Side effects getting me down

[Jellybelly66]

I've been on MJ since 25th July and I'm due to take my 2nd dose of 3.75 tomorrow. I decided to not go up to 5mg as the side effects were not great on 2.5 but with the bonus(I don't know how much I injected)dose a little of the food noise came back. My problem is I have lost 15lbs in 6 weeks but its making me feel ill. I don't feel myself I literally have no appetite, constant nausea, fatigue and I constantly feel cold. My diet has gone to pot & I just can't find the energy to exercise. I am seriously thinking about stopping after this pen but my BMI would be borderline so I probably wouldn't be offered MJ again. I really don't know what to do..any advice??

So sorry to hear that you are feeling so rubbish. To be honest, only you know what you can and can't put up with.

If you did the 'hard twist' method for the bonus dose, it will have been a normal 2.5mg dose.

If you are struggling to eat enough, it will make you feel awful.

Maybe you could go back down to 2.5 for your next dose and see how you get on?

Unfortunately what you are describing are the standard side effects, especially in the early days. I've felt like this since the beginning, 4 months ago. These affects are what MJ does - it suppresses appetite, you eat less, your body gets a bit shocked and conserves energy by slowing you down. You feel cold and tired because you are eating less, plus the drug is influencing all sorts of metabolic, digestive and psychological systems, including blood pressure and blood sugar levels. You either can live with this while you lose weight, or you can't, but MJ is a serious drug and it doesn't work in the background while you carry on with life feeling like normal unfortunately. My advice - a gentle walk in the fresh air every day, small but frequent meals, plenty of fluids, rest when possible, be very careful when going off prescription with doses, get advice from prescriber if really worried or symptoms worsen.

The goal isn't to get to the high doses. You are supposed to find the dose that allows you to steadily lose weight while being able to tolerate any side effects.

You did well to not go up to 5 if you are struggling on 3.75. But if you are struggling on 3.75 why haven't you gone back to 2.5mg? If you find you lose 1-2lb a week on 2.5mg and skip any side effects then that is the dose for you!

3.75??

I was not offered that dose. My pen was 2.5 or 5

Is this a new dose they offer?

No, it's not an official dose. You can do a smaller dose than the pen default, by not turning it all the way to 1 which is 60 clicks. So on a 5mg pen, if you only turn it 45 clicks then the dose is only 3.75mg, if that makes sense.

I suffered the same symptoms on the 2.5 but after the bonus dose where I did get a bit of food noise I thought I would try 3.75 but I think I will go back down to 2.5 tomorrow. I have been eating healthy & exercising for 2 years and managed to lose 2 stone but I had plateaued and thought I needed a kickstart. MJ has certainly given me that but I've only a stone to lose now and I crave the days of eating healthy & exercise so may consider just using the remainder of this pen and go back to the way as I did feel much happier.

I’m exactly the same, I’ve had no appetite and felt lethargic, not my usual content self. I didn’t do my 4th 2.5, I clicked 40 clicks think that gives you1.6 and have felt much better and also been able to eat a proper balanced diet. I’m sticking to this until it gives up on me and then I will move back to 2.5.

If you are now borderline BMI healthy weight, wouldn't now be a good time to reduce it with a view to cutting it out and losing the rest slowly via a long term solution of healthy eating and plenty of exercise, maybe with 5.2 or 18.6 fasting regimes to keep the loss steady.

A friend of mine intends to have the occasional top up injection to keep her on track. Don't know if that is possible.

That's exactly how I feel OP, after just 3 doses at 2.5. I've decided not to use it any longer. It's affecting my whole life. I feel quite depressed too and have even had to take a few days off work. It's not worth it.

Have you tried “split dosing”? I tried it after seeing some suggest it. I take half a dose and 3.5days later take the other half. Driven to it by the blumin nausea.

It has really worked for me to reduce the side effects, and has worked to continue suppressing the food noise/cravings. I’d now be too scared to go for a “full” dose!

that said, I’m on Wegovy rather than MJ and it’s as simple as just acquiring some more needles. Don’t know about for MJ.

Also, 15lbs in 6 weeks - 😮 wow! I hope you’re pleased with the success you’ve had, even if it’s been pretty tough :)

Have you thought about micro dosing across the week?

I can't believe people are messing around with doses

Believe it. It works.

@MissUnlocked Yep, makes you wonder why the experts bother doing research!
At low doses like these, many of the hacks people describe here will probably be safe (but are likely to affect drug efficacy) but trouble is that it sends a message that it's fine to mess about with doses and scheduling, even if you're new to the drug and don't understand the difference between mg and ml, or drug half-life, or why there's a 30 day limit on using used pens which is why micro dosing is not recommended in the UK, for example. Or that, if you're not losing weight on low doses, you can just up your dose, without researching why this might be happening and getting medical advise.
Ah well, it'll only get worse.

No thanks

I'll keep to the manufacturer s instructions. I'm half a pound off 3 stone loss and almost at target but if I'd had 'side effects' then I would be seeking the correct advice and not fiddling around

Someone on another thread was advising how to re use needles to use for extra doses. No thanks

I don't have side effects because I've split my dose into two across a week.

I first did this because I started a new pen and was really unwell after zero side effects. No one should be reusing needles.

People splitting doses-- I asked MedExpress if I could do this to mitigate side effects and they said:

"Unfortunately, Mounjaro cannot be split, and it must be taken as prescribed in one full weekly dose."

Not sure why.

Could it be that such a high weight loss so fast is what's making you feel unwell rather the the actual Mounjaro? Why did you up the dose if you were losing so well on 2.5mg?

You're on too high a dose. Go back to the lower dose and see how you get on. Nobody has to move up, you only need to do that if it isn't working for you at the lower dose.

No medicine is without side effects. It has to be weighed against the side/effects of the 'illness', either the obesity or the comorbidities.

They can't tell you it's ok to do this because it's against the dosing protocol.

I've been on mounjaro for 12 weeks now. Weight loss is slow. I've lost 14 pounds which is less than hoped. However the main issue is the side effects. I dread taking the pen every week because the side effects are so bad. I get nausea, bloating, crippling fatigue which keeps me off work, and brain fog which lasts 2 days. And then I get a couple of days respite and then the sickness and bloating returns. I'm taking anti sickness mess but they don't touch it. Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't focus on eating well or exercising because I feel so terrible. Thank you.

That sounds awful and I'm amazed you've lasted 12 weeks. Firstly, your prescriber is responsible for medically overseeing your treatment so, if you haven't done so already, speak to them. Secondly, your dose might be too high - again, you need to discuss this with the pharmacy. I'm presuming your diet is clean - if not, address this. You could also see your GP - your blood pressure, for example, may have got very low (mine has) or you may have underlying conditions which the meds are exacerbating. It's difficult to give definitive advice with so little to go on but further medical investigation is probably the best route - don't be tempted to fiddle with your dosing until you have a better idea about what's actually behind your problems. Finally, as with all meds, some people just don't suit them- a switch to a different med, such as Wegovey, sometimes helps.