Continuing Mounjaro...part 18

[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)

Mumsnet does not allow promo codes. Please do not post any. If you want one, ask and someone will PM you a code or there are now threads on the promo page that have codes for Mounjaro.

Pointers for newbies:

1 - For taking your first dose you need to twist the pen a lot to get to 1! Make sure the needle is twisted on tightly. Priming will help confirm if the needle is on securely and not faulty.

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 - 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.

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 - Taking Mounjaro can stop birth control from being effective. If you are on birth control, consider extra protection if you aren't planning on conceiving anytime soon!

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

13 - 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

14 - 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

15 - 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.

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

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 your 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: Now saying they support maintenance upto 2 years.

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 to 9th thread, get link from thread 10

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

16th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5115015-continuing-mounjaropart-16?page=1

17th thread:
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5122095-continuing-mounjaropart-17?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:

I'm on hrt patches, started in the new year. I'm steady on 75mg. I've not noticed any issues re mj.

@IReallyNeedThisToWork
Good to hear you are liking 5mg, have you any side effects?
I may just go straight for 5mg next week, I've got the week off work so if I feel rough at least I can be lazy. Another reason I beed the food noise gone, as Ill be at home and ild habits die hard.

Some of the benefits of weight loss drugs

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/07/31/healthy-returns-glp-1s-tested-for-uses-beyond-weight-loss-diabetes.html

@Pinkyp22 I had one day of awful constipation on the 4.6 but the last two weeks on 5 I have only had the horrible taste which I have kind of accepted as having to deal with as long as I am on MJ as it's been with me since day 1!

Do most of you weigh in daily? I'll keep mine to weekly as usual and maybe measure monthly with a pic. I'd get despondent weighing daily and it would affect what I eat I think. A former PT called scales the sad step and it's true.

Sad step 😂

I do weigh daily, yes. It's interesting for me to see how my weight fluctuates. This works for me personally, but I can see how this wouldn't be healthy for some.

Sending thanks to those of you who replied to let me know I'm not alone with the difficulty in swallowing certain things!

I won't let it beat me, I finished the whole thing even if it did take me about half an hour. I am not wasting good steak 😂

Daily weigher here. It's just habit. It's also useful to see fluctuations and takes the emotion out of it as I can see a downward trend over time even though it can bounce up and down a bit over the week and peak before my period etc.

I weigh daily and notice my weight fluctuates.

Now that you've mentioned it @Slimstar13 I have had losses for the few days after I inject. I inject on Saturdays and notice my losses happen on the weekend into the early part of the week. Then I tend to stall and might go up a lb during the week. Then eventually end up a few lbs down by weight day. This isn't all the time, sometimes I stall for a bit, but generally I think my pattern follows that.

I don't get hung up on the days I've gone up an lb as I know it goes back down again.

Maybe I should start tracking daily. I only connect my scales app on weigh day to get my weekly weight. Could do it daily to look for patterns!

Yes I weigh daily at same time it logs on the App Renpho and I try to do it so it gives the trend amongst all the fluctuations. Plus I’ve got data on there going back years now. I’ve just got the weight I was 4yrs ago. Then on MFP I’ve got data going back 10yrs.

I have had very little side effects so far. I was getting a bit constipated so take fybogel so that's sorted that. Cold and achy after injections but that is it. Hopefully it continues

@CautiousLurker How do you mean bHRT? I haven't heard that term before.

Loving the meal planner thread on FB. Thank you all

@BlackFriYay I read somewhere that MJ slows down GI transit causing a similar effect to a gastric band in some ways. Clearly it would not be as extreme but foods that are more solid and fibrous, like steak and dry chicken or that go doughy when chewed up like soft breads are hard for band patients so I wonder if foods back up similarly with MJ? Gastric band patients are advised to avoid "slider" foods like ice cream or stuff in lots of sauce like curries and eat drier, more textured food where they can tolerate it for satiety which may be the same for us

@NippyCrab I hate the idea of daily weighing and had always resisted it but I watched a thing from the guy at Team RH who said, if the one day a week you weigh, is the day you retain fluid, get constipated, etc it's very demoralising. The one thing I liked on their app was that you chose a weekly weigh day but weighed daily and the app gave you an average of the 7 days for a more accurate weekly weight

I'm not sure what happens at the end with clicks, I've never counted clicks before - I just got a fear of 5mg so wimped out 😂 hoping to brave it next week! Been feeling good so far on 3.75mg. I feel weird about using this titration as I'm such a rule follower, it feels wrong!

@QueenOfHiraeth yes I weigh daily and record on one app but weigh "officially" on a Friday and that's the one I record on Nutracheck. But I know if that day is heavier than the previous couple of days it isn't 'real', and it doesn't affect me or provoke a binge or that distorted thinking I've had so often in the past.

BHRT is Bio-identical HRT. Am hoping this link will work and be permitted. Lots of different clinics throughout the Uk do them, but they tailor the prescription to your personal hormone profile. (I don’t get them from this clinic btw!)

https://www.mariongluckclinic.com/bioidentical-hormone-replacement-therapy-bhrt

I weigh every day and have done for years. It has no emotion for me now. When weight is going on I do the usual stupid thing of pledging I’ll sort it out but actually I mostly put on chunks of weight at times I didn’t weigh - holidays, moving house and packed scales etc. My weekly weight cycle, in the weeks I don’t stall, tends to be loss in the first half of the week when appetite suppression is strongest, and by the end, I’m eating a bit more and often see a pound or so go back on. The overall trend remains down so it doesn’t bother me.

@CautiousLurker That's interesting, I didn't realise that was available in the UK. Do you mind me asking what form it is in, tablets or transdermal?

Has anyone read the ozempic article in the 'fail 'about Macy grey? Apparently she was rushed to hospital.

The little illustration at the end of the article is very negative.

Thanks for the link to tbe positive affects obsidian.

Same! The past 5mth have solidified for me that I must weigh daily.

When I weigh daily I am accountable and see a steady downward trend. When I stop, I gain weight.

@QueenOfHiraeth comes in two creams/transdermal, 2 different creams one applied once a day, the other twice. Prescription is for 6m supply. The initial blood tests are expensive and have to be repeated annually, but the medications are about £200 every 6m. Having tried the standard HRT from my GP - where my hair fell out - I’d never use anything else!

I would love to try bioidentical HRT, but can't take another private health treatment on on top of the MJ and thyroid treatments I'm already paying for. I'm using oestrogel and progesterone from the GP and haven't noticed any change since starting MJ.

What private thyroid medication are you paying for @DesparatePragmatist ? I also have a thyroid condition and take levo on the NHS and buy T3 privately.

My order from MedExpress moved from prescription dispensed to dispatched late yesterday, although it's not trackable yet. I assume this means Royal Mail get it today and deliver it tomorrow, exactly what I didn't want to happen with DH and DS back and me having a list of errands which mean I'm out of the house. I hope others who've been waiting also see similar progress.

Another daily weigher here. I was initially afraid to weigh daily and thought I'd be obsessive, however, like others have said, it's actually taken the emotion out for me. I know that some days I'm up, and some days I'm down, and when I'm up, I know it's water because I had a carby previous day or it's fluid retention in the heat or whatever.

I hadn't noticed the pattern in weight loss before, but now that you mention it, I do lose at the beginning of the week, stall or gain in the middle, and lose again towards the end of the week!

I'm supposed to do my first 10mg today. I'm very nervous!!