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 weigh daily, but to be perfectly honest, I need to maybe wean myself off of this habit, because I find that the steady daily losses give me a boost, but the day where it stalls or is a few grams up it ruins my mood for the whole day. I just feel annoyed and disappointed in myself, which is totally irrational.
It doesn’t affect much what I eat, but if I see a “gain” or “stall” I find myself trying to restrict further which I recognize is unhealthy.

I only weigh if I have managed to go to the loo before eating or drinking anything and as long as it isn't around period time. Not weighing this week as it's getting to that time!

Exactly the same for me. Hopefully it’s still in the fridge.

Daily weigher here too.
I call it data collecting 🤓
For me it has helped me figure out trends around what I may have done. I then class the average as my weight loss for the week.

I got the whoosh!!!!

After bitching and moaning for two solid weeks going up and down the same 1 lb, yesterday I was down half a pound and today another 2 lbs down!!! Seemingly overnight. I bloody can’t believe it!

SW: 107.2 kg (May 25)
CW: 91.9 kg (Aug 2)
Loss: 15.3 kg / 34 lbs

All my stall sisters- don’t despair! The whoosh thing is freaking real!!! I have never experienced it like this before! Trust!

PS. my medexpress order which I placed Sun morning, was finally approved yesterday and with RM today, hoping it gets here today or tomorrow latest.

I find the daily/every few days weight in is the best way to make me accountable and mindful about what I'm doing. I think when I hit maintenance I need to continue so if I start gaining I can act quickly. Like others have reported, its insightful to see what my body does throughout the week, what foods disagree with weightloss (its been sausages this week but they were delicious!) and when other fluctuations are likely to happen. The thrill of seeing the scales reduce however is going to be a hard habit to break...when I reach my goal weight.

@3wDavid
Fab! Exactly the same happened to me this week, it's a great feeling isn't it?

@3wDavid how FANTASTIC! I can hear your delight! I went through into the 11s, apparently all you need is a 19 hour wait in A&E. I should just have been more patient when I last posted 🙃

Put a pound on overnight due to TOTM but I've still lost weight overall this week so am happy with that.

While my toddler has been in hospital my diet has gone to pot. I've had 2 large takeaways, snacked much more and given in to a few cravings. I've also had to drop the bit of exercise I do as I've pulled a muscle in my back so am struggling to move.

Starting weight 15st 11lb 8oz
Last week's weight 11st 4lb 2oz
Current weight 11st 2lb 8oz

After meeting my target of losing the weight of my kids (4st 8lb), my next target was 11st as that would be 1st away from bmi 25. Might just change the target to 10st and work towards that instead of any more intermediary targets.

I'm not sure what my end goal is. I feel good at my current weight but I really need to tone up and still have loads of flab. Still can't decide what to do about maintenance as I'm not keen on being forced to buy a low dose pen per month for the foreseeable future.

@3wDavid I love that whoosh feeling! I had a stall for 3+ weeks and then last week I dropped almost 5lbs in a week. (This week is a much more sensible 1.7lbs)

Former staller here, but lost 4.5lbs in the last 8 days. I dropped my dosage actually from 15mg to 10 mg before my holiday, have actually been eating more (and focusing higher protein and natural carbs, like fruit and veg) - and also making a concerted effort to drink more water (still a bit useless on that one).

I now actually think I rushed to the 12.5 and 15mg doses thinking they would shift me on, but they meant I wasn’t eating enough and my body went into starvation mode. No scientific basis for that, just my hypothesis! I think that it really is important not to eat too little - especially if you are trying to find a sustainable lifestyle/eating habits for maintenance. I think I’ll stop at 10mg unless the hunger issue reappears.

Am delighted to have had a months in which I’ve had a relaxed 14 day holiday and still managed to kickstart my weight loss. Have just 1st to go to get to goal and feeling optimistic I can do that within the next couple of months now.

start weight: 16st 10.3 (size 20)
current weight: 11st 9.8 (size 12)
height 5ft 5”

I had my first little whoosh this week too, on my week 5 bonus dose (I’m on 2.5). I’ve been losing just over 2lbs a week, but this weeks loss was 5.6 lb, which means my BMI is 29.4 and I’m no longer obese 🎉

I have had food noise and hunger this week and have had chocolate, wine and wotsits, but still around 1,200 cals a day, so really surprised at the loss, which wasn’t showing during the week (I step on the scales daily, but only record my weight weekly).

Another 3lb off for me this week, I'm thrilled.

25.5lbs in 8 weeks. So close to 2 stone off now. 😃

In addition to drinking more water, I need to wean myself of the word ‘actually’ FFS 🤦🏽‍♀️

So many whooshed! Congratulations everyone. My weekly loss has been a measly 0.6lbs so still very much in a stall.

I have my mum and stepfather staying all next week and they love their food and wine so that's going to be a challenge. My mother is incurably nosey and I have to go into London for a meeting one day and leave them in the house. Unfortunately my ancient cat died a couple of years ago so I can't use her as an excuse! I've put the pens in a coffee pouch behind a lot of boring stuff and hope that will be sufficient disguise!

