn't generally struggle to maintain a lower weight (unless they eat a lot of processed food) but an obese person does.

It doesn't absolve anyone of all personal responsibility as they usually have to have been eating the wrong foods to become obese (not withstanding certain medications which he talks about and also hormonal changes), but in the process of doing so you actually damage the nerves in your brain that detect your fat storage levels, detect whether to stop eating etc. which explains why you then keep putting weight on and why it's so difficult to lose and why, at that point, it's not your fault, just biology.

He talks about GLP1s and also hints at research that is being done that shows there are drugs that will repair that nerve damage so that weight loss maintenance is naturally easy, it has been done in animals but not there yet in a safe, effective form for humans. I found it quite fascinating and really explained a lot for me as I had maintained a normal weight for my entire adult life until a few years ago. Due to various factors coming together all at once (lockdowns, a bad injury, perimenopause, less time so more processed food, too much alcohol) I put on about a stone a year for 4 years.

I really noticed that once I had put on a certain amount my body's natural weight regulation mechanisms went out the window and it just seemed to pile on at the slightest opportunity and this podcast explained why in a way that previous explanations hadn't quite:

https://zoe.com/learn/obesity-with-dr-louis-j-aronne

I can confirm that all Coke Zero did for my eggy burps was make me more burpy 😂

It is a beautiful evening here and I fancy a couple of glasses of wine.
I haven’t tried alcohol since I started. Has anyone had experience of MJ and alcohol?
Will I die or get the runs etc?

As with all things Mounjaro related it varies from person to person! Some people are fine, some find they don't really want it or not more than a little anyway and some people feel awful the next day.

I would just have one glass and then see how you feel tomorrow before risking any more.

I'm totally fine with it. Feel the effects more quickly so drinking less. No reaction for me at all. Fats however.....had cheese for the first time since starting and made my tummy quite upset. I'll stick to the wine and avoid the cheese!

Well the good news is that my 5 week long stall has (sort of) ended. The bad news is I don't seem to be able to get to under 10st for no love nor money.
I'm dead on 10 today and I've decided I won't stress over losing anymore. My bmi is now 24 so I'll focus on trying to maintain this weight and come off the medication. I'm going down to 5mg next week and plan to stay for 2 weeks. Then I'll see where my weight is and reassess.
I've not been this weight for over 30 years so keeping it is more valuable than seeing 9 in the scales!

Thanks for the replies...

A small wine in the sun it is.

Hi everyone,

I’m new here, I’ve spent ages reading through this huge thread. Thank you so much to everyone it has been so helpful. I was so nervous and talked myself out of getting this but i just keep gaining weight so i have decided to take the plunge after reading this. My weight has spiralled out of control. Thank you so much to the codes being posted too - I have used one and it worked so some money off. Looking forward to getting my first jab which should be arriving on Tuesday from Zava.

For anyone who needs a code here is mine: REF7AHPR.

Good luck everyone!

x

This happened to me. I got stroppy and told them I wasnt starting the pen immediately, so it would be outwith 30 days .
Tell them they are legally obliged to provide you with meds that are at the correct temperature and able to be stored/used according to manufacturers time scale.

They sent me a replacement.

They have real delivery issues which they need to address.

@lurkylurk thanks for that link, it was really interesting.

@PlantyPotts hey I tried your code (thank you!) but it won’t offer me mounjaro 😭 just orlistat

Is your BMI under 30? If so, this is probably why, the form you fill in may be automatically rejecting you for Mounjaro. If you are switching from another supplier and have evidence of previous prescription you could email them and explain this and they may be able to assist.

@PlantyPotts not it’s 32! Wonder if I did something wrong on the form/put a number in wrong

Thank you. I’ve done just this and they’ve agreed to send me another one on Monday!

Lurkylurk thanks for that link it's very interesting

1. Edamame beans steamed with sea salt
2. Roasted chickpeas with spices
3. Almond butter with banana
4. Tofu chocolate mousse
5. Chia pudding…

Hi,

I m new to the thread and started on Mounjaro 3 weeks ago. The first week was great with very little side effects apart from nausea but I have been awful since. Day 2/3 after my injection always seems to be the worst and yesterday I had sulphate burps all day and terrible cramps. I only managed to eat 2 slice of toast all day. I was then up from 1am with cramp and projectile vomiting. I previously had reflux so not sure if that’s the issue, I started back on omeprazole today and the burps are far better. I m only on 2.5 mg and not sure I can continue if things don’t improve. Has anyone else had these issues and did they get better once your body got used to the medication. If I continue I will stay on 2.5 for another month.

@3wDavid those are great, thanks so much!

What time of day are you injecting and where (tummy, thigh, arm?)
I had no issues at all with 2.5ml, just a bit thirsty.

I can testify to that.

I'm diagnosed with chronic migraine which started after I had sepsis and I've been under pain management at the hospital for coming up to three years now. In general pre MJ, I would have 15+ migraine days per month. It was sheer hell trying to raise 3 DC, juggle life etc.

I've tried all the usual stuff, amitryptiline, propanolol, different triptans and I now have botox every 3-4 months.

Nothing has ever made a marked difference like MJ.

I wouldn't say I'm cured as I do have the odd short one but nothing like I would get before. I'm talking whole days wasted in agony as opposed to a niggle hour or so.

I don't know how but it has changed something in my brain.

Oh no! Maybe message them to find out why. Mine was 30.5 and they approved with no problem.

interesting

I was too scared to try as what read about sulphur burps was to avoid carbonated drinks.

I ended up being horrifically sick and spent afternoon in bed feeling really sorry for myself. have also had horrific diarrhea. Burps still there.

I got them a few times in last trimester of my last pregnancy. They always resulted in V&D.. but then I tended to recover quickly after that.

I hadn't eaten that carefully yesterday... mainly because I wasn't feeling the effects of the Jab on thurs...but I think the whole 'kicking in on day 3' is pretty accurate this time round.

just debating whether I can manage a banana...trying to think of the least offence item to repeat/come back up

I've just had this today... but after injection 3 (2.5). Definitely triggered by something I've eaten- but not sure what

glad omeprazole helped - im going to give that a go tomorrow.

I did read an American article on how to treat/avoid super burps..peptic bismol is supposed to be really good.. can't but it in the UK but you can order in Ebay. UK doesn't sell anything with the same active ingredient.. but I did see something on amazon called silicolgel which looks like it might help.

Foodwise the advise was to eat low sulphur foods- eggs, dairy and cruciferous veg (broccoli etc). Also no carbonated drinks. their view on what caused it was the slower transit of food caused by MJ allowing for build up of hydrogen sulphide...hence awful sulphur burps.

I really don't want to be giving up ...as this feels like a last chance to do something before perimenopause.. but God today has been awful and with two small kids around I can't really cope with it on the regular

good luck and how it improves for you.