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:

Just wanted to report today for the first time ever after my first 5mg dose on Wednesday I have gotten the complete ick over food.

It was an instant yay moment, followed by a boo moment as I had to feed my son the smelliest noodles and it made me want to vomit.

I've never experienced not wanting to eat food at all. It's quite an aggressive feeling so I'm glad to read from other PP it will taper off, just crossing my fingers and toes that this means I'll lose a bit more weight soon rather than plateaux.

Hi all. I haven’t posted for a few threads as I kept losing track. It’s good to see so many familiar names and the losses going well.

Today I made it to three stones off, after six months. Slow and steady compared to many of you! My naked body is a bit of a car crash but I’m finally starting to admit that in clothes I don’t look ‘fat’ anymore and I’m finding a lot of confidence from that, which is brilliant.

I did stall losing and gaining the same two pounds for the best part of a month, and could NOT get under 11 stone, which was starting to get me down a little, but then finally things moved and I’ve lost 4lbs in two weeks. Just two pounds to go to get to BMI 25. But KOBO to those of you in those stalls.

I am kicking myself as my most recent delivery, which arrived three weeks ago, came in good time and I stuck it in a corner as I was in a meeting, and then totally forgot about it until the following day. It was coolish still but definitely warmer than from the fridge. It’s been chilled ever since and was probably only a bit warmer for a few hours so I’m just hoping it’s not a disaster and works for the month.

Well I didn't know point 11! 😳

@CautiousLurker and @Wonkypictureframe thanks for the support, I'm looking forward to the 11s. Still a long way off for me but so motivating to hear that you've both made it there despite the stalls.

@DesparatePragmatist time will pass, we will get there. I know what you mean about being stuck in the same size trousers though. At least they're looser?!

I keep getting ahead of myself and planning lovely new outfits and then being frustrated I'm not slim enough to wear them yet...at least these days it's a possibility in the not too distant future.

Good to hear! I stuck with 7.5mg for a second month and have regretted it as I stalled around the 13st 6 mark for 3 weeks and I'm stuck again around 13st1. I have a good suppression level but hoping 10mg gets things moving again. Just waiting for MedExpress to hurry up and approve as Tuesday is my usual jab day!

Hi all, need to catch up with the new Fred!

I took my second dose of 5mg on Friday. I was a bit worried beforehand, as I found I didn't have much suppression in the first week. However, it seems to have kicked in now, I've really struggled to eat today, just had a protein shake for 'dinner', and struggled to eat that. I did have a decent meal at lunchtime. Not sure if that helps anyone, just give it time, it's a cumulative effect and will kick in at some point.

I'm really amazed at how this stuff works, I feel so level and calm, no feeling dizzy and faint if I haven't eaten, I guess it's the blood sugar stabilisation, it's fantastic

Not telling my husband I am doing MJ yet - and the time he is most likely to find out is when its delivered by the post and he sees the chilled label on the parcel. So I have just bought a wee pack of mini cheeses and if he asks its something I have been sent to sample as a result of an online survey...

I titrated up to 3.3mg yesterday and ooooh blimey, I’m feeling sick as a dog today. Can’t really stomach food and got sent home from work early as apparently I looked ‘like shit’ (love the honestly from my work friends). I feel hungry but I can’t really stomach food. I’ve forced in a fruit salad pot from sainsbury’s and a bowl of avocado pasta just so there is something in my tummy before I go to bed. Also have a thumping headache but I think that’s because I’m in my non-pill week. Hoping I feel a bit less vile tomorrow as I want to go up to 5mg at the end of the week. I could cope with the nausea if I didn’t also feel hunger too. On the NSV side someone did say my new (Vinted one size smaller) dress looked good today!

So I received my first package from Voy today (29th) but Royal Mail has totally screwed up. I received no tracking emails/texts and it was delivered to another house on 27th & my neighbour stuck it into my parcel box this morning - so it's been at room temperature (and warmer) for way over 48 hrs. Voy chat helpline suggested that if fluid is clear it'd be OK to use it (and I have), but now I'm worrying about whether that was a good idea. Will it be effective and/or safe?! I'll be so fed up if it doesn't work as I've scrimped & saved for it! Not sure what tack to take with complaining but the photo of the 'delivered' package isn't even my house. Argh! Any advice welcome.

