Continuing Mounjaro... Part 21

[Jimmyneutronsforehead]

Welcome to thread 21.

Please fill up thread 20 before starting this thread.

Massive congratulations to any one who lost even a little bit over the past few weeks, and hello to any one who is new to the threads or is just taking the leap into starting their mounjaro journey.

If you are new I do recommend visiting the older threads for advice as there are some wonderful pointers and resources that will help you on your journey.

Pointers for newbies:

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 link below:

Promo codes :
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/promo-codes-bargains

Linking Wallywobbles site, as theyve very kindly compiled all threads so far, pointers for newbies, weightloss tracker, links to discount codes, tips and tricks and high protein recipes.

Site with all the info :
https://wattnext.notion.site/e880d9342b7a4bab94c244b34e0e5841?v=cc1edc3f1c2b41dab3011c8d9063df0a

You are not a slow loser. You are a healthy loser! 22lbs in 9 weeks is 2.4lbs a week or with 4.5weeks in a month, 11lbs a month. That is almost a stone.

There is nothing about Mounjaro that changes what is a healthy amount to be losing per week. Most doctors and websites recommend 1-2lbs a week. If you lose weigh too fast, the lack of nutrients can mean you start to experience hair loss and you might be losing muscle as well as fat which is not a good thing for your metabolism and overall health.

It's your own personal journey and you only have one body. Look after it as it shrinks and don't just chase the numbers. You need to follow this path for many months (and then maintain for many years) so find a balanced way for your food, your water, your exercise etc and your mind which you can sustain long term. Good luck.

Last time I heard, family chemist would only provide maintenance plans for those that started with them. They wouldn't accept people that move across for maintenance. Not sure if this is still the case.

This is the Pharmulous response which I copied from reddit. I'm really happy with them and feel confident that they will support my maintenance.

@ObsidianTree my understanding is that it depends when you move i.e. I am not sure if they would take someone on JUST at the point of maintenance. I could have completely misunderstood of course 😁 I have to admit that the impression I got was that they are watching Oushk closely and maybe mirroring some of their offerings🤷‍♀️

I am still at bmi 36/7 so have a fair way to go before it's a major concern and do like the fact that the safety net of Oushk is there if needed.

I have bought what I think will be my last 7.5mg pen. I think I shall go with the titrating down plan from next month. You get a 15% discount if you sign up for a maintenance plan so it is reasonably priced.

@Choux Thank you, your words were very reassuring. I should have explained better in my post, I think 22lb in 9 weeks is definitely significant but I can see that others with similar starting weights have lost more. I am still very happy with my loss and I hope that I can maintain my momentum (in terms of lifestyle changes) for the long haul and continue to see losses.

Like many others I have tried and failed to lose weight in the past and have only put it all back on. This time I could feel my weight affecting my health and I'm taking action before my blood pressure/sugar/joint pain gets to a point where I require medical intervention. I'm tracking all my calories in and using my TDEE to stay within a healthy calorie deficit.

For those struggling with feeling dizzy I’ve always had it a bit and my bp is naturally low but after two weeks taking iron supplements spartone and the gentle iron it’s really noticeable lessoned. So do make sure your iron levels are ok too.

@Jimmyneutronsforehead I missed that - hopefully MJ can speed you up in the bedroom 🤣

@IReallyNeedThisToWork @ObsidianTree

I’ve just had a look at The Family Chemist and their stance on maintenance. It seems they will now take on new customers with a BMI above 25 for their maintenance plan.

A very informative read, including a research study of potential weight gain after stopping Mounjaro (obviously included to scare the likes of me to signing up!):

https://www.thefamilychemist.co.uk/maintenance-therapy-on-weight-loss-medications-wegovy-and-mounjaro/

I wonder which pharmacy would work out most cost effective? Oushk or The Family Chemist?

@Pink
Interesting info. Just noticed this difference with Oushk which might be significant for some re going back on MJ if weight starts to go up:

'the weight gain needs to be substantial enough to warrant restarting the medication, and it’s essential that you have been my patient from the beginning of your treatment.'

Seems strange that they'll prescribe, but not re-prescribe, if you move to them but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

I haven't compared the prices but Oushk is 15% off each pen and free postage (another £6-£7) which for lower doses is definitely one of the cheapest but maybe not for 15mg?

Thanks @Pinkbendyman That's interesting info.

I will go have a read and compare plans.

@KrankyKumquat is that family chemist saying that?

