Very sick - from mounjaro or is this a virus ?

[mounja]

I posted the other day to ask what thoughts were on using a 7.5 mg pen to inject 2.5 mg. I did so last Friday and used 20 clicks.

By Saturday I started getting sulphur burps and nausea and vomiting. I felt unwell all of Saturday and by Sunday I was ok.

On Tuesday, I was very very tired and started getting body aches and a low grade fever.

During the early hours of Wednesday morning, I started getting a stomach ache and a lot of nausea and vomiting. My vomit was so disgusting and kind of looked a bit like fecal matter in the sense that it was the same colour and had a sulphury smell. That day I had eaten a lot of raw kale and broccoli, so it could just have been that. It was absolutely disgusting.

Anyway eventually the vomit calmed down a bit but I continued to have relentless nausea for a couple of days. I couldn't really eat. But the sulphur burps have stopped.

Yesterday I started being able to eat a little more, but noticed I started getting a low grade fever again. Then yesterday I started having diarrhoea. No stomach cramps but just diarrhoea. The nausea is much better thankfully.

I know it's really hard to say but do you think this is Mounjaro ? I previously took Mounjaro from May and I had zero side effects on 2.5 mg. I had a break during the summer and wanted to go back on it and now this.

id probably check in with a doctors appt- the fecal matter sick sounds concerning ?? Also the acidic burps, could previous use have caused stomach ulcer, causing the symptoms now potentially. I’d stop using the mounjaro- it’s too much of a coincidence for me to be comfortable putting it in my body, it’s not worth it, when you can do it without. It doesn’t sound like a healthy side effect.

Not everyone can tolerate it and it seems to have coincided with you taking it so I would put 2 and 2 together and stop taking it

Many years ago I was given metformin for PCOS, a great support for me losing weight as well, I was really happy about it, however I just couldnt tolerate the side effects on my digestion and had to stop

My OH was given metformin for many years for type 2 diabetes, his stomach was constantly upset, he is now on the semaglutide injections (more or less the same as the 'weight loss injections', he always has a terrible stomach and digestive issues with it, its just something he accepts as he has been on quite a few, plus the metformin over the years and they all do the same to him so its just something he has to manage.

I did a fairly short stint on Wegovy and didnt have any side effects at all apart from being squeamish about the actual injection and so kept avoiding using it, which obviously then it doesnt work!

I think the sulphur burp thing seems quite a common side effects for these drugs as they cause delayed gastric emptying.

Regarding the fecal matter vomit, I'm not saying it was exactly that. It could have been caused by what I had eaten. Which is the conclusion I came to. I think the worry with actually vomiting fecal matter is that it could be caused by a bowel obstruction, which would have shown itself by now surely ?

I'm not saying I won't go to the doctor but I just can't be bothered to be fobbed off.

I think it's strange I've had such terrible side effects when last time I had absolutely zero.

I don't know if I want to continue though. For now, absolutely not.

Don't you think it's strange I've had a fever though ? Wouldn't that indicate a viral thing for the second batch of vomiting?

Saturday's vomiting was 100 percent from Mounjaro - I had that exact thing before but on 5 mg. But then the sickness since Tuesday accompanied by low grade fevers makes me think that part is viral.

It does sound odd, did you definitely only do the 20 clicks? Is it definitely a 7.5mg pen?(someone on one of the FB forums was sent a 10mg pen instead of 2.5 and quadrupled her dose without realising!!)

I would perhaps just see how you feel, I'm 22wks in and still only on 3.75 ... some weeks I feel really ropey, others I'm totally fine.

Hopefully you'll be ok in a day or so and can carry on next week.

I think that Mounjaro can make you more susceptible to viruses when you start taking it. There have been lots of threads (more reddit than MN) about viruses like this or cold sores, shingles, and herpes flaring up in the early weeks.

I can imagine the raw kale being quite unpleasant when coming back up, so hope this might be more likely than fecal matter.

Definitely have a rest from it while you recover. If you go back, a 2.5mg pen might be better, or count clicks for an even smaller dose like 1.25mg to see how you tolerate it.

I definitely counted right and it was the 7.5 mg pen for sure.

It's not been a good week by any means so I'm seriously reconsidering if I can afford to get this ill again.

I have two small kids. It's been exhausting trying to manage them.

The sickest I've ever been was from kale that was "off".

Yeah and I think raw kale is actually quite difficult to digest. Maybe my stomach can't handle it which on Mounjaro. I feel sick even thinking about eating it again.

My son also had a couple of instances of explosive diarrhoea towards the end of last week and I know at least one of his nursery friends was off nursery because he was vomiting.

