Does everyone move up to 5mg?

[Thehop]

Hi all

I'm about to take dose 3 of 2.5ml

im very happy on this.....sode effects minimal and manageable, weight loss brilliant and feels sustainable. Food noise/ cravings noise dampened and feeling very positive. Enjoying much healthier choices but still feeling hunger at mealtimes if that makes sense?

I need to order my next dose tomorrow (due in about a week) and wondered if we had to move up to 5ml or if anyone just stayed out in 2.5? I don't want to spoil my progress but equally am a "if it ain't broke" kinda lass.

Thanks in advance

Definitely don't have to move up if the dose is working for you. There's no need racing up the doses unless you stop getting the benefits of the dose you're on and it seems to be working for you. I'd stay on it for as long as it does.

Feeling hunger is good. Once you've eaten enough, your body will tell you. As long as you're in calorie deficit, it's fine. Many have stayed on 2.5mg for more than 1 month.

Lots of people now stay on 2.5mg for longer than the first month.
Initially the guidance was to move up doses with each pen but providers now seem to accept that is more than many people need. The new view seems to be that as long as you are doing well on a dose and losing weight, it is fine to stay on it

You're both brilliant to reply at this time thank you so much. That's really helpful. I'll stay put.

I'm on week 5 of the 2.5mg now. I have felt hungrier in the last few days than the first 4 weeks, but I would still say there's very little food noise, still not snacking apart from sometimes having a banana before the gym and I'm still not overeating at meal times. If the food noise creeps back in I am contemplating going up to 5mg, but so far it seems to be ok sticking on 2.5.

I've been really busy this week and have slipped a bit with the cooking from scratch and staying low-ish carb as well. I definitely notice the more starchy foods in my diet, the hungrier I tend to get because of the energy dips it causes. What I eat definitely matters as well as how much, I'm finding.

I would order the 5 mg pen anyway - but continue to take 2.5 mg from it if you think that is the right dose for you now. Assuming that with your supplier they are the same price.

I've ordered five pens so far - 1 x 2.5 mg and 4 x 5 mg and I'm still not up to 5 mg and currently using my fourth pen.

I took 4 x 2.5 mg and then the bonus dose (3.2 mg). Then I decided I may as well take it slowly up to 5 mg so I did 4.2 mg (50 clicks). I was really very supressed on this so as I was on holiday the next week decided to stick there for another week (SO glad I did!). The week after that I did 4.6 mg (55 clicks) and I got symptoms I was prepared to put up with. Another cycle of dropping down and then building up again took me to 4.4 mg but had different symptoms that I wasn't going to put up with.

I'm coming to the end of 3 weeks on 3.75 mg (45 clicks) now and the plan is that later today I am going to up to 4.2 mg (50 clicks) and stay there until I don't think it is doing enough. In hindsight I should have stuck with 4.2 mg the first time I was on it for much longer. Impossible to tell how your body will react though until you are there.

Anyway, my plan is to titrate much slower than standard - and go up a max of 1.25 mg at a time, and crucially stay there for weeks not just one week like I did the first time round - I'm only going to go up a sub dose if I think that I am not getting enough suppression.

I've stayed on 2.5. I'm in week 7 now. I had very strong appetite repression and complete removal of food noise since the day after my first injection and it has stayed that way so far, so not intending to increase for now.

Hi everyone
i’m glad i found this thread i came on here looking for similar advice!
i’m just about to do my 3rd jab on Saturday of the 2.5mg and also wondering what pen to order next. @SlowTitrater i am the same as you i don’t want to jump up to 5mg straight away so i’m thinking about doing the 3.75mg which most people seem to do. But i’m confusing myself about the strengths. Am i best ordering another 2.5 pen and doing a dose and a half (is that 45 clicks?) or am i best getting the 5mg pen and doing a smaller dose of that?

i’m also wanting to take the “golden dose” and use the last liquid in the pen. I know the manufacturers don’t recommend it but i’ve seen people on TikTok saying you can take the 5th dose as long as its within 30 days of first use?

TIA x

Sorry to butt in, I’m just exploring ordering my first pen and I just wondered something.

would it work out cheaper to buy the 5mg and take 2.5mg doses from it? Wouldn’t it last twice as long? Or does it have to be used within 30 days and that’s why you can’t do that?

thanks

@Bunny2607 I extracted the bonus dose using a syringe. I pulled out 6ml, which in a 2.5 dose pen equates to that same dose. Some people extract more (9ml) so they go up to the 3.75 dose. I then injected that into me. Never done anything like that before so did have to give myself a bit of a talking to about not being feeble!

@Fizzleaway you could do that, I think some people do. Not sure you are supposed to keep the pens for more than 30 days after they are opened.

2,5 hadn't worked for me. I've gained three pounds so can't wait to move up. We are all made differently

I personally stayed on 2.5mg for a second pen and and there were moments within the second month where I thought that maybe going up was a better option. Especially that the price is the same. This time I ordered 5mg and planning to count clicks. 2.5 still works quite well but I was struggling just before my period 🙃 so maybe going up to 3.75 will be better?
I am also using the bonus dose.

