Mounjaro - maintenance dose for life?

[DappledOliveGroves]

So, I've lost almost two stone since July, using Mounjaro, and have around 8 to 10 pounds to go until my target weight.

The medication is great. I'm not hungry, food noise and cravings are gone and if I do want to eat, I want something healthy. But, I'm not kidding myself - this is the result of the injection, rather than anything else. Whilst I could endeavour to replicate what I eat (or don't eat) on Mounjaro, once I'm off the medication, I highly doubt that the weight will stay off. Indeed, if this were the case, I wouldn't have yo-yo dieted for most of my adult life.

Whilst I know that various providers will offer a taper dose, I don't know how useful this will be as I'm still on a low dose (5mg) anyway. So, I suppose my question is whether there are providers that effectively offer an on-going maintenance dose for the foreseeable future? I appreciate it's a new medication, so it may be that pharmacists here end up following what is happening in the US, but I am wondering whether it seems likely that people will effectively end up being prescribed these drugs for life? Otherwise, given that various studies show that most people re-gain the weight once they stop the medication, people will surely end up just going on and off the drugs in a cyclical fashion?

It may be that it's simply an unknown at this point, given that the drug is relatively new. But would be interesting to hear people's thoughts.

There was an article in the Guardian the other day about how much money these drugs could save the NHS, but it's still a few years until patents expire. Assuming the safety and efficacy holds up, I think the prices will come down when that happens and it will go through a cost-benefit process and likely be widely available on prescription but it will take a few years for that to happen.

Exactly

Yes same here, Im on blood pressure meds, Im told not to come off it even though my blood pressure is ok and much lower than it used to be when I was bigger. So thats it for life for me.

Im also on antacids for life and also steroids, unless my sinuses suddenly behave themselves. Unlikely.

I think people must live quite a sheltered and naive life if they dont understand that many of us are medicated for life on one thing or another.

My OH isnt just on his diabetic medication, he is also on statins as that is part of preventative diabetic care, he has never had high cholesterol though and he is also on asthma medication for life, since he was a child.

I have been taking mounjaro for 4 months and my bmi is now 23 (was 31).

I look and feel amazing. I have one 15mg pen left in the fridge that I will use to titrate down with.

I haven't had any cravings or any interest in food for such a long time (started in April), I can't imagine feeling any different. However, this is the Mounjaro being effective and nothing else.

I am dreading finishing the meds. I have looked online but there isn't a maintenance dose with my supplier (medexpress)

You could try swapping to Voy for maintenence, they did mention something about maintenance. It is a bit more expensive though

Ah, med express cut you off when you BMI falls below 23.5! So that's annoying.

Oshik offer a maintenance plan and will take people with a BMI lower than 25. However, their 15mg pens are pretty pricey, even with 15% off(for maintenance plan) but worth looking into tho if you don't want to stop taking MJ

I've been on saxenda which was great for me- no side effects and lost 2 stone. Put in on again. Went on ozempic. Lost some but couldn't cope with the side effects. Put it on again. Now on mounjaro and so far it's ok and I'm losing again but I'm very much thinking of what happens when I stop. Does it all go back on again?

I try to tell myself that I won't let it happen this time but realistically I know it's harder than that or none of us would have needed it in the first place.

I'm interested in the info on MJ maintenance, what you need to do to maintain.

Oshik offer a maintenance plan and will take people with a BMI lower than 25. However, their 15mg pens are pretty pricey, even with 15% off(for maintenance plan) but worth looking into tho if you don't want to stop taking MJ

I cannot remember the comparison now but Oushk just announced a price drop if their higher dosage pens so maybe worth another look?

It’s down to the individual .

many of us, myself included will not come off, and will stay on a maintence dose and not stop. What form that maintence dose takes will vary, ie a weekly lower dose, or an intermittent dosing schedule,a month on a month off etc,

some folks feel they can go it alone and won’t regain.

it’s your call, there is no “we “ in this, as everyone needs to do what works for them.

I have come off mounjaro for just 1 week and already I'm eating more. I'm trying but I keep thinking about what I'm going to eat next. Arggghh

That’s true of all diets, though, not just those using weight loss injections. “A large majority of dieters, around 80-95%, eventually regain the weight they lost within a few years.”

That is correct. @DappledOliveGroves , I switched supplier when I realised the one I was with didn’t offer ongoing maintenance; several suppliers do offer it and I intend to take this medication for life.

How much is a maintenance dose costing? I have tried to understand the charts on the comparison website. I just can’t wrap my head around the differences.
Could you give me an approximate cost for ‘actively losing’ and ‘maintenance’, please?

I’m currently gaining the 5 stone I lost on SW and feeling sick about it.

That very much depends on the dose and the supplier. I’m on 15mg at the moment and it’s costing about £185.00 per month. That will come down when I lower my dose for maintenance but I don’t know what to because I don’t yet know what dose I’ll manage to maintain on. In about 5 years I believe the drug will come off licence and then anyone will be able to make it and prices will drop.

Thank you. That’s really helpful- I literally seem to lose my brain when I look at it!

I have 6 stone to lose so probably will need quite a high dose for quite a while.

I suppose if it gets cheaper when it’s out of license, the maintenance dose will be cheap. That’s actually really positive!

It’s definitely within the pharmaceutical industry’s benefit to have people on it for life but I reckon it won’t be long before they’ve developed some kind of ‘maintenance’ pill that’s cheaper and far more likely to have life long customers. I would imagine many people don’t want to commit to £100+ a month for life so a cheaper maintenance drug would definitely be a better business model.

Millions will though pay that for life, I’m one of them, it’s better than paying that in excess food and or booze and being fat, every month, and for many of us that the direct choice. So I will pay it. As no matter how much I try, I know the weight will slowly creep back on at some point.

the price will come down, but mounjaro doesn’t come off trademark fill the mid 2030s and they are currently trying to extend it, although they have a major lawsuit challenging them on going right now.

The basis of the lawsuit is there was no “art” from el Lilly, so the patent is not valid, they simply took an existing drug and repackaged it and got it approved for weight loss, and as they didn’t create it, it has been around for decades, their lawsuit, from another Goliath of industry will be worth watching. There is no dispute that el Lilly created it, they didn’t. So how they will defend it remains to be seen, right now they are just attacking the other side and hurling abuse. They are lawyered up to the hilt though.

ozempic/wegovy will come out of trademark next year and multiple generic versions ready to go, whuch will be much cheaper and several new drugs in final testing, so these things all together will bring price down, as it’s then a competitive landscape, many people will chose to still pay the higher price for the more effective mounjaro than the less effective and to be generic branded wegovy/ozempic , but new drugs entering the market will drive the price down as mounjaro will become the ozempic of tomorrow, the less effective drug. It’s a fast moving space and in 5 years will look very different to what it looks like now, we really are just at the start of this, and big pharma are trying to make as much money as they can from what is basically the biggest new market there is and it is worth billions.

I have noticed some people can take it one month on or 5 weeks on / 3 weeks off with the extra dose, and some pharmacies permit this not sure which though Cloud maybe. Would make it a bit cheaper.

Does anyone know if ZAVA offer maintenance? My providers are limited as I am not in the uk.

I totally agree, have been on it almost a year lost nearly 6 stone! however its the switch off of food noise which is the game changer, plus wanting healthy snacks and not crisps or chocolate and healthier choices that my mind automatically goes to.. I have been dieting since I was 18, I am now nearly 62 and look and feel the best I ever have. Life long maintenance dose is the only option I want. Like other commentors have said, statins etc are life long medication so what is the problem with weight loss medication?