Continuing Mounjaro...part 16

[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.
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 - 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.

9 - 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

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

11 - 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

12 - 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

13 - 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.

14 - Drink lots of water. Water helps with the weight loss. Try and drink at least 2ltrs a day.

15 - 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.

16 - 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

17 - 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.

18 - 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.

19 - 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.

20- 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.

21 - 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.

22 - 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

15th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5107426-continuing-mounjaropart-15?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:

Annoyingly I have had a bonus dose malfunction tonight. I was finishing up my 10mg pen but due to not taking 10mg every week I had what I estimated to be 8mg left in the pen.

I got my insulin syringe and put it in and drew out what turned out to be 7.5mg. When I tried to inject, the needle needed pushing into my thigh more than normal and was painful and didn't pierce the skin. I tried another spot, same thing. And a third time didn't work. I then looked at the needle and it was bent. So I gave up and started a new pen.

I am not sure what happened as the needle was straight before I started trying to inject. Maybe it touched the end of the stopper inside the pen when i was drawing the liquid out as it wasn't a full dose left and that blunted the needle a bit making it painful to try and inject. I don't know but have made a mental note to try to take the bonus dose in one go at the end of this pen.

I've heard that some of the amazon needles are blunt. It was in the reviews also

Thanks for that, Slimstar. I hadn't heard of E-surgery before. I've taken a screenshot of your post with the discount code and I'll be looking into them before I order my next pen.

I'm torn at the minute as I got notified last night that somebody has used my Zava code so I've got 15% off my next order with them, though the talk of pens arriving warm/not cool enough has concerned me.

I had an 'oops' with one of my 7.5 pens as the box ended up partially frozen at the back of my fridge the other week. The medicine looked OK IE not cloudy and still liquid, however since starting said pen I haven't had much appetite suppression at all which is surprising given that I was moving up from 5mg.

I can't be doing with the faff of ineffective pens 🤔

I’ve just ordered what might be my last pen! After 4 weeks of stall I’m now just 0.2 of a pound above a healthy BMI! Hoping I can lose another 10lb and then maintain, but I know it’s going to be a challenge

SW 14st 2
CW 11st 5.2
GW 10st 10

That's crazy about Curate sending pens through oshuck! If they aren't a part of them, are they just ordering through them for their customers? Sounds quite dodgy.

Re MedExpress, as someone recently have been offered price matching, maybe they are now changing their tune as they probably have had loads of customers leave them! Unless you also asked them recently and they are giving different info to different people!

@Slimstar13 I’m planning to wean off slowly, I have a couple of pens in the fridge. I’m very worried about maintenance though, Zava don’t seem to want to sell maintenance doses and I don’t have a good history of keeping weight off.

Problem with Esurgery is they do t do 12.5 or 15 mg.

Also ,found this on FB if any use

Congratulations - you must be thrilled!

This gives me hope too as I started at a similar weight to you and I'm currently in a two week stall with still no movement on the scales ☹️ week two of 7.5 and feeling barely any restriction and the food noise is back. Completely empathise with your concerns about gaining once in maintenance too 😬 however, enjoy the achievement!!

Week 10 update.

1lb off makes a total of 18lbs

SW - 16st 12.5
CW - 15st 8.5
Next goal is under 15st!

I went up to 5mg after 4 weeks but have decided to stick with 5mg while I am still seeing 1-2lb losses per week.

No side effects to report other than a dry mouth at times. So I don't want to risk side effects, or lose too fast as I'm in this for the long haul.

My ZAVA code is REF46QFN
If anyone uses this you get 15% off and so do I.

Hi all! I’m currently 8 days into a 2 week holiday. I’d been on 5mg for 3 weeks prior but only took 2.5 before coming away as my side effects on 5 have been strong and I’ve had almost complete appetite suppression, meaning eating anything at all has been a struggle, and I really didn’t want that on holiday.
Anyway it didn’t feel as if the 2.5 was doing anything, no appetite suppression, and I’ve been eating out a lot, drinking alcohol every day etc (prior to coming away I hadn’t had an alcoholic drink for 6 weeks). I found some scales this morning (staying in a family member’s villa abroad) and thought I’d jump on to see what the damage is. I’ve put on 0.6kg, and am pretty pleased with that! I haven’t bought the pen with me so will miss a dose entirely, meaning this week may be more difficult, but I’m confident I can get back on track quickly when I get home.