Oshik is expensive for higher dose pens. So only want to move to them once I have finished the higher doses really. Ideally I want my maintenance dose to be about 10mg. Which is priced well with Oshik. But would be annoying if I wanted to go up doses and their prices are a bit too much. But if what you say is from family chemist, then Oshik seems the better option for maintenance.

After seeing people get cut off from Med express for having a BMI of less than 23.5, I don't think they are a good option for maintenance anymore also. Can't be dealing with the rules being changed every 5 mins!

MedExpress have changed their stance again?! That's so annoying.

If your BMI increased to above 30 and you applied to a new company then surely they wouldn't know you were a returning user if that makes sense. I don't know the ins and outs of all the companies. I started with the Mayfair clinic at £175 for 2.5mg. Then I joined support groups on fb and realised there were much cheaper companies so I ordered 2.5mg from MedExpress for £113. I've got a 5mg pen from them and they are now asking me to order my next one but I don't know if I'll need another 5 or a 7.5mg.
MedExpress think I'm about to run out but obviously I have my extra pen which I've used to make a 3.75mg dose instead. My BMI is still 37 something so I've a while to go before hitting healthy.

I havnt lost every week. I gained 2lbs week 3, stalled weeks 3-6! No loss last week, week 9 either. It feels like its been one step forward, one step back. I am guilty of comparing though, I'm trying not to.
If I lost 1lb each week consistently I'd be so happy.

Any news on maintenance for Boots’ customers? No idea what their policy is

I've placed my 5th order with Zava over the weekend and today received an email notifying me that the order is on hold until I upload more photos - same as the initial order with feet on scales, profile and front view with handwritten date.
Had heard that they ask every 3 months and my first order was placed at the end of June so did think it might be a possibility on this order, tho hoped not! Not that it's a huge issue, just a bit of a faff and awkwardly wondering for the first time do I look 'too skinny'!!
I think I will be switching Oushk sooner rather than later - am not toooo far off healthy BMI and looking at the Oushk plan it seems you get 15% off + free postage? I have a bunch of codes left on Zava from people using my code, however pointless staying with them if they're going to cut me off and I think Oushk will just about work out a bit cheaper on 7.5mg anyway.
Has anyone had a maintenance consultation with Hira at Oushk yet, and if so how did it go? What did they ask for?

I managed a hard twist of my pen today! I was so pleased with myself I managed to stab myself in the finger when i put the needle in the sharps box!!!

First 5mg dose today, it’s actually two days early but I’ve been having no suppression the last few days and it would’ve either been two days early or one day late. I’ve got a second 2.5mg pen so I did my bonus dose hard twist and then 2.5mg from the second pen. I know it’s not going to add at the end of this pen but I wanted to see if I could do the hard twist if that makes sense!

@Mencia If you get any information on this I’d be very interested. I have to be with Boots as I can’t do delivery (full time teacher, can’t have meds delivered to school). I’ve still got 2.5 stone to go until I get to maintenance, but it would be great if Boots had some kind of plan ready.

Someone got cut off as their BMI had got below 23.5! Which is the top of the healthy BMI for Asians. So they offer maintenance as long as your BMI is above that point and can't get a bit lower! So basically they don't offer maintenance

That’s shit, I’m with MedExpress and my BMI is currently at 24.5 so I haven’t got much to go!
Having said that I do actually want to try and come off completely when I hit my goal weight. I still have a 10mg and a 5mg in the fridge due to ordering early/ordering another 5mg then deciding I needed to go up to 7.5mg, so I’m going to figure out the best way to use those to titrate down (I haven’t actually gone above 7.5mg) and then hopefully cold turkey.

I stabbed myself week 2 (first shot I did myself). Popping the needle in the box I stabbed myself with the unprotected side underneath. Thankfully haven't made the same mistake twice.

It’s amazing how much it hurts isn’t it!!!

I was putting the needles in with the conical end down because I assumed they wouldn't easily go into the box the other way but kept nearly jabbing myself. But I realised the other week that you can get them in with the cover side up and the wide side down so then you can't stab yourself.

I’m ready to increase my dose now from 2.5mg but rather than jumping straight to 5mg, I plan to count the clicks for 3.75.
Is it best to inject the full 3.75 once a week or split the dose into 2 shots across the week?

You kind of wonder why there isn't a cover for both sides. The separate syringes I ordered are protected well but I only use them for the extra dose.