Beginner Questions

[OkyDoke]

Hello,

I'm starting to consider weight loss injections but have a few questions...

I haven't decided which one to use but do they all have to be kept in the fridge?

What do you do after you've finished injections? So, I would probably commit to three months to start with but I can't afford to be on them forever. Do people use them as a kick start at all?

There are probably more, but those are my first two!

Thanks all.

Mounjaro seems to be the one that's most effective with the least side effects (compared to Ozempic/Wegovy), from what I've read. I've not had any side effects on MJ at all since I started in July.

The pen has to be kept below 30c but most people do keep it in the fridge. I bought a climate control pouch to use while I was travelling in the summer to somewhere very hot, and that worked well while I was on the road.

I'm not planning on staying on them forever either - my plan is to use them to get myself into a healthy BMI range while giving myself the mental headspace to change my eating and lifestyle habits. I signed up with Voy because they offered counselling alongside, which I'm using to address why I got so large in the first place and the long term lifestyle changes that I need to make. I am prepared to be on them between 6 and 12 months, because I didn't know how much weight I would lose and how fast, but obviously cost-wise I hope it's sooner rather than later.

The jabs don't do the work for you, remember - you still have to diet and make proactive healthy choices. They just give you a helping hand to help yourself eat less and focus on changing the way you eat permanently. You can think of them like a nicotine patch to help quit smoking, or "liquid willpower" while you're working hard to stick to new healthy eating patterns.

Mounjaro should be kept in the fridge at least until you first use it. Then it can be kept in or out of the fridge but must be used within 30 days, which is enough time for the 4 injections to be done once a week. I don't know about Wegovy, sorry.

3 months is not a long amount of time to expect to be using the injections. That's a possible weight loss of maybe between 12 and 24 pounds. If you're obese then that probably isn't enough to get to a healthy weight. What's your starting weight and BMI?

Oh yeah and I meant to say - I started with BMI of 31.5 (and with high cholesterol), and since mid-July I'm 4kg away from the healthy BMI range. Losing around 0.8kg a week on average. I intend to do a slow taper off once I reach my target weight, so at least a couple of months more.

Thanks everyone. My BMI is about 32 at the moment, current weight 206lbs, I've managed to lose a couple of stone over the last year but it's slowed down now and I'd like it to keep moving.

My issue is definitely diet, I have worked on lifestyle and go to the gym 3 times a week now. Room for improvement for sure, but a lot better than last summer!

I would budget and plan for at least 6 months or so, in your situation. Although some people get an effect in the first week, it can take till the second month moving on to 5mg to feel the full effects. Or longer.

Thanks @SilenceInside that's good advice. Perhaps I'll put a bit of money aside until the new year and do it then. It will give me time to properly think it through and research too. (And continue trying on my own, too!)

Hope it’s ok to join this thread. I have a newbie question.

What do I need to get altogether to start using MJ?
for example, some have said multivitamins? Extra needles? Alcohol swabs? Electrolytes?

is there anything else that’s those of you who are already on MJ would recommend?

@JeliBean I didn't get anything apart from some additional alcohol swabs as they don't come provided by Asda. Asda usually supply a few more needles than needed so I have a few spare now. But some providers include the swabs, so worth checking what yours will do.

I don't think it's worth buying lots of supplements and so on up front. I take multivitamins anyway, so continued with those. I'm in my 13th week of using Mounjaro and haven't needed or wanted electrolytes, protein bars/shakes, or anything like that. I also haven't needed any OTC medicines as I've not had any long lasting side effects. I'd just wait and see how you feel before committing to buying anything additional.

@SilenceInside thanks for the tips. I think sometimes we get information overload and don't want to do the wrong thing. Like you, I already take a multivitamin so I'm covered there and I just need to bite the bullet and order it and see how I get on. 😀