Edited because apparently I can't read the whole thread! If you know what your usual symptoms are and they aren't that then it's most likely a bug.

It sounds more like a bug to me, but ultimately we aren't you and no one can diagnose you over the internet. If you were vomiting fecal matter that is pretty concerning no matter the cause.

I get it from boots.

So I had this 7.5 mg pen in the summer and was planning to use it. I never opened it.

It was just in the fridge unopened and not expired and my new 2.5 mg pen had not arrived yet. So I just used the pen I had.

I think it was probably first just a side effect and then I caught a bug. That's my feeling but who knows. I'll never actually know.

Of course - I hadn't seen your post about 5mg before, I'm really sorry. It must be legit if it's from boots so probably a bug right?

I had something that seemed like a 24 hour bug and I wondered if they could be exacerbated by mounjaro? As in if it leaves the digestive system already a bit "off" then maybe something that would have just been a bit of a gyppy tummy is then really much more unpleasant?

I think it’s probably a bug along with a few side effects from the mounjaro. I’m up to 12.5 mg and I’ve never really had side effects. I get a bit of trapped wind sometimes but that’s it. I was on ozempic before and had horrible gastric issues on that

It's been so gross and horrible.

I had no side effects for the 4 weeks I was in 2.5 a few months ago. Then I slowly moved to 5, because I was worried I was going to be ill.

So I did a couple of weeks on 3.75, then 4.25 and then I went to 5. I did that for a couple of weeks and was absolutely fine and then I think on the second or third week of 5, I got quite sick out of nowhere. Stomach ache, sulphur burps and extreme nausea and some vomiting.

I contacted my prescriber who said the stomach ache didn't sound great and to get checked out by a doctor. I paid an absolute fortune for an ultrasound on gallbladder/ pancreas plus and MRI and all came back ok. My doctor said I can start again and what had happened was just a normal side effect. So I started again. First week was absolutely fine, second week- bam. The first week I used half a dose of a 5 mg dose I had in the fridge.

Anyway in total I lost around 5-6 kg on the time I was on Mounjaro. It really helped. But maybe it's just not for me, sadly.

If it's not for you try intermittent fasting. I lost 4kg last week just eating normal stuff within a 10 hour window. It's easy to do. Just do the school run before breakfast ( you can still have black coffee or herbal tea) and then no food or milk in hot drinks after your tea. I usually eat 9.30am-7.30pm. You can have weekends off too, just don't binge.

I was google searching my symptoms and came across this. I just wanted to say, it sounds EXACTLY like what I have experienced, except that I take wegovy. It only happens on a higher dose - I went back to a lower dose and it stopped, then tried to go up again and it came back.

Overnight my stomach felt like an ocean, I couldn’t lie down at all. I started sulphur burping then I had the most intense, uncontrollable, painful, and vile vomiting I’ve ever experienced in my life. I lost my voice the next day due to it. The first time it happened I ended up in the hospital, vomited there as well, and the staff said that it looked like stool. The same colour, sulphur smell, and a different texture than regular vomit.

I know this post was a while ago, but you’re the first person I’ve found to describe a similar experience. I personally wouldn’t assume it’s what you ate, err on the side of caution. This happened to me twice so now I’m convinced I can’t take any higher doses. Not worth it in the slightest.

I recall your previous posts, where you’ve had to stop due to issues. If I’m honest, I am not sure why you keep trying when you know it makes you so unwell. Maybe try wegovy? But honestly op. I would stop.

Thanks for your comment and sorry you went through that, it's gross !

I think in my case, I DID have a fever and diarrhoea. So I really think I had a stomach bug.

I'm back on mounjaro now and have moved slowly up and had zero issues at all. Just giving my body a lot of time to get used to it. Eating carefully when I take it. I'm definitely avoiding eating entire bags of raw kale, followed by masses of broccoli and cauliflower all at once.

I really do think raw kale is very hard to digest and will have contributed to delayed stomach emptying being uncomfortable. I think when I get sick on mounjaro, that's what my body doesn't like sometimes. Things that just sit in my stomach for too long. So I try to eat foods that are easier to digest.

But I do think the fact that this was accompanied by a fever means it was most likely viral.

That’s a lot of food to consume at once, it is important to stick to small portions, have yoh always done this on the drug, consumed large portions of food in one sitting? If so this could be the root cause of your previous issues. I see you’re now eating carefully. Little and often is the advice, if you’re hungry.

@Onceachunkymonkey it definitely wasn't the case every time I had issues. I also had issues because I suddenly changed injection site from though to stomach I think.

But yeah I'm trying to eat smaller meals. I have a habit of stuffing my face with lots of veggies and I don't do that so much anymore.

• from thigh to stomach