Hey all, placemarking.

Stall seems to finally be over, so that's good!

I think a lot of us have received warm pens of late. Assuming you are intending to use it straight away it should be OK as pens kept at room temperature should be used within 30 days. It is what happens after the 30 days if it is subsequently refrigerated that is a lot less clear.

What is also becoming apparent is that these online pharmacies do not seem to be taking their responsibilities to maintain the cold chain very seriously.

I have a med express discount code for new customers if anyone wants it. I've ordered twice from them & never had an issue with them.

Thanks @Fromthesidelines - that's reassuring. I guess when you are a noob and don't know what to expect or whether it's going to work then these supply issues compound the anxiety! Anyway, I've injected now (which was surprisingly straightforward), and shall see what tomorrow brings!

Evening all… god I got sucked into that awful thread too. I’ve removed it now. You cannot possibly discuss this medication rationally if you have a preconceived notion about it.

These threads we have here are very valuable aren’t they. They are unique.

Regarding ‘set points’ - every single stall I’ve had had been at a significant weight for me. As in, a weight I hovered at for years in some cases. I’m currently stalked at 75kg. The weight is coming off very very slowly now and not in a linear fashion. Something new to get used to.

Just entering my 7th hour in A&E with DF and REALLY WISHING I hadn’t got up to date with this thread already 🤣

I've down 18lbs in 9 weeks. So happy with this. However I am struggling with side effects and feel like I might have to stop taking it. I even went to 3.75 for few weeks before going up to 5mg and neither of these are agreeing with me. Vomiting and bad abdominal pain. ive young children so it's causing problems. when im
vomiting its in the evening and im bringing up breakfast which is a worry especially as thats all i could eat each day.

@Ifyounevergiveup hope they are ok and you are not still there

Has anyone found that they can still eat a little too much? I've never had a full signal until I'm bursting and I am not getting the suppression I think I should on 5mg. Yes I feel a little bit queezy if I over eat but I'm still able to. Most of the time I'm eating small portions through consious effort and yes I'm satisfied, but I could eat more. I did 4 weeks on 2.5 and was losing but needed to go up as no suppression after week 3. I went up a little by injecting 0.8ml bonus dose - nothing. So I went to 5 and it's been OK but not as limiting on the appetite as I hoped. Any tips? Food noise is much more manageable and I think it's sorting my blood sugar and insulin resistance so I'm still happy. 17lb down in 7 weeks

@OnInstagramAsMounjaroJourneyUK
@Everdecreasingcircumferences
I feel like my losses have slowed down on 7.5mg. I’ve got 2 more doses left, including the bonus one and am looking forward to starting the 10mg in a couple of weeks 🤞

Could you drop back down to 2.5mg? If that was working okay for you without too many side effects it might be worth a punt. The aim has got to be sustainable change anyway so though progress might be slower it might give longer to build a new baseline.

NSV for me: I can do up my sports bra behind my back rather than the undignified twizzle. Makes me feel super human with a narrow back and upper body strength of an Olympian (although probably means I need to drop a band size down)!

My sister had similar issues - she was advised to half the dose, but take it 2x a week? She was prescribed via Dr Franks (Prof Franklyn Joseph at the drfranks.co.uk) who I use too. I’d rate this advice because although his staff have been very supportive he is very hands on with the prescribing. He is going to personally oversee my son starting this medication (nearly 17, so even if we’d managed to get a referral to the paediatric weight clinic at the local hospital, he’s have graduated from uni before he got his first appointment).

Sadly still sitting here! Thanks so much and I have a whole new gratitude for having learned of protein bars 🤭

Sorry this message was supposed to be in reply to the poster commenting on the fact she although she had lost weight, had nausea/vomiting/etc and young children so was worried about how sustainable being on these meds was. (@StrawberriesandMango ?)

2lb down this week - 55lb lost in total in 22 weeks on MJ.

5lb to go eek! 3lb to lose to be a healthy BMI.

Total loss is 79lb since November as I lost a bit before.

I’m currently on 12.5mg, no side effects. I have 3 doses left, then I’m going to work back down the doses and hopefully stay on 5mg for quite a while (my prescriber will let me be on it for 2 years total).