Eating disorder and Mounjaro

[mumof5andfat]

I'm sure i will get a lot of backlash for this, but i want to hear others views. I have suffered from an ED most of my life in one way or another (anorexia, bulima) since the age of 14. even when i thought i had been cured, i was actually still in the midst of it (i did'nt know then that excess exercise came under the same umbrella). I have tried everything you can think of from self help audiobooks, private CBT, medications to treat my underlying depression/anxiety etc.) I asked my GP to refer me to the ED unit of the NHS. It took 3 years and I finally have my appointment for end of next week. However, at the start of Sept, i decided to give Mounjaro a try. So far, i have had no binge and purge episodes (whereas I would have several of these per day). today, i ate a square of chocolate and put the rest in the fridge without even wanting more. All i want to do is be free of this ED, I'm tired, i was desperate. I just wanted to stop the cycle. I finally feel free. I no longer obsess over food. I feel I have regained some form of control. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but has anyone else been through what I have? Did you finally stop Mounjaro and did you revert back to your ED?

Are you actually obese?

Were you actually obese, as in BMI over 30 when you were prescribed the Mounjaro? Did the prescriber know about your history of eating disorders?

This is interesting. someone commented on a thread where I was asking about this.

She had two articles that suggested it’s an issue- but my gut instinct is to feel as you do

I’ll try and link. You must tell them at your appointment and see what they advise.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/weight-loss-injections/5168337-eating-disorders

I am not on weight loss drugs (but would like to be but I know I shouldn't and the fact I want to is a symptom of my eating disorder) but I know my psychiatrist, who is an ED specialist, is very concerned about this. When I look at what people eat when they're on weight loss jabs, it's not dissimilar to what I eat when I am having an anorexia relapse. And I think if you have a predisposition to eating disorders, losing weight in and of itself can be a trigger (biologically as much as anything) and you can easily slide down that slippery slope.

yes, I am classed as obese. 5ft 7 and i weighed 15 stones, then just before i started Mounjaro I was 14.11 or 14stones 12 pounds. I have put on over 2 stones in 3 months due to binge eating and i was seriously out of control

There may be people who drastically undereat on Mounjaro but that's not universal. I can happily eat 3 square meals a day but as the portions are a bit smaller and I'm not snacking in between I'm losing weight slowly. No faster than if I were just counting calories.

Thank you for the link. It is interesting. I have been really feeling the effects of my weight gain on my joints, especially the knees. I knew that if i carried on binge eating, i would end up with serious health problems, but I just could'nt stop. I don't know how to express this to anyone. I literally feel like I could eat anything when i'm in the midst of these episodes and its an awful disease. But on Mounjaro, i can actually eat a slice of toast and not want more, whereas before, i could actually eat the whole loaf (I honestly mean that). I am trying to eat 3 meals a day and even then I force myself to eat something as I really do not want to end up with anorexia. I've had some toast today, avocado, stir fry, salmon, cheese and I thought I wanted chocolate, but only managed a square as it just didnt do anything for me which is amazing

@GuestFeatu Sorry, yes, you're right. I should have clarified that some of what people post that they eat is like my diet when relapsing (ie just one meal, less than 800 calories etc). Not everyone is like that and I'm sure lots of people are managing to lose weight 'normally' but I definitely notice it in some posts because I end up feeling jealous of them.

I was deep down that 'slippery slope' you mention and nothing could stop me. I was honestly heading to diabetes, high blood pressure and being disabled if I continued for another few months. The GP has known about it for 6 years and other than referring me to the ED team, not much else they could do. I tried private CBT. this was honestly my last resort

I thought I should update my thread for anyone else who suffers from an ED and is taking Munjaro. It's been a few weeks and although I still have the urge to purge sometimes (especially when I'm feeling uncomfortably full), I have not actually done so since starting my Munjaro journey. This is not to say that it is a cure for ED, I'm not that naive as I do worry about what will happen when I come off Munjaro. In the meantime though, I feel like a huge cloud has been lifted in my life and I can finally have some space to think about what I'm eating. This grey cloud has always been with me for as long as I can remember and to no longer go through 6 or 7 episodes a day of bingeing and purging makes me feel 'free'. My NHS eating disorders team is aware of me taking Munjaro. I will speak to a 'specialist' at my next appointment and apparently he will explain how Munjaro works (yes, i have done my own research before i ordered it) and will explain how the 'treatment' will be provided to me. I have no idea at this point whether they will recommend me to come off Munjaro for the 'treatment'. I am interested to hear from anyone else in a similar boat to me who has an ED and is taking Munjaro.

