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Weight loss injections/treatments

Discuss weight-loss injections and treatments, including personal experiences. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any treatments.

Original poster

Coming off/ after mounjaro

96 replies

Cerialkiller · 11/08/2024 19:35

Can't see any recent threads on this topic so maybe this could be a useful resource for some people.

I've decided to stop or at least take a break from mounjaro for a week or two after finishing 7.5pen and losing 25lb. It's been really great for me but I have noticed a pattern of getting a sore throat weekly after the jab and after this long I can really deny it as coincidence. I had throat surgery last year and I have a post viral cough that isn't shifting after 2 months so I'm coming off to see if it helps. I may start again once I'm better.

My next jab is due today (fresh 10mg in the fridge) but I'm not going to take it.

So naturally I am concerned about my cravings coming back and gaining weight as I would be anyway at goal weight. I can't afford to do this long term so this was always going to be a question for Mumsnet it's just earlier then anticipated.

So. Those that have successfully lost weight and come off mj, can you tell me how you are doing? Are you gaining weight? Continuing to lose? Struggling with cravings? Do you feel different then when you were heavier? All the gory details please.

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 11/08/2024 19:42

Remember if you come off for 2 weeks most of the MJ will have left your system and the instructions say you should restart at 2.5mg and start building up again.

I am only 7 weeks in and likely to be on this for a year as I have a lot to lose, so haven't thought seriously about stopping yet. Wish there was a (cheaper!) maintenance option.

Original poster
Cerialkiller · 11/08/2024 19:44

WeAllHaveWings · 11/08/2024 19:42

Remember if you come off for 2 weeks most of the MJ will have left your system and the instructions say you should restart at 2.5mg and start building up again.

I am only 7 weeks in and likely to be on this for a year as I have a lot to lose, so haven't thought seriously about stopping yet. Wish there was a (cheaper!) maintenance option.

Thanks, yes I'm aware, plan to start at the bottom but worth stating overtly for any not aware.

OP posts:
KrankyKumquat · 11/08/2024 19:45

@Cerialkiller
I think this could be a really useful thread for those of us who are at, or fast approaching, goal weight. A place to share ideas and experiences. Sorry I can't help with your specific questions as I'm still 10lbs from BMI 25 so still chugging the meds, and sorry to hear about your cough/throat issues (that's really weird - I hope it does clear up when you come off)

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 19:49

Stopped after 6 months on it and in 3 weeks have put back on nearly all the weight I battled to lose. So disheartening. I have no off switch. I am hungry all the time and never feel full with horrendous sweet cravings. Nothing works and I dont seem to have any willpower like before. If there is a sweet thing in the house I eat it.
I honestly think my body is now immune to my own hormones.
Dispairing and considering going back on it...

Original poster
Cerialkiller · 11/08/2024 19:56

Thanks for your honesty. I think this is really valuable to know about.

While suppressed on mj it's so easy to.think that it will be manageable. We so quickly forget how hard is was to control ourselves before. This is what I'm worried about 😞

OP posts:
ThirdStorm · 11/08/2024 20:02

I have no answers for you but I’m 1lb away from goal weight and I’ll have lost 55lb in total (a few prior to MJ but most with). I won’t be taking it forever but will be taking it for a bit longer yet. I stockpiled. I’ve stayed on 2.5mg the whole time so that makes it slightly different for me. I’ll be watching this thread as will need something the main long running (wonderful) thread no longer offers me.

ThirdStorm · 11/08/2024 20:14

@angel1977 i hope you can find a solution. I’m not sure I can be trusted not to go back to my old ways. I’m definitely eating less, not snacking but the moment I start allowing myself treats, that’s my danger zone.

ItsAlrightDarling · 11/08/2024 20:15

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 19:49

Stopped after 6 months on it and in 3 weeks have put back on nearly all the weight I battled to lose. So disheartening. I have no off switch. I am hungry all the time and never feel full with horrendous sweet cravings. Nothing works and I dont seem to have any willpower like before. If there is a sweet thing in the house I eat it.
I honestly think my body is now immune to my own hormones.
Dispairing and considering going back on it...

How much did you lose, if you don’t mind me asking?

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 20:39

4 stones myself through diet and exercise over 2 years. 1 stone on mj in 6 months.
Put on 9 lbs in 3 weeks. Soul destroying.

ItsAlrightDarling · 11/08/2024 20:50

Were you following the same diet/exercise plan on MJ as you were previously?

izzy2076 · 11/08/2024 20:50

@angel1977 a lot of that 9 pounds will be water weight and inflammation coming straight back. I do really feel for you and imagine you must feel distraught. Can you go back to 2.5 and stay on it a bit longer? Maybe stretch the doses out a bit? There's tons of advice on the American mounjaro maintenance thread on Reddit that will be helpful.