Hi all, I moved up to 7.5mg on Monday evening and have just felt constantly hungry, like it's having the opposite effect its supposed to. 5mg didn't do much and now 7.5mg seems to be doing less. I have regained the 1lb that took me to 1 stone lost. Please tell me it gets better, maybe once I move up to 10? I've been tracking my calories on Nutracheck and I'm usually just under 1200 per day 😭

Hi everyone,

Haven’t been on here in a week and I have so much to catch up on!!
Just wanted to say congratulations to all the losses, NSVs and goals reached! Super motivating stuff, as always!

I’ve just done my jab (week 9!) - first time I managed to actually use the 5th dose of my 2.5 pen, so I think it’s probably 3.75 ish? Does anyone remember? I’m another 1.3 kg / 2 lbs down this week, very pleased with it even though it felt like the weight was dragging this week!

13 kg / 28 lbs down in 9 weeks.

SW: 107.2 kg
CW: 94.1 kg
Next GW: 90 kg

I have a holiday coming up end of August and would love to be past my next goal by then! 🙏🏼

I was watching the Curate palaver unfold on TikTok last night and it confirmed something I had wondered. Some of these companies are offering "influencers" money if they get orders in, one young woman said Curate offered her a code to put on her page that got her £5 for every order received on it. I'm not sure how legal that is for prescription medication?

I was away for a long weekend and knew food would be difficult as we were eating out a lot and, as often happens in a group setting had lots of "picky bits" but the damage is not too bad, I maintained rather than losing which is positive. I've decided retirement is not conducive to eating healthily, following my weekend away I have 2 lunches out this week and a get-together with food and drink at a friend's house - oh well, it beats working!

Can anyone point me in the right direction as to what Insulin needles to get for the bonus dose please? Preferably amazon as I can get quickly on Prime. I have spare needles sent with the pen but not sure if these compatible with all syringes that don't have needles, there are hundreds of options and I'm confused.

No advice but solidarity because that has been my experience too. I've got 2 doses left from my current 7.5mg pen, and another one in the fridge 😑

I think I'm going to jump straight to 10mg after this pen finishes as opposed to staying on 7.5 for another month.

I've heard good things about 10mg from people who found 7.5mg to be useless, so hang in there.

I did similar when I was on holiday. Skipped my dose on holiday and basically ate pretty much what I wanted. Couldn't eat or drink as much as I would have before MJ, but still ate and drank more than usual on MJ. I gained a fair amount when I got back, but lost most within a week and have continued to lose well after. So you can go back on easily enough. Start back on 2.5mg though, I tried to start back too high and got d&v!

Thank you. Please let me know if 10 is better once you've moved up, or if 7.5 improves at all. I was really hoping to lose a few more lbs before my holiday in August but it wont be the end of the world if that doesn't happen. I skipped the bonus dose in my 5mg pen as it wasn't doing much, looks like I may do the same with the 7.5, which would be a shame to waste a dose even if it is a freebie. Hoping 10mg will be our saviour when we get there 🙏

Yes I've been noticing these codes for a while. Didn't realise these people were making money from people signing up with the codes!

I am not too keen on these tiktok influencers. There seem to be so many new ones all the time. It's boring now. I follow some that have been on for a long time, but even then, some do seem to promote bad eating. Prefer some of the American ones actually.

Also, a lot of the British ones don't look like they have much/any weight to lose!

@PomchiK

I have used the extra dose of my 7.5 pen this week which is likely to have been 10-11mg, forgot to check the final amount in the syringe.

Had a huge whoosh of losses since, when I felt I had barely gone down in the past four weeks on 7.5. I was still losing but really slowly compared to the first 3 months.

I am now thinking the same as @BlackFriYay. I have both a 7.5 and 10mg pen in my fridge but will move up and see if that helps keep things moving.

This is encouraging to read as I am also in the "7.5mg isn't doing much" club!

@Slimstar13 @ObsidianTree I think MedExpress must have changed their policy in recent days. I deliberately named and linked to a provider offering cheaper pens before discount as I figured they wouldn't want to include discount in their price match.

I'm at the end of week 7.
5 weeks on 2.5 and 3 now of 5mg.
5mg which is working fine so far so I've ordered another 5mg.

SW 18st 6lbs
CW 16st 11lbs

Losing a consistent 3lbs a week and delighted with this. It feels like a good amount to keep me motivated without being too much too quick.