I can't see any reason not to take the bonus dose - just get some 1 ml syringes. Five doses will be within the 30 day limit for a multidose vial.

https://medbasic.co.uk/bd-micro-fine-30g-1ml-syringes-needles

Definitely going to work out cheaper getting a 3.75 mg dose from a 5 mg pen rather than a 2.5 mg pen.

A full dose is 0.60 ml and 60 clicks - so it is easy to work out sub doses.

Clicks = (desired dose/pen dose) x 60

e.g. (3.75 mg/5 mg) x 60 = 45 clicks

My first pen (2.5 mg) I used all of it 4 x 0.6 ml doses + 0.76 ml bonus (3.2 mg). My subsequent pens (5 mg) I have ended up throwing squirting leftover down the sink (approx. 0.80 ml left over) before disposing - I don't care about that as I still get 5 doses out of a pen before the 30 days are up so it is irrelevant to me that there is some left over.

@SlowTitrater has the right figures in her post. Mine are out by a decimal point !

@Thehop I know that 2.5mg is considered a loading dose and it is recommended that people move up the doses until they find their personal sweet spot. Personally, my sweet spot is 2.5mg so I will be staying here as long as it works. I've done 12 weeks now and I'm happy with the side effect/suppression balance.

My first three months were with a Doctor led subscription and I did have to tell them I didn't want to move through the doses just yet. They said they had a few patients like that but most people are happy moving up.

I didn't! I started back in April at nearly 15 stone and I was 9 stone 11 this morning - all on 2.5

Although for total transparency, I sometimes lessen the days in between taking the doses

I'm considering starting to wean off in the next month or so but not sure what that looks like yet!

You are at my starting point in April (although I could be more 15st 7lbs now!) and you are at the weight I would like to be! How have you found it overall?

I am going to the Bahamas in April and would love to be in the 9s.

Is this Mounjaro?

@Fizzleaway ha - coincidentally I am off to the Seychelles in November and although I didn't specifically aim for this occasion when I started, I'd be lying if I didn't say it crossed my mind! The thought of the long travel and then being somewhere that's a once in a lifetime experience and being 15 stone was just causing some mild panic!

I've found it very unremarkable tbh with you! I injected and I stuck to 1400 calories a day and became more active - I've deliberately kept calories at a decent level in the vain hope of not being starving when I come off MJ!

Youll easily be there for April! One day at a time, trust the process, don't worry when you stick at the same weight for weeks at a time and before you know it you'll have done it.

@Fizzleaway attached a couple of pics for you - although pic one is when I was about 14 stone - don't like to take photos of myself particularly and avoid the camera usually

I dream about getting up to 9 stone... you look fantastic on the photos above

5 x 2.5mg - using 2.5mg pen and bonus 5th dose
10 x 3.75mg - using 5mg pens / 45 clicks

I will be sticking with 3.75mg for the foreseeable. I have had a couple of weeks on 3.75mg when I have felt the suppression was waning and was tempted to move a bit further, but it kicked back in the following week.

I'll be sticking on the lowest dose possible that keeps me within a weekly calorie deficit and moderate ongoing losses. I don't mind having to use a bit of will power too as long as the obsessive food cravings/noise are kept at bay.

If the price difference at your supplier is not much between 2.5mg and 5mg I would buy the 5mg and continue on 2.5mg from it (30 clicks) and then you have the ability to move up a little mid month if you feel you need to.

Hi I am on 5th injection tomorrow ( bonus dose) been on 2.5 dose lost just over 1 stone hoping to lose another 2.5 - 3 stone but finding 2.5 fine and although had more food today than usual still around 1400 and usually around 900 -1000 cals so dont want more suppression as think important to still eat and get nutrients.Don’t want to lose it too quickly as in my fifties and look older ! Want to get into better habits longterm with good eating and exercise so need to eat to maintain gym activity. So if 2.5 works for you others have done it like @HiThereBatFace so I am feeling happy to stick with lower as it seems to work for some. I feel so less stressed, anxious, and guilty as not doing the usual overeating or binge eating so feel have broken that vicious circle that controlled me.

Hi. Is there any company that you can order the 5mg pen as your first one? I would like to click and get double value but assumed I would have to suck up paying full price for my first one. Plus the extra dose forced out obviously

@qotsa sadly no. Everyone starts on 2.5 for a minimum of 4 weeks and it's important to adhere to that - the drug works so differently for different people. No pharmacy will prescribe 5 as a starting dose

@DollyPop100 it's a good feeling to have some control over the whole binge thing isn't it? I was never some sort of secret eater but I was definitely able to eat a whole tub of ice cream / family bag of crisps with chunks of cheese - that kind of thing.

Thing is, I've no idea yet if I've won the battle of that. Guess that'll become clear in time when I'm off the MJ