I think this is really interesting- thank you for sharing and I hope it continues to set you free of the struggle.

This is fascinating OP - thank you for sharing it. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these new GLP-1 drugs could help some people with eating disorders. Possibly a lifeline for some.

I should imagine there will be a lot of research around this going forward.

I have BED. I’m going to start using mounjaro because 1. I’m overweight and 2. I struggle with self control.

Is this not true of almost eveyone who is overweight? I struggle it believe that my binge-purge cycle is unique from other overweight people.

Under eating and anorexia is obviously a different kettle of fish - but presumably you won’t be overweight.

I'm sorry, I know this is a zombie / old thread, but I have only just seen it.

I battled bulimia in my teens and twenties (secretly and no-one knows about it - but it was v v bad) and although I'm no longer bulimic (I was purging multiple times a day at my peak, but haven't purged now for over 15 years!) my thoughts are consumed by food and calories all day. I only get a break from thinking about food and calories and my weight, when I sleep.

It's like a constant battle of wanting to eat but not wanting to put on weight and I'm sick of living like this. I binge still sometimes but I don't purge. Though it's the mental side of constantly trying to stop myself from opening the fridge that is all consuming.

I have decided to try mounjaro as a way to just give myself mental space from constant constant cravings and wanting to eat and trying to hold myself back.

I cannot imagine what it feels.like not to feel hungry, to be able to eat one piece of toast and not have to consume three more. I am so excited to get started on mounjaro, but I am a bit scared as I feel there must be a downside to it.

OP - are you still on mounjaro? Is it going ok? How does it feel to be able to just not think about food? (I'm actually feeling quite emotional at the prospect of this as I have thought about food all day every day since I was about 8 years old, and I'm now late 40s. I cannot imagine being free of this curse and I'm so excited. Obviously it wu be nice to lose weight, but mainly I just can't wait to live like a normal person, only think about food occasionally during the day, and not eating all my children's sweets and chocolate!)

@SugarHeadache so sorry to hear about this and I really feel the same way - consumed by thoughts of food and weight all day long. Are you overweight?

Hi, this is an old thread of mine, but I'm still on Mounjaro. I am also in my late 40's.

Mounjaro has given me freedom from my binge ,purge cycle. I have not binged or purged for weeks now and neither do i think of food 24/7. Others reading this will think its an exaggeration, but Mounjaro has truly given me back my life considering that i have had some sort of eating disorder since my young teens.

I am also seeing an eating disorders specialist now and they have advised me that once they start me on CBT, I will need to stop taking Mounjaro, which I am happy to do. Note, that they have also suggested to me to get myself tested for ADHD and this is something that i still need to take up with my GP. It may sound like it has nothing to do with my eating disorder, but since looking further into this, i think they could be right. I have always felt a bit different and I can see a lot of ADHD symptoms in me.

My eating habits have improved significantly. I can now plan what I want/should eat. in the midst of my ED if i had eaten what i eat today, my weight would most definitely have increased, but my weight appears to be quite stable now and i don't get the big jumps anymore. I can be a lb or 2 up or down from one week to the next, but generally the same weight (if that makes sense).

Now lets talk about my weight....I am now 13 stones 7lb. I think i was 14.7 when i started, I have been on Mounjaro for months (I think i started in Sept). Note that i did not start Mounjaro with the intention of losing weight. It was solely to control my binge purge cycles. My honest advice for you is to go for it with an open mind. Start with the low dose and see how you get on. As for me, I will be continuing it, although my next order will be a lower dose than what i am currently on as I suffer with nausea for the first 3-4 days of taking the dose.

The purpose behind starting this thread was to give some reassurance to others who suffer from an ED like me that they're not alone as well as to get some support myself. It can be a very lonely, sad place to be in when you have this disease :-(

Thanks! Sounds like things are going well for you. I am so excited to think that soon I will have a whole day or more of not constantly thinking about food. Really sounds like you are doing well OP! You inspired me :) Hope things continue to be positive for you

Hi. I'm sorry you feel the same way. It's horrible isn't it, to be constant thinking about food. It's so exhausting.