Quitelikeit · 11/08/2024 20:54

When I stopped the jabs I can tell you I was ravenously hungry in a way I had never ever been in my life. I was like that for about 3 weeks and ended up heavier than when I started the damn thing.

Id be keen to know if that’s what happened to others who have stopped it

MadameMassiveSalad · 11/08/2024 21:05

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 20:39

4 stones myself through diet and exercise over 2 years. 1 stone on mj in 6 months.
Put on 9 lbs in 3 weeks. Soul destroying.

You lost 4st in 2 years though that's amazing! You can do it yourself!

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 21:06

I cant follow my diet plan which has worked all this time. As i'm writing this I'm heading back in the kitchen for more. Thats the problem. Its a true eating addiction as bad as any drug or alcohol problem. I've been so careful for so long and was able to maintain for months before using the mj but now its all changed. I cant explain it very well. I literally cannot stop putting things in my mouth. I thought it would only be a temporary craving thing but its not.
I used to weigh out and measure all my foods/treats/ meals and be satisfied with the portion. Now I just eat the whole bag at once. measure out the portions, sit down and go back and eat the rest. I never did this before but now its insatiable.

ItsAlrightDarling · 11/08/2024 21:08

What made you start MJ when you were doing so well losing weight without it?

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 21:12

I had stopped being able to lose atall and thought it would get help kickstart me.

KrankyKumquat · 11/08/2024 21:24

@angel1977
So what you're saying is that it seems the 6 months on MJ has led to a completely different appetite now, different to when you were losing weight for the previous 2 years? You're insatiably hungry now which you weren't when you were doing it unaided? God that's worrying..if I've understood you right?

izzy2076 · 11/08/2024 21:25

@angel1977 you don't need to explain as I think a lot of us know exactly how that feels. The self sabotage. I would order the 2.5 as you could at least use it to taper a bit as coming off abruptly can apparently make the hunger come back more intensely. You will be ok. We have a safety net now in GLP 1 medications even if it means just using them to reset occasionally. You can still try without, you've done it before but do it in a way that shows yourself care and don't beat yourself up as all is not lost.

angel1977 · 11/08/2024 21:28

Exactly Kranky, you've summed it up perfectly.

Original poster
Cerialkiller · 12/08/2024 07:12

I'm wondering that eventually there will be more options especially for long term. A daily pill for example which will become normalised.

OP posts:
NewLifter · 12/08/2024 07:13

Angel I'm so sorry, that must be very distressing.

Our bodies are so bloody complex and smart, clearly your body is panicking and wanting to catch back up on the calories it missed during MJ.

Can I ask please, did you stop abruptly on a high dose? How many calories were you eating on it? Did you exercise?

Don't worry if you don't want to answer xx

Original poster
Cerialkiller · 12/08/2024 07:15

It's concerning me that everyone who has posted so far who has come off has reported insatiable hunger. I remember seeing a graph early on that suggested much slower weight gain then that and a majority successfully keeping most of the weight off for a year at least.

OP posts:
pinacollateral · 12/08/2024 07:17

Cerialkiller · 12/08/2024 07:15

It's concerning me that everyone who has posted so far who has come off has reported insatiable hunger. I remember seeing a graph early on that suggested much slower weight gain then that and a majority successfully keeping most of the weight off for a year at least.

I came off about a month ago now, and I don't have insatiable hunger.

But then, I never had insatiable hunger before and never binged - I just ate slightly too much of the wrong stuff and didn't move enough.

I'm moving more now because the weight loss has made it easier and more pleasurable to exercise, so I'm hoping that will help.

The reality is that when you come off it, you will revert to your previous appetite levels. The only way to maintain and keep off the weight is to adopt a different lifestyle. In some ways it's the hardest time - you have to push through.

justasmalltownmum · 12/08/2024 07:20

I was on ozempic. Didn't stay on it long. Lost 1 stone. Been off over a year now and I am heavier then when I started it.

pinacollateral · 12/08/2024 07:21

Cerialkiller · 12/08/2024 07:12

I'm wondering that eventually there will be more options especially for long term. A daily pill for example which will become normalised.

The recommendation is generally that these medications are intended for long term, or even lifelong use.

The problem is cost - to the NHS, and also to people using these for weight loss who are funding it themselves - so people come off it when they can no longer afford it. That's not really how it's intended to be used.

I hope that the cost will come down in the future because I do think it is a fantastic drug and could ultimately save the NHS a lot of money in treating the heart disease, stroke, cancer etc that result from obesity.