Official weigh in today.... I posted on Monday to say I'd gained 4.5lb from Thursday to Sunday when camping and eating every single meal out. Well, that weight is all off plus an extra ¼lb so I'm now my lightest yet and just 4lb from my first goal. My next interim goal will be another stone, and then I'll be in a place where I can set a final sub-25 BMI target. I'm still finding it the easiest most sustainable way to lose weight ever, and I'm still enjoying it as I'm not depriving myself in any way.
I'm still habitually pouring a glass of wine every night even though I often pour it away. I need to buy something else to drink from a wine glass!
Anyway, still going and sticking with 10mg for another month as suppression is good and lasts all week but allows me to eat a little more on a Friday and Saturday (I jab Friday pm and it kicks in Sunday, strongest day 4ish I think).

Oh and I have told colleagues and friends now. My MJ is not a secret, and literally no-one cares! I guess the judgement isn't there because they've seen it come of steadily and healthily.

Well done @NCfor24 it can be so tough hanging in there after an unexplained gain, so you should be really proud of yourself.

I’ve shared that I use MJ with a few people (neighbours are GPs and they were actually really interested as they just get the headlines and don’t have time to read around every new drug etc.)

re what to drink in a wine glass: have done NoSecco; Shloer Light and also done white wine spritzers. Carbonated water with elderflower cordial, ice and chopped up fruit makes for a PIMMS like alternative that looks fancy and exotic too.

@ObsidianTree where do you get T3 ? Does it mean you need a lower thyroxine dose ? I had thyroidectomy so have been on thyroxine for ages but have never felt ‘ right ‘ since. Have often thought about looking into T3 but the NHS don’t think it’s an issue.

I have had to lower my thyroxine dose now I have lost weight also so am looking forward to feeling more relaxed and less hyper.

I’d be interested to know a bit more about T3 as someone mentioned it to me in passing years ago. Apparently, they said, even when you take levothyroxine and BTs show T4 and TSH in the correct range it doesn’t mean your thyroid is properly functioning - and this can explain issues with poor weight management? Never been able to get to the bottom of it with a google search as I’m not sure my search terms have been the right ones.

Also interested in T3. I can never even talk to a doctor about my thyroid function results, I just get texted.

@CautiousLurker thank you. I like schloer so will buy that for tonight!
Part of the issue is my DH drinks and he just buys and pours for me. Then I waste it or he finishes the bottle so he is drinking more than normal. He knows he has an issue I think, but discussion is impossible as he becomes defensive. I did mention many threads back that me being alcohol free will potentially be a huge upset for our relationship but I won't ever go back to drinking like I used to, and certainly not just to normalise his intake!

Happy Friday all!

I reached my first stone milestone this week, onto the next one!

For those thinking of changing pharmacy, I placed an order with MedExpress on Tuesday, still waiting for confirmation . Placed an order with Cloud Pharmacy yesterday afternoon, was approved last night and will be on the way to me today, much better experience, was about £20 more expensive but worth it I feel.

Hope you're all doing well!

For @SilverHeels @CautiousLurker @BellaCriesAndThatsAlright and anyone else interested

So I've always found that levothyroxine alone does not make me feel 100% well. I have spent years trying to get the dose right but even then, have always struggled to feel it's working as it should have. When levo alone wasn't working I did research and felt that I needed more thyroid hormones as the thyroid when working produces T1, T2, T3 and T4. Levothyroxine only gives T4 and it's meant to make the other Ts in the liver. Not all people do this well, so this is why some people never feel like they are quite right on levo alone.

For years I bought Armour thyroxine from American. It's basically natural thyroid medication which combines all the Ts and is made from the thyroid of pigs. This worked well for me but the cost got a bit much so now do a combination of levothyroxine and T3 which is called Tiromel Liothyronine Sodium. I buy this from Turkey where it is sold over the counter. A few companies you can buy from and they will ship it to you. My doctor knows about this and is fine with it. For a while the NHS did prescribe T3 but the costs meant that they no longer prescribe it. They also used to prescribe Amour back in the day, but the cost meant that NHS switched to levo.

I know some people have had issues with Bolt recently. But my repeat order this week was very smooth. Approved and dispatched on the day I ordered, arrived the following day with the ice pack still pretty much completely frozen and everything nice and chilly.

I would tip half-2/3 away when he’s not looking and add slimline tonic/lemonade? It may feel a waste, but it’s better down the sink than sabotaging your diet. In a sense he is both sabotaging your efforts (because that serves him) and seeking a co-enabler.

If it makes you feel better, I was definitely a functioning alcoholic before I started these meds - it has taken a year of only drinking 5-6 units a week and becoming less interested in it to realise. But the recent holiday, my DH was looking forward to knocking back the beers while I matched him drink for drink with cocktails etc. He found it quite hard when I made my drink last 3 of his and left hale my second drink. Now, he is not a daily drinker (I was - 5-7 bottles of wine, plus a whole bottle of rum a week … it’s been a hellish 5 years with my eldest autie teen and several bereavements…) so he’s not pouring drinks at home, unless its the weekend. But he likes a big drink on holiday.

Had to have a few tough conversations explaining that my health was suffering and that, now I am post menopausal, I simply cannot drink that much anymore. He goes away on golf tour with his mates a couple of times a year, I’ve told him that his where he gets to relive his youth, ‘cos it’s not with me. Two units gives me a morning headache and it’s just not worth it. I will never again drink like I used to before.