I am overweight (I tend to fluctuate between top end healthy weight and overweight. I'm definitely overweight at the moment). My BMI isn't really quite high enough to qualify for mounjaro but I bumped it up a bit online and I look fat enough in the photo! so delivery is on its way. I do want to loose weight but mainly I just want to not have to think about food every single minute of every day. How freeing it will feel :)

I thought the questionnaires ask about eating disorders, do you just lie?

Just to make you aware, med express do write to the GPs asking about your other health problems, I am unsure about the other pharmacies.

I have heard of people then being turned down for the meds when it comes out they have had an eating disorder, might be something to think about.

I have attempted to buy Mounjaro twice so far, but have been declined due to my ED past. I am absolutely devastated and feeling really hopeless. I first tried Boots Pharmacy and declared that i had had binge eating disorder, and then I tried MedSpot without declaring anything. As they checked my GP records, it came back that i had had an ED in the past (anorexia).
I have a BMI of 32, weighing 13st 6lb currently. I am only 5ft 4, and this is the heaviest I have been. I have hypothyroidism and PCOS both of which make it more difficult to lose weight naturally. I just want to live a normal life without the constant obsession with food and calories because i cannot afford to gain any more weight. Diabetes is also very strong in my family. It is well known that restricting leads to binge eating, and the body remembers this. If I was to go on another diet and reduce my calorie intake, it is likely this will either lead to bingeing, or my body will just hold onto the weight because it believes it is starving and will go into protective mode.
I don't know what else to do to be able to lose weight. I thought Mounjaro was my last chance at finally living a normal life and I am crushed by this latest refusal to access injections. Does anyone have any advice or resonate with my experience please? Much love to you all on this weight loss journey xx

I’m really sorry to hear this, @TheFunBiscuit

It’s so disappointing for you.

I would be reluctant to start with only distant supervision, to be honest. I suspect with an ED past it would be better to be closely supervised, to have the support of a GP or dietician.

Have you been to your GP? Perhaps it’s possible they could refer you to the service, even though it’s private. If they agree that is.

I am resigned that I will at some point qualify on the NHS, or else I will have stayed on just the right side of the scales that I can do without. Which is my current strategy I suppose.

Good luck. Let us know how you do.

I completely sympathise. I also had history of BED, done CBT-E in the past etc. Part of my recovery means I also gained so much weight, but equally I have not been able to diet since as this will trigger binging. I'm never going to be an anorexic and therefore I'm not at risk of becoming severely underweight. I discussed with my doctor and he was happy to let me make a decision to try mounjaro. I'm with Oushk. I didn't declare BED because it was so long as I consider myself recovered albeit carrying so much extra weight and being unable to diet and restrict. Oushk do not inform your GP too, although this wouldn't have been a problem for me. The food noise, the mental toll that took on me, as well as all the risks of obesity with other health conditions meant I was happy and my GP was happy for me to try MJ without risk of it triggering BED. This drug was made for me, and has saved my life. I've lost all the weight I gained, and I plan to stay on a maintenance dose long term as I have a brain that just wants to self-sabotage. Personally, BED is vastly different from anorexia in terms of risk. BED wasn't about being thin, or trying to control my food, it was about being out of control. I also have ADHD which is closely linked to BED due to the dopamine seeking. Happy to chat more about this with you if it helps.

Thank you so much @Willowy1982 and @SensibleSigma for taking the time to respond to my message - it genuinely means a lot. Relationships with food are so complex, and I suppose I'm feeling hopeless because while at one stage in my life I would have absolutely taken advantage of/misused these injections when I was struggling with anorexia, this was well over 10years ago. I am in such a different headspace these days and have done a lot of personal development. I will never go back to restricting. Being the healthiest version of myself both physically and mentally is my absolute number one priority now, and if I can lose the weight to just be regular sized and not be impacted by the health risks of obesity, my life would be so different and freeing. Like you @Willowy1982, I have ADHD (late diagnosed) and I v much think dopamine seeking plays a role. I wonder if its worth speaking to my GP and explaining all this, or looking into Oushk. Perhaps knowing a bit more about my current mental state with food might give my GP some peace of mind that this is not an impulsive quick fix decision and I will be sensible with it. Anyway, thank you again - @Willowy1982 it gives me a little bit of hope and I'm so pleased to hear this has improved your quality of life xx